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Banjo lessons scam (check overpayment)

This scam targets banjo teachers for thousands of dollars. It works along the lines of a very similar scam targeting violin teachers.

The criminals try to trick them into cashing a fake cashier's check for them and wiring them the cash. This is a variation on a scam targeting professional photographers as well as sellers on classified ad sites for cars, motorbikes, horses, etc.

In the "banjo lessons scam" and "violin teacher scam" the criminal poses as someone who is looking for a teacher to provide several months of intensive tuition for a friend or family member. He will offer to pay with a large cashier's check. If you receive such checks, do not try to cash them. Any money your account may initially be credited with will be debited again when the check bounces, which will cost you a bad check fee and can hurt your credit rating, not to mention the possibility of a criminal investigation.

Please send us any such emails you may have received and we will publish them (withholding your name and email address, of course) to warn other music teachers and to assist law enforcement investigating such cases.

How to display message headers in Apple Mail (OS X)
Select View / Message / Long Header. This will display information of where the email originated. Please forward that information to us along with any samples of fraud email.

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Example email:

Banjo lessons

The following email is very similar to an equivalent violin lesson scam and was probably sent by the same criminals:

Date: 11/22/05 9:28:25 AM Central Standard Time
From: ash_smith4life01@yahoo.com
To: emailaddress



Hello,
I am Mrs Ashely Smith from UK. My son(Alan)is coming
to stay for some couple of weeks in the USA and he
loves music, I want you to help me teaching him Banjo.
I got your profile from a music teaching directory.
Note: my son Alan is just 14 years old and he is a
beginner. So, please teach him well. The arrangement
for his accomodation will be made near you ,
so that the lesson will be confortable for the both of
you. He will arrive there december 3rd 2005. Let me
know your charges cost per month in other for me to
arrange for his payment before he travells down to
your side. The payment will be made with check from my
associate.He will be staying there for 3
months and I want him to learn for that 3 months.
Please Advise back on:

1. The cost for the lesson (For the 3 months) and
books (if needed)
2. The complete details for the payment(Name address
and cell phone number).

I look up to your reply regarding that.

Best regards



__________________________________
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http://farechase.yahoo.com



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