You ever get that feeling that something is too good to be true? Chances are that it is.
I had a customer reach out to me this week. He said that he was in the process of moving his business from an office in NC to NY and that he needed someone to help him set up his computers. Nothing too complicated, he just needed a software update, antivirus installation and to ensure they are all functioning properly.
So far so good.
He asked me for a quote and I had him call me for a five minute conversation in order to iron out the details. Everything seemed to be going well and I sent him a quote I was sure would be competitive and by far the most affordable in this market. He agreed to the price and said his employee would deliver it to my shop.
One slight hiccup.
The customer asked if it was possible for me to charge his card slightly more than the agreed upon price, that way I can pay the worker who was to deliver the computers, in cash. For some (undisclosed) reason, the employee had no access to online banking and could only be paid in cold, hard cash.
Something immediately smelled wrong.
I explained to the customer that I was uncomfortable with such an arrangement (and possible legal issues it posed) and that I can wait until he mails the delivery man money for the job before I begin work. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because it has been radio silence since then.
This is certainly a hybrid of the classic Nigerian Prince scam, however, I am still unsure as to how they would pull it off. I understand that they would have me pay a worker in cash and then cancel the payment to me. Interestingly, I wonder if PayPal would just refund their money and leave me with nothing in that scenario. Mainly, I wonder as to how they would even have me pay the delivery man without me first receiving the computers, I would never pay for something I did not yet have in hand.
Perhaps they planned on leaving me with junk, worthless computers that they can easily cover the cost of with the “delivery fee.” Ultimately, it’s better not to be in such a precarious situation and find out the hard way.
If you come across something seems to be too good, in the tech field or anywhere else, it probably is.
Unsure if someone is trying to rip you off or scam you in some way? Do you really have an infected computer or is someone just trying to bilk you? Give Computer Rabbis a call! 845 202 0077
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