I receive an email from a potential wholesaler in another country asking for line sheets and an order form. This is very common, so I send them. A few days later he emails that he would like to place a large order and pay by credit card to ship immediately--oh, and by the way, could I use a shipper he always works with? Sure.
I email the shipper--which is a gmail address, by the way, so at this point I already know it's bad news. The shipper emails back the shipping quote of $800. Hee hee. AND he only takes Western Union, is that a problem? Nah, why should it be? Everyone knows that all above-board business exchanges happen with Western Union. Standard Practice here in the USA. So I let the "store owner" know that he'll have to pay credit card for the entire amount, and I'll then pay the shipper...here's an invoice. An invoice in which the shipping is actually more than the product ordered. No prob.
Soon after the email comes with 2 card numbers--again, TOTALLY legit. The "store owner" asks me to run each card twice for different amounts to "break it up." Sure. OH--and "please keep all credit card info private." Of course. Why wouldn't I?
This is where it gets really annoying. I call the credit cards to report that their "owner" is a weirdo, only to discover that neither card has "a department" or "protocol" to deal with someone calling to report this. I simply ask them to call the card holder and find out if they are trying to purchase a large wholesale order of children's products--because I bet they aren't. "We'll take care of it. Thanks for calling."
That's what I get for trying to be a crime fighter. I tried. I'd like to think someone would do it for me.
Funny, though. When I emailed him to apologize for his cards declining, and give him another option for payment, he never responded. Huh.
