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For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))
Pay and refund scam - alive and kicking against Melksham businesses

From my email box, reproduced with permission ...

Hello!

I wonder if you would be so kind as to circulate a warning to your members for me? Recently we were exposed to an attempt to de-fraud us and we would like to let others know so they know what to look for. This is especially important to new businesses who might not realise what is going on or might be desperate to benefit from the fraud themselves.

How did it happen? We were approached by an unknown businessmen looking to book our photography service for August for his son's wedding. This done by email. After a strange few emails where the question of budget and costs were skimmed over by him I decided just to give him a price. It was all a little wishy washy but in the end we received a cheque (posted in the USA but from a Spanish business). The cheque looked legitimate but was for four times the amount we were after! I questioned the guy and he said his associate was meant to have sent me my deposit and the rest to him, but had made a mistake and sent me the entire amount. Cutting to the point, the idea was that I cash the cheque (probably stolen), keep my share and forward the rest to him (tempting for a small or struggling business) but the reality is that it does get flagged eventually and the cheque recipient is then responsible for paying back the entire amount!

Anyway, this did happen to me this last week (I was savvy though so did not get stung) but thought that others should share this experience so as to be on their toes for anything similarly suspicious.




This is a varient of an attemped scam be see quite often for hotel rooms:

* Contact books a number of rooms for his "special guests" and pays up front
* He then cancels rooms and requests a refund but "I have changed my card provider since I booked" or some such excuse
* Turns out that original card was stolen, and - guess what - hotel also has to pay back the original booker as it was done "cardholder not present".
And it's a double whammie if we have turned away other business while the rooms were blocked.

There's another varient with high capital items such as narrowboats ...
(written 2011-05-16, updated 2011-05-17)

 
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
G910 - Well House Consultants - Scams
  [78] Domain Registry of America - (2004-10-07)
  [178] Calling a spade a spade - (2005-01-15)
  [347] Frightening and from-friend viruses and spams - (2005-06-14)
  [860] Warning - false emails, said to be from Paypal - (2006-09-09)
  [1313] Tratum Technologies - (2007-08-21)
  [1342] Google, wwmdirectory, Freshwater, ATP - new scam? - (2007-09-09)
  [1680] Astroturfing - the online definition - (2008-06-17)
  [1772] Ken Palm, iTime, and Domain Name Tasting - (2008-08-25)
  [1795] What have iTime, honeytrapagency and domain listing center got in common? - (2008-09-12)
  [2373] Translation from Ghanaian to English - (2009-08-23)
  [2403] Hotel Booking Scam / Cost of calls to 070 numbers - (2009-09-12)
  [2524] An update on legal changes from the FSB? - (2009-12-03)
  [2690] The World Company Register - is it another scam? - (2010-03-23)
  [2895] Global Computer Maintenance Department - (2010-07-29)
  [2988] Not mugged in London! - (2010-10-08)
  [3222] Clickjacking - another way to get you to follow a malicious link - Facebook issue - (2011-03-29)
  [3480] Direct Message: Really horrible blog about you ... a clever phishing trip, said to be from an MP - (2011-10-14)
  [3859] Youve Been Selected for the 2012 Edition of the Global Registry - (2012-09-16)
  [4385] A booking that looks too good to be true? It probably is too good to be true! - (2015-01-05)
  [4651] Pressure selling in the fire safety business - (2016-02-19)


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Some other Articles
Strawberry Cream Teas, Coffee straight from the Bean and freshly squeezed orange juice - Melksham, every afternoon
It's not just about the jam in the sandwich
Distributing the server load - yet ensuring that each user return to the same system (Apache httpd and Tomcat)
Every tenth picture.
Pay and refund scam - alive and kicking against Melksham businesses
Changes (and no changes) at Melksham bus stops
New Camera - very first picture, and next from first films
Random Questions ...
Exceptions - Tcl style
Should we cover expect and/or Tk on our public Tcl courses?
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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