So back in January I received an email from a Jimmy Mapp (
singlesexy172@gmail.com /
mappjimmy@yahoo.com) though my graphic design business email. It read as following:
Morning Sir/Ma,
How are you doing today?
This is Jimmy Mapp co founder of Life is Precious a small orphanage home.
I need a creative and stand out web and banner designer.
Get back to me if you are available to start a designing work this week.
Awaits your response soonest.
Warm Regards.
Jimmy.Naturally I got excited. This was my first client. I had no idea where they had come from, or why they would want me of all people to be the one to do their design for them. But why would I complain? This was work!
So I emailed him back, asking the basic questions one might expect a graphic designer to ask, (is their a logo already? etc) I also asked how he got my contact information. After all, if that worked then maybe I should put more focus on that particular avenue.
He never answered those questions.
Okay that's fine. He did give a colour scheme and size for the banner (green and cream, and 10 x 5 feet). I sent him some font swatches (three in total) to see if any were suitable for the project. Once again, no response to that. But the next email he asked for a price. I quoted him a price for 3 proofs with any needed adjustments and the billing address (in retrospect the last part may have been my one big mistake. However, at that point they in my mind were a paying client).
The next day, I get this:
"How are you and your family doing today and I want to let you know that I got a mail from one of my sponsor that the check has been mail out to you which you will get this by this new week but there is a mistake with the amount on it he issue more than the price you quoted,when you receive the check i will like you to go ahead and deposit the check and when your account has been credited i will provide you with details where you will return the difference to and the extra fund is needed to provide shelter and drug for less privilege kids and organize seminar about the STD/AIDS program"Now before this there was already one red flag I hadn't mentioned, and over looked at the time. The addresses given to me for on the banner. One was on Torrington Drive in Halifax, NS. The other was on Lankark St, Canoga Park, CA. Something seemed off but I didn't know what. Then I got that email and it all seemed off.
Sure enough, today I found both those emails on a list of scam emails in another spot of the internet. Fortunately I never did the work (I have policies about payment and work; I ask for a percentage on the top. He never gave me a chance to breach that topic before pulling the "we sent too much" thing.)
I also learned about the "overpayment scam" from this site today. Everything clicked.
This was a project that I would have loved to have worked on, had it been legit. That is what actually makes me mad about this situation. It's not that somebody tried to scam me. My spidysense tingled and I was right. No, what makes me mad (and it takes a lot to make me actually mad) is that they would dare pretend like they are helping orphans and underprivileged children with no place to go.
If you want to try to take advantage of me, that is one thing. But this was a slap in the face of any kid who actually needs the kind of help these crooks are claiming to provide.