I've talked about common scams geared towards the wedding industry before, and you can read that post here. Basically, the people will send you a check for your services, but for more than the amount, and then ask you to forward the remainder to another "vendor". By the time their check bounces, you're already out several thousand dollars.
This post is going to be an ongoing list of the names these scammers are using, so if you've received an email with the fictitious names, add their names in the comments. Granted, there may be some legitimate brides and grooms with these names, but if their names appear in an inquiry similar to the one linked above, then you know to hit delete and move on.
Marie Kent
Charles Ronald Oliverio
Angelina Kenth
James Phillips
Debbie Velasco
Richard Sparks
Camila Lawson
Terry Ray
Lucie Anne Signoret
Bertin Marchand
Timothy Frumy
Athena Amanda Lenzie
Diane Hadley
Paul Melman
Elizabeth Hyde-Johnson
Kelly Grindstaff
Thursday, August 7, 2008
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32 comments:
Liene,
I received several emails from "Debbie Velasco". My "scamdare" was set up, but just to be sure I traded a few emails with her. I was beginning to believe her to be legit until time came to send a contract. Her approach was a bit different from the other scams I had received.
Thank you for taking the time to warn everyone about this.
This is a really good issue to increase everyone's awareness of. We're based in England, but receive similar emails.
The last one I received was from a Timothy Frumy.
Just got one the day - email came in a Paul Melman but they signed their name 'Mel Man'. And the English was horrible (even though the address was from drpaulmelman@yahoo.co.uk)
Stay safe all!
Diane hadley and leo / Athena Amanda Lenzie
"She" actually gave herself two different names (and wedding dates) within the same email!
I got that same one today larissa!!! I get ones that that at least once a month! Thanks for this post!
Elizabeth Hyde-Johnson was my last one...but things didn't add up so I didn't respond. I know "she" has contacted different planners in my market because some peers contacted me about it.
I've had several of these scammers try to contact me. One was Paula Martini and her fiance Ronald Oliverio. She even gave an address in Brazil and sent a picture. Thanks for the post!
Giliane
I havent run across these. thanks for the info
Love your blog I am a regular reader. I just wish I had seen your earlier posts before 'Kelly Grindstaff' contacted me in May. Thankfully I didn't lose any money, but I wish I had caught on sooner.
This is great site. I got a fishy email from Athena Amanda Lenzie as well. I decided to google the name and found this site. Thank you so much.
Sadly a few Central Florida coordinators received emails via the information form on the Knot from a woman named "Athena Amanda Lenzie" as well.
Great Post Liene!
Kerline Docteur
Joie de Vie Weddings & Events, Inc.
Wow!! I so wish we had found or googled this name Elizabeth Hyde-Johnson 3 weeks ago. We have been going back and forth with her for about 3 weeks. She kept brushing of sending the contact back to us. She also send a tracking number to us that didn't work, so that was the first clue. When the check did finally come which she said was supposed to be here a week ago, if looked suspect. I'm just so happy that we didn't deposit the check. And thank you all so much for your blogs they really are a blessing!
Crishawna Van Zandt
Lasting Impressions
I as well have recieved an email from Elizabeth Hyde Johnson and had entertained it as legit over the last week until I got another email that was almost identical from Catherine Jones. I'm certainly glad I googled her name after 1 week. I already sent a contract to her. How did you all who also sent contracts dissolve the business with her?
Just wanted to add another name that I just received today, 9/15: Dr. Mark Anderson with email address:anaghy2@yahoo.com
I received two in the same month...the first from Cross James (don't remember the last name)... the message mentioned several email addresses (rocketmail, sympatico.ca, and sharonanddale@...) I just received one from Lucie Anne Signoret and her husband, Bertin Marchand.
I have been googling my email request for services as a precaution. I was almost sucked in by the sympatico.ca address because I have Canadian friends who use that ISP.
Thank you for this blog.
I am a wedding planner from Cleveland, Ohio and have been receiving e-mails from Elizabeth Hyde-Johnson & Michael Green for a few days now. (E-mail address lizzytamydoorhyde@yahoo.com)
I thought it was odd that they wanted a garden wedding in January in Cleveland. Also, she said she was from Edfield, Middlesex, UK but, gave be an address in Haiti. The address was 23 airport road, Port Au Prince, Haiti, HT 6112
Her story kept changing and I googled her name and came up with your site, thank god! I thought her letter was a little strange but, I guess you want to believe the best in everyone!
The letter was almost identical to the one's that everyone else posted. The coca cola company, thriving and the moving to Ohio facts.
Also, she started asking me personal questions and said her grandmother was from France and she grew up there but, only spoke English.
Thanks for your postings and saving me time, money and stress!
Carmela
Add Dr. Tom Green to that list. I am a wedding planner I received an email from him in March wanting me to plan his wedding and he would be arriving 7 days prior and such. Thankfully I had not received any money nor did I reserve any vendors with my own funds so I was very lucky. The only reason I found out about this was because I received another email from a Anthony Rivers wanting the same thing and I started googling wedding planner scams. This was my first wedding so needless to say it was a huge blow to me. Again, thankfully I didn't spend any money or I would have been a whole lot worse off.
from Bob Robinson bob.robinson999@msn.com
reply-to bob.robinson001@gmail.com
subject I Need A Wedding Planner For My Wedding....
Hello
Greetings to you.my name is Bob Robinson from United kingdom, I am looking for a professional wedding coordinator who can plan and handle my wedding ceremony/Arrangements for me.I need to know what you can offer? I have a budget of ( 40,000 British Pounds Sterling).
This amount includes funds for every arrangement that we might approve for you to provide for us.
The wedding will be taking place within the 3rd week of November 2009, 21st of November to be precise.and we are expecting a total of 72 guests which includes 7 VIP's and the bridesmaid.
Kindly get back to me if you are interested by a return mail via this email or call for more details.
Best regards,
Bob Robinson
9 Wimpole Street , London . W1G 9SR UK
Ph: +44-703-590-5301, +44-703-590-5234
That is exactly the one I received at 11:25 Pacific.
Here's the one I got! (they want to have a wedding at a location that I chose in any part of the country! WEIRD!!)
My Name is Anslem Dorian, I am looking for an experienced wedding planner who will handle my wedding and arrange dinner for a group of people who will be attending the wedding ceremony.we would be arriving seven days before the wedding day.
The wedding is expected to hold second week of September, guests are expected to attend. As i do not know what the guests might choose for their meals and drinks.
You are to arrange for a Videography,Music Entertainment,Photography,Officiant/Priest & Church,cake,flowers and hall.If there is any these items that is beyond your capability,you let us know so that another company can handle it. Get back to me with your response as we don't have much time with us so that we can process our accommodation within the region more convenient for you and us. Payment Option Credit card? If you have a credit card Machine.
Best Regards,
Anslem Dorian
anslem_dorian@yahoo.co.uk
We can also add Owen Wright to that list - owen_wrightt2@yahoo.gr! I have gotten several from him this week.
Hello Liene!
Several invitation designers are getting this type of email also:
"Greetings,
My name is Donald Scott, I am contacting you in regards of my wedding coming up on the 5th of sept. 2009.
I want your company to prepare a very standard invitation card for my wedding as i need to start giving out invitations to my friends as many people will be attending the wedding from other countries.
confirm to me how much it will take to make a very standard one invitation card and X it by 2000 as thats the quantity i want it to be.
kindly confirm the price for me so i can forward the information that will be in the card in line with the payment to enable your company start off this as soon as possible.
I am at an oil rig in Iraq now and the only means of payment that will be possible for me from here will be via my Credit card. I hope this will not pose any problem to you.
Awaits your email.
Donald S."
Also maybe signed Berry E.
Another request was for ME to plan a wedding. I don't plan weddings as anyone can clearly see from our website! They wanted us to charge their card an additional $1,000.00 then hand over the cash money to the courier they were sending to our studio to pick up the order. Obviously I told them NO.
If a request sounds fishy, it normally is. Email your friends/fella planners and ask if they too have received such emails. More than like they have.
Best wishes to everyone.
xo
I have received several within the last month. The names are as follows.
Bob Robinson
Paul Atkinson
David Walter
Baird Alvin
Benjamin Davids
Benjamin SPencer
Gibson Whyte
Ben Barrett
Kellalex Alez
John Ballack
Here is a website of 4 pages of comments from fellow wedding industry professionals listing more names of scammers and experiences: http://www.topix.com/forum/source/wavy/T1ESHMVFU23D1J5QG
Here are some scammers I have encountered:
Engr Randy Wrye randy_wrye@yahoo.co.uk,
Peter Woodgate and fiancée Daisy woodgate.peter@yahoo.co.uk,
Dr. Gibson Whyte & fiancée Vivian gibsonwhyte1992@gmail.com,
Owen Wright owenwright01@msn.com
"Bob Robinson" is not only doing wedding planner scams. Here is what our resort in Canada received from him today:
Good Day,
My name is Bob Robinson of Alpha research institute UK, we needed 6 single rooms for a vacation for board members. get back to me immediately if the dates are available.
Reservation Date: 11th October 2009 - 20th October 2009
No of person: 6 persons
Payment Type: (I hope you have a credit card charging machine {POS}). Please confirm if you have the availability and provide me with the total cost of the 6 rooms for 10 days in (USD) or British Pounds (GBP) .
I await your swift response.
Regards,
Bob Robinson ( Co-ordinator)
Alpha research institute London United Kingdom
9 Wimpole Street , London . W1G 9SR UK
----------------------
As usual, he uses a gmail reply address. In this case, it's bob.robinson0@gmail.com
I just got the same mail from "Bob Robinson" asking for 6 single rooms. 10th november to 20th november 09 =)
same adress,mail,name and text (just some changes like Euros/Dollars or dates)
I am a floral designer in the OC. Thank goodness i googled their names. THANK YOU for warning us!!
& the sad thing is i actually exchanged a few emails back..HAH ;) THAnk you.
oh their names they used were:
-Frances Leonel
-Charles Ronald Oliverio
please add Frances Leonel from Manchester. I thought it was weird that her email ended with yahoo.com instead of yahoo.co.uk. So I google her name and her fiance name Charles Ronald Oliverio, and found this post. Thanks for the warning.
Good day!
My name is Susannah Thierry, i'm french by origin. I live and work in the UK (Manchester) with my fiance Charles Ronald Oliverio. My fiance and i are moving to the US because my fiance just got a new job in Glendale, CA which he'd commence on the 1st of August, 2010. Just before then we are getting married on the 16th of July, 2010.
We need your services to plan and design our wedding. Our wedding ceremony and reception venue is yet to be determined even though we'd like the wedding to take place in the same location because we are inviting just 100 guests which 80% of the guests are foreigners from the UK, France and other parts of Europe.
We are interested in a personalised/customised planning package according to our needs.
We were actually thinking of doing the wedding planning ourselves because we don't want to pay much extra for that but it's proven almost impossible because we are in a foreign country and we'd like to have all vendors booked now prior our arrival because it seems everything gets booked quickly in the US.
Please let us know if you can help plan our wedding ceremony and reception?
Enjoy a wonderful Sunday!!!
All the best,
Charles & Susannah.
I just got my first SCAM!!!! UNREAL.
Good day!
My name is Susannah Thierry, i'm french by origin. I live and work in the UK (Manchester) with my fiance Charles Ronald Oliverio. My fiance and i are moving to the US because my fiance just got a new job in Brooklyn, NY which he'd commence on the 1st of August, 2010. Just before then we are getting married on the 16th of July, 2010. We need your services to design our wedding with flowers for a beautiful and memorable wedding as we are in love with flowers and our wedding flowers should be very special. Our wedding ceremony and reception would take place in the same location because we are inviting just 100 guests which 80% of the guests are foreigners from the UK, France and other parts of Europe.
We are interested in a personalised/customized floral design package according to our flower needs. Our favorite flowers are roses though we love so many different flowers too like calla, orchids, hydrangeas, carnation and tulips which are the major flowers you'll base your quote on.
We are thinking of doing the wedding planning ourselves because we don't want to pay much extra for that but we'd employ the services of a planner on the Day of the wedding to supervise all vendors, prior our wedding i shall make a visit trip to the US in early-June to meet with vendors myself for face to face consultations and if we're employing your services we'd surely meet.
Please let us know if you can help decorate our wedding ceremony and reception with flowers!
Enjoy a wonderful Sunday!!!
Best,
Charles & Susannah.
We were also scammed by Charles & Susannah.
Watch out for these people. Seemed nice and even sent a picture. Got as far as wiring info to a person named Josh Reed in New York.
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