FRAUD ALERT

This is how it started – by Hannelore contacting one of our Day Spa members why we did not see her at the Day Spa Expo

I hate to reveal this, but we were victim to an Internet scam. Our company was taken for over $3,000.00 a week ago. We are in the process of trying to retrieve our money. We had to forfeit our products due to the country they were shipped to wanting us to pay the customs and taxes in addition to an additional FedEx $300.00 fee to have them shipped back. The total of both equaled the value of my wholesale price, it wouldn't pay to have them shipped back, not to mention support the Nigerian fraudulent government policy.
We are filing a claim.
So, our extra cash for trips and fun are on hold for a while. :(

I asked how this happened

They called on an internet call, claiming to be deaf. So, I instructed them to go to my website to view the product page. Then they emailed me an order. Their credit card went through and I sent out the products. I really had no reason to judge or wonder what they wanted with the products. They claimed to have a store, Colesmithstore@yahoo.com and they were sending them to his wife in Nigeria.
So, off they went. Two days later, a friend from LA told me that this sounded like a similar scam someone targeted a Christian bookstore. So, she asked me to call the issuing bank and double check. Sure enough it was a stolen credit card. I tried stopping the shipment 2 days later and they assured me they would be sent back. Well, Fedx didn't and it went all the way to Nigeria. Now the crooked Nigerian government wants me to pay for duty, custom and taxes $580.00 and $300.00 to have them shipped back. This is almost the value of my wholesale price. Fedx told me that this is how the Nigerian government operates. They are scaming all of us in the US. There is literally millions of dollars of our inventory from America sitting in their country. Once they realize we won't pay their fees they then sell on the black market or whatever they choose to do.
I have learned from this, and hopefully will be able to retrieve something out of this. Thank-you for caring. (*_*) please spread the work to the day spas that they target smaller operations with products for sale!

I asked her if I can publish this, withholding her name

Please do. The problem is this. The Nigerian Government are crooks; they are probably training people how to steal identity and profit from it. They are also setting up counterfeit websites such as:
Paypal and other sites to secure payments. They target a group of people and inform them they need to update their account with them. They then have all the details to go target small businesses, purchase any and all types of goods, get them shipped out of the country. By the time the credit card holder finds out... the goods are gone. The merchant and the card holder have been scammed.
In addition, the merchants inventory, the entire retail and wholesale value is LOST.
I am in the process of filing a claim with Fedx, one of the top managers felt Fedx could have retrieved my products prior to entering Nigeria and returned them to me. So, thank-goodness he is willing to stand up for my situation and help. I will keep you informed.
Thank-you again for caring and lets get the word out!!! NO MORE SCAMS!!!!

I then started to search for a website I had come across!

Thank-you,
If you come across it great, I would contact them. To date, I have contacted the police department, FBI, Attorney Generals Office, and of course FedX.
It is sad though most of these contacts really don't do much. I hope we can develop international security in the future.

I found the website!
http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/

Thanks, I was just starting to forget this thing ever happened.
I am in the process of filing a claim with Fedx. I was told by one of their legal staff, I had a good chance at winning.
The Nigerian customs people keep calling wanting me to pay up for the taxes/duty, $600.00 dollar plus $300.00 to ship it back. I can't tell you enough how I dispise that country. They tell me I have until the 31st to pay up or it will forever be lost in Nigeria.
A part of me wants my products back but, I don't want to support their dishonesty - plus my profit margin would be gone now too. What would you do?
Thanks so much for caring.

I said, hope you learned from it and cut your losses!

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