BEWARE! Attempted Therapist Scam!

[hynes2011]

Just sharingthis recent experience with my colleagues.

I received an email message from a person purporting to be a massage therapist in the U.S. and claiming to have an important client that will be visiting London soon. The sender goes through some superficial pre-qualifications then says that the client has approved using the target therapist while visiting. The writer also states that the client wants to insure that the therapist will be available of a least one session each weekday for the month, and wants to pay for the first week in advance to guarantee this. Then the email asks for the therapists bank account number for the money transfer. This all takes place over several email exchanges.

I doubt that anyone would fall for this scam.......but thought it best to give you all a "heads up"!

 

[Sophie Gerrard]

Yes, sounds like a variation of the ol' Nigerian funds, or the "Arab needs a massage" scam...

--an aside: Mike, I wanted to ask you about the "open-handed" Thai technique you refer to. I've been doing Thai for several years (Shivagakomparpaj lineage) and a style using stroking is unique to anything I've ever heard of. I'm planning to go back in February and was hoping you could tell me what lineage you are and what master you'd suggest so I can work on lining up somestudy time while there. --thanks!

 

[Jenner]

Hello Practicemetta!

My first (ever) trip to Thailand is planned for October and I am actually looking for a referral for some good Thai message instruction while there myself. My initial, formal training in the States was primarily focused on Swedish ("way" back). I have attended several shorter Thai training courses over the years (and seminars on a few other styles), but never felt they were comprehensive enough to consider myself a Thai practitioner. Some of the "open handed" techniques (vs. the manipultations) in those Thai courses seemed sufficiently different from Swedish for me to assume they are a traditional element of the Thai style. If you should get there before me or otherwise come up with a good recommendation for instruction, please let me know.

After I visit Thailand, I am expecting to discover that "massage" is somewhat like foriegn "food"..... it's never exactly the same in other parts of the world as it is in the original country!

Keep your postings to the forums comming! While I don't "always" agree with your positions, I do respect them as they are well articulating and ALWAYS interesting, particularly when you can stir up a bit of controversy (my favorites). I'm a "fan"

 

[b28cc]

You will enjoy Thailand--a happier or more gentlepeople can't be found anywhere. Most first-time visitors I know that have been satisfied with the training they received (by this I mean proper professional-grade training as opposed to what is offered for tourists) choose a properly accredited school.I suggest Old Medicine Hospital ([link=http://www.watpo.com]www.watpo.com[/link]) in Wat Po for the classic Northern Royal Thai sequence, with further studyunder Master Pichet Boonthume at a later date, after the basics have been absorbed. I hope one day to be able to study under Baan Nit and a few of the other old masters before they are unable to continue instruction. There is supposed to be a new school in Chang Mai that promises to begood for serious students, but since I understoodthis school is heavily influenced by Indian ideas (not necessarily a bad thing, just not pure Thai), it wasn't for me. I may use a Thai technique to best addressa situation for aclienton the table, but I don't mix any other modality with Thai when a Thai session is what I'm doing. It doesn't need it, asThai work seems to be the most powerful when performed true to theprescribed sequences, with the prescribed mind-set throughout. There is so much to learn and refine that to totally master it really is a lifetime effort, and I was thinking "wow! this is something totally different!"

But it doesn't sound as if your classes emphasized that the client remains fully clothed throughout,the opening and closing prayers are the mostimportant elements, with sen energy line work being next imoprtant, thenthe rythmic (open-palm, then thumb) compression, and lastly the yoga-style stretches.To find a referral to a style that uses long, slow strokes was exciting to me, since to the best ofour knowledge no style, North or South, Hill or Royal, uses stroking at all except with the thumbs for parts ofthe face and neck. Now I'm a little bummed. It sounds like what you've been exposed towas quiteWesternized. You'll enjoy the real deal, I think, because nothing could be more different from Swedish, and when correctly performed, traditional Thai is actually refereshing work and not difficult at all for the therapist.

 

[Kelly Ryans]

Sounds like another scam doing the rounds here in Wales



A guy comes to the door and asks you to show him your bum, dont do it, he is just trying to scam you. I feel so cheap after he scammed me.






















lol.................just a little bit of friday humour!!

 

[fang gallo]

Hi,
I've had enquiries from abroad and just in case they are scams - some are genuine - I am very careful about the details I give out.
However giving out your bank account number won't do the scammers any good. You can give them your bank a/c no, IBAN no, name and still they won't be able to access your account. What they need is your long card no - the one that looks like a visa number. In order for someone to remove money from a bank account, without this long number, they would need a signed authorisation from you.

I have checked this info with my bank many times and so far have never had a problem.
Just never give them your card number!!!

Love and light,
Christina

 

[Piomiaoutsoug]

annoying




DAMMIT! If only I'd read this before hand! [&:]

 

[Raphael]

Got you too eh?

Lucky he didnt ask you for your bank details and passwords etc.

People who get scammed deserve to get scammed, except the elderly off course!

Had a mate down london a few weeks ago. A car pulled up with soem irish pikies in it and asked him did he want to buy a laptop for £100, they showed it to him and it was a nice piece of gear. So he went to the cash machine, handed the lads the money and they handed him the laptop case. they drove off, when he opened it, it was full of potatoes!!

how i laughed.

 

[Alice - 47% Best Answer]

Hi there,
Yes i got the same email as you mike.... few emails then asking for my bank details DONT THINK SO

kathy

 

[rgjsnmfk]

It looks as if someone else is attempting the same scam. I've received the following from the ISRM today:

"
Many of you have contacted the office about what appears to be a scam that has originated from the SMA site, they have uploaded the email addresses of all the members and are sending the following email. (This could just as easily be done from the ISRM website. So be wary, those of you who are members of both associations will have received this).
Please note, he uses a couple of names...

>Good day,
> I am Stephen Lauren . I saw your contact on
>www.sportsmassageassociation.org. Anyway, I am an English speaking man
>from Cotonou . I will be coming over to the UK, South Godstone ,
>precisely, from 27th of May to 17th of June with my wife.
> Each time we ( BOTH OF US ) embarks on lengthy journeys, we require
>the services of a Massage Therapist who can offer Neck, Back & Shoulder
>massage and we'll need it for at least 6 - 8 for days .
> I will want to know if you can offer your services at these dates,
>I'll also want to know if you offer home services ,but it's alright if you
>do not, as we can meet you at your Centre. I will appreciate if I can get a
>price quotation. As we want to make advance payments before our visit so
>we can be rest assured as I'll be doing a lot of moving around and she'll
>be doing a lot of shopping and sightseeing as this is her first visit to
>the UK. An early response will be appreciated. Hope to hear from you soon.
>Stephen


2nd email...

Thanks so much for the response, it really was appreciated and very explicit enough. In fact when I told Kelly about it, she really could not believe it, she was over-joyed , apparently we had thought it would take such a long time to get someone to help us, so we are really pleased at your offer. Besides, this is her first trip to the UK and she's really looking forward to it. So you can make appointments for us from the 29th, Plans are already in place for accommodation, when it's confirmed, you'll be the first to know.
Regarding the payment, we had already made prior arrangements and we had already made payments, but it seems to have always been too expensive, as we have been over-charged. I already paid £2,000. So I must tell you that I am really pleased at your price.
Please I will want to know the number of sessions we can have in 3 weeks (I'm thinking of 2 Half hour sessions each week = 6 sessions each for both of us HOUSE CALL ), and the total cost for the entire duration, so I can arrange payment, I have asked for my earlier arrangement to be canceled and as such will ask for a Banker's Draft to be sent to you for payment as they are as good as cash.
In the light of this, I will appreciate if you can let me have the following information so the Banker's Draft will be sent to you , the amount on it is going to be more than your price because we had already paid more but not to worry all you'll need do is to deduct your amount and send the rest to me. If this is ok by you, please let me have these information so the payment can be sent;
FULL NAMES( AS YOU WILL WANT IT TO APPEAR )
COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER
I'll want to get this payment part settled soon as I work on an Oil Rig and when I am Offshore it's really hard to access the internet, besides, I will be going offshore later today and will not be back till the 26th and I'll want everything in place before then, Hope you understand? Thanks so much for your willingness and readiness to work with us, we really appreciate it. Have a wonderful day ok, I'll be lookin

 

[wladekqh]

My friend had exactly the same email

I had the doctors surgery phone call today - wouldnt mind but it is the second time I have been contacted by them, once at home and today on my mobile


seems since I started to advertise I have had more people try to flog me stuff rather than book me

HG