You're right Ishmael,
According to the police while I was giving the statement, they followed up with the registration plates. The driver of the rental car I've referred to above was included with the car hire.
Very similar to the scam I reported on this thread many years back - and it's still the same, slightly 'different people, companies and emails - all genuine, but ripped off. I still getting emails from other identical scams with the same paperwork, brief etc.
Encouraged by the hotel manager where I stayed in Kunming, I reported it to the police who were very interested and spent many hours taking details, photos I took of the 2 men, registration plate of the rental car and even the scam rental office boardroom where we had the scam meeting and signed the contract - all after having visited the site!
The men encouraged the photos as we signed the docs....!
Yet all they got for their efforts were 4 cartons (out of 20!) of high-quality cigarettes they asked me to buy as 'gifts for the officials' (admittedly I had retained the other cigarettes I bought until a second meeting was supposed to be organised. But after that, they did not contact me, I suspect they knew I had deep suspicions.
It is understandable how so many others are getting caught the same way, but we've seen enough scams to pick the signals.
I'm not sure what they get from these scams if they're followed through - other than cigarettes, but they obviously have their costs too - rental car, rental office, stationary with their name on, and even had a young person as an interpreter. They even arranged my hotel which I had to pay for. So there are many points of contact where they brazenly show themselves.
The way through is for a local to make contact as though they have been contacted, meet them at the airport and follow-through getting evidence. But the stakes are low, unless there are more people scammed than we realise and who have said nothing?
I'm guessing there are possibly others in the scam. I don't recognise the guys in the photos....
But all the best if someone is prepared to follow up!
Pete
I watch these emails with interest. It amazing that this scam still exists after so long with the same wording. I got ripped off by the same scam almost 10 years ago -I blogged on here then. And I still get sent emails from them inviting me to undertake a project for them! I've tried to bait them but from a distance it's wasted.
The way forward would be to con the scammers. Have a local 'plant' turn up at the airport or wherever the arranged meeting place is and scare them with police there -or get sufficient evidence. I gave a full description to the local Kunming police including photos of the 2 people I met. It would be so easy, only need the proof and the ability to hit them hard!
The unfortunate thing is that there are possibly a few scams running concurrently.
They're very convincing, I've seen them use reputable business names too, and businesses that have stopped trading. Each time there appears to be a reputable website.
It's well set up for what appears to be little gain. Why do they go for 'expensive' cigarettes? Are they an easily resalable commodity? Is the Department Store where they are purchased also part of the scam?
Good luck
Have any of the Kunming-based bloggers got the inclination or time to follow-up on making contact, meeting the 'Client' and catching them out?
It is a fraud! This letter is almost the same that I received 6 years ago which I followed up on -read my earlier post. I traveled to Kunming, met the 'project manager', visited a site, gave them 'gifts' (cigarettes) at their request and then they disappeared after I suspect they felt my suspicion! This is not the behaviour of a genuine client. They didn't provide any project-related data.
This last year I have been contacted many times in a similar way (I would have thought my email would be recognized), always from Kunming, always encouraging me to go and sign up...I note that sometimes the development Company name is different, and in a couple of instances related to a Company that had been de-listed as a company. I have spent a few minutes responding to each one to find flaws in their approach, as on the surface they appear to be reasonably genuine -and very committed. When requesting more project data, they send a contract, but advise that it is best to see the site in person and encourage a visit. If it were a real project they would send site plans, photos, local consultants etc, all the reasonable things one would expect of a multi-million dollar project and to gain trust. Why would they sign up a stranger on the basis of an email connection -the Chinese are much more prudent than that often courting would-be consultants until a high-level trust is established.
My advice, make sure you ask the relevant questions necessary to establish the genuine and professional nature of a project before spending money or time in the visit. If you were a developer client seeking consultants, what info would you provide to show your credibility?
However, there is enough that others have said to encourage us all to steer clear of unsubstantiated invitations.
There must be enough people responding to their emails to make them continue sending them.
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