Spotting Dodgy Jobs

Following on from Rob's post in another thread thought might be nice to share tips on spotting and avoiding them, been a few years since I last got done, after 20+ years I can just tell, but might be useful for others

Speed Couriers (Stansted Airport) said:

Did they ring on a mobile?

Is the pick up address from a high value biz such as from the Plumbing, Building or Metal industry?

Have they arranged to meet you in a carpark or garages near to the delivery address?

If it's a mobile and they claim to be a company, ask for the landline number, if they won't give you one hang up and walk away. If they do give you one and you think it's dodgy call back on the landline to confirm

Dodgy jobs usually involve third party collections, so they say they are from Jo Bloggs Inc, Bradford but want a job doing from Smith Steel, Preston to Blah Blah Ltd, Brighton. If you are not collecting from or delivering to the cardholder always do further checks

They are ALWAYS eager to know when you have picked up, I put this down to the fact that they can't wait to celebrate getting the goods off the supplier, so they'll insist you call them or keep ringing you to ask.

Speeds final point is true but they often ask you to deliver Blah Blah Ltd, Brighton and only later once they know you have the goods and are well on the way do they change the delivery to some car park or garage, if suspicions have been raised call the delivery address and see if they are expecting something.

Ask for an email address to send the receipt, a genuine business customer will know this, if they give you blah123zx@hotmail be suspicious.

If I'm suspicious but 50/50 as to if it's dodgy I quote a ridiculous price, something like £3 a mile for a small van, a genuine customer will gasp, or say they have to ring round, or think about it (at which point you apologise for the stupid computer and give them the proper price). If its a con they will instantly agree.

Don't let the lure of cash on delivery talk you in to doing a job you suspect is dodgy, these are theives and are just as likely to take they goods and give you nothing, or smack you steal the van as they are to give you the cash.

If in doubt, use google, look up names, make some phonecalls.

All good advice, we always ask for an email to be sent to confirm the address details as well as being for a receipt, not that this is 100%, nothing is, but anything that makes it more difficult to bullshit is good.

If it sounds iffy, just say no....it's not worth the risk....too many are taken in by the long distances that are usually involved with such scams.

for me if they say they are from xyz plumbing in Birmingham, google the number to call them back, if you struggle to find it smell fish!

I have had 2 such calls in the last 2 weeks. They maybe have been legit, but did not appear so. Ist call was a mobile number, Sameday job, item was a pair of slippers from Tiverton to Manchester, I was otherwise engaged and couldnt do the job anyway, when I rang the number back, it went straight to voicemail, unable to trace the customer. The second was the same number !!! a week later, for a small box from Newton Abbot to Liverpool, same scenario, unable to trace the customer, straight to voicemail.

I have been caught once for £10.000s worth of flat pack furniture from Paignton to Liverpool, I got paid but the supplier never did, this job appeared all above board, the checks were carried out, and an official purchase order raised, so, I suppose you really never can tell.

I saved 2 companies around £13,000 a few weeks ago.

I called to let them know that the whole job sounds typical of the card skim scam. They were both willing to let the goods go because they had both been paid, until i told them that as the cardholder was not present at the transaction they were NOT covered in case of a chargeback.

I told them to call their bank who confirmed that these do appear fraudulent but the final decision to accept the payment lies with the merchant.

One job was for £1500 - £2000 worth of golf clubs and the other was for £10,000 of latex gloves. I Google mapped the address for the 4 pallets of gloves and it was a terraced house in the middle of about 50 houses without an entry. What's the chances of a call for an alternative address as the driver got closer.

Also the police would not be at the least bit interested in this LOW LEVEL CRIME as one officer put it when we first got stung early last year. But never stung again.