Cafe scam: "John Hood" aka "Mack Andrew"

I received this email today. Same as previous scams. I'm posting this so other cafes can compare their version with this one.

from mack andrew <mack.andrew0050@gmail.com>
to cafeonthesquare@gmail.com
bcc (me)
date Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 5:23 PM
subject ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

Hi,
Am John Hood and am organizing a little surprise birthday party for my sweet mum. on the 24th of March ,and Every of her kids, grandchildren, family and friends from the States and Canada will be traveling down to celebrate with her.so your catering service will be of great help and value. So if you don't mind, am gonna need your service and help to make it a success.

Please reply me with the total cost estimate of GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH that can suit for 160 guest and let me know if you can charge through my credit card for payment.

Regard
John Hood

Knowing full well this was a scam, I figured I would both toy with the guy and get the card number he is trying to use and turn it over to Visa or Mastercard so they can cancel it, knowing full well two things could happen: 1) He would actually provide me a card number, most likely stolen or 2) He would attempt to get me to wire Western Union some money. If he sends me the card number, Ill call the issuer immediately to report it stolen and send them a link to this post.

My reply:

from (me)
to mack andrew
date Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 9:07 PM
subject Re: ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

Forward me the credit card number and expiration date and I will send you a price.

His reply, this time using a Yahoo address.

from Mack Andrew <mack0050@yahoo.com>
to (me)
date Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 6:43 AM
subject Re: ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

Thank for your kindly reply.Please reply me with the total cost estimate of GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH that can suit for 160 guest..so that i can give you my payment info.Waiting for your reply.Thanks

My reply:

The cost will be $493 dollars. Send me the card number, exp date, and name on the card.

And of course the scam turned toward Western Union.

from Mack Andrew <mack0050@yahoo.com>
to (me)
date Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 11:22 AM
subject Re: ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

Hello,
Thanks for your swift response,Am okay with the total cost.I will need a little favor from you because i haven't pay the FOOD carrier that will be coming for the pick up
I want you to add extra $950 to the total cost of the food and you will help me send the $950 to the food carrier via western union, so they can come over for the pick up also add $50 as a tip for the errand you doing for me , am asking for this favor due to my disability and i am at the hospital will undergo surgery in 4 days time..that why am asking for the favor so can you add it all and let me know the total cost plus the food carrier fee. Am Sorry for what ever inconvenience .

Thanks and stay blessed

John Hood

So, in order to stop this idiot, we need to identify where the money is going. Since they want me to Western Union the money, let's try to get an account number.

from (me)
to Mack Andrew
date Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 11:32 AM
subject Re: ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

The total cost will be 1200. Send me the Western Union account information and who will pick it up.

This dude is dragging this on!

from Mack Andrew <mack0050@yahoo.com>
to (me)
date Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 11:46 AM
subject Re: ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

hi
kindly get back to me with the break down of the cost of the food carrier and the food.

At this point I am just making up numbers.

from (me)
to Mack Andrew <mack0050@yahoo.com>
date Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 12:03 PM
subject Re: ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

I cannot proceed without the Western Union information.

Total cost: 1200.
Food: 493
Tip: 50
Carrier: 657

This dude is probably sitting at his computer, salivating. But THIS suprised me. He gave me a card number!

from Mack Andrew <mack0050@yahoo.com>
to (me)
date Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 12:22 PM
subject Re: ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

hi
Thanks for the understanding here is my card details bellow

Name on Card......John Hood
Card number.......(removed)
Exp date..............(removed)
Card type.............Visa card

go head and run my card for the total cost plus the food carrier fee and get back to me as soon as you have run my card through so i can email you the food carrier details you will send the money to via western union MONEY TRANSFER

waiting for your response

Regard

John Hood

Time to call Visa! I called VISA and Ruby answered. She tells me that the card is a Platinum Visa card issued by Chase. She wasnt able to close the account since I was not the cardholder but gave me the number for Chase.

I called Chase and talked to Alex. Told him the situation. (He probably thinks I am crazy.) We got the fraud department on the line. Cheryl answered. She refused to do anything since the name on the card (provided to me by the scammer) did not match the account number (provided to me by the scammer). Cheryl kept asking me for my account number. After the second time, I stopped her and asked her for her supervisor.

Ethan at Chase came on the line. He sounded like he was 12 but then again I was growing more and more frustrated with their unwillingness to help whoever's card this is. I told him the whole bit... scammer trying to get me to charge his card, no intention of actually charging it, probably stolen, just trying to do the right thing and pass along the card info so it can be flagged. He seemed to reluctantly take down the account number and name on the card, and asked me for my name and business. (I thought... Great, now Im going to be flagged somehow!) He did thank me for reporting it. I also told him I have a personal and business relationship with Chase so I trusted he would know what to do.

I was not made confident at all that Chase would help whoever's card this really is. Then I wondered what would happen if someone was trying to use my card info in a scam like this. Would someone else help me? Would the issuer of my card do something to stop any charges and inform me? Or is the situation not in the training manuals so nothing can be done until a fraud charge appeared and I called myself long after the fact?

There are two victims here. One, the card holder. The charge would appear on his card and he would spend countless hours trying to get it reversed and get his identity back. Second, my business. Had I actually thought this was real and run the card, I would have provided service and goods, only to have a chargeback on my merchant account when the real cardholder claimed fraud. I hope Chase does something since VISA would not.

To whomever actually owns that card, Sorry -- I tried to report it.

My last email:

from (me)
to Mack Andrew <mack0050@yahoo.com>
date Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 1:10 PM
subject Re: ATTN RESTAURANT OWNER/ MANAGER TO GO FOOD ORDER‏

Thanks. Ive reported this to Visa so they can close that account for fraud. The FBI and other federal government agencies of the United States and Guatemala are on their way now to your location. You may want to hang tight. They may already be there. They will be watching you.