We recieve a contact from the UPS Courier regarding the delievery of the payment and we were told that it will get to you by today with the tracking number xxxxxxxxx. You can check the status on there website to know what time you will recieve it.It is in the amount of $3,220.00 dollars,You are to deduct the full cost of our booking 727.60 from the total amount recieved and send the remainder $2492.4 to us via western union.We have other plans we will be using the money for in getting our flight tickect.Tickect are not easy to get at this period of time.My wife is in kansas at the moment and will be leaving for london in a couple of days so i advise you send the money to her because i will be busy doing other things regarding our wedding and also to limit the western union money transfer charges toward sending to london.
We are aware of thier charges.All you need to do is deduct the western union charges from the total amount left ($2492.4) after the deduction of our booking and get the remainder sent to us with her details bellow.

Reciever's Name : Kenneth Long

Reciever's City : Garnett

Reciever's State :Kansas

Reciever's Zip Code : 66032

This are the details you will be needing to get the different send to us via western union transfer.

You are to get back to us with the 10 Digits(MTCN CODE) Number you where giving at the western union outlet as the confirmation number that the money as been sent including the total amount sent after the deduction of the western union charges.

We appreciate your effort toward making our honeymoon a successful one.

Regards
Chad Mercer

Sure enough, the  check was not coming by US mail but UPS. I checked the tracking and saw that it would arrive the next day. I also noticed that the tracking info said the envelope was mailed a day and a half after Chad told me of the mistake on the check. I started to phone law enforcement agencies to ask them how we could catch this crook but no one seemed interested. They just said to ignore him or tear up the check. Certainly, I would not be sending any money to Chad's wife Kenneth! I felt a certain satisfaction at least that Chad had actually spent some money on this scam. I was ahead in this game!

I thought the game would be over as soon as Chad saw that I rejected the UPS delivery through the tracking info.  Although I really wanted to see the bogus check, I decided that refusing the shipment would be the best way to end this caper. My bank informed me that phony cashier's checks will not say "void" all over them when photocopied like the legitimate ones do. She also told me that I could bring it in for her to see; she said she could spot a phony check easily. However I also learned that some cashier's checks are very well forged and that if drawn on a real but stolen account, will take more than a week to be determined as bogus. I think I made the right move in rejecting the shipment. The next day Chad wrote:

 What is going on?

I wrote back:

 Much quicker to send it back. It would have taken a long time for the check to clear.

Next thing I know, he calls me up! I was walking to the mailbox at the time so my wife tells him I'll be right back. In the meantime he sends me this email:

Hello,How are you today?Thank you for the message.I just called you and i talked to some one telling me you just walk away and will be back in few minutes.I will try and call back.Kindly go ahead and deposited the check because the funds as been made available to your name and get back to us with the date the money will be available at your bank.Thank you for your kindness. We do appreciate your kind toward making our honeymoon a successful one. 

Regards Chad

I'm thinking, "Man this guy is either stupid or he just doesn't give up" After thinking about it, I realized he had made an investment in a forged check and a UPS overnight, so I guess it was normal for him to pretend that I didn't really refuse the shipment. Just to make sure, I sent this:

Chad, I refused delivery. The check is going back to the return address.

But then soon after, the phone rang. It was Chad calling from a loooooong way off. He tells me how hurt he is that I refused his check and that he has no way to get it back. I tried to explain the concept of a return address and how his envelope had one and how when shipments can't be made...but I couldn't get a word in edgewise. He said I told him I agreed to send him the money, but I never agreed to send him any Western Union money, I just said "Don't worry" and offered to mail it back. He went on to tell about how his honeymoon (with Kenneth?) would be ruined and I was to blame and then asked me what I was going to do about it. When I finally heard a pause I said, "Nothing". He continued to rail against me and ended up with "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" I said, "OK, see ya later, Bye." That was the end. Just for fun, I went back to the tracking info and found, as I totally expected, the return address was bogus: (UPS forbids copying their info, so this is rearranged and retyped:)

 5/14/2008      The receiver did not want the order and refused this delivery/ Returned to shipper

Brewer, ME    Departure Scan

(several more stops and finally)

5/15/2008    A correct company or receiver name is needed for delivery. UPS is attempting to obtain this                      information/returned to shipper.

Chester, NY, US     9:05 pm

Conclusion: Unless you have a perverse sense of humor like me, watch out for rental inquiries with bad spelling, flowery language, emotional hooks, constantly traveling customers and most importantly, NEVER accept a check for more than the required amount and NEVER NEVER send money back by wire. And by the way, if you are a scam artist (and I do have respect for their abilities, it really is art), go somewhere else, you haven't a chance with me! Bruce

UPDATE 7/11/08:

It seems the Chad Mercer story will never go away! People who were in the process of getting scammed by our tormentor googled his phone number and found this page. Here are a few of the emails I've gotten:

•  

  Hi Bruce,
  
  Thank you for posting info on Chad, the Nigerian scammer. I have a rental here in California and received his first inquiry this morning. I was suspicious right away so I googled his phone number and that's when I found your posting and read about his antics.
  
  I sent an email to the company where my rental is listed to let them know he's probably emailing all of the property owners with the same message. Hopefully, they get the word out to the other owners ASAP.
  
  What has me angry is that I can't find a single agency that will go after these low-life scum-bags who use so much creative energy to rip people off when they could be doing something productive instead. 
  
  Hopefully, other's will Google his phone number too and not get caught up in his hype. I don't understand why there isn't an agency pursuing these people, especially when they're using addresses in the US? I think UPS needs to have the same rules as the USPS when it comes to mail fraud. 
  
  Thanks again for posting your experience with this scammer. 

  •  

    Thank you so much for posting the “honeymoon scam”  -  I found your page by Goggling the phone #! 

    I had a feeling that something was amiss and your web page really helped me out.  Just wanted to email you and let you know that your internet advice was appreciated and utilized.
  •  

    Hi Bruce,

     

    The emails (2 of them) we almost identical but now “he” is Ciara West.  Thanks again for being a good internet neighbor.
  •  

    Hi Bruce-
    We have rental property in California - advertised online. had a rental
    inquiry today that didn't look right. googled the phone # and came up with
    your chad mercer/scammer info at
    http://seacatsrest.googlepages.com/gettingscammed. i probably wouldn't have
    responded to our inquiry anyway but i did enjoy reading about your
    adventure. thanks for posting it.

    • Bruce!

       

      You rock!  

       

      I didn’t like the language in this guy’s inquiry and started searching. He inquired about one of our homes  (www.vrbo.com/*****). I also googled his phone number to find your awesome account and strategy to squeeze information out of a crook and beat him at his own game.  

       

      Seems if enough of us asked him to send checks and then returned them, eventually he’ll spend all that stolen money on UPS!  Perhaps we should buy stock in UPS before we begin the scam.  ;-)

       

      Thanks again for your detailed account!  

    • Hi Bruce,

      Thanks for the info on your website.  He just approached us as Cole Smith.  Unusual name for someone who can’t write English!  It started to sound strange in the second email, so I googled his info.  Same strategy – honeymoon, “wife’s” employer, certified check.  Thanks!

    Some of you have also forwarded "Chad's" message text. Here are a few: 

    • From: ray.schultz1992@gmail.com [mailto:ray.schultz1992@gmail.com]
      Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2008 4:26 PM
      To: ***********
      Subject: FindVacationRentals.com Listing *** Inquiry [Ray Schultz]
      
      
      FindVacationRentals.com Rental Inquiry
      
      Name: Ray Schultz
      Email: ray.schultz1992@gmail.com
      Telephone: 07024020183
      Arrival: July 19, 2008
      Departure: July 26, 2008
      Adults: 02
      Comments:
      Hello, I am planning a 7 nights honeymoon vacation with my wife. I will like
      to know if we can use your place for 7 nights in july 19-26. Let me know the
      cost and the deposit to be made.I will also like to know the amenities
      attached to the property.
      
      We do not smoke nor drink neither do we have pets. Are you the owner or an
      agent?
      
      Regards
      

      Schultz
    •  

      Listing: Great Cabin / Reasonable Rates! 
      Cabin URL: 

      Desired Arrival Date: july 19,2008 
      Length of Stay: 7 
      Number in Party: 2 of Adults & 0 of Children 
      Name: Donald Schultz 
      Email Address: donald.schultz6@gmail.com 
      Telephone: 07024020183 
      Questions and Comments: Hello, I am planning a 7 nights honeymoon vacation with my wife. I will like to know if we can use your place for 7 nights in july 
      19-26. Let me know the cost and the deposit to be made.I will also like to know 
      the amenities attached to the property. 
       
      We do not smoke nor drink neither do we have pets. Are you the owner or an 
      agent? 
       
      Regards 
      Donald Schultz 

      Have any stories about this character? Email me at seacatsrest@gmail.com

      I may quote unidentifiable parts of your emails here unless you tell me otherwise. Bruce 

     Finally, not all scams seem to come from the same person. Here are a few more:

         

Subject:	New Enquiry from www.directholidaylets.com
Date:	Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:32:24 +0100
From:	Direct Holiday Lets - Automated Email<meetjamesfleet@yahoo.co.uk>

lw.tyler@yahoo.com
+ 1 866-666-8992
Nov 1 2008
Nov 6 2008
1 (including children)
0
Good day I have two members from our board of directors coming on
vacation with their spouses no children please. I would like to know
how much it would cost for them to stay in your place during this
period. It is going to be a total of four people,if you do not have an
accommodation for four people let me know what you have and we can
work something out.They will be staying for five days
November1-November5.How much would it cost? and also let me know what
discount we can receive. I would like to have an accommodation
reserved and paid for as soon as possible because planning ahead is
the key of successful vacation. Thanks Tyler L.W lw.tyler@yahoo.com

    Not to put too fine a point on it, but November in Maine is like standing in the dark and being sprayed with cold water, not exactly a "successful vacation". 

 I responded to this guy in the usual way along with:

any payments in excess of the required amount
will be returned by mail and not deposited.