Solar rip-off scam warning [RE-wrenches]

[Jeff Schmitt (Smitty)]

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Steve, I've had a bunch of these this fall. The MO is always the same. I 
string them along a little, if time permits, and when they hound me for 
taking #s, I tell them the FBI and Homeland Security has the shipping 
address under surveillance. It won't stop them, but if it takes them off 
edge a little and makes life inconvenient, it's worth it. Smitty.

Steve Willey, Backwoods Solar wrote:

>Yesterday a woman with slight accent called asking to speak to a specific
>employee's name. She wanted to order a DR3624 and SW4024 only. Since that
>employee was on the other line, I asked if I could help and took the order.
>Being a little suspicious of the manner and items requested, I asked if she
>had already spoken with the other employee.  She said no to that. I got more
>suspicious about her having an employees name to whom she claimed not to
>have spoken before.
>
>We checked the American Express card used (Security phone number for
>American Express is 212-640-4767) and got the phone number of the card
>holder and called it.  The message machine there, in English, said no one
>was home.  We called the buyer back and asked more questions, like for
>the phone number of the cardholder. She said it was her "client's card" and
>that calling him would be useless unless someone here spoke Spanish because
>he spoke no English. Hmmm. answer machine takes English messages but the
>owner doesn't.
>
>Of course she wanted the inverters shipped overnight. We cancelled the
>order.  Next day American Express confirmed it was a fraudulent order.
>
>The name ordering was Irva Nathanson, 284 Lowell, Lawrence, Massachusetts
>01841. American Express card ending 4007.  Note the card authorization DID
>go through.  Steve Willey,
>Backwoods Solar Electric Systems
>steve at backwoodssolar.com
>
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