[ 2012 ] Marketplace spam again? [Judy Boulay]

[ada903]

Got three messages today from this person on three different ads,
all identical:


2 Judy Boulay
judboulay@hotmail.com
7029520948 Hi, I am interested in purchasing your timeshare, is it still available for sale? Please send me an email to judboulay@hotmail.com to discuss further. 2012/07/26

 

[tschwa2]

Yes. I got 2 from Judy today. I am ignoring them.

 

[cathield]

7029520948

Did not realize this was a scam; I sent an email to the hotmail address to call me about the timeshare. Will ignore and check first next time :/

 

[theo]

Me three...

I got three such inquiries today from "judy" in response to TUG Marketplace ads. Each inquiry was exactly the same as those already reported above. I responded (...but from a seldom-used "throw away" email address), inviting any further specific questions by email. I revealed nothing of any potential use to a phisher or scammer and I don't actually expect to receive any "follow-up" inquiries from "phishing judy".

FWIW, if you call the (likely completely bogus) phone number (702 area code is Nevada), you get a recording indicating that "Andrew Frechette is hearing impaired and won't be coming to the phone --- please send him an email instead" (...but no such email address is actually provided in the recording ). I called from a "blocked" number, so I have no concerns about having provided anything of any potential use or interest to this obvious and unwelcome phisher / scammer.

 

[theo]

"Judy" may call you...

Did not realize this was a scam; I sent an email to the hotmail address to call me about the timeshare. Will ignore and check first next time :/

It would appear that you provided a phone number to "judy".
Please let us know what (if any) "follow-up contact" you subsequently get from having provided that info....

 

[RX8]

That "Las Vegas" phone number is actually an internet phone number. These scammers are probably outside the U.S.

 

[kmac115]

judboulay@hotmail.com

Yes..I received 2 emails from her on my timeshares. I sent a general reply and did not give out any important information.

Lets see if I get a response....Thanks Tug members,

It probably is spam.

 

[theo]

A question...

That "Las Vegas" phone number is actually an internet phone number. These scammers are probably outside the U.S.

How could / would you actually know that?

I'm certainly not doubting or challenging your assertion, I simply don't know or begin to understand how you could discern that to be a "Internet" number from a "702" (Nevada) area code...

 

[RX8]

How could / would you actually know that?

I'm certainly not doubting or challenging your assertion, I simply don't know or begin to understand how you could discern that to be a "Internet" number from a "702" (Nevada) area code...

While not VoIP uses are for scammers, I would think it is preferred by scammers because they can deceive their "customers" into thinking they are somewhere where they are not. It also doesn't have a paper trail that having a landline would.

There are others but the one I use is Searchbug.

http://www.searchbug.com/tools/landline-or-cellphone.aspx

 

[Kola]

Yes..I received 2 emails from her on my timeshares. I sent a general reply and did not give out any important information.

Lets see if I get a response....Thanks Tug members,

It probably is spam.

Same here. I had one email from judy but have not heard back.

Likely spam.

 

[Egret1986]

Had 10. Judy's been busy!

Before I even opened my email account, I said to myself, "somebody's been busy spamming me." I was right. But I thought it was going to be my Craigslist ads.

 

[csxjohn]

Possibly spam but probably scam. I get plenty of scam emails from Craig's List.

I got this one this morning.

Hello,
I will like to know if you have September 10-13 available,pls get back to me with the cost and availabilities.


This was in response to an ad I have posted for a timeshare that is for sale.

The sent from and reply to are always different on these and who ever wrote it is trying to rob me so it gets reported to Craig's List as SCAM, then sent to my trash can.

This response immediately raised a "Peggy" alert in my mind. Maybe Peggy changed "her" name to Judy.


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_different_between_spam_and_scam

 

[TUGBrian]

ill mass delete them this afternoon...just ignore them.

 

[bjturner27]

Got one too.

 

[RLG]

I got the Judy Boulay messages as well.

More interestingly, I also got an inquiry on my Redweek ad from Andrew Frechette. Generally, scammers are fewer on Redweek because of the need to register and pay.

 

[theo]

Plot thickens...

I got the Judy Boulay messages as well.

More interestingly, I also got an inquiry on my Redweek ad from Andrew Frechette. Generally, scammers are fewer on Redweek because of the need to register and pay.

It is indeed interesting that the name on the RedWeek inquiry you received is the same name as on the "Judy Boulay" recorded VOIP message.

Out of curiousity, what was the email address of the elusive (and perhaps only mythical) "Mr. Frechette"?

 

[RLG]

what was the email address of the elusive (and perhaps only mythical) "Mr. Frechette"?

It was his name at yahoo.com.

 

[randkb]

I got 4 messages from Judy as well.

 

[MuranoJo]

I also got a suspicious inquiry from Redweek from an Andre Lapa, asking if my unit was still available and the total cost (though it's there in the ad).
I responded from the Redweek mail service, hoping that way they don't have access to my email account.

 

[Robert D]

I got one from her (or it) on a TUG ad.

 

[theo]

I dunno...

I got the Judy Boulay messages as well.

More interestingly, I also got an inquiry on my Redweek ad from Andrew Frechette. Generally, scammers are fewer on Redweek because of the need to register and pay.

Agreed. In my experience, spammers and scammers are very few and far between for RedWeek ads, for the precise reason you cite. Registering and paying for membership there (...just as here on TUG) leaves behind a "footprint" and a "paper trail", which are clearly poisonous concepts to spammers and scammers.

That being said, it is also clear that on RedWeek there are plenty of "middleman-wannabees" who routinely ferret through ads there in an attempt to insert themselves between owner and potential lessees, in pursuit of a buck. A minor annoyance, but not one constituting any apparent ill intent --- just a profit motive.

Maybe "judy the phisher / spammer" just made up a phone number, but the "coincidence" of an elusive Andrew Frechette (whose name is on the "judy" phone # recording) appearing on other sites on the same day, responding to other timeshare ads, is still puzzling. I don't tend to believe in "coincidences".

 

[csxjohn]

I just want to state that I'm glad you don't have to be a paying member here on TUG to respond to classified ads. It adds value to our membership by having our ads available to anyone who in interested in our units.

My daughter and her husband obtained a nice summer week at Treasure Lakes in Pa through an ad I saw in the TUG classifieds just prior to becoming a member.

If I would have had to register and pay I may not have bothered to respond to the ad but after the success of obtaining that unit, I did join.

Yes, we may get the occasional spam email but it is a minor annoyance to me.

I do feel slighted though, I have 2 ads currently running and even "Judy" is not interested in them. What chance do I have?

 

[kalua]

VIOP area codes

How could / would you actually know that?

I'm certainly not doubting or challenging your assertion, I simply don't know or begin to understand how you could discern that to be a "Internet" number from a "702" (Nevada) area code...

when you get viop service you can choose any area code you want.

 

[DVB42]

She must have sent to everyone within the Marketplace. I have two adds and both got the same message as reported by others.

 

[theo]

Live and learn...

when you get viop service you can choose any area code you want.

Thanks. I had insufficient technical knowledge to even know (or otherwise learn) that the phone number at issue was / is actually just a VOIP number in the first place --- hence my original question. Although it's always humbling to reveal my technological ignorance, it's also always good to learn something new...