How it works

1. You receive an e-mail job quotation request.
2. You respond with a quotation or seek more information - contact is established - some artwork is supplied (see sample at right).
3. Your quote will be accepted.
4. Contact details including an Australian capital city local address, phone numbers and credit card details for your use when the order is completed will be given to you.
5. Having established a "relationship" with you, a request follows for you to transfer freight costs for job delivery in Africa via a currency transfer service and to include this cost with your invoice on completion. The request may be justified in many innovative ways designed to convince you that it is warranted. The freight costs will be quoted around $10,000.
6. (If) you pay - the scam is complete.

Copy of typical first contact correspondence

Dear Sir/Madam,  My name is Eric Lemert and am interested in purchasing Flyers which i want to donate  to a  Church  .I am lookong for 40,000 pieces of the Flyers with the size 8.5"x11 in full paper and i want you to do the art work in the atachment with a Red ink and with a doubles sided on the Flyers and the colour should be white paper .I want you to print them on both side ..I want you to send me an email and let me know if you can get them for me and also get me the total cost including Tax and i am going to handle the Shipping myself .Also let me know how you accept your payment before we proceed with the order .I also need your full name and phone number so that i can give you a call when necessary .

Do not hesitate to contact me back regarding this order .I will be wating for your soonest response .Thank you .. Best regards,Eric Lemert

Fax 510-373-6010*Unit 2, 154- 164 Renwick St Marrickville NSW 2204

Copy of typical freight pre-payment excuse

It was nice doing business with u and i do appreciate it.I just had an email from UK that my wife was about to give birth to my baby , So i should be there. .Due to that i will not be able to schedule the pick up at my end. . I want you to do me a favour by contacting a shipping company which i recommended and find out the cost for shipment.The mechandise will be shipped to my church in Ghana and as soon as u heard back from them with the cost for shipping, you can email me back asap so that i will make the payment altogether.    

Here is the Shipping address below.

Mr.Johnson Cooperation.
32 Trasaco Valley
City Accra
Country Ghana   

Have you been solicited by a scammer? Check our e-mail and name list here

Latest Media

Internet print scam comes out of Africa - tell tale signs - 14/7/2008
Scammers target suppliers - 21/5/2008
Printers slam scammers on website 21/4/2008
USA and UK join Printing Industries' Scam hunt - 18/4/2008
Warning on African church printing scam - 9/4/2008

If you receive suspicious e-mail quotation requests or any out of the ordinary requests that may involve you in parting with money, check them thoroughly before taking any action. Make sure you staff are fully informed of possible scams. remember, if in doubt - don't!  Members should call their local Printing Industries office or send the information to us at: scamwatch@printnet.com.au

Beware . . .Scammers at Work (PRINT21 Feature) (pdf - 276.9 kb) Hundreds of print companies around Australia and thousands around the world are being targeted by an international print quotation scam which centres on print job freight prepayment. Every company targeted has had to pay a cost, even if only in time wasted. Printing Industries has become the centre of the fight against the scammers identifying them and working with authorities worldwide to expose their fraudulent and costly activities. Joe Kowalewski explains.