Home › Forums › Teaching the Harp › Help with a sketchy e-mail!
- This topic has 5 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 20 years, 7 months ago by
Elizabeth Volpé Bligh.
-
AuthorPosts
-
January 6, 2006 at 5:00 am #88838
unknown-user
ParticipantThat sounds a little too sketchy.
1. Holland has phones.
2. If there is a computer, there is a phone.
3. Three one hour lessons for a kid is way too much.
4. Who leaves their kid in an apartment while he worked on another continent?
5. If he has enough money to work non-profit in Holland and rent an apartment in the Boston area and pay for three, one hour lessons weekly for six months, why not get a professional piano teacher?
January 6, 2006 at 5:00 am #88839unknown-user
ParticipantI know it’s tempting because of the money, but just delete the email.
January 6, 2006 at 5:00 am #88840unknown-user
ParticipantMost of these are spam and they simply are trying to obtain your personal information. I get most of my real harp student through email, and it is easy to tell the difference.
The spam mail usually is looking for a teacher for a limited time frame. They usually live very far away and are planning to visit my country and want lessons while they are here. They want me to send info on how much I charge so they can pay for the whole thing in advance. (I suspect it would turn out to be a scam where they send a check for more, and I mail them the difference, turns out they have a bad check, etc)These often have unusual elements in the request like desiring three lessons per week, or includes instruments I don’t play. One person wanted me to teach them yoga which could have been an interesting double scam!! (They’d leave me penniless, I’d leave them pretzeled) 🙂
The real emails usually address me by name, mention where they found my name, have details about their background and desire to learn harp, describing the harps they own, etc. They usually include a phone number for me to contact them, and they usually live in driving distance from me.
January 6, 2006 at 5:00 am #88841unknown-user
ParticipantIt is definitely spam. You can also tell by the spelling and grammatical errors. Don’t just delete it, report it as spam if you have that button.
January 6, 2006 at 5:00 am #88837unknown-user
ParticipantHi everyone,
I know this isn’t about harp, but I was just wondering if any one
else has experienced similar e-mails. I recieved an e-mail from some
one looking for a “piano tutor” for his son, 3 one-hour lessons per
week for six months. Right away, I began salivating at how much
money I would make, but then I put it in perspective. He says that
he is in Holland doing an “HIV AWARENESS” program and is unable to
call, and is having his son get an apartment near me so I
can “tutor” him.
This all seems very sketchy, and I’m hesitant to give this man my
information over the computer. Do you guys think I should continue?
After all, it IS a big old ball of doe…
January 12, 2006 at 5:00 am #88842Elizabeth Volpé Bligh
ParticipantIt’s definitely fraud. It’s good you got suspicious! I have been getting several of these every
week for months. Nobody pays for weeks in advance, and nobody wants that many hours
of lessons per week for a beginner. Usually the grammar in these letters is atrocious, but
not always. Don’t respond. If it’s a real student, they would want to come for one lesson
first, to see how you were as a teacher.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.


