I was contacted by an invididual who went by the name of "James Parker". The individual was requesting a website designa and internet marketing plan, which is what my company does. The individual claimed to have found my business through Yelp, and we are listed there.
Additionally, the individual knew my market pretty well; what he was looking for regarding what it would cost him is about what I was going to quote him. So it's like he knows the market for my business.
Mr. James Parker claimed the following things, which I have learned are potential red flags:
Theophus Billings
PO Box 14703
Saginaw, Michigan 48601
(he didn't provide the zipcode, but I looked it up online; it's about 2.5 hours north of Detroit, Where I am. Initially, he said the 3rd party's name was Jeffrey Young, but changed it to Theophus Billings)
I realize that I should have known by now, but I'm not used to this; it's never happened to me before.
I contacted the police department and they told me I could file a report, but indicated that "these people usually have fake names, fake numbers, and are usually located off-shore, so they're almost always impossible to find and charge." The police department agred with SquareUp, that I should refund the money. That's what I'm doing.
But I am writing ripoffreport because I don't want anybody else out there to fall victim to this. I could have incurred $4,000 in chargebacks, and I would have been stuck.