I work for a cycle co operative who provide various types of cycle training to kids and commuters within our local area. A couple of days ago we got this through.

Has anyone had anything similar? It’s ringing alarm bells, but could well be legit too..

What do the STW masses think?

May this email find you well and thanks for considering my group’s request in your place. To be more specific, my group consists of 10men and 5women with the age range of 27-45. We are from three different countries, 5 Asians (Korea), 6 United States and 4 United Kingdom but our vacation entered the same time so we are making arrangements to spend them together as we will resume work the same time. All members involved speaks English except the Asians but we are making arrangements to get Language translators for them during our stay.

We specifically need a Road riding lesson / Mountain Bike Riding 3 hours every day for 14 days, they will require training every day for the period of 14 days. They are all beginners, please add the money for breakfast in the costings that’s if you gives breakfast. I would need to confirm the total cost for the specified dates and Lessons as i will need to discuss this with my group and get back to you for payments arrangements.

Please note that we are group of workers from Iraq and works on an off shore firm on a high sea (oil rig) so all payments will be done via credit cards and hope this will not pose any problem to you. Do your clinic accept credit cards as mode of payments?

Note: Our Logistic Agent is making reservation for our location and other logistic needs, so there we will inform you regarding our location but it won’t be far from your office.

Awaits your email,

Regards,

If it smells like poo….

😉

i got as far as

“may this email find you well….”

Common scam for service professions. Usually involves either advance payment or overpayment. Service request is then cancelled, and a request for refund for at least part of the payment is requested.

The original payments subsequently bounces, or the card payments goes into chargeback. You loose whatever you refunded them.

Language is unnatural, yet 10 of the group are meant to be English speakers.
Its not what you do, plenty of cycling holiday companies around, how did they find you, why would they enquire with you?

see, that’s what I thought. We’ve forwarded it to a holiday company in any case for them to erm, get stung by…

First time I read it I thought it would end in a ‘we will gift you £500000000 as payment etc etc….’

ta