Have I hit the big time?

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 26 Apr 09 - 11:16 AM

In a word, it's bullshit.

If you don't believe that, simply ask them to provide a pre-paid return trip airline ticket, confirmation of a good hotel to stay at while you're there, and say $1000 to spend for incidentals. When none of that shows up, then neither will you.

Keriste, just look at the use of the English language in the letter they sent out.


"Company Address:25421 Cabot Road Suite
113 Laguna Hills
, CA 92653
Email :[e-mail]

Dear Band,
My Name is Mr Mike Gary, CEO of Heritage Musicstar Entertainment here in the United States.
we also promote and gives international exposure to musicians all over the globe.

We are writting to invite and confirming the booking of your you to perform at the Heritage music Awards. You will never regret working with us. We are powered by some great sponsors here in the USA.
Special appearance includes the Queen of england and the mother of all British women e.t.c.

We came across your profile and we are impressed with your services,experience,your kind of music of course is okay by us.
We are expecting about 1500-1700 guest & its going to be an indoor Event
The Venue as follows:

VENUE:New Otani Hotel & Garden - Hotel in Los Angeles CA
Address: 120 S Los Angeles St - Los Angeles, CA 90012
DATE:13rd of September 2008
PERFORMING HOURS:8pm to 9pm

The Heritage Music Company Payment for service rendered is :300,000 US DOLLARS payable before the commencement of the event.We are moved in the power of music.We are very sure you will give happiness to the Queen of England.Note we are having private show this year for security reasons

If you have any more publicity material, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Document and contract will be forwarded to you as soon as you honour our invitation.Please provide the company more information.Home address ,phone contact and other necessary data.We promise and ensure an accurate arrangement.Thanks for your cooperation.

Yours Sincerely
MIKE GARY"

1) There are about 50 terrible errors with the use of the language, the punctuation of the language and the diction of the letter. If indeed Mike Gary is the author of that drivel, he is a fuckwit (to use a phrase from my friend, Spaw).

2) "Dear Band" ???? When ya got hundreds pf thousands to give away, dontcha think you'd find out the "Dear Band"'s name and maybe use it? That kinda ranks up there with "Dear Occupant, YOU have won $100,000. Provide us with your credit card number and pin numbers and we'll see what we can do about making you richer than you are at this moment." Anyone who does that shouldn't be let out alone.

Bah, humbug.

NO, it's not real.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,leena
Date: 26 Apr 09 - 11:02 AM

If someone is contacted by Heritage Music Company and telling you that the performance will be on May2-3 of this year.... question???? how come they invite us without any audition? I also organizing a music festival but this is different??? Anybody share the same experience that I have????

please let me know....

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,leena
Date: 26 Apr 09 - 10:48 AM

Hi,

Just want to know if this heritage music company is true or SCAM??
Certain Edward Alex keeps on calling me and telling about the performance and I also met a certain Natasha who is their diplomat saying that she is carrying the 20,000pounds to be paid for my performance, but unfortunately I dont have a visa to enter to UK thats why they talk to Luis Vilora of British High commission to do my visa and they said its already confirmed that its okay and they told me to contact Caleb Robert of HSBC to send my performance fee, so what do you think? They keep on sending me emails and keeps on calling me, now when I'm waiting for my documents that contains visa all of them are gone!!

Is anybody here have the same case? Is the Heritage Music Company really exist??? Im a peformer and a musician..

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 20 Apr 09 - 06:46 PM

Bruce, thank you!
I was, in some measure, being facetious, of course ...but it would be good to have some hot-shot PR company seek me out for some high profile gig all the same.
And wouldn't it be great if we didn't need to think our music had to be "dumbed down" for wider public consumption? The more I work with my music and stories in all kinds of places (prisons, schools, community events) the more I realise how patronising the providers of mainstream entertainment are to the general public. Who are (that's the public) more than capable of appreciating what I do. But getting exposure in the mainstream media - ah, now that's a whole different business. And I mean business.

Anne

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 20 Apr 09 - 05:48 PM

Anne, IMO, you are not obscure. You are a dynamite arranger, singer, musician, singer. You may have eluded 'stardom', but to achieve that you'd have to 'dumb down' your stuff, and I don't see you doin' that anytime soon.

In the past few weeks I have met--both on-line and in person--some absolutely wonderful writers, singers and musicians. They ain't none of them 'famous', but lots of them have more than a few people travelling hundreds of miles to be at their shows. Honey, it don't get much better than that.

Bruce

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 20 Apr 09 - 05:32 PM

OK, the plot, as they say, thins.
I googled the mobile phone number given in the email and discovered that this same Anthony Bab is also soliciting UK representatives for "Alizyme", and that the phone number redirects out of the UK.

Clearly, therefore, a scam but slightly cleverer than last time in that he's using a better-known venue and links to an existing website where a real Mike Gary has a real company called Heritage Music.

I was mildly excited there for all of ....oh, three minutes.

Back to obscurity.

Anne

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 20 Apr 09 - 05:06 PM

Well, they're back in touch again! This time Antony Bab of the Heritage Music Company wants to book me for a cultural festival to be held in London next month, again in rather quaint grammar.
The website link checks out for Mike Gary and Heritage Music (www.heritage-awards.tk) although there's no mention of an event in May, and there's no way of making a direct contact with Mike Gary and Antony Bab gets no mention at all.

The venue is Friends House on Euston Road (a real enough venue).

So ... this time the Queen isn't involved and they're not saying (yet) how much they're offering as a fee.

Has anyone else been approached?

Anne

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 02:24 PM

well, Anahata, if it happened, it happened, but it takes more than one mistake by a lazy bank employee, it would take at least three mistakes, and then it takes a further mistake by the staff at the Post Office.

if we conservatively assess the probability of each of these mistakes at say .01 % (in actual fact more like .0001% but let's be conservative, ) then the multiplicative odds of such an unfortunate occurrence happening is (.01)^4 , or in bookies terms, 10,000,000 to 1, and remember these are conservative odds, the true probability is much much less.

I don't think I would be losing any sleep over such an eventuality coming to pass, and if it did happen, I would be secure in the knowledge that I would be handsomely recompensed by the bank for what amounts to criminal negligence on their part.

I assume your friend was in fact handsomely recompensed ?

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 12:18 PM

Murray:

Fraudulent deductions have not been the issue except in rare cases. The banking system controls that sort of thing through encryption, etc. The victim must be a willing participant, wiring or sending money by check or money order to the perpetrator, hoping for a good result. Identity theft may be a secondary goal in many of these cases. For the most part, they just take the "front money" and disappear with it.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: treewind
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 10:10 AM

does this mean this happened to a friend of yours who recounted the details personally to you first hand?

Yes. Exactly that.
As it happens, someone in a folk music related business but I'd better not mention names.
Somebody with a background in IT who wouldn't make basic security mistakes too.

Remember that identity theft is not usually about targeting a particular individual - it's about trying hundreds of potential victims and hoping you get lucky with one of them. One mistake by a lazy bank employee is all it takes.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 08:19 AM

Forgive me Anahata, but your anecdote positively reeks of urban myth.

When you say "I know someone", does this mean this happened to a friend of yours who recounted the details personally to you first hand,
or were you in fact told about it by " someone who knew someone who knew someone to whom it happened " ?

It is impossible to order up a replacement debit or credit card just by quoting an account number and an address.

You will be asked a number of security questions over the phone, the answers to which are impossible to know unless you are the genuine account holder or alternatively have been foolish enough to divulge the information to somebody else, ( in which case you deserve everything you get ).

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: treewind
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 03:31 AM

The scammers wouldn't ask for bank details if they weren't useful!
You can't withdraw money directly with only that information, but I know someone who suffered theft of ID and real money, and that was one of the steps. The rest of it involved (a) phoning the bank (quoting A/c no. of course) and asking for a replacement debit card "because it's damaged, and while you're at it better send me a new PIN too" then (b) explaining to the local post office that because of a messy marriage break up you want post for Mr X held in a mailbox for collection. A week later the thieves have card and PIN...

The sleepy,rural post office were mostly at fault in the above incident, for not getting hard ID, but it happened and apparently it's a common occurrence.

It's aimed at small company directors whose names and addresses are often readily available.

I'm sure there's lots of other ways that crims can accumulate info about people from different sources, which when combined are dangerous.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 03:14 AM

TJ, I am not disputing that these scams do go on, that they are reprehensible and that they target the elderly and gullible, I am merely pointing out that the scammers' objective in obtaining your bank details is not to surreptitiously steal funds from your account without your knowing about it.

If your wife is aware of case histories where fraudulent deductions have been made from somebody's account where all the information the perpetrator had was the account no. and the sort code, I would be fascinated to hear about them, and exactly how the frauds were committed.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,Turbodog
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 08:41 PM

I'm not gonna post it here, but a few years ago I go so tired of those Nigerian scam letters that I made up one of my own and sent it back to them. Surprisingly, I don't get too many of those e-mails anymore. LOL

If you want your very own customizable copy, e-mail me in ALL CAPS at eljefe (at) eljefe (dot)net. Subject: YES! I MAY ALREADY HAVE WON! Hopefully, my spam filter won't insta-dump you. rofl!

TD

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 07:19 PM

My wife is an experienced banker. She sees people victimized, or nearly so, by such scams all too often. The fractured english sounds suspiciously like several I have seen coming from Africa. I've received a number of e-mails conveying this sort of nonsense. They are brazen and prey on people looking for a fast buck. They target the elderly in the U.S. and, I suspect, elsewhere as well. The red flag is anyone asking for money from you up front, in any amount, prior to receiving your newfound "wealth." Nigeria is one of the countries noted for such activity. Several websites discuss "African e-Mail Scams." Trust me, HRH has nothing to do with this one.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 05:25 PM

I feel quite miffed that I have never received such an enticing offer, I would love to play for Her Majesty.

Something that has always puzzled me is why people worry so much about their bank details being revealed. The bank details which the Nigerian scammers ask for is practically public domain information, your account no. and sort code are on every cheque you write, so I am at a loss to understand why this information would be of the slightest use to any would be conman. It's not as though you are going to reveal your online banking password, is it?

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 03:18 AM

Tell them, only parties who send you a non-refundable deposit, will get your consideration, being as you are very busy, and have a staff that handles your bookings!

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 12 Apr 09 - 11:56 PM

Read the thread.

Also, check the thread on irony.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 09 - 11:15 PM

I have been contacted by this person, please let me know more thanks!

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 09 - 02:22 PM

To All Concerned:

This is a shameless scam. Do not reply to this "Dr. Mike Gary" and do not divulge any personal or financial information. Shame on the individual(s) responsible for preying on performing artists, many of whom are desperate for work and have already been hard hit by the global recession!

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: meself
Date: 18 Jan 09 - 02:10 AM

"We will feed you with more information."

I don't know - I'd hold out for hamburgers.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Nick E
Date: 18 Jan 09 - 01:26 AM

If you have to ask, you have the answer, no.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,gary holmes
Date: 18 Jan 09 - 01:21 AM

I think it is for sure a scam. I just got almost the same identical letter but they said they got my name and profile from BAGMA ( Bay Area Gospel Music Association ) but was offering me 100,000 pounds to come to the same event but it was in Enland with the Queen present also. I got the e-mail from the same Rev. Mike Gary CEO of Herritage Gospel Music Association.

Gary Holmes
Houston, Texas

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Sep 08 - 08:41 PM

"wants to know are next moves"

ROFLMAO!

"playing for the Queen"

Well I've still got my contact in theatre circles - how many Queens do you want? You could just ask during a certain week in Sydney...

"We are a bit security comsoius because of the Queen Of England."

I have great suspicious of their comsoius level...



You really MUST send the emails - complete with full headers to the appropriate authorities. They are quite keen to catch them, the other day a Melbourne guy went up on charges for pirating many thousands of DVDs...

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Jayto
Date: 05 Sep 08 - 11:55 AM

OMG I don't even know where to start on this one lol. If anyone sent them $300,000 let me know. I will start my own event soon lol. I think I can arrange an audience that includes the Mayor of Morton's Gap Kentucky (population 700) that should be worth $50,000 shouldn't it lol I am not sure if he is a folk fan but if I call it an honorary festival in his name and slide him $50 I am sure he would be up for it. So if anbody is up let me know lol You may not be playing for the Queen but you'll be playing for a man that has heard of her lol. Just kidding but I bet my idea has more validity than the email ya'll have posted. At least I could pull mine off.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,Gold Harbor
Date: 05 Sep 08 - 11:36 AM

Does this idiot think that every artist is this stupid.I would like to present to him Hank Wiliiams JR , He out to be shot down,shot down and trampled beow the mudd. JR

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: The Sandman
Date: 31 Aug 08 - 02:17 PM

no,I havent received one of these yet,perhaps they think I am the usa table tennis champion,Dick[the chopper]Miles.http://www.dickmiles.com

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,John from Kemsing
Date: 31 Aug 08 - 11:55 AM

It looks as if we are all going to enjoy the big time. I have received an e-mail from Mr Ombongo in Nigeria, desperate to share with me $22,000,000.00 his late father spirited away from their oil industy returns when he worked for the Ministry of Energy. I have invited him to bring it all to London and when he arrives you are all invited to a party. Don`t hold your breath!!

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 31 Aug 08 - 11:44 AM

Wise choice Fidjit Greystoke.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Fidjit
Date: 31 Aug 08 - 06:24 AM

Amazing.

I've won the lottery in Spain so many times I can now retire.

Now I live in a little (Er large) tree hut in deepest Africa.

Chas

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 30 Aug 08 - 05:01 PM

"Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Paul Burke - PM
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 11:50 AM

Hey, I've just been offered a degree! Here' (verbatim) the offer:

Bachellor, MassterMBA, and Doctoorate certification available in YOUR field of choice."

So, you will be very-well papered and have a 16" dick that stays rock-hard for weeks at a time.

GO FOR IT, Paul

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 30 Aug 08 - 04:51 PM

I might mention here that after I asked about the fire regulations etc I found the correspondence stopped ....funny, that ....

Anne
still languishing in obscurity

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: GUEST,Brothers Forever Gospel Trio in US
Date: 30 Aug 08 - 08:50 AM

Hello all,

Looks like we are victim to this scam as well.   Here is the letter we received two weeks ago. They were willing to pay for the flights, hotel arrangements and signed a contract that our booking agent gave them. I can't believe it!!!! It wasn't as exaggerated as 300,000 only 40,000. Seemed realistic enough.

THE HERITAGE MUSICSTAR ENTERTAINMENT
Phone contact+447045735361
Email :[e-mail]
Website:http:www.heritage-awards.tk

Dear BROTHERS FOREVER,

My Name is Rev Dr Mike Gary, CEO of Heritage Musicstar Entertainment here in the UK.
we promote and gives international exposure to various musicians all over the globe.
We are fortunate finding   your ministry at the southern gospel music forum.

We are writting to invite and confirm the booking of your ministry to perform at the Heritage Gospel music Awards.

You will never regret working with us.We have so many great gospel artist performing at our event this year including Kris Miller,Donnie McClurkin e.t.c .

We are powered by some great sponsors here in the Uk.
Special appearance includes the Queen of england e.t.c.

We came across your profile and we are impressed with your services,experience.your kind of music of course is okay by us.

The Venue as follows:

VENUE: St Martins Lane Hotel
45 St Martins Lane
Covent Garden London
London WC2N 4HX
DATE:24th of September 2008
PERFORMING HOURS:8pm to 9pm

The Heritage Music Company Payment for service rendered is :20,000 POUNDS payable before the commencement of the event.

If you have any more publicity material, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Document and contract shall be forwarded to you as soon as you honour our invitation.Please provide the company more information.Home address ,Direct phone contact and other necessary data.We promise an accurate arrangement.All international guest are to arrive three days before the event.Thanks for your cooperation.You are welcome in the name of the Lord.

Yours Sincerely
Rev .Dr. Mike Gary.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 12:02 PM

Which business is the good Rev or Dr in?

Barry

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time? Maybe NOT
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 09:32 AM

THE HERITAGE MUSICSTAR ENTERTAINMENT
Phone contact+447045735361
Email :[e-mail]
Website:http:www.heritage-awards.tk

Dear Brethen,
My Name is Rev Dr Mike Gary, CEO of Heritage Musicstar Entertainment here
in the UK.
we promote and gives international exposure to various musicians all over
the globe.

We are writting to invite and confirm the booking of your ministry to
perform at the Heritage Gospel music Awards.
You will never regret working with us.We have so many great gospel artist
performing at our event this year including Kris Miller,yolanda adams,Donnie
McClurkin e.t.c .

We are powered by some great sponsors here in the Uk.
Special appearance includes the Queen of england e.t.c.

We came across your profile and we are impressed with your
services,experience.your kind of music of course is okay by us.

The Venue as follows:

VENUE: St Martins Lane Hotel
45 St Martins Lane
Covent Garden London
London WC2N 4HX
DATE:24th of September 2008
PERFORMING HOURS:8pm to 9pm

The Heritage Music Company Payment for service rendered is :20,000 POUNDS
payable before the commencement of the event.

If you have any more publicity material, please do not hesitate to contact
me.
Document and contract shall be forwarded to you as soon as you honour our
invitation.Please provide the company more information.Home address ,Direct
phone contact and other necessary data.We promise an accurate
arrangement.All international guest are to arrive three days before the
event.Thanks for your cooperation.You are welcome in the name of the Lord.

Yours Sincerely
Rev .Dr. Mike Gary.

Looks like a scam... I got the same email bit different though... I was excited too

---

Please note that anonymous posting is no longer allowed at Mudcat. Use a consistent name [in the 'from' box] when you post, or your messages risk being deleted.
Thanks.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: DebC
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 09:24 PM

It's pretty amazing isn't it? This is obviously a scam and stinks almost as much as the skunks that have taken up residence under my front porch.

What is really shameful, though are the legitimate companies who are out to make you a "star" and will promote your music and get you gigs and get you played on a bazillion radio stations and license your music to film and TV, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah.

I must get an email a day from these folks. A couple of weeks ago, I got a personal Dear Debra email from a rep of a promo company with an office near to where I live. She said that she liked my sound and that she thought I would fit in well with a show her company was promoting in my area. Upon further investigation, *I* would have to BUY a certain number of tickets to the show and sell them to my fans. The show is in a nightclub and the other acts were metal and hip-hop. I'd fit in?? I don't think so, not to mention trying to hustle people to buy tickets to hear music that they probably wouldn't choose to listen to anyway.

Another pay-to-play situation and I said no thanks.

Good for you, Anne for approaching this with humour and giving them the wind-up. It is good for a laugh.

vDebra Cowan

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Stringsinger
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 03:19 PM

Dear Band,

Please sign our contract sight unseen. Wear your deep-sea diving outfit replete
with shark fighting gear.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 01:46 PM

I think (but with their quality of English can't be sure) they're offering to pay me a deposit or an advance on the fee. However, that's almost certainly where they'll want my bank account details, so I'll never know!
I'm moderately impressed (and moderately alarmed at the same time) that they've clearly taken on board some of the content of my website. My husband points out that therefore they can already get at my street address and maybe I shouldn't wind them up any further with my replies. I have, however, reiterated in my reply to their latest that I would like their registered company address and without it I'm unlikely to be available, even for such a prestigious event (wherever it is).

Anne

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Judy Dyble
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 08:14 AM

What wonderful letters they write Anne. I bet you were truly honoured that they wanted you to perform for them...

What was the deposit they were after?

Judy

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 06:17 AM

"We also want to have a fill of Folk music in this year's awards event."

Well, that's that then. They start defining Folk and the event will never happen.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 05:03 AM

I did reply, asking for their registered company address and URL, as well as details of their fire certificate, and received this in reply..you'll notice that the Queen appears to be a big folk fan (who knew?) and that the event seems to have mysteriously switched to London, for which I appear to need a UK work permit. Maybe it's at the Hilton? But if it was in July I've obviously missed it!

I'm gutted.

Anne

Dear Anne Lister
                   how are you doing today? What a great pleasure for the Heritage Music Company to hear from you. I like you to forget about the immpossibilities and face the possibilties.We are a bit security comsoius because of the Queen Of England.So we are not providing all information on our website,because so many people in uk wants to know are next moves.You understand what music business is now in the UK having such a VIP Will bring us the greatest marketing option in the industry.

Firstly i want to say your profile and experience in the world of music is too amazing to be ignored by the Heritage Music Company. We came across your profile after along time search of a great c musician. We also want to have a fill of Folk music in this year's awards event.

My representatives were able to find Anne Lister profile and lovely songs on http://www.annelister.com/Website. Your kind of music is highly welcomed by me and other members of the company. So fortunate for you that the kind of music you do is what the Queen of England really loves listening .We read through your profile it was a nice view for us.

We did like to confirm you for the heritage music awards event. Please we want you to get back to us so that the company can start making arrangement on how to send you all necessary documents and deposit that will back you up to travel to the UK .Please provide all relevant data about you, Address ,names and other important information.

All documents and deposit will be delivered through the GLOBAL FINANCE SECURITY COMPANY here in London United Kingdom. The document and deposit includes all original paper works that will enable you go through an easy preparation. The company also believes this will motivate you.
1. Original Letter of Invitation.
2. Contract agreement to perform at the Heritage Music Awards
3. Uk Working Permit
4. Deposit

You are welcome once again.

The security company delivers to your doorstep. The Heritage Music company arrangement towards your arrival is accurate. Remember London is filled with the spirit of hospitality. Please we want the best of performance from you. We believe your experience and talent is capable of making our day a bright one. We can wait to meet you in person.

Note all international guests are to arrive Two days before the commencement of the awards event. We will feed you with more information.

Mike Gary
CEO OF THE MUSICSTAR ENTERTAINMENT.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Bee
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:31 PM

Well, you never know what these Queens will get up to. I met the Queen of the Netherlands (Julianna) in 1972 at a pretty small award function for up and coming young artists. Very amusing: the studio school I was attending got something like ten invites, which was about a third of the students, and most of the Dutch kids weren't interested, so off a bunch of us - mostly the English, Welsh, Canadian and (one) Finnish students - went in a van, to eat free food, drink free beer, and meet the Queen while contemplating some interesting art.

However, I'm sure Elizabeth isn't making clandestine trips to musical events outside the country, so Tabster is right to be just a leetle bit suspicious!

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Hawker
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:13 PM

Oh No Anne!
Big Time it is then!
Sorry but we at Bude Folk Fest won't be able to come up to that!
tho r inglis mite wel as gud be it !
will you sign your CDs next time I see you, so at least Ill have a famous persons autograph?
Perhaps I could sell photos of you at Bude 2008 on ebay!
Will you still play word twist with me?
LOLOLOLOl

Cheers Lucy

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Ebbie
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:03 PM

Like you say, SCAM jumps out. Frankly I would be surprised if anyone here thought otherwise. As for the grammar and phraseology there is no doubt English is not his/her first language. I should think, however, that if I were doing something like that in a language foreign to me I would run it by a native speaker!

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 08:30 PM

if you want to read about another good offer to struggling musos have a squizz at this thread!

sandra (appreciating the Google ads below - Stop Fraud and Phishing + Block Phish scams!)

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Paul Burke
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 11:50 AM

Hey, I've just been offered a degree! Here' (verbatim) the offer:

Bachellor, MassterMBA, and Doctoorate certification available in YOUR field of choice.

Yes, you can become a Doc and get all the benefits alongside it!

Our Diiploma/Certiificates are recognised worldwide.

No need for exams, or testing, classrooms, tests, even interviewing.

We turn no one down
We guarantee confidentiality.

CALL US 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK

Adn I is just an enginnuer!

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:41 AM

"We

Want an accurate preparation from you."

No freekin' misteaks excepted.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:39 AM

The following appeared on another forum (found with a google of

heritagemusicawards


"Hi all, we just recieved a forwarded email from our good mate Joe Pop,it seems there is a music awards at the London Hilton Hotel 28th July, we have done some checking and cant find anything about this event. there are quite a few London Hiltons but so far we have drawn a blank. It may be legit but it could also be a scam, we have emailed the people to find out a bit more
The email is below,
Any idea's, comments.

M & J xx

We the representative for the London Heritage Music Awards (which is

Based in the UK) and also we are a music promoter and we have promoted various

Artiste . We have a music festival and awards night .we are inviting you to come be among

the artiste who would be performing on the 21th of July 2008.This event is

Taking place at the Hilton international Hotel here in London.



We like you to cooperate with us by sending us more details about you. We

Want an accurate preparation from you.This great events comes up annually here in the UK.

We are motivated and supported by some great sponsors of music here in the United Kingdom.
The Heritage Music Awards sponsors has prepared a check of about

10,000pounds for you as compensation to your service. We pay directly to

Managers or artist involved in this great event.

We shall send you document and keep you posted as soon as you honor our

Invitation. You will be given the privileged to sell some CDs. All necessary

Arrangement will be made towards your arrival. All Invited guests are to

Arrive a week before the commencement of the awards."


Notice how cleverly it is disguised so as not to be mistaken for the one in the USA. Damn--when I read crap like this I have trouble not sinking into despair for the English language.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:31 AM

You've got the spirit, Joseph. But don't forget to include all your personal info or the 'Queen of england' will be mightily pissed.

Subject: RE: Have I hit the big time?
From: Joseph P
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:29 AM

Shall I send them a demo tape? 2 whole sides of Shepherd's Hey, I'm sure the Queen of england would be most satisfied.