Thanks for the link. I never even tried to do a Google search, so I appreciate the time you spent doing it and passing along the link. As a Web retailer, I've learned that I've become a target for scammers. A couple of years ago, I fell victim to a wire fraud scheme that seemed 100% legitimate, but that ended up costing me $5,200. While my new vendor of electrical parts was legitimate, someone located on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia intercepted the vendor's pro-forma invoice that was emailed to me, changed the bank branch and account details in it, and caused me to wire the funds to a crook, rather than to the legitimate vendor.

Del - my company got the same guy trying to buy 100 of something nobody else ever needs 2 of. A quick Google search led us here:

http://www.purchasing.psu.edu/Purchasing/news ... geID_1948=66353

This seems to have been making the rounds.

I'm copying below the five asterisks the body of the email message I received this morning, purportedly from Pennsylvania State University.

This stinks at face value. For starters, a valid Pennsylvania State University number would show up on a reverse call directory like this one... the number in the email doesn't. (2) "Steve Blazer" is using broken/poor English, which I highly doubt that someone in the purchasing department of a major university would. (3) who orders 2000 Toyota spark plugs for a university?

This would be an order of over $4,000, if I even stocked and sold spark plugs, which I don't. You'd think these scammers could at least do their homework.

Del

*****

For the Institute ,we need quote for the below items:

Toyota spark plugs sk20r11====2000qty

Note: Payment Terms Purchase Order / Credit Card.
Hope to read from you as soon as possible.
Regards
Steve Blazer
Assistant Director Purchasing Services
The Pennsylvania State University
101 Procurement Services Building
University Park, PA 16802-1004
Tel: (814) 596-5072
Fax:(814) 596-9519