E-mail scam alert

SCAM ALERT SCAM ALERT SCAM ALERT SCAM

SCAM ALERT SCAM ALERT SCAM ALERT SCAM

SCAM ALERT SCAM ALERT SCAM ALERT SCAM

It’s a strange topic for a blog at Reiki Surry Hills, but maybe by making it public, I hope I can help out some other reiki practitioners, or other small businesses.

In March, I received a very strange email. It was strange but not so much that I thought it was a scam.

adambryce178@hotmail.com asked to book in multiple treatments for groups of people. In the first case, it was for five people to be booked in five weeks in a row. ‘Adam’ explained that they would need my address for the ‘driver’ to drop them off, and that he was hearing impaired which is why he had to communicate by email.

This did make sense to me as I’ve friends who work with those who are deaf or hearing impaired, and did some work myself for the National Relay Service. So, I know that some people who are hearing impaired have a different way of expressing themselves in written English, and also can interact with the world in a different way. So, I could understand a bit of awkwardness in communication.

But when I explained that I only do three treatments a day, and that it really makes sense for a person to try a treatment before committing to multiple treatments, ‘he’ disappeared. In my hundreds of treatments, it stands out that a few people who ‘didn’t feel anything’ were people who didn’t come on their own will; they were convinced to come by someone else but did not necessarily want to come (contrasting with some people who receive gift certificates for reiki, but are happy with the present).

Then in May, I received another set of emails, from ‘Rebecca Woodruff’. The variation was that she had ten family members who ‘complained of body pain’. I engaged in the same process, explaining what I do, and how you can arrange appointments. I also said that while reiki can help physical issues, most people should get checked out by a doctor first or someone who works on physical injuries like a physiotherapist. But the last email came through saying for me to go ahead and book her ten family members. She didn’t specify dates and didn’t respond to my concern about people getting treatments who were not coming because they want to.

(As an aside, I haven’t told you that I had a request from the trashy reality show ‘Married at First Sight’ to give reiki, and be filmed, to one of the ‘married’ couples, one who was interested in reiki and the other who wasn’t! I actually laughed out loud before I said no, and the person said, in good humour, at least you could think about it…)

Anyways, the last email was too suspicious, sent at 4am, and listing her ten family members, with ages, but NONE who had the same family name. She said they were all coming ‘to the country’ for her ‘Dads 70th birthday’. So, I googled her email address and found a website in Queensland warning about scammers who ask website businesses for quotations.

God, I love the internet. While none of the scams proposed there had to do with reiki or with treatment services, someone did list the email of the scammer, rebeccawoods4u@gmail.com

I’ve shared my story there, but I might as well share it here too, to allow people to google the names of the scammers or any such other information that would lead them here. In summary, be alert:

  • If someone emails your business and makes a request that doesn’t quite seem right (in my case, asking to fit in 5 to 10 clients on the same day)
  • They are unable to clarify their request
  • They ask if you take credit cards, and for your physical address
  • They say they are hearing impaired and can’t speak to you by phone
  • Their story doesn’t add up (emailing in the middle of the night, 10 family members without a shared name)
Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Since 2011, I’ve given over 650 treatments. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come for relief from stress and anxiety, to address specific emotional, energetic and physical issues, to help with sleep, to explore their spirituality or just to see what a reiki treatment will bring them.

Reiki cat

While it looks like I’ve managed to teach my cat how to give me reiki… it isn’t true. But let me introduce you anyways to Thor. We actually have two cats, Russian blues, siblings: Thor, the male, and Freyja, the female, named after Norse siblings, a god and goddess. Occasionally, they will greet you at the door or peek around to look at you from outside the reiki room, especially if it is close to their dinnertime at 5pm.

But Freyja is quite shy, so you’re more likely to meet Thor. The other thing is that Thor loves the reiki room! He used to sneak in and sit quietly, but then he got bolder and if he senses that you likes cats, he’ll jump up next to you (or might already be sitting in your spot when you come into the reiki room) and then often, will fall to his side and look adorable and ask that his belly be rubbed. I think he’s ridiculously cute.

However, I’ve had to put him out of the room during the treatment (after you’ve settled in). The first time I thought I’d let him stay in the room, he jumped onto the table and licked the client’s face! He also one time jumped all the way over the table, lightly pressing his paws onto the client’s stomach as he passed. She was OK with it, but thought that I had very quick hands.

The other thing that amazes me is that Thor (and Freyja too) occasionally knows who has a cat or really likes cats. They sometimes know this before a client has even come into the apartment, and are ready to say hello right away. I always ask if they have a cat or like cats, and they say yes.

I recently had my first clients who were allergic to cats, which led me to post this information on my website (and be better prepared). If you are allergic to cats, don’t worry. Just warn me in advance. I will vacuum the room especially before you come, make sure Thor hasn’t touched the towel and sheet on the reiki table and will keep him out of the room for a period before your treatment, and wash my hands an extra time before the treatment. It would also help if you take an antihistimine or other allergy medicine before you come, just in case.

Some people ask whether the cats like reiki! Thor and Freyja like being touched which is pretty much the same thing. When I’ve tried to give them reiki, they usually shrug it off and go away. However, some animals love reiki, and I have a few friends who specialise in animal reiki, for example, Bronwen at the International House of Reiki (here’s one of her posts about animal reiki) in the Blue Mountains, Deborah in Melbourne who offers animal reiki treatments in person (Note: as of 2023, Deborah has moved to Perth. Sorry) and at a distance and Vicki in the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Since 2011, I’ve given over 650 treatments. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Unavailable from 10 to 23 May and from 10 June to 7 July 2018

In case y’all have missed the little notice I’ve put on the front page, Reiki Surry Hills will be closed from 10 to 23 May and from 10 June to 7 July 2018.

The first trip is to check in with my mom, who’s had an accident.

The second trip is holidays.

Feel free to email me or contact me during these times, but I’ll be unable to give you a treatment!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Since 2011, I’ve given over 650 treatments. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.