FYI: Possible Scammer? You Decide

I feel it is incumbent upon those of us who have been here for a long time and who have developed a significant amount of 1st Tier Connections to address possible scammers on this website. If you review my articles, you will find I have done so before. However, it has been some time since I have.

I want to call your attention to someone going by the name of "Michelle Anderson." Below is the message thread between us. As I say to her in the thread, I apologize if I am mistaken. I most certainly do not want to disparage or negatively affect her "good name" if I'm wrong. I leave it to you, the reader, to decide if this person is a scammer or not. I merely wish to draw your attention to the possibility. After reading this, some may say I "baited" Michelle. Yes, I did. After I realized what "she" was asking, I did indeed "bait" her in order for her to actually say what she hoped I'd do. Some may say I post this only to promote Loveshine Books. No, I'm not. My intent, as stated, is to address unethical activity. However, I am well aware that I am also "promoting our books." If you are curious and review the link posted in the below thread, I appreciate that. I have posted that link previously on my page.

It should be noted that, after "Michelle" read my last message, she disconnected from me. It is also of note that Michelle had a very incomplete Profile. Below is our message thread. Apologies for misspellings and/or grammatical errors in the below thread. I was typing fast.

• MONDAY
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following message at 7:24 AM
• View Michelle B’S profile
• Hello
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following message at 8:16 AM
• Hi. Thank you for your connection.
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following messages at 8:25 AM
• You're welcome
• How are you doing
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following message at 10:16 AM
• Fairly well. How about you? You're an art specialist, I see. How did you get interested in art? I suspect it's because you, yourself, are an artist! That's great!
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following messages at 10:19 AM
• Yes, I am
• Thanks
• How can I help you
• Click or press enter to display yyy.jpg in the image preview (Michelle sent a drawing of the faces of a man and woman.)
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following message at 10:22 AM
• Is this your art? Quite impressive! Very, very good! 
• You asked how could you help me. I have no art. I'm not an artist. As an Art Specialist, what do you do?
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following message at 10:24 AM
• I work on sub contracts for museums . 
• Also into catering 
• specialize mainly on Mexican and Asian cuisines
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following message at 10:24 AM
• Sounds like a very interesting career.
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following messages at 10:25 AM
• Indeed
• What do you like to do in your free time
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following message at 10:28 AM
• I love to travel, but I fear I'm getting a bit too old for that now. Arthritic back and knees. Most of my "time" now is "free time" since I'm "retired." If you review my Profile, you'll see I have a strong background in public performance and promotions. I continue to audition for films shot in the Phoenix area. I occasionally present live performance. Last month I performed Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart" for a boutique tea room in the Phoenix metro area. My wife and I are co-authors. Check out loveshinebooks.com.
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following messages at 10:33 AM
• That's awesome
• Do I have to pay to read
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following messages at 10:37 AM
• Well, the books are on Amazon Books and Barnes & Noble. If you go to Amazon Boosk, put "Vashti Ataya" in the search bar, and it will bring up the books. There are 2 "Vashtis" on Amazon, so you want to be sure you pull up "Vashti Ataya." Our first book on Amazon.com is 'MEMORIES," so you'll be sure to know it's the right "Vashti." I think Amazon has a "free read" on their website. I think. Could be Barnes & Noble. I think it could be the Kindle site on Amazon. I'm really not sure, but I've seen it there. It allows you to read online on their site. I don't know too much more about it.
• On the website loveshinebooks.com, click on the Amazon button below each book. It will show you the book and on the photo of the book, it says "Look inside." Click on that, and it should allow you to look inside. I have no idea how many chapters it may allow you to read." I think that's the Kindle part.
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following message at 11:19 AM
• Help me get an Amazon so I can purchase it
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following message at 11:39 AM
• I don't think I can get an Amazon account for you. Whoever has an Amazon account has to get it themselves.
• However, I tell you what. We will send you Books One and Book Two for an "Authors' Price" of $10.00 each. We have a few promotional copies of Book Three left which we will send you for free. There are 2 publisher's errors in Book Three, so we have to send those copies as promotional ones. The errors are (1) the publisher's failed to remove a trademark from a cat's photo inside the book, and (2) the publisher's put the information for Book Two on the copyright page of Book Three. So we can stamp the first page "NOT FOR RESALE" and give them away as promotional copies. That would be $20.00 for all Books One, Two, and Three. We'll need to add $5.00 for shipping. So, if you trust me enough, please send a check for $25.00 to Noah LeVia, 4013 E Carmel Circle, Mesa AZ 85206. Just as soon as we receive it, we'll send the books and give you a tracking number so you can track them. 
• Book Four is now in the printing process, and it should be out by the end of the year. Book Five, the last book in the series, is being written now, and it should be published probably in the spring. 
• Look on Amazon Books again and see if you would like a copy of "MEMORIES, Chronicles of a Grateful Life." If you do, we'll also charge only $10.00 for that one. So, for $30.00 + $5.00 shipping, we'll send you MEMORIES, and Books One, Two, and Three of the "OVERCOMING" Series. Of course, please include your mailing address when you send the check. If you would like to do this.
• Thank you again for your interest and for your connection! Your art is great!
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following messages at 11:41 AM
• You are a darling
• I mean i don't have an Amazon account
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following messages at 11:49 AM
• Oh. Well, if you want to order from either Amazon, Xulon Press, or Barnes & Noble, you'll have to order from their website. I don't think you need an Amazon or Barnes & Noble account to order a book from either of them, however. I think all you have to do is just order what you want from their websites. Let me know if that works for you. But I have no control whatsoever over any of those websites. If I wanted one of our books from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, I'd have to order it myself and pay them.
• You know, it would actually help us if you did order from Amazon, Xulon Press, or Barnes & Noble because it would help show our books are selling on those websites. If you order from us, Amazon, Xulon Press, and Barnes & Noble websites can't show that someone bought books from them. We can give you that "Author's Price" I explained to you, but because we send the books to you directly, it won't show that we've sold any on Amazon, Xulon Press, or Barnes & Noble. You could help us by buying the books directly from us because if you want Book One for $10.00 (plus $5.00 shipping), we would have that $10.00. If you ordered Book One from Amazon, they would only give us $2.77, and you would pay them $22.12. So if you buy the books directly from us, you would pay less, and we would receive more.
• It's up to you. A most important thing to us is that you read the books and spread the word!
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following message at 12:05 PM
• What I am saying is for you to help me get an $100 Amazon card so that I can make purchase
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following messages at 12:12 PM
• How can I do that, Michelle?
• I have a dormant PayPall account. I could restart that account, and you could send yoru money to PayPall. Do you want to do that?
• I would have to receive the money from PayPal before I sent you the books, however.
• Michelle, what do you want me to do to help you get a $100 Amazon card account?\
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following message at 1:09 PM
• Yes so that I can get the books for me and my friends
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following messages at 5:28 PM
• How do you want me to help you get a $100 Amazon card account? How do I do that?
• Is $100 enough? On Amazon, MEMORIES is $16.95. Book One is $22.12. Book Two is $19.49. Book Three is $18.49. That's a total of $77.05. That's enough for free shipping. But how many friends do you want to buy books for? How much of an Amazaon account do you need? How do you want me to do it?
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following messages at 1:00 AM
• If you have Walmart around you. Simply ask for an $100 Amazon
• Then scratch the back of the card and take a picture 
• You will then send it here
• I look forward to reading your books and letting the world know about it
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following messages at 4:50 AM
• Do you mean I pay $100 to Walmart for the Amazon card and put my photograph on it and then send it to you?
• How can you use it with my photograph on it? Shouldn't I just send it to you?
• Can you use an Amazon card if my photograph is on it?
• Please explain. I would really like for you to read our books!
• 
  
• Michelle B Anderson sent the following messages at 6:03 AM
• Just the card
• Not your photograph 
• I meant the card
• No need for photograph
• I mean take picture of the card
• 
  
• Noah LeVia, M.A. (ON) sent the following message at 6:13 AM
• Ah, I see. Thank you for explaining, Michelle. 
• I take pleasure in asking you how big of a fool do you think I am??? You want me to pay Walmart $100 for an Amazon card and then send it to you so you can buy our books. I don't like to disparage or insult people, Michelle, but I am convinced you are a scammer! I hasten to offer apologies in advance if I'm wrong, and you're just a foolish person who thinks you have found another fool.
• Michelle, I am going to copy all of our message thread together and post it to Facebook as a warning that you could be a scammer. There is a possibility that you are not even Michelle Anderson but someone using her Profile. I believe, however, you are Michelle. This, I feel, is a sad thing. 
• I am also going to report you to Linkedin.
• I will be disconnecting with you as well as blocking you. Forgive me for saying so, but you are a foolish, foolish young lady if you are indeed Michelle Anderson.
• I wish you a good life. I hope you find someone to buy you a $100 Amazon card and send it to you!