Is this a scam?

Something just doesn't add up to me. Why can't he just pay the transportation company in cash rather than giving it to you first?

I know a scam where they do this by cheque, but not by credit card. How long does it take for your bank to confirm that funds are defintely cleared when someone pays by credit card?

Yes - sounds like a money laundering scam to me.

It sounds remarkably similar to the Nigerian Ebay scam and the usual thing is that the money is clawed back due to fraudulent funds, so not only have you lost out on whatever you've supplied but also £4000 of your own money. Hitchers may be able to suggest a way that would keep you protected which you could pass on to this person.

Sounds dodgy to me.

There is no way that I would get involved with paying for their transport at the very least. It's not part of your service. I can't see any companies that hire out helicopters being unable to work with a client in regards to payment methods.

I'd say you are right to be very suspicious. I would request a money transfer or cleared funds before undertaking the catering work if you want to proceed. It's difficult to see how you can lose out if you already have the money but the request to pay the helicopter would really concern me.

Thanks guys, I knew you'd be my voice of reason on this. Just somethig doesn't ring true - it does seem a bit like the Nigerian money scam which I've come across but I don't know if it's the same when credit cards are used. We've asked the guy to call us and if he does we'll pass on our concerns and stress that we won't be having anything to do with transportation. I think it's strange that they can't do a bank transfer or send a cheque.

I also don't think one helicopter trip would hold 15 people, although I could be wrong ?

Would it also be a risk to you if you paid the 4k to the transport people and then the guy that sent the money did a chargeback thing on his card? (I've heard this can happen?)

I'd also stay away from it, sometimes the money is not worth the hassle, but I think your right to talk to him first to get a feel for the situation.

good luck ?

Speak to your bank. They will be able to tell you if they think it's dodgy. They may also do a check on the credit card. We get various things come in, asking for equipment to be sent out, using a credit card. Some are genuine, many others are not.

Have you spoken to them over the phone at all? If not, then I would be very suspicious.

Sounds like money laundering to me too.

Why not contact the helicopter company, find out if there is a booking and check the story regarding the payment.

It smells suspicious to me though. a helicopter couldn't take 15 people as far as i'm aware. I was in one that took 8 people once but it was the biggest one i've ever been in

Is it a round trip in the helicopter (ie, lift in and lift out once for the week) or a trip in and out every day? If so, it sounds mighty dodgy that breakfast & lunches amount to £3k and the helicopter costs just £1k more. It costs a fortune to run helicopters - especially if they are doing 2+ trips for that amount of people.

I'd be inclined to not even bother checking with the helicopter company or the bank. I'd just say you can't do that, and leave it at that.

Sounds like a new variation on a known scam, although sights are being set a tad lower.

I was made aware of it when the common practice was to order a vintage vehicle and ask the seller to pay transport costs. Usually arounf 10x the figures you're talking about. Quite a few people got stung by it as I recall.