Red flag number 2.

Are these guys Nigerian?

@Geezer
Sure sounds like it. Ha.Ha.

@projecthotel
Thx

Quite a story! They all use the same website or links to Yunnan Cole and...
The Extention of email address Is always the same.

By the way poor English is not significant. I think elements below are more significant:
1. They don't know what they are buying or they show little interest in the goods
2. They hardly bargain about the price
3. After you have an agreement they ask you to draft the contract
4. They want to sign "face to face" in Kunming before a notary

Hi, guys! I m sure this is the same gang. As I already published photos of this gand in different media, Im sure that this is the end of their "business." There is no hope for them. In our cas Mrs. "translate" tried to hide in front of our cameras but we have some photos of here as well. That

thieves will end up in the stadium!!!!

Seems the website is blocked in China?

Seems like they've moved onto their next project. They're calling in the experts.

www.gokunming.com/[...]

I had the same, likely. Just came back from Kunming, contract signed etc. Monday they've asked to transfer a commission charge we've been discussing earlier, before they make the transfer. I refused as that has never been discussed that I had to pay that first (I'd refused to pay such a fee, instead we'd increased the project management fee with that amount).

It turns out that they're into sports now. In the Netherlands it's been sailing and golf apparently. The head quarters of the federation don't know the guys (Sent their business cards) and there's no one in Kunming City that is authorised to use their logo. I think it might be the same for volleyball as that was in their communication constantly, including my invitation letter and the initial request document.

Of course I did loose my travel costs but they didn't earn anything. Luckily I did some sight seeing! I don't have photos, did ask the hotel if they have something on camera maybe.

Is life of architects not hard enough? ... - we are sending this, to make you aware that the fraudster-gang in Kunming is still active and hope to prevent you from wasting valuable professional time or even money to fall for a "too-good-to-be-true" project of a 88.000.000 EUR project for a 5* Hotel in Kunming that comes with a 1.800.000 EUR honorarium for design services.

Sure, after we received a promising email, we were wondering why our firm has been choosen? No Pritzker Price, No El Croquis Monography, just a small design firm that makes a living and wants to do interesting work hoping for some big fish coming by. That big fish came this week from PR China. We were wondering, maybe because we have been working on a little resort in Yunnan Province a few years back, there might be a connection or even some recommendation. So we though to give it a try. We did a little of homework and a internet background check. Everything sounds reasonable. Even the legale check up though our law firm did not bring any red flags, nothing showed up on YUNNAN COPPER GROUP CO,LTD. Unfortunately at that point we were not smart enough to look up Kunming + Fraud. Endorphins of greed, opportunities and business took over consideration and reason.

After a few emails, we felt communication went super smooth with the new big-fish-client-project manager, much too smooth. No negotiation on the contract, even after our legal side put in some hard to chew clauses of legal protection (this is the 6h waste of valuable time part on a Friday afternoon). The contract we received earlier from the big-fish was very well written (I assume they sampled many contracts form other small design firms) The matter of fact, there were only a few minor mistakes on names, that could be ironed out during the negotiation process. We send the contract back. Next thing happened: Invitation to come to Kunming on our own expenses. Please ... really? Daddy told us, if someone wants your service, pay for it. Big-Fish turns fishy. We googled "Kunming + Fraud" and found this helpful webpage. So we are happy to built up content and copy + paste our email correspondence for google and YOU to find it. At least we got a well written contract out of that matter titled "复件 888.docx" Let's not forget, 888 is a super lucky number and brings prosperity.

Dear CEO,

Have a nice days

Our company has a project of five star hotel the site area is 38,000 square meters, the gross area is 86,000 square meters, 31 floors above ground the budget is about 88,000,000 Euro. Now we want to entrust the design company for us to make a design scheme, if you'd like to cooperate, please contact with us

Thanks and best regards

Company :YUNNAN COPPER GROUP CO,LTD

Business address: renming road NO.111,Kunming City,Yunnan province: Tel:0086-871-63931780 or 0086-18388038213

website :www.yunnancopper.com

Coad;.650000

or you can send email to kuntong@vip.163.com

Project manager:liu fengxiang

(we replied with interest and asked for site picture / GPS position of the site / qualities / program )

Dear Ben King:

Thank you for your reply:

We are very happy to cooperate with your company, we are found that your company are very powerful in the design. now we will send the content to your company .if it can implement .

We have send the contract in accessories,please check it. And this project is state in Kunming, Yunnan, China.

Please reply as soon as possible.

Best whishes

Company :YUNNAN COPPER GROUP CO,LTD

Business address: renming road NO.111,Kunming City,Yunnan province: Tel:0086-871-63931780 or 0086-18388038213

website :www.yunnancopper.com

Coad;.650000

or you can send email to yuntong6@vip.163.com

Project manager:liu fengxiang

(Contract was well drafted, we replied that we need a few day to edit it and will come back to them, asking if they could send us more information on the project before-hand No reply for a few days. finally we did send them our draft of the agreement, and received a reply within 1h. Yes, you might ask, why did we not call them up? Well, we don't speak the language and written communication seemed more valuable)

Dear Ben King,

Thanks for your reply.
We are commissioned you to do the overall design of the project. Such a big project could not resolved all the things in the mail, I suggest you to hold a meeting in the project of Kunming, you can conveniently observes the location, this is also conducive to your design, and we can also in the meeting to signed the contract,the cooperation between the two sides is clear, so that we according to the contract provide start-up capital and design documents, you can organization you team to work,Of course the first time you visit to kunming all the fees must bore by yourself, we can't pay in advance or deducted from the advance payment,please understand.We can provide invitation letter but we suggest you to deal with a tourist visa will be more convenient
Thank you for your sending amending the contract we can accept, but the company required to sign the contract face to face when you visit kunming, hope you arrange your travel to kunming and tell us as soon as possible
We are looking forward to your arrival.

Best wishes!
Company :YUNNAN COPPER GROUP CO,LTD
Business address: renming road NO.111,Kunming City,Yunnan province: Tel:0086-871-63931780 or 0086-18388038213
website :www.yunnancopper.com
Coad;.650000
or you can send email to yuntong6@vip.163.com
Project manager:liu fengxiang

(yeah, open the bottles, we got a commission falling out of the blue)

Thank you for this forum. Hope that google is helping you, while you are reading this. Hope you also stay away from fishy fish. And we feel very foolish for a few days now to even react on that scam.

BK.