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new client, no pictures, big request, should I be suspicious?

Hi there,

My name is Colin,

Im new to rover, Im enjoying the experience. I received a request from a new client, It seems really fishy, it was sent as follows:

"Please contact us at - - - - @q.com. We need a drop in twice a day from Jan 31 to April 4. We live at - - - - Noble..Thanks, - - - - - .

I put - - - on her personal info. And the message was signed with a man's name, not a woman's, her husband? And Q.com? I have never heard of that. *Edit: Q.com appears to be an off-shoot of CenturyLink, it's not a typical server domain like yahoo or hotmail (there is no way to access "http://www.q.com%22 (www.q.com")), but is not an identified malware host.

Call me crazy but this sounds like Phishing.

Thank you! Colin M.

More details Below:

I have heard form about 4 other clients, they describe their dog and their circumstances when they request a stay, and usually write at least 4 sentences.

She sent me an email address to contact, and didn't want to go through Rover?

Her email name doesn't match her Rover profile name, is she using a friend's email? For her Rover account? (Example: if her name was Diana M on Rover, her email might be DMorris@yahoo.com The message above was: Jane P on Rover and the email is AJohnson@q.com) Additionally, the email she provided doesn't match the name that was left at the bottom of her message either, which I'm assuming is her husband because its a man's name (Ex: Please contact me, etc, sincerely, John, and the email is ACasbery@q.com)

Is it normal for someone to book 3 months of visits at once? Offer that commitment to a petsitter with only 1 review?

3 months = over $1000, I get that if someone wants 3 months of visits, they would probably search for a cheap sitter, and I have my prices low right now to gain more reviews.

The residence is only 2 miles away, I couldn't ask for a better location, and its a big gig, i really need that. But then I'm wondering about that too. Could that be 'bait' to encourage me to accept the offer with less though? Or did this lady look for someone pretty close to where she lives because its going to be twice a day for 3 months?

This just doesn't add up.

3 Answers

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Jessica M.

A good rule of thumb is to continue contact ONLY through Rover's server. That will at least retain a paper trail that Rover can take charge of, and it will also prevent any scams or fishing from happening.

Reply to her message through Rover, and go ahead and click to schedule the Meet & Greet, and see what happens from there. The response should tell you all you need to know!

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Olivia H.

I've gotten a few requests from people who just signed up to Rover that day. Usually they have short inquiring messages, and sometimes they have asked about services through the next few months. If there are no pictures and very few details you could always ask for some. I just say that I see that they've just signed up and might not have had time, but it helps us sitters understand their needs better when they fill out more of their profile. I also tell clients that want long-term walks that it works better for me to have them book weekly or every two weeks in terms of payment and scheduling, but that I will keep their time slot open to do so for however long they want.

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Do you sometimes have new clients contact you with only 1 sentence? Or ask to be contacted through their personal email on the first time? And give their address in the first message? I can see one or two of these things, but all three?

Colin M.

Sometimes I get a one sentence inquiry. If they're new they might not know what to say initially. If their request makes you uncomfortable, and I see how it could, you can and describe your protocol - how all of your bookings and communication need to be done through Rover.

Olivia H.

But I wouldn't go forward with it if they still seem fishy after some conversation.

Olivia H.

Ok, thank you for the advice. Ill update this board if they reply to my message.

Colin M.

Let us know...sounds phishy to me.

Denise E.

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Cari C.

Did this request come through Rover's messaging service or just to your private email? This sounds quite similar to scam emails that several of us on Rover have gotten over the past year or so. Mine showed up after I listed a profile on care.com; needless to say that profile got deleted pretty quickly.

The red flags: emails don't match, they don't want to use Rover, it's for a friend, it's for a long period of time. As Jessica suggested, reply through the Rover website/app and explain that you only book using Rover. If they reply and want to continue, schedule the M&G.

My experience has been you'll never heard from them again.

Comments

I've never had this happen on http://rover.com, but have on DogVacay. I seem to get all the weirdos from that site. I keep all my communication on the platform they found me on (as someone said before to keep a paper trail), and they usually disappear.

Ashley R.

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new client, no pictures, big request, should I be suspicious?

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