Is this suspicious?

lefty2

Platinum Member
I got an email from someone I don't know, saying his son took lessons online from Mike Johnson and he recommends them 100%. He went on to say that he has pdf files on a flash drive of the lessons for sale, cheap. Here's some of the email.
"I have a flash drive with about 900 pdf lessons on it that my son worked on and practiced from taking the lessons. I spent a great deal of money and even purchased the Linear Drumming pdf book from Mike for another $20. Would you be interested in this flash drive full of almost every lesson in pdf that Mike has done to date? I am willing to part with it for cheap in the hopes that someone else gets as much education and use out of it that my son has."
This sounds strange to me. If I knew the person, it would be different. Should this be turned in as spam or something?
 
I would question this e-mail, too.

I'm sure it's spam. The fact that you're a drummer is probably on the inter-web in a multitude of places and this e-mail got attached to your name.

Delete & forget!
 
Did you write back asking who they were? It's not entirely suspicious if there wasn't an attachment or link in the email and they didn't name a price.

I assume they mean Mike Johnston.
 
Spam? It's more than spam. It's clearly a case of good, old fashioned piracy. I'm sure Mike Johnston would be delighted to hear someone's flogging his wares for less than their true value.

Or worse still? DED has covered that.

Anyone wanna buy a bridge? Going cheap.
 
I'm sure Mike would appreciate this guy selling his stuff. That's pirating. What a douche bag.

(once again, beaten to the punch by Pocket.)
 
A good way to combat SPAM is public awareness.

Because I am older I have a lot of friends who are not comfortable with computers. However, because I am an engineer, I have been using and programming computers before a lot of the people I work with were born, I think I have a better understanding of what is SPAM than a lot of my peers in my own age group. It could also be that I grew up in NYC and have a cynical outlook of the human experiment.

Like hacking, and viruses the bad guys are a step ahead of the security measures. I thank you for posting this SPAM, and making others aware of the SPAM that is out there.

If it is too good to be true, and it appears to be illegal it most likely is something you should walk away from.
 
This isn't spam exactly...you were possibly targeted because you post your email to 'everyone' in your DW profile and possibly in other forums...or you've had contact with this person before. Either way my Google-fu is strong today.

This is an ad on Detroit?Hong Kong(?) Craigslist for the exact same thing. I'm reporting it, so if it's gone here's the text:

Drum Sheet Music PDFs - About 900 Lessons from Mikeslessons.com - $50 (Detroit)
My son took drum lessons from mikeslessons.com for over five years. He began day one when Mike Johnston started his online lessons. The lessons are pretty amazing and a great investment from one of the best instructors ever. Each lesson teaches a specific beat or concept and breaks them down in 4 or 5 lines and builds until you have the whole technique down. For example the first line on the pdf lesson is the right hand pattern then the next line will add the kick and then the left hand and then the last line puts it altogether.

My son is off to college and a fantastic drummer now as a result of spending time learning these lessons. They cover many topics, different styles of beats, from beginner to advanced levels. It was a worthwhile $20 a month that I spent.

The actual lessons online are live and you can actually see Mike teach the lesson. This is an enormous and extensive collection of those lessons in pdf format. It's not all 900, as my son missed one here and there, but probably at least 850 are on this flashdrive. I am in Lansing but get to Detroit area often or I suppose i could probably email the files if distance is an issue as my wife does have a paypal account also or even mail the flash drive. Whatever is convenient.

It is a total bargain deal for all this material. I can send you and example if you want to get a better idea, but if you are a drummer - beginner or advanced level or in between, this is all you need PERIOD.

If interested, I require you to put "I am a drummer" in the subject heading or I won't bother due to all the spam on here.
 
I sure appreciate your replies. I'll turn it in as spam. The guys name is Bill Smith. There were no attachments. Us old gullible, non-hi-tech drummers need your help. Thanks
 
I sure appreciate your replies. I'll turn it in as spam. The guys name is Bill Smith. There were no attachments. Us old gullible, non-hi-tech drummers need your help. Thanks

No prob, now I have to go and get my free psychic reading and Canadian pills. Take care.

I'm emailing this person and will solicit an email address. He is gonna get so spammed.
 
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Or maybe even let Mike Johnston know about it!

If he is only selling the one copy, and is not keeping the files for himself it may be perfectly legal (although maybe not) because you can resell paper books, right? Nobody is getting sued by Stone for buying a used copy of Stick Control at a garage sale, right? It may still be illegal, depending on the rights, however, as coorporations are trying to make it so that you cannot resell a digital item. That is up in the air.

I would guess that this fellow is pirating, especially since my understanding is that Mike Johnston's stuff is membership based.
 
If I had it and no longer used it, I'd sell it, too. I don't see the issue here, unless he's selling multiple copies, of which there is precisely ZERO evidence yet given in this thread. There's no piracy in selling on gear you've purchased fair and square, or [looks up the page] the Classified section means Mr Castiglioni is in for a world o' hurt. If I was looking to sell off all of that, I'd post it in every possible venue, too. Something about casting a wide net. I don't see anything wrong with sending private, individual emails to potential customers, either, and there's certainly nothing illegal about it.

Untwist your knickers, folks. When we actually have evidence that he's pulling a scam, then we pull out the torches and pitchforks.

If you spam him before that, you're being a douche.
 
If I had it and no longer used it, I'd sell it, too. I don't see the issue here, unless he's selling multiple copies, of which there is precisely ZERO evidence yet given in this thread. There's no piracy in selling on gear you've purchased fair and square, or [looks up the page] the Classified section means Mr Castiglioni is in for a world o' hurt. If I was looking to sell off all of that, I'd post it in every possible venue, too. Something about casting a wide net. I don't see anything wrong with sending private, individual emails to potential customers, either, and there's certainly nothing illegal about it.

Untwist your knickers, folks. When we actually have evidence that he's pulling a scam, then we pull out the torches and pitchforks.

If you spam him before that, you're being a douche.

We might not have evidence, but I'd like to lay a bet on what's really going on here......a sizeable one at that.

Really mate, would you send unsolicited emails en masse for a one off $50 sale? Does that sound like the actions of an honest 'on-sell' or is it the tactics more likely to be employed by someone looking to target the largest possible audience?

Yes, it could be anything.....a legitimate sale amongst them. But I've always been of the mindset that if it walks like a duck.....and talks like a duck, well then.....

I guess it's possible that that Nigerian bloke really does have 10 mill he wants me to bank for him as well. I have no evidence to suggest he doesn't.......just some common sense and a nose for a scam. :)
 
If I had it and no longer used it, I'd sell it, too. I don't see the issue here, unless he's selling multiple copies, of which there is precisely ZERO evidence yet given in this thread. There's no piracy in selling on gear you've purchased fair and square, or [looks up the page] the Classified section means Mr Castiglioni is in for a world o' hurt. If I was looking to sell off all of that, I'd post it in every possible venue, too. Something about casting a wide net. I don't see anything wrong with sending private, individual emails to potential customers, either, and there's certainly nothing illegal about it.

Untwist your knickers, folks. When we actually have evidence that he's pulling a scam, then we pull out the torches and pitchforks.

If you spam him before that, you're being a douche.

Benefit of the doubt, good thinking. I'm sure it's nothing, not like I could actually do that.
 
If it was unsolicited, and you dont know the sender it is by definition Spam, or as an analogy its like having your letterbox stuffed full of unwanted junk.

Worse still you could A loose your money, or B get to download a world of trouble in the form of viruses / spyware / malware.

As an aside I hope you have a decent security software including antivirus and firewalls.

I would also have a "junk" email address like g-mail, hotmail, yahoo etc for use on sites that require an email address and save your personal email for people you know and trust.

Lastly never download an "exe" file unless you know the source of the file, its the most common way to load your computer with viruses.
 
If I had it and no longer used it, I'd sell it, too. I don't see the issue here, unless he's selling multiple copies, of which there is precisely ZERO evidence yet given in this thread. .

The issue is someone you've never met, nor asked to meet, is going to send you a flash drive and expects you to put it into your computer.

It's the digital equivalent of someone mailing you a venereal disease.
 
A question about piracy. What do you guys think of people selling their old CDs? Should this be disallowed because the artist gains no benefit? How does it differ to the spammer? (legit product or not, unsolicited selling is still spam and I'd personally delete too).
 
The piracy doesn't bother me as much as the real intention of the email. I don't know this person. And T Underhill posted almost the same email from the Detroit area. Someone is up to no good. They are fishing, to get on peoples' PCs I think. I don't know. The piracy thing is not right and I agree with that. I think I've got firewall and antivirus stuff on my PC. I know I run scans checking for those things weekly. The young man that set this thing up for me, said I had everything I needed. I trust him. He's a family friend, and is a Tech. in our local school system. Thanks for all the replies.
 
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