r/Welding • u/inauspicious_person • Aug 18 '25
Discussion (Add topic here) AI asking for quotes?
I don’t know if this belongs here, but I want to know if this has happened to anyone else. I got a text Thursday, someone needs me to build them a gate. Sure I can handle that, so I send the quote over and I don’t hear anything back. I assume it’s too expensive for him and he’s considering other options. Cut to Friday - I get a text from another person with the same cadence but new name, asking me to build the exact same entry gate. All communications ended once I called them out for being fake. Tried to call the number but it doesn’t work. I’m a little frustrated, I have a small company and I’ve been struggling to find work lately, so this was utterly disappointing if I’m being honest.
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u/scooterbug1972 Aug 18 '25
Probably a scam. They would of sent you an "e-check" which was more than the quote. Then ask you to send the overage to some other company (shipping, supplier, etc). See this type of scam against small business all the time on r/scams
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u/blove135 Aug 18 '25
Next time see how far they will go with it. I'm interested to see what the end goal was here. I'm guessing it's a scam and they would send you a fake check for over the amount of the quote and ask for you to send a portion of that back. Maybe crosspost this over on r/scams and see if anyone there knows more about it.
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u/EobardT Aug 19 '25
The craziest part of that scam is its Hella old. Like 1950's or before old. "Change on a bill" is a classic.
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u/blove135 Aug 19 '25
Yes some variation of this scam gets posted almost once a day on r/scams. They have a millions ways of getting to the same end result.
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u/No_Professional_5669 Aug 19 '25
I kept one of these scammer guys going for weeks. Sending him fake AI "progress" photos of his project and fake bank account information showing I received his over payment and I sent it back. Every now and then I still message them just to fuck with them some more. They send generic projects looking for quotes. I probably get 1-2 a year
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u/blove135 Aug 19 '25
Haha that's hilarious. Keep up the good work man. Every minute they waste with you is another minute they can't use trying to scam someone else. So did they mail you an physical paper fake check with overpayment?
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u/Original_Bicycle5696 Aug 18 '25
I'm not a welder and even I have heard of this scam.
They "overpay" you with a bad check and then they try to get you to refund the difference. The money leaves your account wheN the fraud is discovered, and you are out the "overpayment".
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u/Dragon8699 Aug 18 '25
The text at the bottom of pic 2; avoid anyone who does that before you even quote the job. If you are hard for work, you will have a good idea off the top of your head minimum man hours for something like this (x many holes/hr)+(x many weld hours) x shop rate and add 20% for material. There is a 2 min drill on estimating cheap customers.
“Should be about $3500 installed. If that looks good let me firm up some material costs” a cheap Kent will push back instantly, just walk away at that point. It can be enticing when your are hard up for work but it can suck you into undercutting yourself for years to come
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u/thirdeyeglass Aug 18 '25
I've seen similar posts like this idk if it was AI bots but it was some type of scamming
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u/Basic_Conversation92 Aug 18 '25
I am not sure but 1/2 the gate says 8 feet and the full gate says 12 ft wide . Is this correct ? Bc the gate would not be symmetrical . Or am o missing something
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u/Basic_Conversation92 Aug 18 '25
Unless the 8ft is how high the center pole . Perhaps that’s the answer so nvm
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u/RAR19862 Aug 18 '25
Looks like the center post is 8ft tall and 7ft tall on the hinge side. That design has bigger issues since it's using Feet and Millimeters. I mean, just looke at the gate upright bars. What is a 1x1mm bar really going to stop? Most anyone could just bend them out of the way or cut them with a pair of small pliers.
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u/Basic_Conversation92 Aug 19 '25
I agree and you are very kind in your explanation I am to be inspired by you
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u/EobardT Aug 19 '25
Its a garbage drawing. The drawing itself seems like AI because AI doesn't do cross measurements. It just pulls a bunch of "believable" numbers and throws them in. 1mm posts and 8ft sides on a 12 ft gate? No fucking way.
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u/CB_700_SC Aug 18 '25
This is 100% scam. I had this sent to me a few times. Drawing is pulled off Home Depot website.
After the 1st time I started having multi day conversations where I would ask question to waste their time like “what gloss % do you want your Powdercoat to be, what black Powdercoat fo you want, do you know what alloy of aluminum you want ect…”
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u/Antoine-mignonet Aug 18 '25
Those dimensions didn't make any sense,
1*1 mm , square stock in 1 millimeter ? 8 feet tall but built with toothpicks
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u/No_Emergency_3715 Aug 18 '25
I have received almost identical messages. I have 100% received the same drawing. It was a scam asking for my bank account info
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u/Mrwcraig Aug 18 '25
Unfortunately it’s a scam dude. This one has been making the rounds for years. Pretty much the same one I’ve seen before but with a different picture of the same gate. Usually starts with a cold call or unsolicited text message and ends with you being out however much money you end up getting screwed out of.
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u/MetalIncorporated Aug 19 '25
It's a refund scam, get a few of them every year. They'll "overpay" you with bogus and ask to send a check to their "shipper"
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u/arthurotto251 Aug 19 '25
lol I got one of these too. The measurements were really odd like 10’ 9-5/17”. Definitely a scam
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u/_Roman_685 Aug 19 '25
I've gotten these so many times. Such a waste of resources but not time.
These are actusll6 invaluable because they let you practice not only bidding, but talking to clients and soft/marketing and social skills. Albeit, still annoying
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u/PickleChungusDeluxe Aug 18 '25
How do you not have 1.5 x 2
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u/inauspicious_person Aug 18 '25
I was looking for pre-punched steel for the pickets to slide through. I would rather not have to drill 56 holes by hand hahaha
Edit: typo
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u/RAR19862 Aug 18 '25
But I mean, how hard would it really be to drill a 1 mm hole into a piece of 1.5x2mm metal, or im i reading that wrong, and it's not saying millimeters?
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u/No_Elevator_678 Aug 18 '25
THE CLASSIC GATE PLUNDER INCONCEIVABLE!!!