Paulsha911

I put up an ad on Craigslist to sell my GHL Loud plus oval tips. This guy replied back and gave me asking price. But the response seems fishy. What do you think?

Randy 1

Found here:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

Avoiding scams and fraud

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:
DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.

NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.

FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.

CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"

NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)

AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

Mark in Baltimore

All sensors indicate...scam.

95 C4 993

Thats your typical "419" Nigerian scam. Seen those a few times selling on craigslist and Ebay.

Dont even bother replying and if you do, a "F%$# you" is always a good one.

DocTock993

Those are pretty standard "lines" used in a scam.
There have been some amusing web postings on people who get these offers and then scam the scammers.

Paulsha911

So, the email said he will let me wait till I clear the check and then wire him back the change. I am interested in what the scheme is. I know bank will clear check but still reverse fund if they find out later it's a false check. But by this time, the victim would have wired the "change money" already. So, the change money would have to be a decent amount in order for it to worth the scammer's efforts...

MarkD

cashier's check or money order will be a fraud
your money via Western Union will be gone with no recourse
Randy covered it well.

That said, I think toying with the guy would be funny. Ask for their address, name etc. and see what you get. Ask why you need to send HIM money for something HE is buying!? I know he will have a story but the best you can do is waste some of this crook's time.
In my experience, all communication will eventually stop if you keep asking questions.

jimbo3

yep, you guessed it.

2Many Cars

There is absolutely no reason why you should be sending money via Western Union to his "shipping" agent. Tell him you'll happily use his money to take care of arranging the shipping through your agent and I'll bet he either comes up with some goofy reason he has to use his agent or else just flakes. IMHO this has scam written all over it.

95 C4 993

Delete the email and be done with it. Its nothing but a waste of time and there is absoltely no recourse if you fall victum of the scam and the US will do nothing about it. I have seen it on 20/20 a few times over the years and people get suckered all the time.


[edit] 419 Fraud
These scams have come to be associated by the western media with Nigeria due to the massive proliferation of such confidence tricks from that country since the early 1990s, as well as the reputation of the country for corruption.

Originally the schemers contacted mainly heads of companies and church officials. However, the use of e-mail spam and instant messaging for the initial contacts has led to many private citizens also being targeted, as the cost to the scammers to make contact is much lower.

Another recent variation involves the use of fake cashier's checks to pay for high-value items in Internet auctions. The scammer sends a check for more than the purchase price asking that part of the money be forwarded to a 'shipper' or 'freight forwarder' after the funds have cleared. This will usually happen quickly as banking practice assumes that banks are liquid at all times and that there is no credit risk. The vendor will only discover that the check was fraudulent and the transaction has been voided a few days later, by which time the intermediary will in most cases have been paid.

sidned

Run, Forest, Run!!!!

Dudley

Based on the law of averages, not every $23,000,000 dollar offer, from a Nigerian Princess, is a scam.

Randy 1

I wouldn't be surprised to see a "bona fide" casheri's check for upwards of 10 large for a part costing a few hundred.

For your viewing enjoyment. This is a favorite site:

http://www.419eater.com/html/okorie.htm

There are a ton more on there, but this one was my favorite.

Wreck Me Otter

Tell him that his request is fine, but you need $20 in cash up front to pay for shipping charges because you have bad credit with the shipping companies.

Terry Adams

My first and only experience with a Nigerian fake cashier's check was in 1976. Imagine how far the technology has come since then.