Ever see a scam like this?

[STAN1366]

I placed an add to sell a mower on another web site and got this reply. It's word for word. The guy sure can't speak or write English. Can't believe anyone would fall for this.

Subj: Wheelhorse
Date: 1/25/2003 10:59:42 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email]*******
To: [email]********
Sent from the Internet (Details)





Good day,

My name is **** **** i am an auto agent and i will like to buying your Wheelhorse because i visited your website only to find out that the Wheelhorse price was $1,300.00, i will like to know it present condition.before that i contacted my client who told me that,that is the kind of Wheelhorse he want to buy that there is no problem with the price.i know that the Wheelhorse is sold for $1,300.00 and of which i told my client that the Wheelhorse was $6,000.00 he has agreed to buy the Wheelhorse .so you should be expecting a cashier $6,000.00. while you please try and wire me $3,700.00 via western union or money gramm as soon as you get the cheque to the shipper and keep $1,000 for your self as terms of agreement between the both of us.i hope i can count on you for the balance. my the shipper will come to pick the Wheelhorse without giving you any stress.my client is my much intrested in buying the Wheelhorse . so send your mailling address in this format where the cheque will be sent to.

name.................

full address..............

city.......................

state........................

country............................

zipcode.........................

telephone.....................

cell phone.....................

regards,

***********

I edited out the name and e-mail addy.

[PaulJ]

And i though some of the spelling, grammer, and typos on here were bad (including me). WOW:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:That guy needs to go back to school.
How did you respond??

[Darb]

I read that there are many scams dealing with "Cashier's Checks." The are not as reliable as some people believe them to be. They can be faked.

If it were legit why wouldn't he just cash the check and then send you the $1300? Glad you didn't fall for it.

[STAN1366]

I didn't reply. I did send an e-mail to the web site I placed the add on asking if they had gotten any other people getting the same response to their add.

[STAN1366]

If the grammar was OK and the $ amount wasn't so much more than my asking price, then I might have been taken in by it. Really would like to find out who this character is.

[Ed Ryder]

This criminal is operating in a different country. Probably like Russia, Ukraine, or maybe in an African country or someplace backwards like that. Nigeria is big for internet scam letters.

[BRL]

Justalawnguy is right. Most of these scams are run from foreign countries, and the people doing them are not fluent in English. Pretty funny stuff, but I did see on the news that some people actually fall for these types of scams. So they will always be around.

[bob]

Eyed bea suspishus of no goood gramr from unnown peoples.:nono:

[Arc Burn]

I get this crap in my bulk e-mail alot,it's a riot to read,i am usually hand picked buy someones contact in the states,it's also always legit but kind of our little secret,someone wealthy has always just been murdered in some big political uprising,the money in the bank cannot be withdrawn by the relatives(enter me!)All i have to do is give them my SS#,and bank account info and they will deposit all this money in my account if i agree to split it with them,pretty cool aye!The sad part is people really do fall for this crap and it's 100% legal,even if it wasn't you or the law are never going to find these people with your money.

[Just Turned Pro]

Thats just a new twist on the old "insert third world country name here" bank scam.... it usually goes something like this...

Hello friend, I am xxxx from yyyy country. Shortly before the government was overthrown (or some other excuse) I was able to secret $$$$$$$ amount of money and need a way to transfer it out of the country. I was told that I could TRUST you and am contacting you based on a recommendation from a friend. (yada yada, gain trust, build confidence, etc). All I need from you is to send me your account information so that I can wire the money to you while I flee the country etc.... For you help you will received half of the $$$$$$ (large amount of money).....

There are many different versions of this but they all share some common traits.
1. They ask you to wire money or provide your account and personal information.
2. They act like you have a common friend or some other common bond.
3. They try to make it sound like they are "trusting" you and hoping that you will return this offer of trust.
4. THEY ALL WILL CON YOU OUT OF YOUR MONEY!
5. They are generally out of the country so it is difficult to catch and prosecute them.


For more information go to the Federal Trade Commision website and read about this and other online scams.


www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm)

You can also forward them a copy of the E-mail to review.

[Sammy]

You see this scam all over the internet.
There was one just posted the other day on a tractor board that I visit.

Almost the same wording as yours.:sleeping:

[STAN1366]

Thanks for the response guy's. I hope this helps prevent someone getting ripped off. By the way. This was the only response I got to my add!

[Gravely_Man]

I hope you haven't sold it as I was going to offer you twice that amount! Some people are just silly to fall for this stuff.


Gravely_Man

[HarryD]

so hes gunna send you a fake cashiers check for $6,000 tells you to keep $2,300 if you can cash it and wire him the balance. and then hes is gunna have someone come pick it up. HMMMMM :rolleyes: hehe some people think everyone is a dumb *****.

[JimLewis]

Well, I agree with most of the other posts. I get those "I am the son of the former ambassador to Nigerian republic of...." all the time.

BUT - this isn't quite like that. And it makes me wonder. It could be legit. Especially since they are not asking for a bank account number or anything. They are just asking for your address and who to make the check out to. Seems pretty harmless. I mean, if you can pull off a huge scam with just a guy's name and address, then we are all screwed! Because my name and address is all over the damn place. In fact, most companies have their name and address on their web page.

So I don't see any real threat to answering that email and filling in the blanks.

I'd just make sure that when I got the supposed "cashier's check" that I cashed it and made sure it cleared before I sent anything off. I'd call the bank who the cashier's check was drawn on and verify authenticity. I'd also check with my bank for authenticity too. Finally, I'd wait for it to totally clear (like a week or two). Then, I'd send off the merchandise and their refund.

I don't see any risk there.

[STAN1366]

I thought about replying to this guy, but remember: "If it appears too good to be true. It probably is." Responding to these types only encourages them.

[trimmasters]

Might as well give it a try, you dont have anything to lose if its not true, just wait till it clears to send them any money.

[The Mowerdude]

Tell this guy that just as soon as you have the 6 grand CASH in your hand, you'd be more than happy to send him his percentage. :D I really don't see the harm in callin his bluff. I just wouldn't cut loose with any of my cash until I had his cash.

If he'd pay $6000 for an old Wheel Horse, I wonder what he'd pay for a matching pair of Great Dane Chariots complete with Peco vac systems?

[Just Turned Pro]

I’m gonna have to disagree with the last few posts above, there could be harm in replying to this E-mail. This wreaks of a con. The longer that a con artists keeps you “engaged” the more likely you are to lose more money. If you show the slightest bit of interest, you are done for! Remember, this is how these people make their living, this is what they do. They will communicate with you and establish a bond and along with that comes a certain amount of trust. Then the “problems” will arise….Ooooh, you didn’t get the money yet? Here is the check but I need you to wait to deposit it because…., I need your (ssn, credit card number, bank account info, etc) to verify your identity before sending the check etc…. do you see where this is going.

Also, read the E-mail again and look at this guys business structure. Why would a purchasing agent base his business on the “trust” that the seller (who he doesn’t have any kind of working relationship with!) is going to repay his commission from the sale? A real auto agent or any purchaser is going to either collect full payment from the client (buyer), take out his commission, then disburse the funds to the seller or have the buyer make out two separate payments, one to the seller and one to himself for the commission. Would you base your business on this kind of trust?

I’ll say it again, this is a scam and the more you communicate with this person the more likely you will be losing money.

[Just Turned Pro]

For those that don't want to read my post above... Ive simplified it below...

YOU- :) thinking about the money you will make
YOU- :D you when you get the check and send the money order

CON- payup gets your hard earned money

YOU- :eek: learning that their is something wrong with the funds that were sent to you
YOU- :angry: realizing that you were taken

CON- :drinkup: enjoying your money in some foreign country

YOU- :help: looking for anyone to help you
YOU- :confused: when law enforcement tells you there is nothing they can do and you have no recourse
YOU- :realmad: still thinking about it

CON- :laugh: still thinking about it also

YOU- :cry: realizing that money you sent is gone forever
YOU- :blush: having to explain to everyone you know how you got taken.


and finally...
:sleeping: <- me realizing that it is about my bedtime and I was really bored tonight

[JimLewis]

I still don't see any risk. I understand what "Just Turned Pro" is saying. And I do believe that is how they work. But again, it's just a name and address. If they all of a sudden need something more - like a SSN or bank account number, then THAT'S the time to stop talking to them. I just assumed that was a foregone conclusion. It's pretty damn obvious to me.

Hey, if you feel uncomfortable about it - don't do it.

But I would. Just out of curiousity. All the while knowing it could very well be a scam. But I am also not stupid enough to ever give any important information away either. Maybe others are that stupid. I just know I am not and I assumed you were not as well.

[awm]

uh oh. but he seemed like such a friendly person. u guys mean ,i really wont be getting the 2500. friendly freddy promised i won. better check my bank acct.:o :D my acct number is br549

[STAN1366]

To Just turned Pro: Thanks for that last post with all the Icons. Simple, basic and to the point. I'm sure this guy spends less time on the computer then we do and is making more money at it too! Though I'd really like to sell this machine, it would really frost me to get ripped off AND still have to walk past it sitting in the yard. I'm sure I'd break a few toes kicking it as I walked by just thinking about getting taken. As I said before, if it looks too good to be true. It probably is.

[bugspit]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/security/scamming-the-nigerian-scammer/2006/06/29/1151174322991.html

[K.Carothers]

Defiantly one of those Nigerian scams.

I was sent a check,issued from Citibank, for 2900.00 stating that the money was mine and to cash to check.

I looked real!

It's a scam. They issue these checks and get all your account information and then the check is returned non-sufficient funds.

I'm glad I didn't fall for this scam but I'm sure countless others have.

kc

[lzrj]

Most of the scams you see like that are done through the Internet on chat lines but they are done through all means (mail, phone, etc...) but the Internet is the most successful for suspects. The suspects will mostly strike up conversations with their victims for several days on the chat line. After the suspect thinks they have got the victim to trust them, they will throw their pitch.
Mostly the suspects will tell the victim that they have a cashier's check but since they are overseas they cannot cash it (its usually longer and more in-depth but you get the point). They then ask their victim if they send it to them to cash it out, they can keep a few hundred dollars for doing it for them.
The suspects usually sound very believable, and guess what, people actually try to cash them. These people that fall for it are usually more of less educated people that are more socially isolated (and there are a lot of people out there like that). That's why they are chatting on the Internet.
The biggest problem is that most of the time when they go to the bank to cash the fake cashier's check, the bank catches it. Then guess what, you now become the suspect in a felony forgery case. You are the one who is trying to cash the bogus check and will be the only one who gets in trouble. So there is a huge problem with going along with it as Trimmasters suggested because you have a lot to lose when you try to cash it.
Go with what Stan1366 stated "to good to be true". Money is never free. So if you are getting paid good money for doing little to nothing than it's probably illegal.

[tylermckee]

I had a car for sale online once and got a fake cashiers check from someone out of country. Granted it was no where near as fake as this one, but i figured it was too good to be true. sure enough about 2 weeks later i got a call from my bank saying it was a fake check and they were taking the funds back from my account. Also had a guy on ebay send me a fake check from jamaca for a car stereo i had for sale, i had waited for that to clear too so no harm done.

[shaltac]

http://www.419eater.com/

Direct link to the site mentioned above.

[topsites]

This is the one thing I HATE about the Internet...

It is a great resource, yet every snake oil salesman finds and then uses the Internet to peddle their wares, I really wish the whole lot of them would just whisk themselves away to another planet where they can then sell their stuff to each other.

Unfortunately, this type of scam is not only not unusual, but it is the rule as I found both on ebay and cars.com where I occasionally sell things, I get at least as many scam replies as honest ones. Oh yeah, I sold a car years ago and had people talking about wanting to buy the car 'sight unseen' and things like that, talk about they'll send me a check and stuff... WTF!

But what can you do, just delete that crap, it's standard run of the mill Internet garbage.

[topsites]

What I can and DO recommend is develop a basic method by which you sell stuff. I forget exactly how it goes, but basically you use this method anytime you can not be sure it is a scam (well unfortunately most replies are), much like you do with your customers you follow a routine, something to this effect:

Any and all Non-scam inquiries:
- A little pre-screening first, look at their email address and see if the last part is from a known ISP (such as aol.com, comcast.net or such)... It's even better if the whole address makes sense (such as akjones@comcast.net) but it's not for sure, it's a guideline...
- Make some pre-typed email that asks them a simple question in reply, basically you will need likely their phone number so you can call them and talk to them, also if you have no problem giving them your phone number, that may work even better <- For scammers it's usually over right then and there, they didn't want to talk to you. Anyway, use this pre-typed form mail to reply to any one you're sure is NOT a scam (or if you're not sure).
- A FEW non-scammers want to do it all through email, but very few. Either way, you still need to arrange a time and place to meet. If it's a scammer and they're still onto you, this is sure to get rid of them, so make sure you arrange for a time and place to meet. Yeah, I mean, money and equipment has to change hands, right? Right, so meeting up with the buyer / seller first makes perfect sense (except to a scammer) since the buyer first has to LOOK at the equipment anyhow, and he or she might have questions...
Yes, you need to meet, no 'sight unseen' or 'we will buy it for sure here is your money in advance' crap.

This always works for someone who is not scamming, you can always say something lame like your house might be hard to find so you'd like to meet up with them at the corner gas station and say HI and introduce yourself, then they can follow you to the house - Any honest inquirer should have no problem with this, they realize you need to trust them and they also know that a public location is safe for them and you both. I found in the past, cellular devices work great especially if they're coming from out of town, you can be on your way and so can they, you don't have to be at home the whole day but they can call you as they come into town and you may have to help with directions, ok whatever, it works from there.

That's what I do, either talk to them on the phone first or whatever, but then arrange a time and place to meet.

You will likely find for every one honest customer, you will have to fend off about a dozen or more scammers... Sad, but persistence eventually pays, I still sell and buy a LOT of my stuff on the Internet...

[topsites]

The biggest problem is that most of the time when they go to the bank to cash the fake cashier's check, the bank catches it. Then guess what, you now become the suspect in a felony forgery case. You are the one who is trying to cash the bogus check and will be the only one who gets in trouble. So there is a huge problem with going along with it as Trimmasters suggested because you have a lot to lose when you try to cash it.
Go with what Stan1366 stated "to good to be true". Money is never free. So if you are getting paid good money for doing little to nothing than it's probably illegal.

That's right, for real, how many people do you know would pay for something that you are selling cash upfront? Seriously, especially used stuff, how many people would really give you the money first, before even looking at the equipment? Come on now, seriously...

And for all that, you might as well assume NONE because even if you actually ran into such a lunatic, you're better off not even dealing with anybody who insists they are so sure they want your item that they will pay you for it before they even see it. No matter how you look at it, you're asking for trouble.

[PTOhioMower]

I thought about replying to this guy, but remember: "If it appears too good to be true. It probably is." Responding to these types only encourages them.

Reply and cost HIM money. It will teach him a lesson. Send him a po box number and fake name. He will have to spend his time and money to get a fake money order and send it to you. It will probably cost him $20-100 just to express mail it to you. Then tell him that there was a problem with it or didnt recieve it and have him send you another one overnight mail. That will really cost out the pooper!! You could keep this going for how ever long you want, you end up scaming him!!

[topsites]

Funny you guys say this, I had a guy walk up to me the other day, said he needed work done at this house of his... He drove a late model Boxster (yes a porsche) but when, after I looked at the work and quoted him 75 dollars, he said 'Oh I will pay you 150 CASH upfront' I got suspicious for the same reasons.

Maybe he was for real, but I don't like folks flaunting money, it's not the way things usually work and I've been had before, so I done been fooled once (actually, more than once heh).

Defiantly one of those Nigerian scams.
I was sent a check,issued from Citibank, for 2900.00 stating that the money was mine and to cash to check.
I looked real!
It's a scam. They issue these checks and get all your account information and then the check is returned non-sufficient funds.
I'm glad I didn't fall for this scam but I'm sure countless others have.

kc

Yeah, I mean, why would anyone pay MORE than what you're asking, come on, you did the right thing and you know it.

And if you didn't, you still didn't stand as much to gain as you would've stood to lose.

On the note of forged checks, some are so authentic looking even bankers can not tell they are fakes. Some scams the check even clears and is real, the sting comes later in the game: Again, why would anyone pay more than you're asking?

[topsites]

Just so you guys know, it SOUNDS like scamming earns a lot of money, but let's take a closer look:

- there are well over 250,000 scammers involved in 419 scams worldwide and that they reap in over US$1.5 billion annually. - Woohoo!

Ok but: 1.5 billion / 250,000 = 6,000 dollars / year / scammer.
So you ain't getting rich, you can't earn a living doing it, and you risk time in prison.
Is that worth all this hassle?

[topsites]

And here's the rundown of what this thread ran into:

http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/counterfeit_cashier's_check.htm

[AAELI]

My son recieved a check for $4800 for his YZ125 from a guy in England. My son had listed the bike online and the payment was in response to his ad. The check was to both purchase and pay for freight to the purchaser. We called the issueing bank and found that the account was legit but had some suspicious activity. FBI was helpful as was our local bank in tracking back the scammer. He had a bunch of checks made on the account after one was used at his establishment by the holder of the account. He had run the scam several times and had recieved goods sent as soon as the sellers deposited their payment. It took a week or two to return unpaid and charged back to their accounts. They were out both their goods and the cash they thought they had.

Needless to say the FBI was interested as I had determined before depositing that the check was fraudulent. They did find the guy, in England.