Scam Warning

[Chrisso]

As I mentioned bank wire is a safe way of receiving payments but you should also check which bank account it is and where the money is coming from.

Um, not if it's stolen money. And how would you know?

I got caught out selling some old car parts on ebay. Buyer wins auction and chooses cash on pickup. Buyer rocks up, says "oh yeah, I paypaled you just now". You quickly check your paypal and confirm, shake hands and say goodbye. Two days later transaction gets "reversed" because they paypaled using a stolen credit card.

Can't really blame paypal or ebay. As per the law stolen money always belongs back with its rightful owner, now matter what that money was used for and who got screwed along the way.

 

[Nige]

I dunno about anyone else but what sets my alarm bells ringing is the way the communication is written, spelling mistakes and all. Nobody writes like that in my experience.............. "Hi,Do you still have it for sale? i will like to make an offer of the exactely amount you want to sell it" That screams scammer.

I received a very similar mail when I was trying to sell some stuff online last year.

 

[nicky 68a]

I dunno about anyone else but what sets my alarm bells ringing is the way the communication is written, spelling mistakes and all. Nobody writes like that in my experience.............. "Hi,Do you still have it for sale? i will like to make an offer of the exactely amount you want to sell it" That screams scammer.

I received a very similar mail when I was trying to sell some stuff online last year.

I dunno about anyone else but what sets my alarm bells ringing is the way the communication is written, spelling mistakes and all. Nobody writes like that in my experience.............. "Hi,Do you still have it for sale? i will like to make an offer of the exactely amount you want to sell it" That screams scammer.

I received a very similar mail when I was trying to sell some stuff online last year.

Yes,looks like translater auto spell check.
These days,I buy and sell through at trusted dealer unless I know them.
As for smaller parts,it’s cash on collection.
It’s easy enough to say on a post,but harder in reality.I do have card machines etc,but once in a while things slip the net

 

[ecnorton2001]

I like the idea of a bulldozer as a "surprise" gift. I would think bulldozers are like bulldogs and you make darn sure it is the gift the recipient wants before you give it.

 

[spitzair]

I totally forgot about this thread but here’s what ended up happening in the end… first of all here’s how this scam works. They try to trick you into thinking they’re a genuine buyer who for one reason or another can’t come in person so they’ll make the deal over the internet and then they tell you they have a shipper lined up to come get this thing and are sending you your asking price plus the cost of shipping. They say that you need to send the shipper the amount they added to your asking price. Next they send you a fake but legitimate looking paypal email with a fake web link saying the funds are there waiting to be released once the shipper gets his money that they supposedly sent you. You are to send the shipper the funds via western union and once the shipper receives his money he will affirm that he got it and your funds will be released to you. Of course the funds they sent you don’t exist and you just sent the “shipper” your hard earned money that you will never see again.

So now what I did was set up a fake email address under the name Haywood Jablomie and string these dirtbags along for quite a while. I wish I still had the emails but it was such a long time ago and they’re long gone otherwise I’d post them here for your guys’ amusement.

I led “Robert” to believe that I was good to go with this deal and he promptly sent me the email that said the funds were waiting to be released as soon as I paid the shipper (undoubtedly his alter-ego). Now I stopped responding and within hours got emails from him and “the police” threatening to arrest me if I didn’t pay the shipper. I waited a few days then told “Robert” that I had been in the hospital because I was run over by a Tonka truck. He quickly appologized for my misfortune and that he got the police involved but insisted I send the cash to the shipper asap. So I told him once I was out of the hospital I would send the money. I waited another day or 2 and every few hours got reminder emails that I need to pay the shipper. Finally I sent them a fake western union money transfer control number and within 5 minutes got a reply that that number was no good. I waited a few hours and of course received many more threatening emails in that time about how dishonest etc. I was. I finally reminded him that I had been run over by a Tonka truck and was still under the effects of the drugs the hospital had given me and I mistakenly wrote down an 8 instead of a 3 in the number and sent it again. No 5 minutes later did he write back saying that nimber was no good either. I sent a 3rd number with the order of a few digits reversed and again blamed hospital drugs for the dislexia. After his 3rd trip to Western Union I told him I knew he was a scammer and he would never see a dime from me. That’s when the death threats started coming in. Somehow his hitmen still haven’t found ol’ Haywood Jablomie… or me for that matter!

 

[CM1995]

That is absolutely awesome spitz! Well played, well played indeed Sir!