Hey guys, I posted some furniture for sale on Craigslist on Friday and received 8 responses, variations on the same scam. Here is a sample of what I received:
From the Reverend George Matthew (Reverend - nice touch!) [email protected]:
Thanks for the prompt response
(I had responded to a normal looking email saying the furniture was still for sale) i have instructed my account officer to mailing (overnight) a certified check,while you hold on my behalf. Once you receive this, my mover will come pick up at your place.I will be needing the following information to issue out
the payment . . .
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address(Physical)
3.Your phone number.
** Please note that the payment will be overnight to your address and it will be delivered within 2 days.I have taken a close look at the AD and am satisfied.I appreciates you saving this for me.Kindly delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you and it would be sad for me to have the payment in the mail only to be informed of the its sale**
From Nathan Bennett [email protected]:
Thanks for your reply concerning my inquiry
(I had responded to a normal looking email saying the furniture was still for sale), I am quite comfortable with the condition of the item since i won't be making any repairs on it,i will like to offer you $550,please let me know if you will accept payment with money order as it's the only way i can pay you at the moment.I would have loved to come take a look at it but i am presently out of town,send me some pictures
(The Craigslist ad had four pictures).I hope it is in good condition,kindly reply with your name, phone # and mailing address where payment will be sent.I will let you know how i intend to pick it up.
Note:
As soon as you have your money in hand we can talk about the picking up of the item ok.I would like you to take the posting off craigslist today.
Expecting to hear from you soon.
From Marry Jones ([email protected]):
Hello how are you today i set my eye on your item I want to know why you are selling this item and if really it is in good condition .I will like to make a quick purchase on the item cos i am sending to a friend as a xmas gift,he is really going to love it.My method of payment is via Cashier\'s Check or Money Order .If ok by you kindly get back to me with your full name and address of where you want the money to be mailed out to so i can proceed with payment immdaitely.I will take all the shipping responsibilities and i will like the item to be shipped by shipper once my payment is confirmed.So you wont need to pay any shipping cost cos all the shipping cost will be billed to my account.So once the payment has been approved my shipper will get back to on line so that he ll take care of it when recieved the payment.plz get back to me with your full name and address for payment.NB:and your best price and your phone numb
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Let me take a second to describe the scam. The scammers want to send me a certified check (which will look very real) for an amount OVER the cost of the item for sale. The extra amount will be an "accident." They will ask me to kindly deposit the check and re-route the overage back to them or a third party (keeping a little extra for myself for my troubles). The scammer does NOT want the item for sale and will make no effort to come get it.
It is a very insidious scam, because it will LOOK like the check clears. If you ask a bank, they may say the account is real! But it's a fake check and the bank will eventually catch up. The scammee will be responsible for all lost money (and any penalties/fees for bounced checks). Unlike credit card scams, there is little to no recourse for the scammed, they are out the money.
Here is a good link that sums up the scam better than I can:
http://www.smartmoney.com/consumer/i...story=20050810
It must be very prevalent right now for me to have gotten 8 of them in a 24 hour period. Please take a second to mention the scam to our less net-savvy friends/coworkers/loved ones. It's a terrible thing to scam anybody, but it seems particularly loathsome over the holidays.
My Craigslist policy is very simple - cash only, when they pick up the item.