OT - craigslist - what do yall think? Scam?

[Dekonick]

OK -

I am selling a rug on craigslist - not a cheap item at approx. 2k, but a bargain considering it is a handmade 10 x 14 rug imported by a well known importer. They usually go in excess of 5k.

Here is a response from a potential buyer, but it just seems a bit fishy to me...

I am willing to give anyone a chance, but want to figure out the safest way for me to proceed - if at all.

Here is the text of the reply to my listing.

Thanks for the response to my inquiry,i am alright with the price
ok.... so i would like to make out the payment asap,Pls i will like to
know how you want to go about it? but i prefer to issue out a cashiers check to
your location and after the clearance of the check,my shipper will
come for the pick-up at your location.I would have love to come and
have a look but since am not chanced my shipper will, If you are okay
with this kindly get back to me with the following details so i can
make out payment asap ok.....Your Full Name,Your Address and post
code,Your mobile number.
thanks for your understanding and hope to read back from you
asap...



So... its a scam isn't it? (my gut is telling me it probably is)

[William]

It will happen this way. You may be walking. Maybe the first sunny day of the spring. And a mail truck will slow beside you, and a door will open, and someone you know, maybe even trust, will get out of the vehicle. And he will smile, a becoming smile. But he will leave open the door of the vehicle and offer to give you a check. A nice cashiers check…for too much money. He will ask you to deposit the check and return the difference…by Western Union….

:crap:

Joubert

[goonster]

Post code? This person is not in the U.S.

Run away. The check will be fraudulent. The bank will accept it initially on good faith, only to notify you a few days later that it is, in fact, bogus.

[Pete Serotta]

Best to ignore..... :no: :no: :no:

[Dekonick]

Yup - thats my thinking too...

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck it probably is a duck.

:)

I am thinking about having some fun with it - any ideas?

[false_Aest]

My 1 rule for craigs list is the following.

If they can't respond with proper grammar, make sense and use punctuation I don't bother with them.
....

It's not the forum. They're not my friends.

[dogdriver]

Scam.

This is an auto-generated boilerplate response to large ticket items. You get the check, he takes the rug, you find out two weeks later that the check is a fake when your bank hits you up for the amount. I get a few of these responses every time I sell something $200.00+ on C-list.

Snopes has a writeup on this scam.

C-list= local and cash only!

Chris

[dave thompson]

The wording is virtually the same for many of the scam e-mails that I've received for items that I've had for sale. As others have said the 'cashiers check' will be issued for a much larger amount than your asking price, with instructions to send the "difference" via Western Union to another party. The 'cashiers' check will turn out to be counterfeit/fraudulent several weeks later and your back will impound your account for that very large sum of money.

SCAM!

[kgreene10]

It's a scam for sure. It happened to a friend this way: "buyer" says he sent check, muggish looking "shipper" shows up to collect the rug but you haven't received the check. "Shipper" says he knows nothing about it and is just supposed to pick up the rug. You get in touch with "buyer" who apologizes and says he will send another check right away, but that he has paid a lot of money for the shipper and could you please let him take the rug now. Meanwhile, shipper pressures you with impatience, muggish looks, stares, etc.

[Dekonick]

Yep - what I thought.

Thanks for confirming what I suspected...

:)

[GuyGadois]

agreed. this is 100 percent scam. never trust anyone who doesn't know when to use capitalization.

-gg-

[maddog17]

that's a scam 100000000000% that response you got is a standard response to any ad. i've gotten plenty of them thru CL and thru other classified ad sites. for the future, whenever they agree to your asking price in a really friendly way, ask you for all that info about where you live, phone #, and the kicker is when they say they will use their own shipper... it says scam all over it. sometimes you can tell from their email address too, if it isn't something fairly simple that's a good sign of a scam. CL is a perfect hunting ground for scamers. also, doesn't it seem weird that they'd be willing to give you full price without even seeing it in person?? how many things do you buy like that if the seller is close to where you live?

[MattTuck]

agreed. this is 100 percent scam. never trust anyone who doesn't know when to use capitalization.

-gg-


like, after periods? :rolleyes:


Regardless if this is a scam or not (it is), I tend to get on the phone or meet people in person (in a public place, not your house) before doing business.

I love CL, and I've used it to find room mates in the past and am always a little weirded out by the folks who come to "look at the apartment". I hide all my valuables for fear that they are casing the place.

Used CL for many other things though! Love it.

[cody.wms]

Scam. If they do not specifically refer to the item then I don't respond. I bet if you go back and look at their first inquiry, they don't refer to the rug at all, only the item, etc...

[Dekonick]

OK - so I want to have some fun...

I am going to give the address of the county police complex... and am going to take a small 10x14" cloth and see what happens...

may as well waste some of their time if they are gonna prey on folks... :banana:

[mikki]

I actually got a real cashiers check from a bank in LA. The thugs sent it even though we had not given any massage or facial services as they had asked. They wanted the "change". I called the bank and the checks had been stolen somehow and if I had put them in my bank account I could have been taken to court said my attorney.

We just laugh now when we get such requests. I would like to see someone scam them back!!

[Lifelover]

I actually got a real cashiers check from a bank in LA. The thugs sent it even though we had not given any massage or facial services as they had asked. They wanted the "change". I called the bank and the checks had been stolen somehow and if I had put them in my bank account I could have been taken to court said my attorney.

We just laugh now when we get such requests. I would like to see someone scam them back!!


Everything you ever wanted to know about Scamming the Scammers is right here 419 scam eater (http://www.419eater.com/)

[ergott]

It will happen this way. You may be walking. Maybe the first sunny day of the spring. And a mail truck will slow beside you, and a door will open, and someone you know, maybe even trust, will get out of the vehicle. And he will smile, a becoming smile.
:crap:

Joubert


Classic!
:beer:

[PanTerra]

OK - so I want to have some fun...

I am going to give the address of the county police complex... and am going to take a small 10x14" cloth and see what happens...

may as well waste some of their time if they are gonna prey on folks... :banana:

SOunds familiar.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=13911&highlight=macaroni

[paulrad9]

SOunds familiar.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=13911&highlight=macaroni

Warning - don't click that thread if you have coffee in your mouth

[William]

Hmmm, I might have to mess with these guys. just recieved this a little while ago.....


SOUTH AFRICA WORLD CUP
LOTTERY 2010.

Lottery Headquarters:
51, Brixton Court,
Carlton,EastGate
Johannesburg .


CONGRATULATIONS. THE SOUTH AFRICAN FOOTBALL
ASSOCIATION,SAFA IS PROUD TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU HAVE
JUST WON FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES
DOLLARS(US$500,000).

THIS LOTTERY IS SPONSORED BY SOUTH AFRICAN FOOTBALL
ASSOCIATION, SAFA WITH FIFTY-SIX,56 COOPERATE BODIES.
SOUTH AFRICA WILL BE HOSTING THE SOCCER WORLD CUP IN
THE YEAR 2010.THIS WILL BE THE FIRST EVER WORLD CUP TO
BE HELD IN THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA .WE ARE
CELEBRATING THIS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY WITH THIS
LOTTERY. WE ARE ALSO USING THIS LOTTERY TO CREATE
AWARENESS TOWARDS THE HOSTING OF THE WORLD CUP IN 2010
IN SOUTH AFRICA.

DON'T BE SURPRISE THAT YOU ARE ONE OF OUR WINNERS.
THE AIMS OF THIS LOTTERY IS TO SURPRISE OUR WINNERS.

HOWEVER NO PREVIOUS NOTIFICATION IS GIVEN BEFORE YOUR
EMAIL ADDRESS WAS PICKED FOR THIS LOTTERY.GENERALLY
EMAIL ADDRESS ARE PICKED, THE DRAWS
ARE PROCESSED BY THE COMPUTER THROUGH A SPECIAL
PROGRAM THAT IS SPECIAL DESIGNED FOR THIS LOTTERY, THE
PROGRAM IS KNOWN AS RANDOM ACCESS PROGRAM (RAP)

THIS SOFTWARE PICKS EMAIL ADDRESSES FROM THE INTERNET
AND THROUGH A RANDOM PROCESS, PICKS THE WINNERS
THROUGH THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS.

CLAIMING OF PRIZE

TO CLAIM YOUR CASH PRIZE PLEASE CONTACT THE LOTTERY CLAIMS MANAGER
IMMEDIATELY WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
CONTACT; MRS FLORA JOHNSON
Email. claims_florajohnson@yahoo.com.

For security reasons, we advice all winners to keep
this information confidential from the public until
your claim is processed and your prize released to
you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid
double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program.Please be warned.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!




Sincerely,
Rev. JAN KOOPMANN
Promotions Manager
World cup 2010
South Africa


The fact that they use "Random access program - RAP" leads me to believe this is legit. OH CRAP!!! :crap: I violated security protocol. :crap:




William :rolleyes: :)

[Dekonick]

Heh - so far my attempts to sucker them have been unsuccessful.

Havent given up yet...