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My Hinky, Scammy Letter

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  • My Hinky, Scammy Letter

    (BG: I'm trying to sell off some Disney Princess Bell I got from the Bradford Exchange. It's a set of 4 and I'm asking $100 - paid $40 per bell - and one of the places I listed them was on Craigslist).

    E-mail I received (I thought the initial inquiry was legit so I answered that yes, they were still available):

    Thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant purchase,i hope it is in good condition like it stated, i have taken a close look at the advert,and am completely satisfied so please do withdraw the advert from Craigslist.I don,t mind adding an extra $50 dollars for you to take the advert down from criagslist, so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.I will also like you to know that i will be paying via CERTIFIED CHECK OR USPS MONEY ORDER and it will be an over night payment............. You don,t need to bother your self with the shippment ok,I will take care of that myself.... So I will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the payment....

    1.Name to be on the check

    2.Home address

    3.Your state,city and zip code

    4.Telephone

    **Once again ,I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for shipping of this item . my shipper will move down to your place for the pick up...as soon as the check clear. hope you assure me in hand of the item... Have a nice day.......
    And you're welcome (in regards to my avatar).

  • #2
    Sadly - LOTS of people still fall for this scam. I have friend on another forum who'se Mom did and lost two iPhones as a result.
    The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.

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    • #3
      Any time I see a response to an ad written like that, I just replace it with "I am a scammer who will try to get your item from you for free."
      Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.

      "I never said I wasn't a horrible person."--Me, almost daily

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      • #4
        I don't understand the scam, please explain. They are only going to pick up after the check has cleared, right?
        "I can tell her you're all tied up in the projection room." Sunset Boulevard.

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth cinema guy View Post
          I don't understand the scam, please explain. They are only going to pick up after the check has cleared, right?
          Look at the information they are asking for. It's a classic Identity theft scheme.
          I AM the evil bastard!
          A+ Certified IT Technician

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          • #6
            Yep, definitely a Nigerian scam. The bad english is a dead giveaway.

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            • #7
              they send a cheque (bad), you put it in the bank, it bounces and you owe fees. Brilliant! ugh. Too many people fall for this and sadly, a lot of them are elderly. Makes me very angry

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              • #8
                Yeah. They get your info and if you're naive enough to ship the items without the check clearing first, you lose your items as well.
                Then they use your address as a fake shipping address with UPS.
                I despise the Nigerian scammers with a bloody passion after having to deal with their crap at the relay call center I worked at

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                • #9
                  They send a fake cheque for more than the amount you asked for then ask you to send the excess to their shipping agent via western union the cheque bounces and you are out the money you sent. They have no interest in the item you are trying to sell.

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                  • #10
                    I was going to respond, but I don't think so. I'm leaving the advert up. If they contact me again, I'm going to block them.
                    And you're welcome (in regards to my avatar).

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Ugh. Reminds me of one of the responses I got when we were trying to offload a collapsible art table before we moved. One person sent the standard initial query asking if the item was available. Fair enough, so I reply that yes, it was still available for such-and-such amount, and did they want it?

                      Cue response stating that sorry, they fell on hard times and couldn't get the table anymore, but here's this great sales opportunity blah blah blah insert scam work-at-home sales pitch here.

                      Look, people, I'm just trying to sell a stupid table here, not find a job. Buzz off.
                      "Enough expository banter. It's time we fight like men. And ladies. And ladies who dress like men. For Gilgamesh...IT'S MORPHING TIME!"
                      - Gilgamesh, Final Fantasy V

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                      • #12
                        Quoth cinema guy View Post
                        I don't understand the scam, please explain. They are only going to pick up after the check has cleared, right?
                        Biggest red flag is the poor grammer. The second you see the phrase, "I will like to" or "I will love to" (instead of "I would") you know you've got a scammer there.
                        When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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                        • #13
                          Hmm, I have seen plenty of poor grammar on the net or in emails. But I will take your word for it.
                          "I can tell her you're all tied up in the projection room." Sunset Boulevard.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Quoth cinema guy View Post
                            I don't understand the scam, please explain. They are only going to pick up after the check has cleared, right?
                            Scammer buys, or claims to have bought your item, and promises payment, or claims they have paid you but the funds can't be released to you until you provide proof of shipment.

                            You package and ship item.

                            Payment never materializes.

                            It's a classic Nigerian scam. You see it all the time on ebay. The scammers target inexperienced sellers selling expensive merchandise. There are wild rumors that somebody from Nigeria purchased an item on ebay and actually paid for it, but then again some people still believe Elvis Presley is still alive.

                            I used to have a good way of screening these people out when selling on ebay: Listing my items as Buy it Now with immediate payment required. This way they couldn't come in with a bid at the last minute or do a Buy It Now and screw up my listing and require me to go through the processes to have the bid removed after the fact and relist my item and get my fees credited back to me. The listing stayed up until a buyer completed payment for it through Paypal, which a Nigerian scammer would never do. They could still attempt to contact me and work their scam, but I recognized the verbiage and grammar and blocked them from bidding.

                            Of course, this requires a feedback score of 10, IIRC, and a Paypal account. Or at least it did last time I checked.
                            Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.

                            "I never said I wasn't a horrible person."--Me, almost daily

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Quoth Irving Patrick Freleigh View Post
                              Scammer buys, or claims to have bought your item, and promises payment, or claims they have paid you but the funds can't be released to you until you provide proof of shipment.

                              You package and ship item.

                              Payment never materializes.
                              Ok, thanks.
                              "I can tell her you're all tied up in the projection room." Sunset Boulevard.

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