Hey guys,
A while back we had someone get smoked for alot of cash and product. I just received another e mail just like his. Some clown wants to buy something of mine with a cashier's check for more than the amount and wants me to send him the difference. That way he gets my stuff and my money when the bank finds out the check is bogus.
I know most of you wouldn't fall for this, but there are some that will.
Just a reminder.
Randy

Are you not allowed to tell us who it is so we can keep an eye out for him? John, Lubbock, TX

Sorry, I didn't mean to be vague.
The first one I received was from a guy named John Colde, supposedly from South Africa. I doubt it's his real name or location.
The second, which I received today, was from a guy named Mark Harinton. The e mails were very similar. I can forward it if anyone wants to see it. The " Mark" fellow said he was a business man from the U.K. but was in South Africa at the moment. Someone in the U.S. owed him some money. In order to speed things along, he would have his client pay me by cashier's check and wanted me to send the him the difference.
The difference from the first guy would have been about 5k, the second one never stated what his check would be for.
Both offers were for a motorcycle I have listed on a site similar to this. I'm sure they are on this one as well. Like I said before someone got burned for 9k. I forget his name, but I think he was from Vegas.
Randy

Yep.. I've received emails for this scam as well. Some will ask you for your bank info to 'wire' you the money too. Don't do it..

Doug Cronkhite
Team JR

That scam was reported on the news here this week. Apparently it has become rather common.

pt barnum used to say " there is a sucker born evry minute "

and i say... a fool and his money will soon be seperated

i cant believe people fall for this

Yes, and Ben Franklin said: "never eat spinach with a stranger"

BEST way to avoid this in the future is to join PAY PAL and have payments sent to that way or certified money order through Western UNion . IF they don't want to do it , tell them see you later . There are alot of scams from South Africa and Nigeria going around .
Johnny V

Knowing what you know. Agree to the deal, and have this guy send you the money. Deposit it in the bank. Don't respond to him in the mean time (let him sweat). Wait for the check to actually clear, and the money is in your account. If the guy is legit, then proceed with the deal, if not, you've lost nothing.

randy m - please mail us a copy, tks. we have some friends in sa and would like to make them aware of this.

Six shooter, that is not really the best way to go about it. Unfortunately the banks quite often will credit your account before finding out that it is a scam (most often the account number is correct, stolen, but correct). Once they figure it out, they debit your account for the amount they already credited you for. If you have spent the money, or sent the goods already, you get taken for that amount. The banks don't see this as their problem, I guess they figure you shouldn't have deposited a bogus check without first checking into it. It is harsh but true. Best practice is to bring it to the bank and tell them you are worried about this check, have them check into it and give you confirmation that it is legitimate before you accept the money. This way, you did more than normal to make sure it was ok. If it still turns out to be bogus, you have much more recourse on the bank. And if anyone approaches you via e-mail etc., for some sort of odd transaction, and they are from S. Africa, it should be suspect.

Mike


P.S.- Lots of people fall for this sort of thing, reasons abound, either they are just plain trusting people, naive, or sometimes just greedy. Not all of them are "fools" (only the rich ones ha ha).

I'm with secret agent on this one.
I was going to take his money and make him sweat, but that's to much hassel.
I sent the guy an e mail, I told him that I would accept a cashier's check but we would still have to wait 10 to 14 days for clearance, as there has been alot of FRAUD lately with cashier's checks. I told him if he was for real we would go further, if not, he could find another victim and that I hope he gets busted.
I haven't heard back yet.
Randy

Check with your bank regarding their fees for "bounced" deposits. Could cost you $5 - $20!

By the way, having money shot over via Paypal.com is not 100% guranteed either. It's not common (I've done $20K in buisness using paypal.com) but I have seen where payment shows up and three days later (after I've already sent a package) I get notice that the buyer's funing source bounced the transaction and Paypal.com unilaterally deducts the funds from your account. There is no paypal work around of this situation. If you are one of these people who are over cautious of these sorts of things, I suggest you hold shipment for 4 business days on paypal.com transactions. I got burned on this once, however, I must say that the buyer was an international pilot and internationally overnight courier sent me an international cashiers check that did turn out to be valid, so I didn't get burned after all. I got lucky, but on all big paypal.com transactions, I now wait four business days, and I have not seen any more problems.

The problem was there with pay pal but they have resolved it . The best advice is to over cautious with any overseas transaction . And let your local FBI office know that this is going on and the FTC.

How?

What changes have been made?

Hey Guys,
I received a couple more e mails just like the one I told you all about. I blew off most of them. Finally, I thought I would play along.
This guy ended up sending me a check for $6000. It was kinda funny. This fellow had a check drawn up on a Sunday, from a bank in Texas, and sent to me from Nigeria in two days. What an idiot. I then called the bank, actually it was a credit union. They confirmed my thoughts, the check was bogus. I haven't told this guy I know, I told him I would send him the bike and his balance. It's been a few days, I've gotten an e mail a day asking about the bike and his balance. The last of whitch was a little harsh. It's been great entertainment. I'm going to see how far this guy takes it.
Randy

That's the way to play them...

Make'm think the scam worked... If anything will piss him off, that sure will..

I would also turn them into the local FBI & FTC . This helps them track them

I spoke with the secret service today. They told me to file a claim with my local police department. They would then forward the info and the check to them. I think it wasn't enough money involved for them to really pursue it. He asked how much money I lost, I told him "none". He then told me to report it to local p.d.
I'm still going to have more fun with this guy. He has my phone #, maybe he'll call!
Randy

This happened to a guy in one of the clubs I belong to. I recommend doing what he did. He was aware of this scam and forwarded the e-mails, and possibly the check, to the FBI. They caught his guy about a month ago. But there are a lot of them out there.