Scammers
Submitted by
cyclists306 on Thu, 02/04/2010 at 2:44pm.
This is going to be a long comment, so consider yourself warned.
About 10 days ago I listed my mother-in-laws tandem Cannondale bicycle on Craigslist for $1000. I picked it up at her house and tuned it up. I have had a couple of legitimate bites, but haven't sold it yet. But I have also been contacted by 2 scammers. Both say they will overnight me a "certified" check, then will follow with instructions. They always refer to the bike as "the item", because they don't even know or care what they are "buying". So the first check arrived last Thursday for $3950. Scammer #1 followed up with an email of instructions saying to deposit the "certified check", which makes me laugh, because he just typed in the memo line, "certified check". Yeah, right, that makes it certified funds all right. Having worked at Ceridian moving over $1billion in client funds each week, I know a little bit about banking. Anyway, the first check was sent UPS next day from "Oz Development" in Burbank, was a check from "Power Blasters", a legitimate company in Kentucky, drawn on "Regions Bank" in LaredoTexas. I called Regions Bank, and they won't verify funds any more over the phone. Scammer #1 instructs me via email to take $1000 for "the item", plus $100 for my trouble, and wire the difference to some lady in New Jersey, name and address included. Then he will (ostensibly) have his shipper pick "the item" up. Of course, if you are foolish enough to wire the difference, you will be out the $2850 because the check is bogus. So I played scammer one’s little game out, emailing back and forth, until he got off my hook. I figured I made him waste a lot of time sending me 9+ emails, plus he paid almost $20 to overnight the bogus check to me. Scammer #2’s check just arrived today, $3500, UPS overnight. I think I’ll email him that the check wasn’t enclosed, so maybe I can get him to overnight me another check and run his shipping bill up a little farther.
The other gambit that I played out once, was one of those Nigerian scams where they say they have $X million dollars that they need to put into your account. I actually got the guy to call me 4 times long distance (from Nigeria??) and tied him up on the phone as long as possible because I was having trouble with the connection and having a hard time understanding him. He kept wanting me to call him back, which I explained wouldn’t work because every time I tried, it wouldn’t go through. (chuckle). I finally told him that I had set up the account to receive the funds, and for our mutual protection, ensured that it was a deposit only account, where funds can be deposited, but are swept out to another secure account immediately after deposit. Never heard from him again. Anyway, lame way to entertain myself by bleeding these bloodsucking scammers in any way I can. I can’t believe there are thieves out there who go to so much effort to steal money from unsuspecting and gullible people.
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