Selling on Ebay/Craigslist Scam

[HenryGandorf]

ok, so i'm selling some **** on craigslist, easier and quicker than ebay, and i get a reply from a dude in canada. it obviously sounds fishy, and i'm trying to figure this out.

here's the reply:

Greetings,
Everything sounds well and I must commend that the item is in excellent condition and am okay with the prize $350 and I will be willing to offer you $400 for it so i would want you to keep other buyer's off. Concerning payment I have a friend in the state that is ready to issue you a Certified Cashier's check in USA funds since I don't have the funds in your currency. For convenient
and easy transaction, I have a liable shipping agent who'd be responsible for the shipping as soon as you receive payment for the item.I will therefore need the following information of yours
to forward to my friend before he sends the check.
NAME IN FULL........
ADDRESS IN FULL....
COUNTRY..........
ZIPCODE.......
CELL/OFFICE/HOME PHONE NUMBER.
I await your soonest reply.ERIC


ok, again, this sounds like some weird variation of the nigerian email scam, or whatever. so:

a. this happens to be something i'm selling a few times over - meaning even if i wait to see what this guy is up to, i'm not "holding" anything for him
b. how is this guy trying to screw me? i mean, i wouldn't send him anything until whatever funds cleared. is he expecting me to hand off the goods to some stranger handing me some bogus cashier's check?
c. if so, does anyone fall for this? i figure worst case scenario, i would meet whoever at a bank and wouldn't give him anything until the bank guy told me it was all good.

such a weird scam this is. i must say, that i am dying to screw with this guy a little, if it is indeed, a scam. the wording is just way too weird.

 

[Orange&White]

The cashiers check is a fake.

 

[MilkmanDan]

So did you not see the big red cashier check & wire transfer scams link?

I got a similar email about a bass I was selling.

In reply to:

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[HenryGandorf]

I never really pay attention to those warnings, and it's not like it really matters. I think I read one forever ago and that's what made me think of this. I guess if the bank cashes it, they may get away with it, but a cashier's check is supposed to be like cash.

I just wonder who falls for this.

I may email him back and see what happens. Maybe I can waste someone's time a little.

 

[goofybevo]

Eric, my ***. I bet it's Below F. Blurs or Diehards E. Clamp. Those guys love to try and sell me drugs and porn. The writing styles are similar.

 

[MilkmanDan]

The crux of the scam is that the cashier's check is such a good forgery that the bank will cash it, and once it bounces you're liable for the funds.

I'm not sure who falls for it either, but there's apparently enough people out there responding to spams/scams to make them profitable.

 

[Dead Horse]

My favorite is the email asking me to update my banking information from Wells Faro, Citibank, Horizon, Sun Valley Trust, etc.... The phrase "it is obligatory to follow" is tops...

 

[PacSER]

Dan has it. The bank cashes the cashier's check and then figures out it is fake. Then, you are responsible for the funds just like any other check. The best thing to do, when accepting ANY type of check, is to call the bank's automated or live customer service and do a vendor verification. Just verify the funds are there before you make any exchanges. What are you selling? If they are kiebler's panties, I want in.

 

[MilkmanDan]

In reply to:

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[Bernard]

Cashiers checks are NOT like cash. Even if the account is real and the check is real, a chashiers check can be cancelled just like a regular check.

Bernard

 

[HenryGandorf]

You'd think that when whomever was meeting me to give me a false check, I could just have some cop there ready to blow the thing wide open. I mean, it's illegal isn't it? It's not just immoral to forge bank checks. Maybe I can get my Junior G-Man badge.

 

[Do I Make You Horny?]

Somehow it's just not right to have Gandorf use the police to put a "sting" on a hustler.

Now if you just set up a nice double-cross....

 

[HenryGandorf]

you're right, no cops. **** those pigs. if only i could give them faulty merch. and have some thugs jack his car.

 

[Engelke]

I buy & sell online a lot and am more than willing to pay the PayPal fees solely for peace of mind. They offer both buyer and seller protection, etc.

 

[MizzouSnives]

i've had bad experiences with paypal in the past, eng...

basically after one guy screwed me on england soccer tickets i reported it to paypal and they were like "well he sent you SOMETHING, didn't he? so why don't you two just figure it out." i responded that an empty envelope constitued as something by their policy, which really offered me no protection at all. i hate people who cheat and steal.