Need advice. Anyone recognize this as a scam? I posted some CD and LP boxed sets...

[brush]

for sale on Craigslist, with images and the price and my cell number to call or text me. I got a text to email the guy's wife about my posting. I did and got the following response by email. My response is in bold as it seems suspicious to me that whoever it is is apparently willing to buy the sets sight unseen at my asking price. I've ran into something similar before when renting a house. The scam was they wanted the house and would send a bank check for more than the rent and I was to send them the overage. I did follow thru once on this and actually got a bank check. Still wary though, I took it to my bank and it turned out that it was a fake bank check. That scam was for a couple of grand but this CD deal is only for $400. Why would anyone bother for that?

Anyone familiar with something like this? Suggestions please.
before I answer back.


Hello I'm very sorry for the late response and Thanks for the respond am very busy at office I've been working really long weeks at work. So i wont be able to meet with you but am ok with the price and condition as shown on the advert, I'll proceed in issuing a check to you and when you receive the payment and it clears, I will make arrangement for pickup. So get back to me with below details asap.

Name:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Phone Number:
Last Asking Price:
And as soon as this is provided, the payment will be overnight to you and i will let you know when its mailed out. Thanks

Are you sure you don't want to see the collection? This is very unusual. I'd feel more comfortable to see that you are completely satisfied by seeing them in person, or at least having a representative see them.

I understand your feeling dues to scam around the country i just want you to know that this is legit i have a name to protect am a pastor i will never engage my self in such thing i promise you that you don't have problem with this transaction, so kindly send me your full address to mail the check and your final asking price thanks.....

[hlthe2b]

1. NO way, Jose'... I'd never send anything valuable without receiving payment first, at least enough

in advance to break even if something untoward happened. That's the (unfortunate, but true) benefit of ebay. There is at least some protection.

Craig's List is trolled by fraudsters it appears--at least in some locales.

[brush]

28. Something is definitely off about it. I'm even more leery about sending my info...

than the money for fear of ID theft.

[hlthe2b]

30. Your instincts are on target, I think...

[vlyons]

38. when dealing with selling stuff on Craigs list

List it as cash only. That means they drive to your location and put cash in your hand. It will eliminate the scammers, or most of them.

[csziggy]

46. Yes - cash ONLY

But if it is something I can put in my truck, rather than have people come to my location, I might meet them at a public place.

Not only am I a woman, I live in the country and there are people on Craig's List I would just as soon not have on my property.

[MineralMan]

2. Yes. It's almost certainly a scam, which would

quickly become apparent if you sent him the information he requested. Just say no.

[brush]

12. Thanks, I think so too.

[rzemanfl]

3. If you are copying the buyer's responses as written this stinks to

high heaven.

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15. My thoughts also.

[playaseeker]

4. How to tell if it is a scam

1. A phone number outside the area where you live
2. Super fast response. These guys are usually the first
3. Unwillingness to meet with you personally
4. If someone sends you a check that is over the amount you are asking, send that check back to them

There are plenty of fish in the sea. Only sell to people that will meet with you personally and pay in cash. I follow this edict and have never, ever been burned

[lagomorph777]

16. 5. Multiple foreign-sounding wordings

"advert"

"I understand your feeling dues to scam around the country"

"i promise you that you don't have problem with this transaction"

"kindly"

and many more.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. Total scam. Delete, block and move on.

[brush]

8. Thanks, that's what I thought.

[FakeNoose]

44. I agree - this guy hopes you're dumb enough to go along

He uses the word "advert" and that sounds British. Or maybe he's using a foreign language translation and he doesn't realize it's the incorrect word.

This is a rip off artist, do not engage.

[HAB911]

6. This is why I quit attempting to use CL

Tried to sell some furniture I inherited. Every listing would get "automated" responses guarantying payment but they were always too occupied to even come see the furniture and wanted a third party to get involved with shipping etc.......

all scams all the time

[pnwest]

7. Always trust your gut. If something seems not

right somehow, always trust your gut. It will be correct more often than not. And yeah, I can’t put my finger on it either, but it seems scam-y to me too.

[brush]

21. Sounds fishy to me too.

[justhanginon]

9. The response in the last paragraph seems to be a little off

in the language usage. I think you are right to be a little leery of this. Just to be on the safe side it might be good to push a little farther and see if it has any affect.
It seems I just read recently that banks clear checks for payment and later discover that they are phony checks. Sorry I don't remember where I saw this but you might want to check with your bank as to their policy on check deposits.
Good luck.

[WheelWalker]

10. It's a scam which I've seen in relation to the sale of autos...

had it tried on me. When your bank gets the fake bank check returned to it, the bank will hit your account for what it gave you, and you're out the amount you sent to the fraudsters. In the case of an auto, fraudster says they've arranged for a transport to pick up the vehicle to transport and want you to send them back a portion of their "payment" to reimburse them for the transport. You are to keep the rest. The check fails after your bank gives you the money and you've sent them the transport money, and no transport shows up. That's the short version.

[lunasun]

11. I know someone who got scammed like this something with a check on a sale but I didn't ask him

the details as he was not happy .i know the stuff went overseas to Europe.
Last 2 sentences are broken English not that alone that would indicate any wrong doing
Just declare in person sale only . The writer was willing to come forward for a pickup later , let them come forward with cash before pickup. But be careful even in person
Or if you can wait , remove the ad and post again . Find an in-person buyer
Easy money if you give it
$ 400 is a lot of money for a dayvs McD or Walmart
Keep us updated

[TheBlackAdder]

13. Pastor - That's the real tip off. Either he's playing one, or he's a pastor and will scam you.

[raccoon]

50. I thought the same. Like clergypeople NEVER do anything dishonest. LOL.

Too many details...somebody is lying.

[utopian]

14. Yes, I've had the exact same scam attempted on me

Was selling Panini Press at work, and someone posing as an elderly woman online wanted to send a check and have a proxy pick it up. Of course the check was accidentally made out for thousands more than the price, and she asked that I deposit the check and send her the difference. So obvious. I felt stupid for letting it get as far as it did.

[Captain Stern]

17. If what they've said is true, then it's not a scam (at least not a good one)

It sounds like they're willing to send you the check, then wait until the check clears and you have the money in your hands before coming to pick up the items that you're selling. If that's really the case, I don't see a problem.

But, I'm betting that after you send them the info, they'd come up with some other conditions that will make the scam apparent.

[jberryhill]

18. Tell him the following:

"I don't have a bank account, but there is a check-cashing service which I use. They charge a $10 cash fee in order to process a check. So, if you send me the check along with $10 in cash, then I can cash the check and will mail you back the rest."

See if you can get the scammer to send you cash.

[brush]

20. Hah! Good one. I think I'll just delete the emails though and wait for a cash buyer.

[aikoaiko]

24. I ask for a USPS MO and get cash immediately before sending goods

But I put that in the ad.

[TheBlackAdder]

26. That's smart!

[jberryhill]

45. There are people who have used similar techniques...

...in order to scambait cash out of Nigerian 419 scammers.

[nykym]

19. Had a similar experience

was selling an antique Dentist chair on Craiglist.
Guy tells me he wants it and offered $100.00 more for it.
Same deal send you a couple of checks (Western Union) dead giveaway.
We strung him along for a while and had some fun at his expense.
He finally stopped replying.

[Javaman]

22. I didn't even finish the first sentence and knew it was bullshit.

however, you should fuck with the idiot and string them along.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

29. It's not a person, though. It's an automated response. nt

[Javaman]

40. huh, that figures.

what times are these when you can't even string along a scam artist. LOL

[Cartoonist]

23. Scam

But you may get to stick it to them back. I was selling a piano once and someone tried that same scam on me. Without even looking at the piano, he sent me a check via FedEx. It had a printed signature making it an obvious fake. If I had deposited it, it would have come back with a bank fee.

At least I got him to pay the seven or eight bucks to send it to me. He'll go broke with that scam if he keeps it up.

[TheBlackAdder]

27. Yeah, there are several youtube videos on how to play this game, including that trick.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

25. That's the oldest craigslist scam there is. nt

[Merlot]

37. I was surprised they're still trying this one.

[MissB]

31. I prefer

Nextdoor or Facebook marketplace, as those folks will be local.

I always put “cash only, pick up only” in my listings.

You can still update your Craigslist posting with that info.

[brush]

33. Thanks. Think I'll try facebook marketplace. How does it work?

[MissB]

36. Pretty much just like Craigslist

You need a picture and a description plus a price. It may be a bit confusing at the end when it prompts you to share with others. Just realize it had a default share in market place so you don’t need to share it with your friend or join other Facebook groups to get it out there. It’ll be out there enough just by posting it.

You get messages so you need FB messenger unless you want to give out your number to text or call. I opt for messages (it’s defaulted to that so you'd have to add your number to the description of you want them to text or call).

I get responses fast, and the first one that seems to be truly serious about buying it that day gets my attention. I mark my items as *pending pickup* once someone has made arrangements to pick up. I usually still get messages from interested folks who tell me that they want it if the other person doesn’t pick up.

I’ve done some porch pickups where I leave the item on my porch with an envelope. Never been burned on that, but my porch is also not right at the street.

[brush]

42. Thanks, will try it.

[Lochloosa]

32. Scam. I get a few of those when I post on Craigslist.

Ignore them.

[dlk]

34. Cash Up Front Only

Given the many shady characters on Craigslist, you can’t be too careful.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

35. What I don't get is that people are dumb enough

to accept a check for even one penny over the price of an item.

If I were selling something, and got a check for excess money, I'd politely return the check.

And I suspect that accepting personal checks for things sold over the internet is a very bad idea. If you are selling things regularly you should have a PayPal account. And if you're not, the suggestion of a money order is a good one.

[brush]

41. Not my first rodeo. As I said, I've seen this before with a BANK check...

Last edited Wed May 8, 2019, 11:46 AM - Edit history (1)

not a personal check (who is that stupid?). Of course I had my bank check to see if it was good. It turned out to be fake and I wasn't out anything. I suspected a scam here and was just curious if anyone else had experienced something similar. This was not an offer for more than the amount, which is a variation on the usual scam of sending a fake check for more than the amount and then wanting the overage sent back to the scammer.

What was curious to me is the small amount they are trying to scam, $400. Guess times are hard even for scammers.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

48. It might be that this person

simply does a lot of relatively small scams. The victim is out only four hundred bucks, and the amount isn't large enough to interest law enforcement. It's possible they are highly successful.

And despite the fact that this kind of scam has been widely talked about in recent years, plenty of people will remain unaware of it.

[Doremus]

39. Known scam. nt

[samnsara]

43. this gave me an uh oh feeling. Using the word 'kindly' is what i read on email scams......

...and was this cut and pasted into DU? Is that how he actually said (and mis-spelled) this response..?

[brush]

47. Right. I cut and pasted the email exchanges. I felt a scam brewing and wanted...

to see if anyone else had experienced this variation where the scammer is not wanting to send a check for more than the price with the overage sent back to him/her.

This was for the exact amount and not all that much. Pickings must be getting slim for online scammers.

[cynatnite]

49. Always specify cash only. These checks they offer are fake...

I post things on craigslist.

Out of habit, I post "no trades" and "cash only."

Plus, be suspicious of everyone. Never take their messages to heart unless they meet you in person and present cash.

I'm currently selling a lot of blu-rays, but instead of craigslist they are going on ebay. If someone wants it, they'll buy it.

It is a pain to mail them out, but I'm getting more for them than I would anywhere else and they are paying postage as well.

Not only that, true collectors are more likely to go to ebay as well.

I will not deal with anyone who does not offer cash in person when it comes to craigslist.

[brush]

51. Agreed. Cash only. This one is a variation on the usual scam of a bank check for more...

than the amount.

[cynatnite]

52. Never accept a bank check....

That's a huge red alert in the first place.

I posted an upright freezer this morning. Less than an hour later I got a text.

The telltale sign that this was a scam was a NJ area code...nowhere near us. We're in the South.

First thing I said was yes, that it was available and that it was cash only. Nothing from them since.

The message has to be loud and clear right off the bat.

[Doodley]

53. Has every hallmark of a scam. Do not engage with these criminals.

[Vinca]

54. Several years ago that scam was tried on me after an ebay sale. It was an expensive item

and I was really pissed when they pulled this shit. I checked their activity (which you could still do at the time) and I wasn't the only seller they were trying to bilk. Needless to say, we all contacted ebay and they were thrown off.

[shanny]

55. Definitely a scam.

Same thing happened to me when I listed some office furniture on Craigslist, someone contacted me, offered to buy it and--without ever seeing more than a pic--sent me a check for 5x the asking price. I was just supposed to cash it and pay them back the rest when they picked up the furniture. I documented/printed everything I could and tried to turn it all over (including the check itself) to some one who could do something about it, but ultimately failed in that (we were moving to another state and another job and I just didn't have time). Did get a distressed email from the sender wanting to conclude our transaction but we were already gone.

Anyway. Definitely a scam.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

56. Scam, fraud, ID theft... Don't even reply to these types

From the diction and phrases and the inclusion of the "pastor" title, I get an East African feel for this.

There is no reason to send a check if they are able to pickup.

[brush]

57. Yep, it's sketchy all right.

[Brother Buzz]

58. The old overpayment scam, Baby!

They don't give a hoot about what you are selling, they just want you to cash a bogus check and send them the difference, the overpayment.

[Liberal In Texas]

59. I used Craig's List one time and will never again.

I was trying to sell the car in my mother's estate and got nothing but scam responses. They were the "I'm a serving officer overseas and I want to buy the car for my nephew...."and variations on this theme. It was really annoying at the time as I was dealing with estate matters and getting these bogus messages on my cell phone that I had to deal with not knowing if one might actually be a legitimate inquiry.

Craig's list is terrible.