What's the scam?
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From: dan on 7 Apr 2010 15:09 I put up a double wall oven for sale on Craigslist.com. A few days later I got email from "Sarah" asking if it's still available; I said yes. Nothing for a week and then I get the following email: Hello, I am glad it is still available for sale.I am very much interested in buying your item and i am ok with the price. I am only able to make payment by money order at this time b/c i am away on assignment. Please provide me with your name:............ address:............ and phone number:............ for payment. It will take about 7days for payment to get to you. As per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment has been received by you. I don't mind adding ten dollars so you can keep it in my favor.Please take the posting off craigslist today and consider it sold to me. Thanks Expecting to hear from you soon. Regards My scam alert went off. First, the language is a bit stilted. Second, the writer calls it the "item". Finally, she wants to send me a money order. What's the scam? All that I can think of is that she going to send an MO for more than what I'm asking and ask me to refund the difference. /Dan
From: Bob F on 7 Apr 2010 17:45 dan wrote: > I put up a double wall oven for sale on Craigslist.com. > > A few days later I got email from "Sarah" asking if it's still > available; I said yes. Nothing for a week and then I get the > following email: > > Hello, > I am glad it is still available for sale.I am very much interested > in buying your item and i am ok with the price. I am only able to > make payment by money order at this time b/c i am away on assignment. > Please provide me with your > name:............ > address:............ > and phone number:............ > for payment. It will take about 7days for payment to get to you. As > per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment > has been received by you. I don't mind adding ten dollars so you can > keep it in my favor.Please take the posting off craigslist today and > consider it sold to me. Thanks > Expecting to hear from you soon. > Regards > > My scam alert went off. > > First, the language is a bit stilted. Second, the writer calls it the > "item". Finally, she wants to send me a money order. > > What's the scam? All that I can think of is that she going to send an > MO for more than what I'm asking and ask me to refund the difference. They send you a check for more than the cost, asking you to send back the extra. You do, then their check bounces.
From: Rod Speed on 8 Apr 2010 00:55 Bob F wrote: > dan wrote: >> I put up a double wall oven for sale on Craigslist.com. >> >> A few days later I got email from "Sarah" asking if it's still >> available; I said yes. Nothing for a week and then I get the >> following email: >> >> Hello, >> I am glad it is still available for sale.I am very much interested >> in buying your item and i am ok with the price. I am only able to >> make payment by money order at this time b/c i am away on >> assignment. Please provide me with your >> name:............ >> address:............ >> and phone number:............ >> for payment. It will take about 7days for payment to get to you. As >> per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment >> has been received by you. I don't mind adding ten dollars so you can >> keep it in my favor.Please take the posting off craigslist today and >> consider it sold to me. Thanks >> Expecting to hear from you soon. >> Regards >> >> My scam alert went off. >> >> First, the language is a bit stilted. Second, the writer calls it >> the "item". Finally, she wants to send me a money order. >> >> What's the scam? All that I can think of is that she going to send >> an MO for more than what I'm asking and ask me to refund the >> difference. > > They send you a check for more than the cost, asking you to send back > the extra. You do, then their check bounces. Its not a check, its a money order. You dont have to send them anything if they send you a check for too much, or just dont send them the difference until the check has cleared if you want.
From: Rod Speed on 8 Apr 2010 00:56 dan wrote: > I put up a double wall oven for sale on Craigslist.com. > > A few days later I got email from "Sarah" asking if it's still > available; I said yes. Nothing for a week and then I get the > following email: > > Hello, > I am glad it is still available for sale.I am very much interested > in buying your item and i am ok with the price. I am only able to > make payment by money order at this time b/c i am away on assignment. > Please provide me with your > name:............ > address:............ > and phone number:............ > for payment. It will take about 7days for payment to get to you. As > per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment > has been received by you. I don't mind adding ten dollars so you can > keep it in my favor.Please take the posting off craigslist today and > consider it sold to me. Thanks > Expecting to hear from you soon. > Regards > > My scam alert went off. > > First, the language is a bit stilted. Second, the writer calls it the > "item". Finally, she wants to send me a money order. > > What's the scam? Unlikely it is scam, just someone who is currently away from home wanting to buy what you have on offer. > All that I can think of is that she going to send an MO for more than what I'm asking and ask me to refund the > difference. Easy to refuse to pay any difference until you have cashed the MO.
From: Gordon Burditt on 8 Apr 2010 14:34
>> I am glad it is still available for sale.I am very much interested >> in buying your item and i am ok with the price. I am only able to >> make payment by money order at this time b/c i am away on assignment. >> Please provide me with your >> name:............ >> address:............ >> and phone number:............ >> for payment. It will take about 7days for payment to get to you. As >> per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment >> has been received by you. I don't mind adding ten dollars so you can >> keep it in my favor.Please take the posting off craigslist today and >> consider it sold to me. Thanks >> Expecting to hear from you soon. >> Regards .... >> What's the scam? > >Unlikely it is scam, just someone who is currently away >from home wanting to buy what you have on offer. Careful, a lot of scams work like this. See "money order" on Wikipedia. >> All that I can think of is that she going to send an MO for more than >what I'm asking and ask me to refund the >> difference. Possibly a *counterfeit* money order. >Easy to refuse to pay any difference until you have cashed the MO. Easy to lose a lot of money that way. You need to refuse to send *anything* until after you have been assured that the money order has cleared beyond any possibility of being disputed. Legally, and in the United States, I think that period can be up to 7 years. A lot of scams are based on a check, cashier's check, or money order failing to clear *after* the normal period when it is considered cleared. You don't normally get positive feedback that something has cleared. It just after N days hasn't come back. Money orders and checks on foreign banks (especially in countries where they may be transported as paper by mule cart) can take much longer to clear or bounce, especially if the money order is counterfeit. It is possible for a check to "unclear" when the alleged writer of the check sees it on his statement, 45 days later, and says he didn't write it, fills out an Affidavit of Forgery, and the check bounces back. I had to do this once so I know it works. |