Craig's List Scrams - Beware

[Kwajdiver]

It is really amazing the number of scramers out there preying on Craig's List. As most of you know, I have my MCI-9 up for sale.  I also have a big block 1966 Corvette Stingray for sale.  I've been posting both on Craig's list.  EVERY time I do a new posting I receive some one either off shore or in Mexico that is willing to pay the asking price.  This scramers are really easy to spot.  They don't ask many details about the item.  Here is a copy of an email I just received.

Hello,

Thanks for the swift response, just to let you know that am okay with the condition and price of the item, am ready for its purchase and for my personal use.I would have really love to come for the viewing but due to my work frame that might not be possible as am on work inspection to Mexico at the moment and I do not have access to a  phone here i should have call you to discus about the sales on phone.I'll be responsible for the pick-up and the pick up money will be included in your payment to avoid delay and to enable pick up company to schedule an appropriate time for the pick-up  at your location after funds has been received as I have other properties to be moved alongside with yours.[/i][/i]All I will need is your PayPal email address to make the payment and I will send the money as a gift so you'll not be charged by PayPal and then I will make arrangement for pick up.I will be expecting your email.

Thanks

Of


 

[Kwajdiver]

Of course, I replied,    Being a little bit of a smart @$# that I am. That I would be happy to accept his personal check.  As soon as it cleared I would deliever the bus to him anywhere in the United Sates.

[gumpy]

Well, see, you need to be more creative with these idiots. You're right that it's easy to spot them. They're illiterate and can't write plain English.

So, you need to supply them with a fake paypal address that they will then try to use. Then if they complain, you tell them you miss-typed it and change
one letter and send it back. With a good long email address, and there being insufficient grey matter in their tiny little heads, you could drag this on for
days. Of course, the whole point to waste as much of their time as you possibly can.

There are so many ways to mess with them.

[ABart]

If you want to scambait, go to http://www.419eater.com/. It has tips on scambaiting and a forum. Make sure to visit the trophy room.

[crown]

 ok that does sound a little weird but to be honest we live in costa rica and we bought our motorhome
and toad from cragislist from costa rica but after many phone calls and had someone look at them
we bought them from costa rica in fact our whole blue ox alum tow bar base plate came from cragislist
out in or. the guy thought it was so neat that i was calling from costa rica and wanted to buy it and mail
it to ga. in the end he droped the price by $200 paid by paypal was in ga. two day latter how i was lucky
  the motorhome was in ga. the toad in fl. blue ox in or. john

[Gordie Allen]

I agree the scammers are crooks, but I'd like to point out to gumpy that this guy is not illiterate.  In fact he is literate in at least two languages.  A little rough with English, but twice as literate as I am .

[Jeremy]

I curious about what danger there is thought to be in giving someone your Paypal email address? Gazillions of people have Paypal accounts, and the vast majority them use the the same email address for that as they do for everything else.

Presumably the actual scam here is for the fraudster to pay the money through Paypal, take possession of the goods, then get their money back from Paypal somehow; I know Paypal will reverse a transaction if the seller cannot prove that the buyer received the item, but you'd never hand over a bus or some other big ticket item without covering yourself in that respect - so I guess the scam is to do with Paypal reversing the transaction because the original payment was made on a stolen credit card or somesuch? I did Google 'scram' to see if it referred to some specific scam, but didn't find anything.

If Paypal did have a reason to reverse a big payment, but you'd already removed the money from your account (which a sensible person would probably do before handing the goods over, frankly), what would happen then? I guess theoretically Paypal could pursue you through the courts to get 'their' money back, but what would happen in practice I don't know. Better for them to swallow the loss, or claim on their insurance, than receive the negative publicity?

Incidentally, there are a number of circumstances in which banks can reverse personal cheque payments long after they have cleared into the recipient's accounts. Possibly even certified (bank) cheques as well - I'm not sure about that, but I can see how the bank could use the same logic in the same situation.

Jeremy

[scanzel]

Don't be fooled by the crappy working or sentence structure.  They do this to make you belive their sob story. I get these often when selling on CL. I usually tell them that when they show up with CASH in hand then they can have the item. Never hear from them again.

[jjrbus]

I actually received one that was not in English!

I do not give a paypal address instead I give them my name and address and tell them as soon as I receive the check I will ship the item.

My name and addy are

Patric Donahoe
475 L'Enfant Plaza
SW Washington DC   20260     

[Kwajdiver]

 Hummmm, think I will use the FBI Headquarters address.

Bill

[Uglydog56]

1060 W Addison, Chicago IL for me!  Yes, it is 106 miles to Chicago, it is dark, and I AM wearing sunglasses!

[Tikvah]

I get something like this almost every time I post on CL.  The story changes, but the scam is the same.

But, I still have a question?  What do they get?  If money goes in my PayPal account then they are at risk.

I've always just deleted the email, but have been tempted to take their money..... what is their next move?

Dave

[Eric]

1060 W Addison, Chicago IL for me!  Yes, it is 106 miles to Chicago, it is dark, and I AM wearing sunglasses!

Classic!


Have fun !

Eric

[Kwajdiver]

Seems there is a way to rip off your pay pal account.  I'm not sure how that works.

The most common rip off:  They send you a cashiers check for too much money. Either a mistake or to pay the shipping agency.  They send the check, asking you to put it in your bank account, and in three or four days when it clears (here's the trick) "wire" the overage to my sister, bother, shipping, whomever.  The problem is this check is not cleared for about a month.  However, it is applied to your bank account in 3 or 4 days, looking to you like it cleared.  Some 30 days later, the amount is deducted from your account without notice, because the check is found to be bad.  Of course you have wired the money to jane doe, who can claim it anywhere in America.

I actually let one of these scramers send me the check.  Then gave him the runaround for a month.  However, I had called the 800 number on the check and found that this check had been cashed two years ago. That the paper I was holding was worthless.  Oh yes, the check will come from a third party and won't be traceable back to the scramer.

Bill