eBay/CL scams

[tallyho8]

Everytime I advertise something I get some of these scammers replying to the ad. I play along with them to waste their time and money. You know it is a fraud when they send you a check for $2500 for a $100 item and tell you to keep $50 extra for your trouble and wire the balance of $2350 to their shipper. They almost always send the check by FedEx or UPS to avoid getting in trouble with the FBI over mail fraud charges.

Some of them have very realistic looking checks that can fool any banker with microprinting and all the other security features. Expand the photo to see them a little better. Some of them have friends or cohorts who work in the shipping division of large companies and can send the checks for them for free through their company without getting caught. (Until I contact the company security department and inform them of the scam)

It's hard to believe how many people fall for this scam and don't realize that the bank that readily accepts the check for deposit will collect the money from your account when it bounces.

MORAL: If it sounds to good to be true................................run away!

 

[Ductape]

Can anyone tell me how the heck they email me on my craigslist items before they even show up on Craigslist ???? Are they somehow intercepting emails going to or from Craigslist ??

 

[JiminGa]

Can anyone tell me how the heck they email me on my craigslist items before they even show up on Craigslist ???? Are they somehow intercepting emails going to or from Craigslist ??

maybe you have spyware??? try running some removal software, I use 3 different flavors and each one finds different stuff.

 

[WTA]

We had one do that with a tractor I was selling online. I knew it was a scam when they said they were sending a check for more than I asked for but I told them to send a US postal money order or I would not accept it. They said ok then sent out a cashiers check instead. In my case the check was stolen from a car dealer in Houston. We gave it to the Police in Lubbock after finding out it was reported stolen by the bank. We have the ability to verify checks here like most other business.

Anyway, the one that tried to scam me was part of a bigger outfit operating out of Africa. They were all recently busted by interpol according to what the cops told me and I also saw a fox news story about it.

There are still a lot of them out there though. Be careful.

 

[Grrrr]

Everytime I advertise something I get some of these scammers replying to the ad. I play along with them to waste their time and money. You know it is a fraud when they send you a check for $2500 for a $100 item and tell you to keep $50 extra for your trouble and wire the balance of $2350 to their shipper. They almost always send the check by FedEx or UPS to avoid getting in trouble with the FBI over mail fraud charges.

Some of them have very realistic looking checks that can fool any banker with microprinting and all the other security features. Expand the photo to see them a little better. Some of them have friends or cohorts who work in the shipping division of large companies and can send the checks for them for free through their company without getting caught. (Until I contact the company security department and inform them of the scam)

It's hard to believe how many people fall for this scam and don't realize that the bank that readily accepts the check for deposit will collect the money from your account when it bounces.

MORAL: If it sounds to good to be true................................run away!

Wow, the scammers really do seem to like you with all those cheques!

 

[DonWorrell]

Here is what make a scam work. GREED. The buy wants something for nothing. Scammers know this and they offer a deal which can't be beat anyplace in the world.

It doesn't just happen with tractors. Talk to some bankers. Some have given mortgages on bad property just because they thought they could make some extra profit.

The sub-prime credit problem we are facing today is just that. Banks loaned money on property and to people who were bad risk. But everything was great things were booming. Do you actually think the bankers thought the ARMs wouldn't come due? They knew. But they thought the market was so strong there would be plenty of buyers when they did come due.

It is 1929 all over again. But in 1929 people were buying stock on margin today they are buying houses on margin. Well the margin has come due and folks can make the new margin. Houses, Tractors, cars and almost everything will become much cheaper in the next year or so. There isn't a bank in the world who can afford to hold as much foreclosed property as there will be on the market in the next 18 months. Same thing with cars and machinery. Talk about a trickle down market. Well we are about to see one.

Sorry I took the thread off topic.

Don

 

[SLOBuds]

What scares me is that electronic communication is used by everyone. That, and the fact that many of the phishing scams look so real.

I mean that my father and millions like him use email pervasively to talk with all of his kids, grandkids and friends. And I have seen all of the scams that get deposited into his inbox. If you are a 94 year old guy, and get an email from the 'IRS' saying that you have a refund coming ... well, that's pushing a whole lot of buttons for a 94 year old man.

Spam filtering seems to be getting better thank goodness.

 

[Stimw]

I got one of those scam emails after a post on CL , I had my phone number in the ad. I could tell right away it was a scammer. I sent them an email that I was a government agent, that I had all their contact information and a warrant has been issued for their arrest. I didn't hear back from them. ?????
Check out the low ads anyway. I just bought a 1996 19' boat off of CL for $800. NADA retail is $5000. It had been sitting for 1 1/2 years and needs some work but easily worth the money! Just the Mercruiser out-drive is worth $12-1500. 130hp engine about the same.
I also bought a new Jinma Backhoe on ebay for $2200. still in the crate. I called the guy, talked to him about it, arranged for pick up and wire transfered him the money. He was in Il. I'm in Fl. I got it via truck freight no problem.

 

[rpoage]

I've own an internet mail order company and the scams I have experienced in the past 10 years sometimes make it hard to keep an open mind when it comes to cutting a new customer a break when they want to do something out side of our business rules. I get 20 to 30 fraud attempts a year and I get beat at least once a year.
First thing I do with a fraud is that I IP track the email or the order and do a reverse look up on the IP. If it's a US based IP location, I will contact the law enforcement people in that region. Most law enforcement agencies will have a internet task force or at least one detective that handles this area. They will contact the IP company and get the name on the account (no crook to this date has had the smarts to use a anon) When the investigating officer gets back to me it is amazing how many times they know the crook by name. They send out of paperwork to me and I file the complaint. Yes it takes a while but the reason this thing is getting so common is that no one takes the time to hunt these guys down. I've tried to use Interpol to mess with the overseas ones but I've never been successful. I no longer accept overseas business so it is no longer a problem.
Bottom line is don't let these guys skate as the next person they defraud could be some ones parents or grand parents.

 

[cp1969]

That's good info, but I'm not sure I'd make it public how to catch them. It just helps them work on a more bulletproof plan for next time.

In the same vein, I hate it when the news explains how the cops caught some criminal. First of all, I have no need to know regarding those matters and all it does is tip off the next criminal on things to avoid doing.

 

[JoeinTX]

Yes, lot's of potential in dealing with the unknown cyber-dealers.

"Unwary is one way to describe them. People looking for a deal that's too good to be true is another way. You'd think common sense would kick in when these 'buyers' see a tractor, or any other item for that matter, way, way, below market value. How many warning signs do these people need before they look elsewhere?..."


And it all goes back to the old Greek "buyer beware"

I bought a tractor and a shredder off of eBay....both at very agreeable prices and in the condition they were described. But in each case I was able to travel to them and inspect them before accepting or paying for them to make sure they actually existed and were mine for the taking.

I also bought a piece of equipment one time off of eBay that was very far off....Indiana I believe.....as it was very cheap. I pretty much forgot about buying the thing and come 90 days the owner sent me a message telling me I needed to come and get it or it would go back up for sale.

At that point, it was my bad and a learning lesson and I messaged him back that it was his to relist and I hope the money I had already paid helped out.