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greenoak
10-15-2008, 08:56 AM
we just put a few things on craigs list....and got an attempted scam on the first response...the guy wanted the item..for 1000$..he was on his honeymoon, then his mom dies...but he still wanted it and here is the scheme....he would send us the money and also the shipping money.pluswe would get 50$ for handeling the shipping transaction.....then we would have to pay the shipping money to a person who was arranging the shipping....the plan was for us to send our good money to the woman in florida before his check bounced....
dear dh thought it smelled funny and googled the name and address...he found that person mentioned in several different scams....for us she was the accountant for the shipper, for another in a craigslist discussion, a little boys guardian...
.they have scammed the hay market and several other places....
maybe a get rich quick plot....
ann

Blessed
10-15-2008, 10:10 AM
It is something you have to be careful with when using Craigslist!

BillR
10-15-2008, 11:28 AM
The wife and I pretty much avoid Craigslist for anything besides garage sale listings.

KristineS
10-15-2008, 04:03 PM
It's so sad that people will spend time and energy trying to scam others instead of doing honest work. I'm glad you guys were smart enough to follow your instincts when things smelled fishy. I wish more people would do that.

greenoak
10-15-2008, 05:28 PM
today we got a fake cashiers check by fed ex....with 2700 more than he owed us.....the shipping....
dh took it to the bank and they said it was fake...
we are giving it a whirl...just to see...
ann

billbenson
10-15-2008, 09:18 PM
If it's suspect, particularly international, don't ship for 30 days. On credit cards you can't find out who the card holders bank is. Visa doesn't allow that info to be public, so you can't call the bank and ask if it's a legitimate transaction. I worked for a company that was taken for a $60k order from Nigeria. They did some good business with Nigeria as well. Not everything is a fraud.

I've dealt with this a bunch, very little on checks, but a lot credit cards. If its suspect, don't ship for a month whatever you promise them. Oops, shipping screwed up. Particularly where high dollar amounts are involved. I haven't found a better way to protect yourself. Could also give a discount for a wire transfer???

greenoak
10-15-2008, 10:10 PM
we arent trying to cash the check..we already realized it was a fraud....,for interest dh took the check in to the pres of the local bank and he said it was not real...he wouldnt take it....
also we googled the recievers name and found other scams.
we werent going to ship it anyway.... we take checks and creditcards....
i never thought about fake cashiers checks, but apparantly they are rampant ....
with ebay we always made it so we had cashed checks before shipping....scary out there!!!
ann

billbenson
10-16-2008, 04:39 AM
Your situation sounds different than the ones I run into Ann, but if I get a suspect email rfq, I quote very high. If they still want it, its bad. If they complain, it might be ok. It's a good way to test the customer. You can always say oops and drop the price.

Paul Elliott
10-17-2008, 03:50 PM
Your situation sounds different than the ones I run into Ann, but if I get a suspect email rfq, I quote very high. If they still want it, its bad. If they complain, it might be ok. It's a good way to test the customer. You can always say oops and drop the price.

Good, yet simple, advice, Bill.

Evan
10-17-2008, 11:36 PM
Scams can be difficult to overcome. The address they wanted this shipped to is presumably not their address or a PO box (Mail Boxes Etc), which may or may not belong to them. See if they do any follow up if they never receive their item.

Sometimes these scammers can fall in their own trap. It's knowing the right methods, which most people do not know about.

billbenson
10-18-2008, 11:06 PM
Here is an example of something I wouldn't respond to. Expensive product; fast shipping; credit card mentioned in the first email. When I see cc payment mentioned in the first email a flag immediately goes up. Not much of a phone number either.

____________________________________________

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Julia Hang
I have visited your web site today and observed that
your company carrying for my requirment products.
Please let me know if you will be able to supply for:

- Alcoa FSM-50S Fusion Splicer Qty 1 Pcs

My shipping destination is Singapore and prefer to
ship via FedEx, UPS, DHL Express or more.
So, if you agree with my proposal please let me know
your estimate price include shipping fee to Singapore.
The payment will be made via credit card.
Your prompt reply will be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards,

Mrs.Julia Hang
General Manager
BINARY COMPLEX EQP
177B-2, Beach Road
#03S-05S Gateway East
Singapore 189642
Phone : (65)
Fax : (65)

orion_joel
10-19-2008, 09:50 AM
The other really good indication i have found of a scam is when you start getting requests to purchase just about any electronic devices from people in Asia. Especially China, or Thailand or such, because you know when you look at the product it is more then likely going to say Made in China or Thailand. So why if it was a legitimate buyer would they not purchase locally and save the expense of shipping.

billbenson
10-19-2008, 01:00 PM
They might not have access to it Joel. Levis had their largest plant in El Salvador. They shipped everything to the US for inspection. The products with flaws are sold cheap by the pound and usually end up at flea markets or going back to central america. Some of the quality products eventually are sold back to Central America as well.

I can't speak for other products, but that same cycle may exist for made in china products as well.

In the case of my spam email, the product they were looking for was a very expensive fiber optic cable fusion splicer. If memory serves me correctly its a 10k dollar item or so. Made in Japan I believe. The Nigerian ones I've had all use Yahoo email addresses. I have no idea why.