skyblu3 0 #1 February 23, 2005 I am trying to sell a canopy online and I have been reading posts about various scams. This is an email I received recently, would you trust it? Or does it sound fishy? Hello, I am very glad to read from you,I just want you to know that a certified cheque or money order will be sent to you for payment and the shipping charges will be added to it aswell also i will be handling the shipment myself and i will link you up with the shipping company that will come to your location for the pick up.Please i will need the following informations from you inother to send you payment. FULL NAME................................. FULL ADDRESS................................. PHONE NUMBER................................ Please i will like you to send me the full picture in your next reply.I am looking forward to read from you immediately. Warmest Regards, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bdog 0 #2 February 23, 2005 where's this guy from? sounds foreign. i would make sure he makes payment with an american express money order or another nationally recoginized name where the funds can be verified. or he can maybe use paypal??_________________________________________ ---Future Darwin Award recipient- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indyz 1 #3 February 23, 2005 Well, I copied the following email verbatim from a scam warning site: Quote Dear seller, I hereby wish to inform you that i am interested in the purchase from you. I saw the advert on the internet today, Kindly give me your best offer. Will you accept a certified cheque/MONEY ORDER as payment? I have a client and colleague of mine who will be ready to send you payment by post when we both finally agree on terms. If its still available for sale, provide the details below... YOUR NAME........... MAILING ADDRESS..... TEL. NUMBER......... Kind regards Look familiar? This is what we refer to as a "10-foot-pole situation." Don't touch it. I wouldn't even reply to this jackass. If you do go ahead: The check will arrive made out for a significantly higher amount than the price of the canopy. He will ask you to cash it, keep your share, and wire the extra money back to him. Then the check will bounce and you will be screwed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyblu3 0 #4 February 23, 2005 Thanks for your opinions. I remember having read on this newsgroup about scams and i thought this one looked kinda familiar. I will try and continue correspondance with this person and if I am conviced that it is a scam I will post their details. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #5 February 23, 2005 If you're certain they're a scam and they don't have your details, you could always pass them on to 419 eater. They'll fuck with them in all sorts of ways. Better yet, have a go yourself. I'm grooming someone who contacted me to see if I can get them to send me a photo of them with the DZ.com logo or something. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 5 #6 February 23, 2005 Looks like a classic scam. Go ahead and close the deal, but don't ship the gear until the check clears though. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #7 February 23, 2005 The likelyhood is the bank will show the check a having cleared for the first day or two but will then later notify you that it has bounced. If you've sent gear during this period you're screwed. If in doubt walk away or use an escrow. Escrow's protect everyone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unformed 0 #8 February 23, 2005 QuoteThe likelyhood is the bank will show the check a having cleared for the first day or two but will then later notify you that it has bounced. If you've sent gear during this period you're screwed. If in doubt walk away or use an escrow. Escrow's protect everyone. If you use an escrow company, use one that YOU SELECTED. A lot of scammers set up their own escrow company as part of the scam.This ad space for sale. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #9 February 23, 2005 We're lucky in this sport to have built in escrow services. Send it to a riggers lofts or gear shop - always offer to pay a fee. Depending on what you're asking them to do it might be anything from nothing up to the cost of a full inspection and repack. They're reputable, they're known by both parties before the transaction commences, and they can confirm that an actual canopy arrived as opposed to just a bedsheet. They'll even confirm it's a Sabre2 170 in perfect condition with 50 jumps on it if you pay them to... no matter how reputable the whuffo escrow service is they're not going to be able to do that. I've read now a couple of times about how X bought a canopy which was supposed to be brand new only to have it turn up and find it's patched with a couple of hundred jumps on it. Using a rigger as a fee charging escrow service would have caught that one before any money was sent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyblu3 0 #10 February 23, 2005 Below is the latest email, sounds more like a scam now: Hello Thanks for your mail back concerning the inquiry mail i sent to you.The price,condition is okay by me .And my client confirm there is no problem about the price,my client do pays with a {USA}cashier check or money,he has agreed to mail out money order to you on my behalf to cover the shippment fees.About the shippment ,that we be taken care by me & my personal assistant,my personal assistant will be using his shipper to do the quick processing of the shipping to my client.So all you are to do after you will received the check in your mail,Just take out your sale amount and refer the remaining money to my shipper immediately through the westernunion so to get the money fast and start the fast arrangement for the pickup .Since you are the original owner of this item,and i am buying the item directly from you I do wish to trust you by refering the rest balance back to my shipper and also your fast doing to this transaction.I will like to hear from you if this is okay by you and you are ready to process ,if you aready to sale your item and promise refering the rest balance to my shipper immediately you received the check so can start the quick arrangement for the pickup. Any body that want to buy this item this item just tell therm that it has been sold. THANKS AND MAIL ME BACK WITH YOUR DETAIL AS SOON AS NAME............................ ADDRESS.................. CELL PHONE #................. Have a nice day Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GTAVercetti 0 #11 February 23, 2005 It is not that is SOUNDS like a scam. That IS a scam. Same one we have been seeing around here for a awhile. Just ignore it.Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #12 February 23, 2005 Never use Western Union. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hookitt 1 #13 February 23, 2005 Absolutely positive that's a scam.My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hipgnosis 0 #14 February 23, 2005 Important! Banks can often times show a check as cleared (ie the money is in your account) despite the check not being valid. It differs depending on the bank, but it can take over a month in some cases for a check that was shown as clear to suddenly turn into a bounce. If you go this route, talk to someone at the bank and get their name and contact info in case they are wrong. Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #15 February 23, 2005 yeah, I never liked this. The whole point of a certified check/money order is that you are supposed to be able to trust it as cash, and yet here we go. It clears, then unclears. Does this new 21 check protocol that my banks keep telling me about improve this problem? Now the clearing is done electronically with check images. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #16 February 23, 2005 It's a scam but game him back. Make him send you images, get excited sound dumb. Try to get a P.O. box, string him along. Tell him you went to the bank but the fee for the order was too high, etc etc. Post here and keep us entertained with your progress. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #17 February 23, 2005 Why do you guys still use checks? A direct bank deposit is easier, faster, and much harder to forge. If you need payment protection use an escrow service or a credit card. I haven't written or cashed a check since I lived in NYC in 1998... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #18 February 24, 2005 This is about selling an item to someone remote, perhaps a different country. don't you have to give routing information to someone for them to make that xfer to you? It's all on the check too, but I'd hate to give that info to some stranger on another continent. PayPal type services add a middleman in between to anonymous the financial accounts, but they want their cut. BTW, I think I average 2 checks a month. One to the landlord, the other some random recipient. Almost check free, but I'm not going to pay a service charge to pay DMV electronically, for example. It's a bit funny that some government agencies want me to pay for their gain. Why pay to file taxes? Shouldn't they be encouraging this? To the OP - go find another buyer, good luck on the sale! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #19 February 24, 2005 You have to pay a service charge for an electronic transfer? . Nuts. Most companies in Ireland/UK/Australia offer a discount for direct debit payment. As for overseas, you should really only pay using an escrow service. It's too dodgy otherwise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Feeblemind 1 #20 February 24, 2005 Use an Escrow company, done on e-bay all the time. He sends the money there you send the ite. Buyer either accepts pr rejects the item. If accepted the Cahiers check or money order (as good as cash, not a personal rubber check is sent to you). If buyer rejects the item and you do not recieve it (i.e. tracking numbers are important here, you get paid and he gets screwed). On all my on-line purchases over $400 I use an escrow service, if theydecline I tell them to piss off. Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyblu3 0 #21 February 24, 2005 Wow, the sudden interest in my canopy!! Everybody seems to want it. I received another email from a guy called Theory Ramy. I did a search on yahoo on this name and low and behold I came up with the following website: http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/printthread.php?t=6605 Looks like these scam artists try and buy just about anything thats for sale on the internet. I wonder if they are even skydivers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #22 February 24, 2005 No, they're not. They don't care what they're trying to buy, where it goes or if they ever get it. They make their money when the seller electronically sends them the excess from the overpayment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 2 #23 February 24, 2005 Just got a fishy email myself. I sell (and sometimes buy) quite a lot of skydiving stuff over the 'net (thus far: europe, usa and asia). I only accept credit card or pay-pall (or cash if it is workable). So far, every sale has worked out for both parties. I replied to this fishy mail saying I require credit card payment, all quiet now ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cloggy 1 #24 February 25, 2005 Looks as what is commonly referred to as the 'Nigerian' scam. Some people toy with them a bit. http://www.athengreyimages.com/agiCheckScam.cfm You can see how the scenario in your case would evolve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
