| Author | Message | ||
     Socoken |
I recently put my truck up for sale on Autotrader.com and received a response almost immediately. first it was an innocent email, just asking for details, which i provided, then it was an email making me an offer, which i would be inclined to accept. However, the succeeding emails tipped me off to a greater scheme on his part. His next email explained how he was purchasing this vehicle for a client that was overseas on business. he then informed me that he had a cashiers check for an amount greater than my asking price, by a considerable amount, and that he had to send me that check, per reasoning of his client and their business regs. i was to deposit the cashiers check (which is a phony) and send him a cashiers check (real) for the difference, and the difference was to be used by him for transport and shipping of the truck. in any case, if i would have fallen for it, i would be out the approximate price of a 9R. in the event that he would receive a cashiers check from me, i would almost certainly never hear from him again. has anyone else heard of this? Right now he is still email communication with me, and im doing my best to lead him on. i just wish i could figure out a way to con the con, to make some money on the deal, or at least find out who he is so that he could be prosecuted. he has a yahoo email address, so im guessing thats a dead end, and the name a fake as well. any ideas? ild gladly share the profits with anyone who can help me get him, im not in it for the money, i just want to fuck him over, and hopefully spread word of this scam so that no one falls for it. Thanks Ken | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Soco, if he is giving you a cashiers check, then by all means accept it. You don't issue him a cashier's check however UNTIL the one he gave you clears. You also don't give him a title nor the truck until the check clears. If its a bad check then you cooperate nicely and have IP info to aid in the apprehension of the person. | ||
| Captainplanet |
Go here for some good ideas in having fun with someone trying to rip you off. I wouldn't waste my time doing it, but if you like that kind of stuff, go for it. http://www.419eater.com/ | ||
| Mikej |
And if you do decide to play him along then do not, repeat: DO NOT, deposit that check into your personal checking account. Talk to the bank and request they process the check. And prior to this first talk to the post office about setting up a special post office box. And in your transactions use a modified name of sorts. There are lots of traps in this game of modern technology, and even though they don't get your cash, they could get a different piece of you. Bottom line is you could send the info to the Yahoo admins and let them process it from there. Even though they don't have a full identifier, they can track the originator at least partially. Or just tell them to bugger off. Lots less stress and hassle for you. But it does make selling stuff on-line a lot more problematic these days. | ||
| Josh_ |
But if you do it too offically (like going to a bank) be wary of him coming after you for taking his money. Also, be wary of the bank charging you a fee if you "cash" the check and it bounces. I'd say you found out your bank charges big fees for cashiers checks and ask him for a Western Union money order. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
I'd tell them to piss off!!!!! Yeah ask him for a money order, cash or certified cheque. I would not deposit the cheque then when its returned he could find out your bank account information. I'd take the cheque, the address to send yours and then notify the local authorities of this "Yahoo" | ||
| Seanp |
Wow, that 419eater.com website is freaking great! I wish I had known about that a long time ago before I started blocking out all of those types of emails... I'm great with Photoshop, and could really have fun trying something like that. I like stringing folks like this along. When I'm home and we get a telemarketer call, and they invariably mispronounce my name, I tell them to hold on, and I put the phone down. Periodically I will go back to the phone to see if they're still there... I had one hang on for about five minutes once. Yeah, I know it's their job, and they're just trying to earn money, but there are other jobs out there. Jobs that don't piss people off... If I were you, I'd keep this guy going for as long as possible. But then again, I would find that great entertainment. So it would be fun for me, and waste time for him. Just a thought... | ||
| Xb9grl |
Soco - I'd be wary of receiving a cashier's check that this individual already states he has since financial institutions only issue these with a designated payee. At best, this could be a stolen check - at worst, this guy could be trying to launder money through your bank account. Bad news for you. I'd steer clear. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
A cashiers check is only valid to the payee. if he is offering a cashiers check in your name all you have to do is VERIFY by calling the availability of funds. Hell even with a cashiers check you can call the bank, speak to a live person and VERIFY the check drawn to you. If the check isn't drawn to you which Soco has not said is the case then you don't touch it. It sounds like a legit 3rd party overseas purchase. They write the check to you based on what the 3rd party said is the cost plus shipping. You can find out easily enough once you lay hands on the check. See legally, until you have that check in hand you have no idea if it is valid or not. I would just hate to see you blow a deal when the person is offering a cashiers check that is very easy to verify validity the moment you have your hands on. The is a bank number located on the check that allows you to call and verify the check. Once you call you know whether its valid or not. Its people that just guess "oh its a cashiers check or it looks like a cashiers check" and don't verify. I am sorry I assumed that people here were smart enough to verify a check prior to deposit. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Let me clarify something and put it as a seperate post. There is a very good possibilty your dealing with a broker. He tells the overseas customer he found a truck the customer was looking for for $X...when in fact he found the truck for $y and adde his fee and shipping to the deal to come up with $X. Since the person overseas is buying used he needs ONE proof of purchase, not one to you one to the shipper and one to the broker so he cuts ONE check for the cost of the truck plus shipping and a seperate check to the broker. Now this broker seems to be of the I can make a few bucks on this deal and is asking you to cover the difference which you say is substantial. He is making some extra on the side by inflating the price. Since he is offering to deal in a cashier check its easily verifiable funds if you bother to call the bank. IF however you are handed a false check while it is in you possession you notify the police...Why? because now they have FRAUD as a legitimate offense instead of just forgery.You haven't lost anything because you never gave him anything. You did as you were suppossed to, you called the issuing bank and verified a cashiers check. Since a cashier's check is a SECURED form of money transfer the bank itself has already pulled the funds from the account and is GAURANTEEING the check. IF the bank doesn't want to give you the info then ask to speak higher up and tell them you were given the check as a payment. They will then notify you whether they can honor the check or not. If not, ask for a person at the bank for reference and let them know you will be notifying the police for fraud. It will get things done alot faster. The bank person may even give you a case number to speed things up. | ||
| Josh_ |
Better yet, the guy has a completly forged check and puts the "bank" phone number that rings at his "office." Good thing you called and verified. Or perhaps it's a real bank, and his country's banking system allows him to cancel a cashiers check several days after it was written. You do know you can cancel one, right? | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
A cashiers check can only be canceled by giving the bank the check itself. A COUNTER check can be canceled just like a regular check. A cashiers check can only be written to one person. If you want to change it you have to present the check to the bank and they issue a new one. A cashiers check is a check gauranteed by the bank and not buy the person wielding the check. It means the bank itself is backing the funds. It also means the bank has a copy in their system of who the check was originally written to...I have dealt quite a bit with CASHIERS checks over the last year and some dealings with counter checks as well. When have you not called the number on a check and not gotten the automated service for a bank? Faking that is not that easy anymore. You can always claim dumb or paranoid and ask for a legitimate person. All of this adds info to the police. But as I said originally, you do not release anything until that check has cleared. | ||
| Josh_ |
Many banks will let you cancel a cashier's check by declaring it lost or stolen. >You can always claim dumb or paranoid and ask for a legitimate person Perhaps you did not understand my point, print a phone number on the check and let a live person answer it and claim to be at the bank. | ||
| Dasxb9s |
OK... This is an old scam... it is not a broker... it is not legitimate in any way. THE CHECK IS NOT WORTH THE INK IT IS PRINTED WITH!!! This has been identified by law enforcement as a fraud scam from overseas doing on line auction type sales. Typically it originates in or around Nigeria... and sometimes email via England or some other financially stable EU country. It has gone from small expensive items to large things (vehicles). The checks are ALWAYS phony... there is always a check in excess of the sale offered... and the hook is to get some greedy rube or trusting soul to accept a bad check and return the excessive (change) amount beyond the purchase with a good check. Most of the time with this fraud they don't intend to take delivery of the item... it is purely a bad check for a good check deal... at times... a premium or bonus is often offered above the sale price to entice the sale. In other cases a small excessive amount is offered for smaller sales to get the item to have the funds submitted to be totally worthless... the key is it is always over seas buyers!!! TRUST ME... THIS IS A SCAM!!!!! HIS CHECK WILL NOT CLEAR ANY BANK!!!!!!! There is NO reason to send moneys in excess of a sale for any item in the form of ANY check... it is always a case where his check is considerable more than the sale price. Another form of this scam is a inheritance of a huge amount... over seas... where the money is split for "brokering" the funds... where the fraudulent check is sent... after the "broker" fee is sent by you to get the funds released for international payment... GUESS WHAT... the check is bad!!! Play if you want... but sell the truck to a legitimate buyer in the US! If it were truly a broker... it would not be an ebay type auction... as it is not as simple as putting stamps on a truck to ship overseas. Customs regs and such come into play for such an item... going out... export from US... and going into another country... inspections for contraband... tariffs/duty fees... etc. HE DOES NOT WANT THE VEHICLE GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | ||
| Dasxb9s |
P.S. I am LE... I am talking from factual information from investigations...and we have had one where there was travel to the US to CASH one of these checks for millions of dollars at a small town bank... thinking they would be too stupid to realize it was a bad check until after they were headed back out of the US... they are now enjoying the federal prison system... for a few years before they are deported back home! It is a waste of time to try and reverse the scam... they don't have any money to be reverse scammed out of... that is why they are trying to scam you. The 419eater kind of response might be fun... but don't cross the line... if there is an investigation active on this... and you try to turn it on the scammer... it might look like you are part of a conspiracy to defraud, or you are trying to commit fraud... and trust me... conspiracy in federal court is VERY easy case to make... and almost impossible to defend against. Have fun... don't cross the line... please... I have too much business as it is... and I am trying to wind down to retire... and... this case is not my jurisdiction... so I can't help build a case. | ||
| Socoken |
Holy Crap thanks for all the replies, this site is the best. I tried to pull one back on him, saying a friend of mine went to his bank and got a certified check for an amount 200 over the refund amount, and that he needs to send an additional 200 in the form of money order or personal check (to get a name or a better lead). i tried to make it sound like i wanted to speed things up, and this is why i had a friend get the money for me, and i would pay him back later. this sort of thing happens a lot, so he might have money, and a 200 stretch on his part might make the much larger payoff worth it, but he wouldnt have any of it. it was worth a shot, just to con a con would be worth it. i have notified the FDIC and gave them all the info i have, but odds are it will come up empty. thanks again Ken ps- anyone interested in a NICE 99 dodge ram? price is very negotiable. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=157230520&dealer_id=&car_year=1999& make=DODGE&distance=25&max_price=&model=RAM1502WD&end_year=1999&advcd_on=n&min_p rice=&address=54701&search_type=used&advanced=n&start_year=1999&color=&cardist=0 |
