Scam? Seller beware?

[Fixion]

In short this is what just happened to me. I'm not goint to reveal his (supposed) name yet.

As some of you know, I'm trying to sell my 2k2 STO cocker. Trying to get more offers, I posted it on paintballclassifieds.com. A couple days latter I get this email from a guy called (sorry edited for now) who is supposedly from the UK. Being suspicious because of his many grammar mistakes, I look his name up on google, and UK phone dirrectories. I only get one (edit: guy by that name) in the entire UK, who's phone # doesn't correspond with the one he gave me. And he won't give me his address, he says he'll arrange a pickup. Oh, and he inists on paying me with $5000 and having me wire him the remainder.

I edited the email names that reveal his name just for now because I"m not sure what to think.
This mail is from (edited for now)@graffiti.net (free web mail service):

Hello, Fixion!

You have a question regarding your advertisment

http://paintballclassifieds.com/detail.php?cat=25&de=26753

from (edit out) <(edit for now)@graffiti.net>:

Hello i am very much intrested to have your (2002 STO Autococker )
for sale so i
want you to kindly provide me with your last price and you contact
address and valid phone number, cos i intend to make payment with a cashier
check so hurry i will be awaiting to read from you soonest.complete this with
the
full name for the check issue concern.

Paintball Classifieds

Please visit us at http://www.paintballclassifieds.com

He wouldn't reply to my emails properly. Never gave me his adress, gave me a phone # that when I called I got a busy signal for a few seconds then it hung up on its own, inisted on paying me with $5000 (which someone supposedly owed him), didn't seem to know much about paintball, and insisted on a pickup.

Today after having relisted the cocker on pbclassifieds I get the following email, suspiciously the same from [email protected]. What kind of paintballer separates the two words?!?!

From [email protected] this morning:

Hello, Fixion!

You have a question regarding your advertisment

http://paintballclassifieds.com/detail.php?cat=25&de=27061

from paint baller :

Hello i am very much intrested in your (2002 STO Autococker) so i want you to
kindly provide me with your last price and you contact address and valid phone
number, cos i intend to make payment with a cashier check so hurry i will be
awaiting to read from you soonest.complete this with the full name for the check
issue concern.

Paintball Classifieds

Please visit us at http://www.paintballclassifieds.com

An other thing that bothers me is he uses a free email service instead of the one his ISP might give him. He also wouldn't give references and just plainly avoided some of my questions.

Tell me guys, am I just hella paranoid? Or does this look like a scam to you. I think it could be money laundering, which I don't want anything to do with. Please give me advice. I've gotten scamed before (eventually got the stuff back), but I don't want it to happen again.

[guysdaman]

GO with your gut! It does sound kinda shady!

[abaez]

Common scam.

[Fixion]

Oh, and he was willing to pay the full $550, even though I ephasised OR BEST OFFER. He did not try to hagle with me. I mean c-mon, thats a high price, you can get an orracle for that much. I expect people to try to take the price down AT LEAST.

I'm sure Nigerians don't want to give me their millions, why would a guy from the UK trust me with $5000?!

[cphilip]

Regular Scam. Nothing new and commonly reported scam. The check will bounce eventually. It takes some time to bounce but it will. They counting on you having delivered the merchandise and remaining cash before it does.

This is also happening in our Scooter board. Every one who has a Scooter up for sale gets these.

[Fixion]

Originally posted by cphilip
Regular Scam. Nothing new and commonly reported scam. The check will bounce eventually. It takes some time to bounce but it will. They counting on you having delivered the merchandise and remaining cash before it does.

This is also happening in our Scooter board. Every one who has a Scooter up for sale gets these.

Is that why he insists on a pickup?

[cphilip]

No mailing address and no mail fraud? I dunno but it often includes that. Perhaps its a well organized gang of people that work for these guys that do the leg work.

They are not where you think they are. He is most likely in Canada or something. Even perhaps Nigeria or even in the US. No telling. They are a band of thieves.

Also often includes the story that a friend of his owes him money and will pay you the money. Then you are to deduct the money for your item and give him the remainder.

Thats not always exactly the same but often its something to that affect.

[Fixion]

Originally posted by cphilip
No mailing address and no mail fraud? I dunno but it often includes that. Perhaps its a well organized gang of people that work for these guys that do the leg work.

They are not where you think they are. He is most likely in Canada or something. Even perhaps Nigeria or even in the US. No telling. They are a band of thieves.

Also often includes the story that a friend of his owes him money and will pay you the money. Then you are to deduct the money for your item and give him the remainder.

Thats not always exactly the same but often its something to that affect.

Thats exactly what he told me. But also told me I can wait for the check to clear...

[cphilip]

It will but eventually it will be bounced. After he has your money....

[JT2002]

sorry to ask a nub question, but the check clears, how could it then bounce?

[cphilip]

Its found to be fraudulent later. And its then your responsibility as you cashed it.. See this below. This is nothing but a varitation of the Nigerian Scam. Slight variation but well documented. I fould this at Scambusters.com

Counterfeit Cashier's Check Scam

Although the Nigerian fee scam is becoming more well-known, a new type of overseas financial scam is making the rounds. While the Nigerian scam targets victims' greed (who doesn't want a large sum of money?), the counterfeit cashier's check scam targets the average person who's selling or auctioning goods on the Internet.

Here's how it works: You put up a large item for sale (a car, for example) or auction. Then you're contacted by someone from overseas pretending to be interested in buying the item. They ask you if a friend in the United States can mail you a cashier's check to cover the cost plus transportation fees.

You may see no reason to object, since, unlike personal checks, cashier's checks cannot bounce because the amount is paid to the bank when the check is issued (similar to a money order).

After the cashier's check is deposited, you are asked to wire the transportation cost to the buyer so he can arrange for the transportation. It's only when the cashier's check is discovered to be counterfeit that you realize you've lost a large sum of money.

There are also variants where you ship the item and lose everything.

How to protect yourself: If you receive a cashier's check, call the bank that issued it (the bank's name will be printed on the check) and ask them if they authorized that check.

For more information on this scam:

Wired News Article: Nigerian Net Scam, Version 3.0

==> http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,56829,00.html

Not to mention the possibility that the person that personaly comes to pick up the merchandise is either maybe going to rob you or is casing your house for later robbery as well as this scam.

[cphilip]

There are other variations of this...

Rather than a Cashiers check they ask for your account number and name and address so they can wire the money in... Now they got that info! They have your bank acct # and all you information!

They ask for your address and when you will be home to make the pick utp and instead of that they come when your not there to get the stuff and Rob you or target you for robbery because they know you have this merchandise for sale and most likely other stuff.

[Steelrat]

You are right to be worried. It is getting more and more common for couterfeit check makers to "recruit" people to cash their checks, in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. Thats a quick way to get a felony arrest on your record. Seriously.

[tyrion2323]

CPhil knows what's up:

it's a chance for this dude to (a) get your marker and (b) get your money.

Don't do it.

[rkjunior303]

Didn't anyone notice that the e-mail is exactly the same? I'm sure its some script or somethign that's run and it automatically sends out this "offer" to scam someone.

avoid it like the plague!