This just in. Wherever there is light there is shadow.
We just heard from a reader who posts stuff in the classifieds that a fellow named "Jerry Lopez" (not the world famous surfer) tried to scam her. Watch out and just use your common sense.
His email is posted below so you can see what this looks like. (Thanks, Jeannette!) MGR
Thanks for your respond am happy to hear from
you. I'm giving you $200 extra, for your
trouble/packageing .Right now you know i'll instruct
my Business Associate to send you a cheque of $3.650
before he leaves for Korea(He's a multiplebusiness
man),and you'll send the excess funds to my shipper
$3000 via western union,for him to come for the pick
up at your location,I'll give you my shipping agent's
datas as soon as the postal cheque gets to you,and he
will handles my shipping arrangement.I'll be very
grateful if really you can do everything the same day
you recieve the money order for a faster
transaction....You must send the balance to the
shipper the same you recieve the cheque,i hope this
all clear to you.I'll need your datas for the cheque
to get to you soonest..
NAME..
ADDRESS..
ZIP CODE..
CITY..
STATE...
COUNTRY..
Pls mail me today,to let me know what's good.I know I
can trust you, hope all my explanation is clear to you
bcos i will arrange the shipment with my private
shipper which has been in service for shipement long
years ago. I'm giving you $100 extra, for your running
around to cash the cheque in the nearset cheque
cashing store near you .
Best Regards
Jerry Lopez
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
This has been around for a while...my friend ran across someone trying to do this when he was posting his car for sale on the internet serveral years ago. They send you a fake money order for a great deal over the agreed-upon price, and then you WIRE them the difference. This is almost as good as the "you won a foreign country lottery" e-mails that I get every day lately....
Oy, WAY too complicated even if he WASN'T trying to scam her!
I received a strange email last week saying that the XVIII century Japanese Katana I wanted was available and to contact him for more information.
I completely ignored it because I never was looking for one. It was from a regular hotmail address I believe and it was signed with a guy's name (don't remember- deleted the email). Haven't seen anything else come through though...so I'm not sure if it was just a mistake (he sent to the wrong person?) or if it was a scam. Either way, watch out.
People these days...
There is a link in the top of all the Craig's List "for sale" pages warning people of a Wire Transfer Scam.
Chris, I think you and I are the only ones that have read that link on CL. People are constantly posting about these scams on CL, at least here in SF.
I wonder if people really fall for this incoherent babbling scam spam.
Okay - these scams are getting to be common, but there are people who actually try to get even. Check out the scamorama and see what I mean. They scam the scammers, even get THEM to send money - amazing. I have been contacted any time I list something major on CL. Always to be paid by certified check or money order and always asked if I could cash it quickly to pay the delivery guy who will pick up the item. I found out why - Many banks will give you the cash for the money order or certified check beore it has actually cleared. This process can take up to a few days. After you pay the driver and he has taken the goods, the bank will realize that the checks or money orders are fake and demand that you repay them. So you end up being out the money and your item.
Be careful.
P.S. I am having trouble with this site submission - scamorama is a website but I am not allowed to post the URL here...frustrating but I understand...
matt -- You can post it, as long as you leave off the "http-colon-slash-slash" part. For instance...
www.scamorama.com
...works just fine.