Is this a classic scam?

[entropy454]

I got this email for an item I was selling. It reminded me of the many check scams that are out there, except this one doesnt ask for your checking account number. I thought they always did?
here is the email.

"Hello, Thanks for your mail and i will like to affirm that i am really interested in your items and will like to inform you that my only mode of paying you is by mailing you certified bank check and if you are ok with that... you can get back to me with your home address.. Payee name that will be on check and a valid phone number ( no voice mail number) ... and as soon as you receive the check and i will now send my shipper for the pickup of the item asap.... thanks"

 

[XLR8]

Just my opinion... but I'm suspicious.

It's likely that English is not the first language of your buyer and unless the buyer is new to our country or lives overseas.... ;squint:?

It just seems that the wording is much like those scam letters you see in your inbox at times.

Perhaps the best person to ask would be YOUR banker. I would think bank officers would be well versed on any scams concerning checks, especially certified checks.

Post here any info you learn. I'm curious.
Jane Ann

 

[entropy454]

I copied the entire email and did a google search on it. Guess what came up, pages dealing with scams. I guess they somehow send you a check and as soon as you get the check they try to have you ship. Than later the check bounces and your bank account gets charged and you lose the item you had already shipped.
I became suspicious when his first email came through my yahoo mail but the above email (which was the second) was blocked by the spam guard.
I forwarded the email to hotmail's fraud alert. Probably wont do anything but who knows.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

That's a classic scam that's been around for several years. A seller can almost bet on getting half a dozen for every item up for sale.

Yet some people still fall for them..............

 

[XLR8]

Good to know.

 

[paul67]

You didn't say what country that came from but even a cashier's cheque Canada/USA takes 10-15 business days to clear.

 

[hotshotzny]

the only thing i would say is if they are willing to send a bank check or money order and willing to wait for it to clear then what the heck... ive sold a lot of things and accepted bank checks or money orders only with the uderstanding that in the case of checks the item does not ship until the check clears.... and i have purchased many items the same way and never had a real problem...... hard to say.......

I got this email for an item I was selling. It reminded me of the many check scams that are out there, except this one doesnt ask for your checking account number. I thought they always did?
here is the email.

"Hello, Thanks for your mail and i will like to affirm that i am really interested in your items and will like to inform you that my only mode of paying you is by mailing you certified bank check and if you are ok with that... you can get back to me with your home address.. Payee name that will be on check and a valid phone number ( no voice mail number) ... and as soon as you receive the check and i will now send my shipper for the pickup of the item asap.... thanks"

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

the only thing i would say is if they are willing to send a bank check or money order and willing to wait for it to clear then what the heck... ive sold a lot of things and accepted bank checks or money orders only with the uderstanding that in the case of checks the item does not ship until the check clears.... and i have purchased many items the same way and never had a real problem...... hard to say.......

Don't say money order and bank cheque in the same sentence. Very different animals. Money orders are cash in hand to the bearer and non-reversible.

Bank cheques, including cashiers, certified, whatever are always subject to reversal- even after they have cleared. The bank will never be left holding the bag.

Please do some research on this type of fraud before you get taken yourself.

 

[red70vette]

A bank check is no better than a personal check. If accepted you need to wait for it to clear. If it is a foreign bank it could take 2-3 weeks. If the buyer is willing to wait then I see no problem.

I am willing to bet that they do not want to wait. As previously mentioned the scam is the shipper comes to pick up the item soon after you advise receipt and several days later the check bounces and you are left holding the bum check and your goods are long gone.

 

[killain]

Just my opinion... but I'm suspicious.

It's likely that English is not the first language of your buyer and unless the buyer is new to our country or lives overseas.... ;squint:?

It just seems that the wording is much like those scam letters you see in your inbox at times.

Perhaps the best person to ask would be YOUR banker. I would think bank officers would be well versed on any scams concerning checks, especially certified checks.

Post here any info you learn. I'm curious.
Jane Ann

I have to agree with Jane Ann, this whole story is kinda ah, OFF! there's something that doesn't sound right. It's 2008 and the methods of making payments are immense and Bank Checks or cashiers checks are VERY often forged. I'd stay away unless the buyer wants to change how he or she is going to pay you. Like Jane Ann said, i'd contact your bank ans how they would handle something like this safely. IMHO

 

[Emtmike]

I had the same thing happen to me just the other day. They asked for the same info and was going to send a check, and once the check was cashed, they're mover was going to come pick up the part. I felt the same thing and am very leary about this whole way of buying items. No check has appeared, and no item is going to be sold to this person.

 

[Space Cowboy]

What means is the safest way to conduct a valid transaction if there are so many scams going around? (aside from cash, in person)

 

[Evolution1980]

What means is the safest way to conduct a valid transaction if there are so many scams going around? (aside from cash, in person)

It's kinda hard to scam/fake monies when you use PayPal or simliar online payment sites. Use these kind of sites to handle the transaction, but don't leave your money in any sites, like PayPal.

True story...My friend Matt had money "saved" in his PayPal account because he did a lot of eBay selling/buying. It was convenient to have the money there. Well, all it took for his account to be frozen was for some a-hole to report him for fraud. PayPal locked his account and he wasn't able to get his own money. Took him months to get it resolved. "Lesson learned".

As well, having a 'balance' in these sites is risky. Essentially your money is just a bunch of 1's and 0's on a computer. If that system goes down or the admins just decide to lock your account, that "money" is gone and best of luck ever talking to an actual person related to any of those sites.

However, I still use PayPal as my main source of transferring money between unknown/distant people. I have PayPal 'linked' to my bank account, so anytime I need to pay or receive money, PayPal is simply the carrier. Money can be paid directly from my bank account to the seller via PayPal. Or any money paid to me via PayPal is immediately transferred into my bank account and not left in PayPal's system. My PayPal account balance is always zero. And PayPal has no way of going into my bank account to remove funds. So it's pretty safe.

 

[Emtmike]

It's kinda hard to scam/fake monies when you use PayPal or simliar online payment sites. Use these kind of sites to handle the transaction, but don't leave your money in any sites, like PayPal.

True story...My friend Matt had money "saved" in his PayPal account because he did a lot of eBay selling/buying. It was convenient to have the money there. Well, all it took for his account to be frozen was for some a-hole to report him for fraud. PayPal locked his account and he wasn't able to get his own money. Took him months to get it resolved. "Lesson learned".

As well, having a 'balance' in these sites is risky. Essentially your money is just a bunch of 1's and 0's on a computer. If that system goes down or the admins just decide to lock your account, that "money" is gone and best of luck ever talking to an actual person related to any of those sites.

However, I still use PayPal as my main source of transferring money between unknown/distant people. I have PayPal 'linked' to my bank account, so anytime I need to pay or receive money, PayPal is simply the carrier. Money can be paid directly from my bank account to the seller via PayPal. Or any money paid to me via PayPal is immediately transferred into my bank account and not left in PayPal's system. My PayPal account balance is always zero. And PayPal has no way of going into my bank account to remove funds. So it's pretty safe.

I agree with Andre. I believe Paypal is one of the safest ways of getting payment. That person never did get back to me about my item, so all's well when you mention PayPal.

 

[KANE]

"Hello, Thanks for your mail and i will like to affirm that i am really interested in your items and will like to inform you that my only mode of paying you is by mailing you certified bank check and if you are ok with that... you can get back to me with your home address.. Payee name that will be on check and a valid phone number ( no voice mail number) ... and as soon as you receive the check and i will now send my shipper for the pickup of the item asap.... thanks"

Scam.

Anyone who REALLY wants your item/items will have an email that is personalized for you. It will talk about what it is that you are selling and why he/she wants it. No one rushes that quick to make an offer in the first email. No one asks for that level of information in the first correspondence.

I'd consider it a scam.

 

[milo30]

You didn't say what country that came from but even a cashier's cheque Canada/USA takes 10-15 business days to clear.

Be careful with assuming after 10-15 days, your bank clears the check. I found out the hard way that this is the time that they usually give before they make the amount available in your account but not necessarily the time that it takes for the check to actually clear.

In my situation after 10 days the amt was available in my account. Some time after this, it was removed because the check was a forgery. Luckily for me this didn't cost me anything but time.

 

[gaC5]

Is this a classic scam

I was trying to sell my 78 vett on the internet awhile back and I received an email from some guy that I could tell by his email that he was a foreigner. I replied several times to his email and gave him my address. Awhile later I received a check for $18,000{I was asking 13,500]. The envelope had a return address but no name. Inside was the check and nothing else. So I assumed that was payment for the car and shipping. I took the check to my bank and found out the check was from a savings and loan company in Oklahoma. The check was legitamete but the signatures had been forged. The bank said they would try to find out who it was but they never did. I also saved all the emails sent to me and showed them to the band too.