This person contacted me very shortly after I had listed my car for sale in an online ad.

Is your car still for sale? (4:20 PM, DEC 5)

I said yes.

Thanks for getting back to me,i'm Frank Bayer by name and i will like to make a deal with you so Im just asking about it to make sure its in good condition as im buying it for myself but presently am not around due to the nature of my job, so can you assure me i will not be disappointed? also no shipment involved as i have a mover that will come for it.Im okay with the price and condition , I can only pay you via one of the fastest and secure way to pay online (PayPal)..Do you have a paypal account? Let me know asap so i can arrange the payment through PayPal. my shipper will be coming to pick it up as soon as the payment clears into your account . Await your reply (4:25 PM, DEC 5)

I told him I wasn't interested in his scam and immediately blocked his number.

YUP !!!   good  job...........


scammers  from   africa


There is a widespread scam occurring in the world of online classified advertising that you should be aware of. It affects the both the big advertising sites and small niche sites such as this one. It is a con artist's ploy using a ruse story where the con artist tries to get YOU to send him a monetary difference between the item you are selling him and a large money note he (or the friend in the scam story) sends you. Although you are able to deposit the money note, in a week or two your bank will come back to you claiming it was fraudulent. In the meantime, the scammers hope you honor your agreement and send off the overpayment and perhaps whatever you are selling. Bang - YOU have been taken. The story line used changes, and there are many con artists now modeling this ploy - because it is working. UPDATE 2012: The scammers are increasingly insisting on using PayPal to pay you. However, the PayPal E-mail notices you receive indicating you have been paid are FAKE - there will be no money sent to your actual PayPal account. The scam is exactly the same, and ends up with you sending them real money via Western Union or something similar.

    Please be careful - only deal with REAL money - cash, checks or bank notes that you verify funds on. Remember, BANK DRAFTS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS CASH. Your bank will release the funds to you usually within 48 hours BUT a fake draft can take up to two weeks or more to come back to the bank - then you are on the hook for whatever amount it was! Always call the issuing bank to confirm the draft AND wait at least two or three weeks for the funds to clear. Remember also that a fake draft may have a fake address and/or phone number. Check with directory assistance to confirm that the name of the bank, address and phone number are legitimate. Also keep in mind that stolen cheque may be declared valid by the bank if the policy holder is not aware of the theft yet. They can still come after you for the funds once they realize there was fraudulent activity in the account.

I just received the exact message as to this from an add I had listed for sale.  I also said I only work locally and accept cash only! Avoid scams,  they sound so believable.

I got the same story on the same # so be careful

Yep.....got the same exact message 20 minutes ago.