i always tell buyer on craglist....cash only in person....
too many scams out there...i received same one


From: willlosep@gmail.com

I understand the present condition as started in the advert, i'm okay
> with the asking price, i will not be able to come to look at it due to
> the long distant, the easiest way for me to make the payment is
> through a bank check, i'll wait until your bank clears the check
> before we proceed with the pickup. I'll also take care of the pickup
> and delivery when the check cleared, so if you are willing to sell it
> to me, get back to me with your name, address, city, state, zip code
> and phone number for me to issue the check to you.
>
> Regard's,
> Joseph William
> 1923 Corral Ln
> Salt Lake City, UT 84116
>

same message from Joseph William.  Thank you to whoever started this post. Saved me time figuring out his scam.

look........


these are  all scams  from   foreign  countries..........how   difficult  is  this  to   figure   out????

key  tip  off:

poor  english / command of the  english  language.....poor   spelling  and  phrases  that  make  no  sense  whatsoever.....
uses a    first and  last  common  name !!!    " joe  smith " /  joe  william /  billy  john.....these  scammers  are  too stupid   to  figure  out  anything  else  !!!!


**********************************************************************


IMPORTANT E-MAIL SCAM ALERT!!!

    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.

    Please be careful - only deal with REAL money - cash, PayPal, 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.

    The best solution is to use the services of Escrow.com - a third party escrow service. I recommend this escrow service because it is REAL. 90% of online escrow sites are fake! The scammers will insist on using an escrow service of their choice which itself turns out to be fraudulent. Fake escrow sites can also be checked at www.sos4auctions.com.

A recent (un-edited), example of these con artists in action is below:

"Good day,
I am a business man in Nigeria, i would like to have the auto has i understand it is for sale(Chevy, Corvette), so then i will be offering you the sum of $18000.00 for the payment,but if my offer is accepted by you,then i think i should i will like to see some more pics of it and i also want to let you know that i intend paying for it with a cashier's check drawn from a US bank due to the fact that wire transfer these days is not safe for payment,so then i will kindly wait you,as you reply soon,so we can get on with the transaction immedaitely.
Thank you very much as i await your reply.
MR PETER LONG. "

    The first tip off is the subject line of the E-mail. In many examples the scammers usually just copy and paste your item description directly into the subject line of the E-mail. Second big tip off is in regards to shipping. The scammers almost always offer to take care of arranging shipping themselves. They may also mention paying with a Cashier's Check in the initial E-mail, though some appear to also be using hijacked PayPal accounts. Suspicious E-mails may also use all capital letters, have bad spelling, request more contact or banking info from you, will not be concerned with the condition or price of the car, and will probably claim to be a re-seller or agent for someone else. If any of these things are in an E-mail you receive you have a scammer on your hands! Additionally, if the buyer is claiming he is at sea at the moment and has limited access to the internet, it is a scam. They will most likely be using a free E-mail service as well. Yahoo, Hotmail and USA.com are common ones but there are many more worldwide. If you do not recognize the domain of the E-mail (the part after the @) just copy and paste it into your browser and go check it out. If it is a free service be very wary.

Yes,  

Same crook, different name, same phone number

Me selling something on Craigslist and getting:

"i'm okay with the price and i understand the present condition as
started in the advert, i will not be able to come and look at it
because i'm very busy at work, the easiest way for me to make the
payment is through paypal and i will hire a shipper that will come for
the pickup at your location, kindly provide me your name, address,
city, state, code and phone number for the mover to calculate the cost
of the shipment, with your paypal email account for me to make the
payment."

baiting him and he responds:

"thanks for the information, the check of a sum of $3976.34 will be mailed and you will deduct your $1495 and send the remaining money to the shipper that will come for the pickup, it’s because i still have about four goods that they will pickup in instates with yours, that why the shipment fee was $2481.34, i know this is non of your business, but due shippers policy is that, the shipment funds has to be send by you to show you have permitted them to come for the pickup at your address, let me know if you really want to sell it to me. "

Then he switched to the Western Union Scam option:

"You will have to deposit the mover funds at any Western Union Cash Transfer Office in Walmart or Outlet in your location.
 
Make use of the below info for the deposit.

Name: Ginnelle Garcia
Address: 1767 Springfield Ave #2
Maplewood NJ 07040

You will deduct the Western Union Cash Transfer charges from the fund and you will email me back with MTCN control number, Total Fund Sent, Senders Name and Address, Pick up date and time with location once the fund has been sent, i will await your response asap"

Then he sends a registered USPS to the address I gave him (the local police station! :) And I tell him that is where he can pickup his cash in person ! ;-) ;-)

"No this is legit business and the mover must receive their payment before they proceed with the shipment and you can call me at (801) 738-6398."

Called the guy - he has a VOIP/Internet phone from Utah...

These scammers are getting a little creative but it certainly puts a bad mark on foreign people!!!!!  Anyone with an accent will now be suspected.  Nice,  a few [***] wreak it for everyone....

Exact same email regarding a listing I posted on craigslist.com  Told him the item sold.  Folks, beware!