Have I dodged a bullet?

Don't know who else to ask really apart from you guys.

Scenario: I posted details of a bass amp I want to sell on a site called friday-ad.o.uk

I received an email from this guy who said he was interested, whether it was still for sale, what the asking price was (this was clearly visible in the Advert)

Anyway, today, I get this from him:

I will buy it. Please remove the ad or put it as sold. I will pay by cheque. I will take care of the shipping and its cost; I bought some other goods that I will be shipping with it. I already have a shipping agent that will collect it from you. The collection will be done after you have cashed the cheque. The amount I will be sending you will include extra money for the shipper that will pick up from you.
send me your details as below; Name, Address, city, code,
Phone number, Agreed Price, Now I'm no expert when it comes to selling stuff via the Internet, but this just doesn't sound right to me.

Am I just being ever so slightly more paranoid than usual, or does this sound bogus to you?


Cheers, Jonesey

you don't have to sell it to anyone you're uncomfortable with.  and I would not mark it as sold until I had money in hand - AFTER the cheque has cleared the bank!  (and I would not accept a cheque anyway - a money order or paypal only!).

tell him YOUR terms and if he can't agree to that - sell it to someone else!

THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SCAMS IN THE BOOK...
"You deposit the check into your account and wire the money to the contact (the employer, shipper, cyber-soulmate, businessman, etc.) when the funds are posted to your bank account. Few consumers realize that, while banks are required to post checks within a matter of days, it generally takes weeks for a check to clear. Weeks later the bank notifies you that the check was counterfeit or stolen, and you are responsible for the full value of the deposited check."

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/craigslist_ebay_buyer_pay_via_money_order_scam.html

Hey BJ,
after your done sorting this out would you be interested in buying a bridge as well....lol???
 
i know you guys might not sell things on line but this is biggest growing trend for scams right now.
i had one guy i played with so bad i desided to tell him,he was such a nice guy i wanted to just give it to him..he got so mad demanding he pay for it..so i gave him the address of the local police station.
a few days later he was asking me if i had got it...i said no..so he sent another one..finaly i let him in on..i knew what was going on.
 
what is sad is some people got taken big for this a few years back when the scam was new.
even teenagers asking their parents to deposit the check,then their parents get stuck with the damage of losing big.
 
 
PS-i posted a thread on this a while back.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2266935&high=craigslist

Glyn Barnes

chuckebaby


THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SCAMS IN THE BOOK...
"You deposit the check into your account and wire the money to the contact (the employer, shipper, cyber-soulmate, businessman, etc.) when the funds are posted to your bank account. Few consumers realize that, while banks are required to post checks within a matter of days, it generally takes weeks for a check to clear. Weeks later the bank notifies you that the check was counterfeit or stolen, and you are responsible for the full value of the deposited check." 

Cunning!

Most banks show "account balance" - What you think you have, and "Available Balance" - Funds you've paid in that have actually cleared.  Once a cheque has gone though the clearing process, which usually involves physically posting it to the issuing bank for checking, the funds are yours and can't be taken back.
If a cheque 'bounces' or is stopped before it has cleared then it never shows in Available Balance.
 
The scams only work if you don't allow time for the cheque to go through the system fully.
Cheques are pretty safe as long as you use them correctly,  ie. ensure they have cleared before you spend the money or release goods.

Karyn

Glyn Barnes

chuckebaby


THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SCAMS IN THE BOOK...
"You deposit the check into your account and wire the money to the contact (the employer, shipper, cyber-soulmate, businessman, etc.) when the funds are posted to your bank account. Few consumers realize that, while banks are required to post checks within a matter of days, it generally takes weeks for a check to clear. Weeks later the bank notifies you that the check was counterfeit or stolen, and you are responsible for the full value of the deposited check." 

Cunning!

Most banks show "account balance" - What you think you have, and "Available Balance" - Funds you've paid in that have actually cleared.  Once a cheque has gone though the clearing process, which usually involves physically posting it to the issuing bank for checking, the funds are yours and can't be taken back.
If a cheque 'bounces' or is stopped before it has cleared then it never shows in Available Balance.
 
The scams only work if you don't allow time for the cheque to go through the system fully.
Cheques are pretty safe as long as you use them correctly,  ie. ensure they have cleared before you spend the money or release goods.

moneyorders and checks are two whole different things.
if you put a bogus money order in your bank account and are given money for it upfront(that money is held against your account)
by the time the money order clears and found to be bogus,your left picking up the tab.
 
*sorry i think i misunderstood your post  :)

TOTALLY BOGUS..... DO NOT DO THE DEAL.

I posted a number of things on Ebay and Craigs list and every one of them got this kind of response. 

If you do this... they get the item you are selling.... and when you deposit the check, your bank will cash it for you.... in good faith but held against your account there..... you give the person the extra money and in about 2 weeks the bank calls you to inform you that the check is fraudulent and the funds did not clear and they have debited your account for the full amount PLUS bad check fees.

You lose the item the money you send and the amount of the check.

I started adding this to every single listing on Ebay and Craigs List and the scam buyers did not bother me any more. 

To all potential bidders and buyers. Do not contact me telling me you like my item and ask me to do a deal outside of the parameters of this auction/sale. I do not take checks or money orders so don't bother to even ask if I will. You know and I know you are only trying to scam me out of the money and the item. Don't tell me you will have a shipping company come to get it for you and expect to pay with a check. I expect cash on the barrel head if you buy this item and pick it up in person or use PAYPAL if you are buying long distance and I am shipping. (lower 48 USA only)  I will log into my PAYPAL account to check to see that the money is deposited and then I will ship it to you. 


If you are a legitimate buyer you will not have a problem with this and I will not have a problem selling it to you as described. No exceptions, no fooling, this is not a joke and I'm not kidding...so don't even ask. 


Amazingly, the scammers have not bothered to waste my time since I started using this in the ads I post when I sell something.... whether it is musical gear or anything else. 

Being in business, I have had people try to scam me by calling through a deaf tele-operator service to buy smoke detectors (I'm in the security/fire alarm business). They want to order 200 of them......they ask for my email address and then take the deal to the internet through email. They tell me they will issue a PO and pay with a check. They also offer to have FedEx come to my location and pick them up. When I ask for a street delivery location they say they prefer to use their shipper and pick them up. I tell them that I'm glad to do business with them but..... due to scams, I will not allow pickups to pay with a check unless I have done business with them in the past. However, they can send the check, I will deposit it and after it clears my bank which can take up to 30 days, I will notify them that the shipment is ready for pickup.  They normally disappear at that point. Good riddance.

BTW: if I did that deal.... I would have lost $6000 in product that they would have and would sell on Ebay and I would not be able to recover it.   I have had this scam attempted on me 2 different times. And there are others that have also been attempted.... you must be careful. 

And dealing with Craigs list has it's own set of dangers that you MUST be aware of and prepared to deal with should you conclude the deal. I have sold at least 3 items on craigs list and all 3 people came but left the money in their vehicles locked up until they knew the deal was real and the item was what they wanted. I, on the other hand, was prepared with my 9mm on my person and watched the mannerisms and body language of the individuals and those with them like a hawk. Strong armed robberies on both sides are things to be aware of with CL. 

Thanks for the heads up then!

Good tip there as well Herb, something we should all do as a matter of course.

Anyone want a bass amp?

Western Union only !!

No Karyn, it's this one

The thing Craigb pointed out is why I LOG IN TO MY ACCOUNT from a web browser..... I type in the address and log in with my log on info.... that way...I am 100% sure I am in MY PAYPAL account. Also... the address bar on Paypal should show the HTTPS indicating a Secured connection. 

Scammers are smart, and they are cunning.... so you have to be smarter and more aware and just as brazen and bold as they are. 

That bold type warning/notice I posted did not stop the legit buyers from asking about the item. But it stopped the scammers from wasting my time since they knew their tricks and would not be a mark for them. 

Another thing..... be very careful with the bogus cellphone bill and missed delivery emails that are out there. They have malware in the links...... I just delete them right from the git-go. They are going after passwords and log in info for online banking. 

You could always scambait him:

http://listverse.com/2010/09/11/10-great-scam-baiting-operations/ 

Col, why not just plonk it on eBay.

Make sure you say it's for local collection only, and specify either PayPal up front, or cash on collection.
 
I know they cream off a bit in fees and commission, but they're pretty good in protecting the innocent party if a transaction goes tits up.
 
Simples.
 
 
 

Bristol_Jonesey


No Karyn, it's this one

I'll buy it, take it down send me your bank account details, PIN number and any passwords you've got and I promise I'll transfer the dough for you.

Yeah I already have a Paypal account, so maybe Ebay's a better place to plonk it.

I've also got another 2 guitar amps that are doing nothing but gather dust.

I can't add any more hardware to an already cramped room without offloading some of this stuff first.

bj,those were and still are good amps...the peavey TNT's.
if you can find one that is in good condition.
i used one here in the studio up until about a year or so ago.
once the speaker caught a cold(a rattle some where)it was all down hill.
but the mid sweep and EQ options are quite well on those models.
not to mention the old "pop up volume boost".