I'm trying to sell my old panel truck project (No, I'm not posting a "For Sale" on the discussion board) so I listed in the swap section of this site, then on Craiglist. I had it listed for $1500 OBO. A couple of days after I had it listed I got a gracious offer for the price I listed. Poor guy had poor typing and English skills but he seemed polite. I asked where he lived and he told me Iowa, which isn't too far from me so I asked where in Iowa and replied with the name of the city. I told him I had relatives nearby that I had planned on visiting and that I could deliver the truck to him and save him $$ on shipping. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to do that. I then asked him to give me his phone number and I would call him to discuss the sale. Poor guy told me his wife was in the hospital and his phone wasn't working but he wanted me to send him my address so he could send me the check ASAP. After a week of emails I finally gave him my address, actually my business address, I really didn't want to give him my home address. After I sent him my address he emailed that he had sent the check with additional funds to cover his shipper costs. He also informed me that he doesn't have time for me to wait for the check to clear my bank, he could only wait 2 days at most before he needed the extra money to be sent to his shipper via money order. Such a kind person.

I think I'll wait a day or two and see what his response is. I think I'll waste a little of his time before I string him along a little longer. Unless any of you think this is legit.

 

Right after I posted the above I got an email from the poor soul, seems his wife was in a "fatal" accident and needs to go into emgency surgury. I would think it might be a little too late for that. But he needs the excess money sent to his shipper ASAP to help pay for the surgury or else his wife is going to die.

Time for some messing with the guy, any suggestions?

 

Sounds kind of scammy to me, I wouldn't send a dime of yours to some to some unknown shipper after you affered to deliver it yourself. I've heard of similar scams. If I were you I'd report him to the authorities. If his wife is at the point of loosing her life, he must be a real low life himself if all he has on his mind is buying a truck, it might be different if he asked if you could hold off the sale for awhile until things looked better in his and her future. Don't take the chance of losing more than just your panel. Thats what I think anyways.

 

Thats a very interesting and creative scam hes trying to run.You could allways take the check to the police and stop this guy before he scams more people.Tell him your relatives(one of them could be a lawyer from a accident claim firm and wishs to talk to her about the accident or a police officer) would love to visit his wife thats doing so poorly in the hospital and that you will also be in town shortly to see her.

 

not legit, and you are not wasting any of his time.. he has a 100 others going on at the same time.

I took a couple of the fake checks and had them fingerprint checked.. nothing.. so they are careful enough not to leave too many traces..

sam

 

I replied to his last email telling him I'm going to be out of town until the weekend and I won't be able to cash his check until next week. I also told him I hope his wife can hold out until then because we have such a lousy medical system in country that I hope the government can help him.

I've played with these types of guys before. I tend to get them really p*ssed off but at least I'm wasting their time and they aren't going after some unsuppecting soul.

I was listening to NPR one day and their guest operates a web site that targets the Nigerian scammers. They send the scammers all over with the enticement of big money. It was quite funny the he they were put through being sent to the roughest parts of the roughest cities in Africa. Finally when these scammer were literally broke, beat up and worn out they had to find a way back home. The NPR host thought it was terrible to put some one through such harsh treatment but the guest told him a couple of weeks later the same scammers were hooked by another one of their operators and were pressuring him to send money he told them he had to use for his sick daughter. The scam bater figure if they can waste these guy's time and resources there's less left for them to scam the little old ladies out there. These scammer scam billions of dollars a year and deserve any mistreatment they get.

 

Bob-
You could always offer to trade him some ocean front property in Arizona.

 

This is of course, as phoney as a 3-dollar bill. If he gets any wind that you are on to him he will drop you pronto! Go gently...slim

 

Thes guys like to play with spammers and scammers.
uce@ftc.gov

 

Go get em Bob!

Bobby

 

SCAM.........This is the same type of story i hear in the local news. There should be a way to track these people and report them!

 

Bob , keep stringing them along . We did the same to a person in Wash. state that had a '70 Cuda near mint for $9400.00 .Had 8x10 glossies with directions & arrows too .Had the same scam with the shipping going on too . We had a very hard time contacting them .Go get them you bull dog !!

 

The lastest is he told me his wife is going to die if I don't send him the extra $1200 he sent in his check. As mentioned above, if he needs the $1200 why is he spending $1500 sight unseen for a truck? He told me to send him the money out of my pocket and I can cash the check next week when I get home. I told him with our hard economic times I'm living on my credit card and don't have the cash, that's why I am selling off my priced possessions.

One of my customers came into the shop and I told him about the scammer and his suggestion was to return the scam by offering the financial assistance of my church for his sick wife. I told him I called my minister and he said the church had a special charity fund for such cases and there was a little over $47K in the fund availlable to him. All he has to do is send me his full name and address. I just want to see if he'll take the bait so I can get a name and address so I can forward it to the local police. I am also going to contact the company he has listed on his phony check, I'm sure they might be interested.

 

Hi Bob,

I know this guy is someone youare suspicious of and wisely. But I'm not sure if you should prolong your contact with him.

It may be that he is continuing all this communication to bait you into divulving certain information that you may not even be aware of - intelligence gathering.

He knows what he is looking for and what the game is, you don't.

I know taunting these jerks is fun but I would hate to see such a great guy and a great family get hurt.

I would break this off Immediately!

 

Ever time I put something on Craiglist I get all this crap. I just send an e-mail telling them it is a cash only/you pick up and never hear from them again. They usually can't speak or type english and use a nice womans or mans name that sounds legit.