Stupid Scam
Vic Smith
After me getting on his case for almost 2 years to get them out of
there, he puts an ad in Craigs list to sell them.
Asking $650. He paid $900 for them. About 3k miles on the good
tires, but it's the alloy rims alone that cost him $900.
They're "special" rims. Don't ask me, I never got into that stuff.
He lives some miles away and gets over here once or twice a week, but
I talk to him almost every day.
All I know is he dealing with a responder to the ad via e-mail and the
guy tells him he will have a cartage company pick up the tires for
him.
About a week after this stuff starts I get in the mail a big mylar
overnighted USPS envelope with a USPS cardboard mailer inside,
and a check inside that.
The check is for $2771.00 from an a computer parts company in Georgia.
Full page with perforated tear-off check, watermarks, etc.
The real thing. I found the company's website. Legit.
The mail and check have my son's name, so I call him at work.
Something's fishy, because my son basically lives paycheck to
paycheck.
He has no idea about it, so calls the company. A guy there tells him
to tear the check up, as they closed the account after 4 or 5
fraudulently produced checks showed up a few weeks ago.
That's all they told him. I put the check in the packaging and saved
it for him, thinking he could frame it as his first fraudulent check.
I don't even have one of those.
About 4 days later my son calls and tells me to check the mail because
the guy buying the tires emailed my son and said he sent the check.
Okay.
Next day my son calls again and says the guy says the check should be
there. I checked the mailbox and got my mail, but nothing for him.
Then a little bell goes off, and I ask my son if the guy sent him a
tracking number. Yep. Same tracking number on the phony check
envelope.
Next day he's over at the house and shows me the last email the
"buyer" sent. It says to send via Western Union the check excess over
$650 to an address in Michigan, supposedly the cartage company,
whereupon they will make arrangements to pick up the tires the next
day or so.
Incredibly stupid scam as attempted.
Maybe workable if done right.
If the buyer had said to expect a check from his company and named it.
Could have even said he was the CEO.
Then there would be no confusion about the check, and no big reason to
suspect it.
And if the "excess" was a reasonable amount for a cartage charge.
Maybe 3 or 4 hundred max.
And if my son had that 3 or 4 hundred in his bank account.
Still doesn't smell right though.
Any time you should be taking cash for a sale and find yourself
sending somebody *your* cash something is wrong.
But he was eager to sell the tires, is honest himself, and might have
fallen for it if it was done right.
He's got the tires on Ebay now, so I'm still hoping they're out of my
garage soon.
The "buyer" is sending him "URGENT" e-mails complaining about the
cartage company waiting for their Western Union moneygram or whatever
it is. He doesn't respond to them.
The envelope with the fraudulent check was sent from a named person in
Nevada. I googled her name and she has something to do with 4H out
there, so might just be doing remailing as a sideline if she's not a
crook.
The "cartage company" address in Michigan is a real address.
We're just outside Chicago.
The "buyer" emails with a gmail account. Bad English.
My son printed the emails and I told him to take everything to the
Post Office fraud department, but he's only called them so far, so I
don't know where that's at.
My bet is it's a waste of time because they won't devote any resources
to it with all the scammers out there.
Anyway, that's all I know. Keep your antennae up.
--Vic
John Weiss
. . .
> About a week after this stuff starts I get in the mail a big mylar
> overnighted USPS envelope with a USPS cardboard mailer inside,
> and a check inside that.
> The check is for $2771.00 from an a computer parts company in Georgia.
> Full page with perforated tear-off check, watermarks, etc.
> The real thing. I found the company's website. Legit.
> The mail and check have my son's name, so I call him at work.
> Something's fishy, because my son basically lives paycheck to
> paycheck.
> He has no idea about it, so calls the company. A guy there tells him
> to tear the check up, as they closed the account after 4 or 5
> fraudulently produced checks showed up a few weeks ago.
. . .
> Next day he's over at the house and shows me the last email the
> "buyer" sent. It says to send via Western Union the check excess over
> $650 to an address in Michigan, supposedly the cartage company,
> whereupon they will make arrangements to pick up the tires the next
> day or so.
> Incredibly stupid scam as attempted.
> Maybe workable if done right.
It's just one of eleventy-seven variations on the same basic scam --
they send a bogus check and ask you to wire back the "overpayment."
They hope you send the [nonrefundable] wire before you find out the
check is bogus.
Craigslist is supposed to be LOCAL. If a real person doesn't show up
with REAL money, be VERY suspicious...
h
"John Weiss" <jrw...@attglobal.net> wrote in message
news:i0ela9$aj3$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
And never, EVER send ANYONE money until the check or wire clears. Can take
several weeks. For foreign transactions it can take even longer. If you are
worried about a check bouncing, go to the SENDER'S bank and walk out with
green money. Problem solved. No local branch? Make them use another form of
payment. This is retail 101. A lot of consumers get scammed by this because
they haven't have to learn retail 101 the hard way.
Bob F
Clearing is not sufficient. The bank can come back to you even if somehow the
check "clears".
Rod Speed
Not if you walk out with green money they cant.
frie...@zoocrewphoto.com
If you cash the check at your own bank, they will deduct it, plus fee,
from your account. The only way to make it work would be to cash it
from their bank, which may not be possible if the check is from a bank
that isn't in your area.
I accept checks for my business, for in-person sales as well as orders
by mail. But for craigslist or ebay sales, I do cash or paypal only.
No cashier's checks or money orders whatsoever.
Rod Speed
> Rod Speed <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote
>> Bob F wrote
>>> h wrote
>>>> John Weiss <jrwe...@attglobal.net> wrote
>>>>>> About a week after this stuff starts I get in the mail a big
>>>>>> mylar overnighted USPS envelope with a USPS cardboard mailer
>>>>>> inside, and a check inside that.
>>>>>> The check is for $2771.00 from an a computer parts company in
>>>>>> Georgia. Full page with perforated tear-off check, watermarks,
>>>>>> etc. The real thing. I found the company's website. Legit.
>>>>>> The mail and check have my son's name, so I call him at work.
>>>>>> Something's fishy, because my son basically lives paycheck to
>>>>>> paycheck.
>>>>>> He has no idea about it, so calls the company. A guy there tells
>>>>>> him to tear the check up, as they closed the account after 4 or 5
>>>>>> fraudulently produced checks showed up a few weeks ago.
>>>>>> Next day he's over at the house and shows me the last email the
>>>>>> "buyer" sent. It says to send via Western Union the check excess
>>>>>> over $650 to an address in Michigan, supposedly the cartage
>>>>>> company, whereupon they will make arrangements to pick up the
>>>>>> tires the next day or so.
>>>>>> Incredibly stupid scam as attempted.
>>>>>> Maybe workable if done right.
>>>>> It's just one of eleventy-seven variations on the same basic scam
>>>>> -- they send a bogus check and ask you to wire back the
>>>>> "overpayment." They hope you send the [nonrefundable] wire before
>>>>> you find out the check is bogus.
>>>>> Craigslist is supposed to be LOCAL. If a real person doesn't show
>>>>> up with REAL money, be VERY suspicious...
>>>> And never, EVER send ANYONE money until the check or wire clears.
>>>> Can take several weeks. For foreign transactions it can take even
>>>> longer. If you are worried about a check bouncing, go to the
>>>> SENDER'S bank and walk out with green money. Problem solved. No
>>>> local branch? Make them use another form of payment. This is
>>>> retail 101. A lot of consumers get scammed by this because they
>>>> haven't have to learn retail 101 the hard way.
>>> Clearing is not sufficient. The bank can come back to you even if
>>> somehow the check "clears".
>> Not if you walk out with green money they cant.
> If you cash the check at your own bank,
He clearly said to use the SENDERS bank.
> they will deduct it, plus fee, from your account.
Cant do that if you use the SENDERS bank and they dont know who you are.
> The only way to make it work would be to cash it from their bank,
Which is what the original said.
> which may not be possible if the check is from a bank that isn't in your area.
> I accept checks for my business, for in-person sales as well as orders
> by mail. But for craigslist or ebay sales, I do cash or paypal only.
> No cashier's checks or money orders whatsoever.
Irrelevant to the scam being discussed.
frie...@zoocrewphoto.com
> fries...@zoocrewphoto.com wrote
I was responding to YOUR post, which made it sound like anybody could
do that. While the other person mentioned the sender's bank, you did
not. And chances are that the scammer used a bank that would not be
available locally to the victim, otherwise, it would be easy to
determine that it is a fake.
Rod Speed
Corse they can.
> While the other person mentioned the sender's bank, you did not.
I dont bother to repeat stuff like that, I assume the
reader can carry that thru from the post I was replying to.
> And chances are that the scammer used a bank that
> would not be available locally to the victim, otherwise,
> it would be easy to determine that it is a fake.
Then use an account in a bank that you only use for that sort of thing,
and just close it after you get the cash and want to protect yourself
against it bouncing later. Thats then the bank's problem.
Not a shred of rocket science whatever required.
frie...@zoocrewphoto.com
> Then use an account in a bank that you only use for that sort of thing,
> and just close it after you get the cash and want to protect yourself
> against it bouncing later. Thats then the bank's problem.
>
> Not a shred of rocket science whatever required.
Don't you know that the bank can still go after you? If you don't pay
it, they go hire a collection agency or sue you. They may not do it
for a small amount, but if it is a larger check, they may.
It's much easier simply not to accept these checks in the first
place.
Rod Speed
>> Then use an account in a bank that you only use for that sort of
>> thing, and just close it after you get the cash and want to protect
>> yourself against it bouncing later. Thats then the bank's problem.
>> Not a shred of rocket science whatever required.
> Don't you know that the bank can still go after you?
Not if they cant identify you they cant.
> If you don't pay it, they go hire a collection agency or sue you.
Not if they cant identify you they cant.
> They may not do it for a small amount, but if it is a larger check, they may.
Not if they cant identify you they cant.
> It's much easier simply not to accept these checks in the first place.
Yes, but the other alternative works too.
frie...@zoocrewphoto.com
> fries...@zoocrewphoto.com wrote:
> > Rod Speed <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote
> >> Then use an account in a bank that you only use for that sort of
> >> thing, and just close it after you get the cash and want to protect
> >> yourself against it bouncing later. Thats then the bank's problem.
> >> Not a shred of rocket science whatever required.
> > Don't you know that the bank can still go after you?
>
> Not if they cant identify you they cant.
>
And how do you open an account at a bank without them being able to
identify you? You suggested above that we open an account, cash the
check, and close the account. I don't know of any bank that will open
an account without valid ID.
Rod Speed
> Rod Speed <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote
>> fries...@zoocrewphoto.com wrote
>>> Rod Speed <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote
>>>> Then use an account in a bank that you only use for that sort of
>>>> thing, and just close it after you get the cash and want to protect
>>>> yourself against it bouncing later. Thats then the bank's problem.
>>>> Not a shred of rocket science whatever required.
>>> Don't you know that the bank can still go after you?
>> Not if they cant identify you they cant.
> And how do you open an account at a bank without them being able to identify you?
You use false details, stupid.
> You suggested above that we open an account,
> cash the check, and close the account. I don't know
> of any bank that will open an account without valid ID.
Presumably you actually are that stupid.
Have a look at how illegals do that sometime.
h
<frie...@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
news:6f90901e-a371-4af2...@n20g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
>And how do you open an account at a bank without them being able to
>identify you? You suggested above that we open an account, cash the
>check, and close the account. I don't know of any bank that will open
>an account without valid ID.
Again, the only way to do this is to go to the bank upon which the check is
drawn and cash the check. Also, you SHOULD NOT have any accounts there, or
they will come after you if it bounces. You need to walk out with green
money and no paper trail, and you're set. If there is no local branch, don't
take the check. Accepting credit cards is expensive, accepting PayPal is
REALLY expensive, but they are the safest way to go since cash only works
for in-person sales.