Craigslist Scam: Cheque and Western Union For More Than Amount

DETAILS ON HOW TO RECEIVE YOUR FIRST PAYMENT
Saturday, September 18, 2010 5:44 PM
From:
"WESTERN UNION DEPT1"
Add sender to Contacts
To:
mathsteacher40230@yahoo.com
Branch Locator

Welcome to Western Union:
Send Money Worldwide
FROM THE DESK OF WESTERN UNION REMITTANCE DEPT
Our Ref:WUMT0XX2/987
WEB SITE.www.westernunion.com

ATTENTION

Please be informed that the funds are coming directly from the United Nation Fund headquarters in west Africa. It is a Grand Donation from the United Nation to support individuals financially, due to the global and financial economic meltdown. Your email address was selected globally as one of the beneficiaries of this year promo and we are only to pay beneficiaries once they meet their financial obligations. Because meanwhile we
are aware that the funds is pick up when tracked, But its on hold right now pending on when you fulfill the rules given to you.

Western Union is not allowed to make all payment at once to individuals without proper identification for security reasons, so you have to make the payment of $160 USD for purchasing your International Remittance File ( I.R.F) and opening of a western union account before the funds can come in from western union, then you can withdraw all your funds in just 5 mins. Do not get the doubt in mind about this because this is not a scam and as soon as the payment of$160 USD is confirm, your account will be setup and the details of the account together with the certificate of ownership will be sent to you and put you as the receiver of the funds on how to pick up the money from any western union office / outlet in your country.

In regards to your mail that was received in our office and was noted, We recieved the information you sent to us for the transfer of your fund valued at $300,000.00USD, on instalmental daily transfer of $5,000.00USD per day. Note that we will be transfering the fund to you $5000.00USD per day as the western union protocol restricts us from making transfer of fund more than $5000USD per day here in Africa.We have started today with transfer of the first $5,000USD. Find bellow the payment information:

Sender Information's
Sender first name =xxxxxxx
Sender last name=xxxx
MTCN;= xxxxxxxxxxx
Amount;= 5,000 USD
Test Question;= xxxx
Test Answer;= xxxx

You are required to check your transfer status online at our weblink for confirmation by clicking on this link: www.westernunion.com.
You will not be able to pick this payment up because it has been put on hold by the payment supervisor. In accordance to the new rules and regulations of all the western union money transfer world-wide, you are to make payment for the swift programming and MTCN transfer tax to your country which will cost you $160 USD before the transfer can be released to you for pick up. Bear it in mind that the fee is not negotiable and we can not release the transfer to you today if you did not send the required fee. Be informed that the fee cover for the transfer of all your fund and not just this first transfer meaning that you will not be required to pay any fee for the rest of the transfer.

You are advised to go to the nearest Western Union Money Transfer outlet around you and send the fee immediately because the fee is the only delay for your fund to be released as the fund is presently on our system. Do send me your phone number in your next mail for oral directions.

Below is the information you will use to send us the fee of $160 USD Via western union to our account officer Jones Smith

Receivers name_____JONES SMITH

Receivers Address_____ 432 James Watt way

City_______________ Abuja

Country____________ Nigeria

Mtcn Number_____

Amount sent_____

Text Question______ When

Answer_____________Today

Once you send the money, send the payment information immediately for easy pick-up and your transfer shall be released in two hours after confirmation of the payment. We await to recieve the payment information.
BE ADVISED ACCORDINGLY.

Note : Incorrect payment information can lead to penalties, confiscation or delay of your account.

Mr Frank Amos
Phone Number: + 2347051876256

DETAILS ON HOW TO RECEIVE YOUR FIRST PAYMENT
Saturday, September 18, 2010 5:44 PM
From:
"WESTERN UNION DEPT1"
Add sender to Contacts
To:
mathsteacher40230@yahoo.com
Branch Locator

Welcome to Western Union:
Send Money Worldwide
FROM THE DESK OF WESTERN UNION REMITTANCE DEPT
Our Ref:WUMT0XX2/987
WEB SITE.www.westernunion.com

ATTENTION

Please be informed that the funds are coming directly from the United Nation Fund headquarters in west Africa. It is a Grand Donation from the United Nation to support individuals financially, due to the global and financial economic meltdown. Your email address was selected globally as one of the beneficiaries of this year promo and we are only to pay beneficiaries once they meet their financial obligations. Because meanwhile we
are aware that the funds is pick up when tracked, But its on hold right now pending on when you fulfill the rules given to you.

Western Union is not allowed to make all payment at once to individuals without proper identification for security reasons, so you have to make the payment of $160 USD for purchasing your International Remittance File ( I.R.F) and opening of a western union account before the funds can come in from western union, then you can withdraw all your funds in just 5 mins. Do not get the doubt in mind about this because this is not a scam and as soon as the payment of$160 USD is confirm, your account will be setup and the details of the account together with the certificate of ownership will be sent to you and put you as the receiver of the funds on how to pick up the money from any western union office / outlet in your country.

In regards to your mail that was received in our office and was noted, We recieved the information you sent to us for the transfer of your fund valued at $300,000.00USD, on instalmental daily transfer of $5,000.00USD per day. Note that we will be transfering the fund to you $5000.00USD per day as the western union protocol restricts us from making transfer of fund more than $5000USD per day here in Africa.We have started today with transfer of the first $5,000USD. Find bellow the payment information:

Sender Information's
Sender first name =xxxxxxx
Sender last name=xxxx
MTCN;= xxxxxxxxxxx
Amount;= 5,000 USD
Test Question;= xxxx
Test Answer;= xxxx

You are required to check your transfer status online at our weblink for confirmation by clicking on this link: www.westernunion.com.
You will not be able to pick this payment up because it has been put on hold by the payment supervisor. In accordance to the new rules and regulations of all the western union money transfer world-wide, you are to make payment for the swift programming and MTCN transfer tax to your country which will cost you $160 USD before the transfer can be released to you for pick up. Bear it in mind that the fee is not negotiable and we can not release the transfer to you today if you did not send the required fee. Be informed that the fee cover for the transfer of all your fund and not just this first transfer meaning that you will not be required to pay any fee for the rest of the transfer.

You are advised to go to the nearest Western Union Money Transfer outlet around you and send the fee immediately because the fee is the only delay for your fund to be released as the fund is presently on our system. Do send me your phone number in your next mail for oral directions.

Below is the information you will use to send us the fee of $160 USD Via western union to our account officer Jones Smith

Receivers name_____JONES SMITH

Receivers Address_____ 432 James Watt way

City_______________ Abuja

Country____________ Nigeria

Mtcn Number_____

Amount sent_____

Text Question______ When

Answer_____________Today

Once you send the money, send the payment information immediately for easy pick-up and your transfer shall be released in two hours after confirmation of the payment. We await to recieve the payment information.
BE ADVISED ACCORDINGLY.

Note : Incorrect payment information can lead to penalties, confiscation or delay of your account.

Mr Frank Amos
Phone Number: + 2347051876256

I almost got scammed from this person. I THANK the HEAVENLY FATHER/JEHOVAH, THE LORD JESUS CHRIS, for protecting me. I could have went to jail and be in debt for 3,800. I was so desperate for a job, i wanted to believe so bad this was real. I sent the guy my information he sent me a fake check i deposited in my bank and they found it to be a fraud thankfully i didn't take any money out. I just kept praying about this job, and the lord God prevented this person from scamming me.... and i thank him so much. GOD Has always taken care of me, and really there was no need for desperation. I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN.

Here is the job sent to me via email
****************************************************

Job Description.

I got your resume and it has been reviewed, I did appreciate it. So I will give this a GO"

I'm looking for someone that can be trusted and reliable to work very well and with good understanding.
This position is home-based and flexible, working with me is basically about instructions and following them,my only fear is that I may come at you impromptu sometimes, So i need someone who can be able to meet up with my irregular timings.As my Personal Assistant/Data Entry Clerk,your activities amongst other things will include;

*Running personal errands, supervisions and monitoring. Scheduling programmed, flights and keeping me up to date with them.Acting as an alternative telephone correspondence while I'm away Making regular contacts and drop-offs on my behalf. Handling and monitoring some of my financial activities..
Basic wage is $500 Weekly

I'm sure you'll understand i intend to have a very busy schedule at this point..I am presently in Mexico, I will be back in Two Weeks.
I think you're the right person for this position,Please note that this position is not office based for now because of my frequent travels and tight schedules, it's a part-time work from home and the flexibility means that there will be busier weeks than others, so it's a little difficult judging the exact number of hours you'll be doing per week.If you can manage your time properly,this job may even give you some extras while you do something else on the side. Like i said, I'd want us to get a head START with things as soon as possible.I do have lots of works piled up presently and a number of unattended chores which you can immediately assist me with, I hope we can meet up with the workload eventually. Permit me to use the coming week to test your efficiency and diligence towards all this, also to work out your time schedule and fit it to mine. I really need to find the perfect person for this job, I'm confident you can take up the challenge and on the long run we should have a relatively sound working relationship between us.. I'm online most of the time as I am hard of hearing so i prefer we contact each other through E-mails,but if there is need for me to call, I will do that and I will be glad you are willing to work with me and I promise to be a good boss. I am also glad on the commitment in working.I have been checking my files and what I need you to do for this week is to run some errands out to some of the orphanage home because it happens every month.

Payment:
A payment inform of a Cashier Check/Money Order will be sent over to you from one of my clients and I have some lists to email you once you receive the funds.The check will be in the amount of your money for the first week and money for orphanage home.You will deduct $500 which is your payment for the first week and have all the rest of the money sent to the Orphanage home via western union or money gram.If you are OK with my terms and condition,I will need you to provide me with the information stated below:

Full Name:
Address(No P O Box):
City:
State:
Zip code:
Phone number: (Cell and Home)
Sex(M/F):
Age:
Present Job :
Email:

If interested a swift acknowledgment of the receipt of this email will be appreciated.

Regards.
Daniel Lopez

I am selling a truck on craigslist and got a email that sounded fishy to me so I googled craig list scams and got this site. It is basically the same sort of beginning of all the other scams on this site just different scenario. I just wanted to warn other people with his email address and his story.

williams joe (BEWARE OF THIS GUY)

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
> ** Avoid:  wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
> ** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
> ** More Info:  http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
>
> --
> get back to me if the item is still available
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> this message was remailed to you via: sale-fnxb3-1994618899@craigslist.org
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
I wrote
Yes it is
Melissa

He Writes

Thanks for your swift response, i am glad you still have the item for
sale..I will be paying you by a bank check because i am a US MARINE
OFFICER and i am on leave in office..i don't mind paying you $50 extra
to your asking price.I am very interested in the item and i will like
to send out payment asap.. I will wait 2-3 business days for you to
clear the check at your bank okay.. Kindly get back to me if you want
to deal with me with the information below to send out the payment to
you asap.

FULL NAME
FULL ADDRESS (NOT A P.O. BOX)
CITY
STATE
ZIP CODE
HOME AND CELL PHONE NUMBER
LAST PRICE OF THE ITEM

Kindly email me back as soon as you get my email so that we can get
the deal done asap.
am a man of god and honest i will appreciate if we can do this deal in
good faith,This deal should be based on Trust..
Await to hear from you soon.

--
Pleasant day to you.. kindly get back to me if you still have the
above item for sale asap

I wrote back

I think this is a scam of some sorts. Where are you located?
Why dont you come and look at the item?

he writes

this is not a scam, am serious in buying the item okay, live in
Arizona if you want to sell the item to kindly email me your info to
send the check to you asap.

I write back

Why do you say item instead of what it is? How will you pick it up
when your in Arizona? Please understand that there are a lot of
scammers on this site and this would not be the first time that
someone tried to scam me. How much are you offering for said "item"?

I than found this website and know for sure this guy is a creep! Please be careful. Its so sad that he is posing as a US Marine officer.

h.harekrishna004@gmail.com, this guy is trying to scam me using the same email address, what an idiot

this website just saved me from being scammed and losing $2,650!!! Weird english in emails, would tell me how he would pick up the item, only wanted me to get the check and send money transfer via western union immediately to an address in Atlanta. Tim Orosz (marvelousgainers@gmail.com). Return address on fedex that sent check, Maria Bybel. Name to transfer to Carlethia Robinson, 221 Heron Drive, Atlanta Ga 30331. Thank god the women at my bank and this website stopped me. Some sick people in this world.

I got the same type of message about a wedding dress I was selling on craigslist from a guy who now calls himself Gordon Maxwell with an email address of gordonmaxwell50@aol.com and look out for his "shipping agent payment department" Penny Atterton pennyatteron37397@hotmail.com. after receiving a tracking number from Gordon, I followed it on UPS. It was intercepeted and re-routed to another address on the day it was supposed to arrive. I let Gordon know I didn't receive the check and it was re-routed to another address. I advised him since I did not receive the money I was relisting the dress. I did not hear anything back from him but the fake cashier's check from Citizens Bank came 6 days later than he claimed it would and was for $1,200 over the selling price of the actual dress. I had been very suspicious and googled - cost courier service pick up wedding dress - to see if I could find out how much a courier service would actually cost to pick up a wedding dress and found this website. Thank you all for sharing your stories as well. What a life saver it has been! Also, thinking why on earth would someone pay more for a courier than the actual dress costs. Besides, someone could have bought the dress brand new right from a bridal shop for less than this person was paying for the dress and the courier. What a scam. Seller Beware! Sell only to locals on craigslist.

Below are some of his emails just in case you received something similar.

"Hello,

I am interested in the Wedding Dress you posted on the classified ad and I will be glad to purchase the Wedding Dress from you and I hope you will love to sell it for me. I am gordon maxwell and I'm interested in buying the Wedding Dress for my daughter that is why I am searching through the Classified ad and I cam across your Wedding Dress and I find it lovely, I hope to hear back from you if you are interested in selling the Wedding Dress.

Gordon"

More notes from the fake Gordon Maxwell....

"Hello,

Glad it is your first posting and I would love to buy the dress and thanks for the reply to the interest I have in the dress and I am glad it is still available, I am very much interested in it. How much do you want to sell it and what is the present condition of the dress? I will love to have some more details of the dress too. How many times is it worn? What is the length and size?

Gordon"

Another.......

"Hello,

I had concluded with my daughter on buying the wedding gown. The link of your ads had been sent to her but I will like you to send me more picture as well as details of the wedding dress and she really likes the wedding dress. I'm interested in buying this gorgeous wedding dress for her wedding ceremony and we are in a top gear of preparations, Which means buying a wedding dress, is very important to her. She is very okay with the price, size,and the designs. Sending more picture will be awesome. I am satisfied with the amount I saw on the classifed ad website. I would have been happy to travel down for the pickup and take a glance on the wedding dress or pay via paypal, but I'm kind of busy with a project that was awarded to me. and I'm out of home for the past few weeks and some other preparation for the wedding ceremony because I'm a single parent. We both really like the dress and I'll instruct on sending payment via certified united postal money order {which I purchased from the post office}or a certified cashier check . I would had love you to send the dress via a courier service but my daughter insist and she gave an instruction that she wanted someone ! I mean a picker to come for the pick up from your location or a public place of your choice so that the picker can handle it with care and do some other things on the dress with dry cleaning. The Money order that will be sent will include your payment for the wedding dress and for the picker.
After Money orders clear your bank. An agent will be picking the item up from your location. Excess funds for the shipment will be sent to the agent. I'll email her contact to you as soon as you received the payment via FedEx/UPS. How should your name appear on the Money order and what full home address should I mail it to and your phone Number I should be able to contact you, I mean With your valid phone number. Kindly consider the wedding dress sold to me.

Cheers and God Bless

Gordon Maxwell"

Another........

"Hello

How are you doing today and I hope you have removed the ads from the classified website. I will be glad to hear from you.

Gordon."

Another............

"Hello

I am sorry I did not write you. I sent out your payment on Saturday as we have discussed earlier. I hope you can write me back. Here is the tracking number (). I hope to hear from you soonest.

Gordon"

Another.............

"Hello

I want to inform you that the check had been delivered to your house address today via UPS courier service and here is the tracking#() for the check package and you can check it out on www.ups.com. Contact me as soon as you receive the check, once you receive the check please cash it at your bank instantly or you will be ask to deposit the check for 24 hours and come back for the cash the next day, and then you can deduct the money for your item plus extra $50 which is a miscellaneous for you and you are to wire the remaining funds to my shipper via Western Union Transfer, so that she can be able to come and pick up the wedding dress . This fund will be used in off setting the cost of the shipment that as undertaken for me recently and they will be needing a part of that to come over to your place for the pick up. My daughter will be glad to wear the wedding dress.

Below is my shipping agent payment department to wire the remaining balance to via western union money transfer and you can contact her directly here. pennyatteron37397@hotmail.com.

Penny Atterton
13671 HWY 28
City: Whit well
State.Tennessee
Zip code..37397

Note: That the western union transfer fee should be deducted from the remaining balance.

As soon as you have fund send out via western union transfer, kindly get back to me with the western union transfer details on the transfer receipt as below so that my mover can schedule for the pickup of my item by tomorrow..

1}.Sender's name and address
2}.MTCN numbers {10 digits}
3}.Amount sent after deducting the transfer fee.
5}.The exact time and location that you will be available for my shipper to come for the pickup of my item at your place by tomorrow.

Please let me know at once if i can trust you to have the excess funds sent to my shipper because I have lots of goods to be picked up for me aside my transaction with you.I will be expecting your email with a confirmation on this issue at once. I will be very much glad to hear from you soon.

Thanks.

Gordon Maxwell"

We found a good deal for Christmas at Whistler @whistler.craigslist. "$180 / 3br - Luxury Ski-In Ski-Out Townhouse on Trendy slopes and Blackcomb Village (Whistler)" The couple Tom and Susan Hepner offered their 3br townhouse for 5 nights for $800+$260 deposit. They sent us an agreement, photos and bank account information. We made wire transfer money, and .... we sent few emails, we called to them (fake numbers), but unsuccessful. We reported the fraud to our bank, and told them our filed Police. Personally I would never purchase anything from craiglist.

Bank Name: JPMorgan Chase
Name: Susan Hepner
Routing number: 071000013
Account Number: 931542476
Bank address: 10 S Dearborn Chicago, IL 60670

wjwilliamsjoe@gmail.com
is STILL trying the Nigerian scam by replying to Craigslist posts.