Classified ads on craigslist attract scammers from Nigeria and elsewhere.Here is a recent example when I was trying to sell something.Not that I asked for $375, and was offered more for it.Here is the first message I got:
pls can you tell me if this item is still for sale ?and the price
When I replied it was available, this was the reply:
I will have to inform you that i am okay with the price of the [item name] ($375)condition terms are also okay with me,For the Shippment from your location,i have my SHIPPER as soon as we seal this Transaction from your end. I have a CLIENT of my that is owning me some Fund in United Kingdom that will issue you the cheque of ($2000) soon as you receive the cheque and when cleared you will deduct the cost of the [item name] and the remaining balance will be send to the Shipper through western union money transfer for the pick up from your location. If this is okay by you, do e-mail me the following detail FULL NAME ON CHEQUE:CONTACTED ADDRESS:MOBILE&LANDLINE PHONE NUMBER:AND ZIP CODEI will compensate you $50 to remove the advert from the site and will wait until the cheque clear before the pick up commence.hope to read from you today.
This is a classic scam that involves you wiring them money via Western Union, and they sending you a fake cashier cheque.
Contents:
Comments
Anonymous (not verified)
same spam
Fri, 2012/04/27 - 21:09I received exactly the same message, but thisa time, he had a daughter named Mary. He signed as Ben Jones, but wiuth that poor written english I couldn't believe that this was serious. I am glad that I investigated the email addressand saw this.
Anonymous (not verified)
almost the same scam
Mon, 2012/07/30 - 22:54I advertised guitar lessons on Craigs List and received almost the same e-mail today. The two names they used where Cartwright Woolworth and Dr. Lawrence Colle. Here is the text from the first contact:
> Hello,
> Am interested in your lesson, i would like you to be taking my
> daughter while i'm at work in your city. Get back to me as soon as
> possible. Thank you
And, here is the text from the next e-mail:
>Hello,
>Thanks for your response, my name is lawrence colle from England(UK)
>I'm moving to your area on 1st of august for 4 weeks contract with
>Environmental Protection Agency( EPA) in united state. My daughter
>(sharon, she is 12 yrs old) i want you help me teach her for 2 hour per
>day and 2 days in a week for 4 weeks. , Wednesday and Thursday after 1:00.
>to 2:pm Get back
>to me with the total cost, my financial in united state will be
>responce for the payment, so i want you to get all information to be
>use to have the payment, so that i can forward it to my financial in
>the state to send you the check, you will be paid with Us dollar
>certified check.We will be in state on 1st of august and lesson start
>on 25th of august 2012 Thank you.
>Full name to be on the check :-
>Street address (not P.O Box): -
>City:-
>State:-
>Zip code:-
>Total charges:-
>Lesson timetable
>Mobile number for easier communication:
>DR LAWRENCE COLLE
>10, Broad Square, Liverpool,
>Mersey side, L11 1BS
>+447024083631
>Thanks for your co-operation
Needless to say, this correspondence has all of the normal red flags.
Thanks for posting the scam e-mail you received. It helped confirm my thoughts.
Anonymous (not verified)
Craigslist scam.
Sat, 2012/03/10 - 14:40I posted an ads on craigslist in Washington DC area for 2 Madonna concert tickets. I posted asking for face value + fees so that I can recover the cost since we won't be able to go to the concert. I received an inquiry from Mike Roger:
M B mikerogers655@gmail.com
I really appreciate your response and i want you to consider theitem
has been sold,i promise to add extra $50 for you to take theadvert
down completely.... so i will be rest assured am in hand of
theitem..anyway i should have come down to come and look at it but
Idon't have time to come over to take a look due to my Business
transactions that makes me busy but you don't need to bother
yourselfwith that and also the shipment I'll take care of that by
engaging theservices of a mover, so I'll be sending a certified bank
check and itwill be delivered to you Via United Parcel Service (UPS)
Or Via FeDexCourier Service,so I'll need thefollowing information to
facilitate the mailing of the check ......
Full name to be on the check.
Full Physical address to post the check
City,State and Zip Code
Home & Cell Phone to contact you.
Note that the payment will be shipped to your address via UPS NEXT
DAYAIR SERVICE Or FEDEX COURIER SERVICE and I will like you to know
thatyou will not be responsible for shipping i will have my mover to
comeover as soon as you have cashed the check* N.B UPS does not
deliver toa P.O box addresses.
Thanks and hope to hear from you as soon aspossible.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************
After I reply with contact information he wrote:
From mikerogers655@gmail.com
Thanks for the payment information, all i want you to do for me now is
to remove the item from sales list and consider it sold to me, coz I'm
going to start working on your payment asap and get back to you with
the tracking number so that you can also know when and time to expect
it..
Thanks.
*******************************************************************************************
Now he plays with me and try:
From mikerogers655@gmail.com
How are you doing today.i am really sorry for the payment delay,My
brother was involved in a Terrible motor Accident on his way to
Appointment...He had been Admitted to the Hospital,i just have to be
there in a couple of days...
Just to let you know that the payment for your item had been sent to
you and will get to you by tomorrow morning friday via fedex..I just
need to rush online to notify you so that you be expecting the payment
tomorrow. i will get back to you with the tracking number tomorrow
morning.
Also there is something i want tell you regarding for the pick but,i
will not be able to type much here now coz i need to be in the
hospital any moment from now..I will be able to email you back until
7.30 am tomorrow ..Please make sure you check your email by 7.30am
tomorrow..The check is on the way,it will get to you tomorrow
morning...Talk to you tomorrow ...
Have a lovely day.
***********************************************************************************************************************
Good day,
I'm very sorry for the payment delay...I was notify from my company
that the payment has been sent to you via FEDEX and would probable
deliver to you any moment from Monday morning. i am realy happy that
this done on time..I really need your little assistant regarding the
pick-up arrangement,though i was suppose to handle this by myself here
but i have being on a official trip for a couple of days now, I
contact the shipper that would be picking-up the item am buying from
you, and she told me that it gonna be payment before service,she also
stated that they are not allowed to go for any pick-up when their not
being paid,due to some money those their customer were owning them
this time around,so i ask then if i could pay them by check,but they
said they could only accept cash by western union or money gram,i was
so sick and tired and i don't even know what to do yesterday,i have to
call my office also if they could help me with some money for the
shipper with cash,the company said they would not be able to pay out
any cash out but check, i was fed up and i don't even know what to
do.So i now decided to send you a check that would cover up the
shipping fund and the item am buying from you, but i was a little bit
confused if i can trust you,coz i have never see you or meet you in
person, so please i want you to reply to me and assure me that you
gonna take care of this with care and honest, i realy want you to be
honest to me coz the check that was on the way to you would be
deducted from my salary, so please don't let me down. i am doing all
this just because i don't want to loose this item as i really need it
on time and i want my shipper to be deliver this item in my doorstep
before my arrival from my trip.
So this is very easy for you to handle, all you need to do is just
for you to take the check to your bank and get it cash as soon as you
get the check,and also deduct the full amount for the item and i would
also like to offer you a sum of $100 for the best offered and your
running around..Then you will send the rest to my shipper via western
union as soon as you have deduct all this. please i really need your
assistant and i would be very happy if you can do this for me,the
check is already on the way and i would get back to you the tracking
number for the package and my shipper information to send the money
to, i would check my email again today to read your message.
Thank you very much and god would help you as you are willing to help
me out of this.
bye for now.
Regards..
***********************************************************************************************
The guy really pissed me off with the check for 2950 while my tickets only cost 789.00. So I decide to play along. I sent him and email saying I sent him the MO and tickets using regular mail. He wants me to call him so I ask for this number instead. Here is his number if anybody wants it.
M B mikerogers655@gmail.com
1:11 PM (1 hour ago)
to me
812 750 0272..what is your phone number?
CoachPrincess (not verified)
I just received my email
Fri, 2012/04/20 - 11:17I just received my email saying a check is coming to me today for $3200. To keep $100 for myself and wire through Western Union to someone in Dubai I was almost ready to deposit the check until I googled the materials and Craigslist scams popped up I am so thankful for any & everybody that gave testimony on this matter because I almost got GOT!!!
Anonymous (not verified)
My story
Wed, 2012/04/25 - 18:30Thanks for your response. I'm ok with the price and condition you gave
me and i will be paying through BANK TRANSFER.. So i will be
paying directly into your PayPal account without any delay, and i
hope you have a BANK account and if not you can easily create your
ACCOUNT and send me your
DETAILS for the payment and here is my details below to show you
that am seriously interested in your Car
Mr Mat Carols
103 Navigator Drive,
Southall -Middlesex, 3030,
Victoria
Australia
Date of Birth:
11-01-1960
So kindly get back to me with your BANK details like this below
ACCOUNT HOLDEDRS Name:
aCCOUNT nUMBER:
BANK NAME:
Phone Number:
As soon as i receive this details from you, i will proceed with the
payment immediately and i have already arrange for a private shipping
agents that will come for the pick up of the item at your house door
step and they will take care of the picking up document including the
full information to pick up the item at your house door step. So I
will need your home address as soon as the payment is
Anonymous (not verified)
scam wedding dress sale
Thu, 2012/05/31 - 07:26I got one just like this from "Williams Morgan". I did think it was a strange name. And dodgy emails just like the others are saying.
Anonymous (not verified)
So what do you do if the check is already in the mail?
Wed, 2012/06/06 - 16:39I was just tipped off to this but now won't do anything...what do i do next though?
Anonymous (not verified)
I just gave the scammer the
Wed, 2012/11/14 - 09:54I just gave the scammer the police chief's name and address. :D
santhosh D B (not verified)
Confirm about the money as send to the ZIP code to pick."
Wed, 2012/08/08 - 09:12To
Craigslist Scam Cheque
Respected sir
I am from the India for my ZIP code:560058 to confirm that the money has been sent to the supplier and her is the following transfer details
Sender first Name : Maria
Sender Last Name : Robertson
MTCN Number :8132223366
Amount : $5000.00 USD
City : Abuja
country : Nigeria
Zip Code Number : 560058
This is the message i am sending form the confirm to the craigslist scam chequeform the confirm of the money as been send to the supplier send the details my e-mail ID is santhosh_12342yahoo.in
Thanking you
08-08-2012
Anonymous (not verified)
A new one
Mon, 2012/08/13 - 14:08pique (gonzalex@rediffmail.com)
Is buyer of things in a Portuguese site asking for us to send something for Nigéria and now is asking to send money back to Nigéria using western union I think is similar case... Was suppose that person to pay the thing using citibank international tranfers but now the minimum amount to do that tranfer is more that what was expected. I think is a Scam the last e-mail was that :
i will like to inform you thyat i have just received a call from the bank that the full transfer of 100 Eur it too low to transfer into your bank account, i was very mad and sad with the bank manager they said due to international money transfer they can only transfer 300 euro above for international money transfer, they told me to make additional transfer of 200 euro to complete the full 300 euro just to solve the problem i have just done it i have make the additional transfer of 200 euro so the total cost of 300 euro will be release into your bank account now but you need to go to the nearest western union and send the 200 euro to my fiance address via wwestern union and get back to my bank with the western union details so that my bank can activate the full 300 euro into your bank account ok?
you can also transfer the 200 euro online just enter www.westernunion.pt and send the 200 euro now so that my bank can activate your bank account now with the full 300 euro ok??
Here is the transfer address bellow:
Nome: Endurance Preciosa
Endereço: 50 Balogun Mokola Ibada
Cidade: Ibadan
Estado: oyo
País: Nigéria
CEP: 23402
Kindly make sure you transfer the 200 euro now via western union money transfer so that my bank can immediately release the full 300 euro into your bank account now and end the deal..
What do you think about it? I'm trying to call to any citibank to confirm that but was imposible till the moment
What more we can do to stop that ????
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