Craigslist Scam: Cheque and Western Union For More Than Amount

I just got a similar scam. I almost fall for it. Thank you for saving me!

i was selling a car on mota.com and a guy decided he wanted to buy it, good thing i called western union to see if this was all true and is wasn't! it was a scam. i'm glad i did that or i'd be out $1,100 so thanks to western union i'm safe!!!!

Robert Adams
08/21/09 12:00PM
Thank you for your swift response. I will like to purchase it. I will
be glad if you can withdraw the advert from Craigslist today. I am out
of town presently until 7th of September, due to the nature of my job
I will be paying via bank certified/cashier's check. My job will not
allow me to come for physical inspection and I don't want to loose it,
I will have to pick it up once I'm back on the 7th or hire someone to
pick it up from you as soon as you receive and cashed the check
payment. I will need you to provide me with the following information
to be able to send you a check payment as soon as possible-- 1.Your
full name to be on the check 2.Home or work address 3.Your phone
number. 4. Final price. I will sending the check payment via Ups
ahead, but I'm not sure they deliver to P.O boxes. I will be waiting
for your response today. Robert

Robert Adams
08/22/09 2:35AM
I just received the confirmation from the Bank that the payment has
been issued out and was mailed by the United Parcel Service(Ups). It
will be delivered to your address, but to my greatest surprise the
check was issued out for $800 instead of the actual cost of my
purchase.

The Bank claimed that I requested for such an amount on the check to
be issued out to you but I am very sure I only made a request for the
cost of the goods to be made out to your name. This is a terrible
mistake and I was just informed about this so please once the check is
received please take it to your Bank and have it cashed as advised by
the accounting officer at the Bank. You will then deduct the cost of
my purchase plus an extra $50 to offset the cost of your run around
expenses. The rest of the fund should be sent to back to me via
western union once you do receive the payment.

**I will need your immediate response assuring me that I can rely on
you to handle this with care and have the remaining fund returned
appropriately. I hope that your intentions remains noble through out
the duration of this transaction and even after it** Please reply me
back immediately.

The FBI Cyber Task Force agrees with everyone. These are scams. Per the FBI, do a cash deal, or do not do it at all.

My latest Scammer was Byron Rudd.
Amazing how much the e-mails look alike!

*************************

Hello,

Thank for the swift response to my mail,as the item is still
available, I will instruct my secretary to process a check to cover
the cost of my purchase as am completely satisfied with the advert.I
will need the details of whom & where to mail the draft.It will be
delivered by the United Parcel Service within 2-3 days.Please note
'United Parcel Service' do not deliver to P.O.Box addresses.

1.Name to be on the check
2.Home address
3.Mobile #

Kindly delete the advert on Craig's List as am totally committed to
buying from you to save me cost, My mover will be coming over for the
pick up right only after the payment as been delivered and I want you
to understand that, I would have love to call but am a deaf and only
uses a hearing -in paired phone relay, So please send me an email only.

Regards

I am starting college this september and i wanted to get rid of my jap. docomo phone. I listed the phone for sale on kijiji and got a buyer. The phone's price was $450 but i got a check for $2500. The buyer asked me to send $2000 to the shipper and now my account is overdrawn and i owe the bank that money. I am currently unemployed and am on osap and only have 30 days to pay it back until it goes towards the collection department.

I know i shouldn't have trusted the person and looked into it more carefully and common sense but i guess thats the expensive price that i have to pay for it now. Too bad!
i hope everyone becomes more aware of these scams. If i had seen this site before i had been contacted by the scammer then i wouldn't be here right now worrying about how to pay back the money that i never spend.

Not only did I have Byron Rudd try this with me on Craigslist, but here is another, on the very same item

Gates Donovan

Here is his e-mail
*************************

Thank you for the reply to my mail inquiry am quite satisfied with the
condition .Am very much interested and i would like to make an
outright purchase, so i will appreciate it if you can withdraw the
advert from the web.Actually am a bad stammerer I would have called you,
I will be paying with a certified check.Furthermore my mover will be
coming over for the pick up..as i might not be available for the pick
up myself for i have a busy schedule i need to attend to but am OK
with the information from the ad.I will need
the following information details to make payment arrangement 1,Your
full name to be on the Payment,Your postal address,Your phone
number both land and mobile.4,Your postal code.????
I will really appreciate it buying this item from you.So you get me
the required information for your payment to be issued asap.
Thank you.

********************
They must go to the same school of scam!

I had the same email. I'm glad I had enough common sense to check it out first. Here's the one I got:
Good morning,

I'm very glad that the item is still available, thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant purchase, so please and please do withdraw the posting from Craigslist, i dont mind adding an extra $50.00 for you to take the posting down from craigslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.I will also like you to know that i will be paying via check,and it will be over night payment due to the distance. You dont need to bother yourself with the shipment ok, i will do take care of that. So i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1. Your full name
2. Your mailing address be it residential address
3. Your Phone Number.
Once again, I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for shipping...i will have my mover come

over as soon as you have cashed the check. Thanks

Kriston

I just received a similar B.S. reply to a Craigslist ad for my mountain bike form some inarticulate dolt from who knows where, he called himself Dr. John Wang of all the audacity. Same scenario it seems as everyone else except I picked up on it after the second email after reading this site, I emailed back to the effect of don't send me your check, you have already been reported to the FBI, and if someone shows up to pick up my bike they will be removed from my property with extreme prejudice. They replied and said the check will be there shortly. Had to laugh at that. Anyway these less than human parasites will get caught I hope one day and dealt a healthy dose of payback, even if it's just jail time. Look out for Dr. John Wang, he has struck before according to my research. I think Ill keep my bike. /smile J.Cobb Titusville Florida

I recently put my drums for sale on Craigslist and I got a email from sherdrack_bent2000@yahoo.com it was like most of all the post on this and it said the following:
Hello,
I would love to buy your item, I am okay with the price,all i want to
know if it's still in good condition for use, and if you're willing to
accept a cashier check as a form of payment because that is the
only way i can make payment available for the item. I want this
transaction to be fast, if you're okay with my form of payment kindly
get back to me with the following information for me to issue the
payment to you immediately:
Full name... Full address..... City.... State... Zip code.. Phone
number....Final Price of the item
as soon as i receive the requires details from you I will immediately
proceed with the payment to your name and mailed to your address. And
also, don't worry about the pick up, I will take care of it and it
would be done after you've got your check cashed, I will be waiting for
your response as i want the item as soon as possible. Please I am
really interested. If this is okay with get back with the information
today, God bless.

And that was that end of the message I think its a scammer because i type his name in google and the first think that came up was Craigslist Scam: Cheque and Western Union For More Than Amount ... which is what i am posting this on.
So i want to know if this is a scammer.
Please reply to this if you know if its a scammer.
Thank You