It's a scam. It happened to me on craigslist. The guy send me a company check for $6000.00 over what i was asking. He mailed the check without any agreement with me and the guy was on New Jersey and the check was from a golf club down south on Texas. I contacted the place and the owner told me that i was like the 20th person to recieve a fraudulent check from them. I went to my local PD. and they contacted the FBI. and they took everything i had. email copies, the check and the fedex envelope where it came in. Later that week the guy emailed me asking for the money and the merchandise and i told him that i was going to keep both. He said to me "i'm calling the police" and i said don't worry, they are going to be at your house soon. Their badge say F. B. I. Never heard from him again!! LOL

 

I posted a want ad for an engine on CL and had scammers offering to buy my item. I don't HAVE an item. If I HAD the item, I wouldn't be selling it, I'd be PUTTING IT IN MY CAR!!! Mugus...

 

When I do Craigslist I include the following:
Replies that do not mention the item for sale or have a link are automatically deleted.
That seems to have cut down on the spam and phishing.
Also it seems they target Craigslins newbies. Since I've listed a few items I get fewer scam mails.

 

Im sorry but if you cant speak proper English and make sense of what your saying, then I dont even worry about you!!!

 

its like cash when you pick it up. Sold motor home so much B/S. Finally talked to guy lived 60 miles away came with cash. That simple. If they can write a check they can cash it.

 

My police buddy was the victim of a scam through an on-line site recently. Value of his posted item was $800. The scammer sent a Western Union cheque for $2,800 and asked for a return Western Union payment of the excess amont $2,000. So, he sent the item (to France) and the $2,000 Western Union payment. To top it off, besides the scam, Western Union assessed a huge monetary penalty for his trying to cash a fraudulent cheque. A bit more 'mud' to the story but big lesson, anyone can get scammed. Be careful!

Chris

 

Him of all people should have known better.


If a buyer requests a list of your personal information, it's a scam.
If they pronouce Check as "cheque", it's a scam. This is the US, we spell check as check! yes I believe canada says Cheque, but we are in the US and they know that.
If they have an "AGENT", it's a scam.
If it's a "woman" that is out of town, it's a scam.
ANY Western Union is a scam.

Deposited and Cleared Money Orders or cash in Hand is the only way to go.

 

Yep if they claim to be in the US and write "cheque", BEWARE! Never deal through agents. I've never used Western Union and never will. If I am going to pay someone, I send a cashier's check, or else I don't send money. That is IF I send money! I don't like buying private sale out of state unless I know the person or have a trusted friend view the item in person.

 

I'm pretty sure this type of scam comes from Ethiopia or Nigeria or Sudan ...

 

"If they pronouce Check as "cheque", it's a scam." ?? -- first of all, both are "pronounced" identically even though they are spelled differently. Secondly, Canada is not a third-world country or suspect simply because of different spellings. Use your common sense - if it sounds too good to be true, it is. And if it requires the seller to send money for any reason, avoid it. I live in Canada and buy/sell online to and from both the U.S. and Canada all the time. The majority of the scams I see come from the U.S. or at least use U.S. funds and wire transfers, but I don't automatically conclude that all Americans are scammers. It's probably just that way because the population is larger. One of my best deals was an online purchase of a new tractor, a deal that I checked out extensively and concluded on my terms by sending my money to a reputable bank in the seller's town, to be held in trust until I got there to release it. Applying that common sense would include the realization that honesty doesn't respect borders. Don't assume that it's safer if the buyer is within your own country and automatically a scam if they are elsewhere.