STR | SocalTrailRiders.org

JRD

2008 Specialized Rockhopper Disc - $550.00 OBO
Black Size: 19

Here is the scammers response I got last night:

will be making the payment via cashier check or money order , so i will need your full name that will be on the check and your full address where you can easyly receive the package via couier and i will arrange for the pickup myself Also i need to crave your indulgence because the payment will be of excess which after you faihthfully deduct your own exact amount from it then you will give the excess on it to the moving company after you might have cash the check and have cash with you , please get back to me if you are okay with this and i will implore you to remove the ads off craigslist because i really want to purchase this asap.

I don't know about you all but this kind of sh#$@ just makes me madder then hell.

sdyeti

Man blong Gaua has been trying to sell his Mongoose ECX frame...he keeps getting the same things.

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emfc

The sad part is they would keep pulling this scam if dumb people wouldn't fall for it.

BrewMaster

i need to crave your indulgence...sounds like he's looking for a happy ending...

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mtnbikerfred

You have to have some stones to pull this off. But you should do this is you're really pissed. Accept his offer on the condition he overnights you the bogus check/money order. give him a fake name, and use your work address. This will cost him time and money. go to numbr.com and get anonymous number you can disconnect. String him on as long as you can. Change the terms of the deal on him. Tell him you used all the money to buy drugs for you sister, and ask if he could send more. Generally screw with him as much as you can, but keep telling him "If you want your money, you have do do this" eventually offer to western union it, but you'll need a picture of him holding a sign with your "secret code" on it (to prove he is who he says).

There are hundreds of hilarious photos of these jack-holes on 419eater.com.

At the end tell him he's as stupid as a dung-ball and that his picture is going on the internet for the whole world to see.

If you can, record the phone calls. save all the emails, frame the fake check. Most importantly, have fun!!!

Koke

This scam gets used all the time? The cashier check or money order has to be counterfeit for this scam to work, correct? How are Craigs List or eBay scammers using this ploy doing their counterfeiting? Why would a counterfeiter waste their time on Craigs List or eBay when there are much bigger fish to fry? There must be some other angle.

Letyrides

Just goes to show that they are making money because people don't care to read the warnings about these guys, use common sense or follow the instinct that something just ain't right. Suckers are a dime a dozen.

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Wrecker

I thought I was the only one with a sick mind here...I was genuinely concerned with where he was going with that

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jeffj

Koke: "Why would a counterfeiter waste their time on Craigs List or eBay when there are much bigger fish to fry?"

The angle is that you send them the difference between the (let's just say) $1,000 bogus cashier's check they sent to you and the $120 you're asking for your item. They don't care about the item and may never see it. They just want that $880 sent via Western Union. What's not profitable about that?

They are usually boiler room type operations that target as many 'for sale' ads as possible and see if ANYONE will bite.

I have also seen spam ads offering electronics goods for sale from Nigeria at (unreal) low prices.

Yea, Nigeria is suddenly the go-to place for the hottest, hard to get electronics at sinfully low prices

A (greedy) fool and his money soon go separate ways.

Koke

I know how the scam works as described above. My point is if a scammer is sophisticated enough to produce counterfeit cashiers checks or money orders why waste their time on multiple Craig's List scams making a few hundred bucks each?

With running so many scams they open themselves up to investigation by the Secret Service and other law enforcement. Every scam is one step closer to being busted and if you are running hundreds a day your days are numbered. Why take so many risks for such little pay outs?

It would seem if they have a counterfeiting operation they would target big multi-thousands of dollar scams of faceless corporations, elderly, etc and limit their exposure.

Maybe there is a Master Counterfeiter that sells bogus cashier checks and money orders in bulk to the Craigs List and eBay scammers and they in turn take the risk of the individual scam.

jeffj

Either it is profitable or they're not really scammers, just somewhat successful Nigerian businessmen with an MTB fetish

JRD

The (one) key to this bull s*&% ploy is that they don’t
mention what the article (rockhopper bike) that I’m selling is:
The process there using must sweep though the ads and
they have figured out how to apply a boiler plate response.
Agreed in some ways it’s a petty amount to scam but on the
other side who knows what $500.00 will get you in a third
world country.

Koke

http://craigslistinfo.info/craigslist-precautions.html

"Scams are variable, and can change over time as the tactics become apparent, but the most common types of scams are recognizable, as are many aspects of a scam. Most scams involve some of the following:

- Inquiry from another country or from far away
- A guarantee (only a scammer can say that)
- Craigslist does NOT guarantee transactions, certify, or handle payment protection
- A cashier's check, money order, or requires the wiring of money
- A refusal, or inability, to meet in person (before a transaction)
- A shipping or escrow service
- A request for financial or personal information

Money orders and cashier checks can be faked, but banks may still cash them. This can leave users holding the proverbial "bag" when the fraud is discovered and they will be held responsible. Shipping and escrow services, which may not exist or are not in business with the scammer, can be ways to make users feel safe and prevent them from looking to deeply into the situation.

Examples of scams to avoid:

- Cashier's checks from distant people
- Requests for wire service payment
- Offers of money orders in exchange for wiring money
- Online escrow services
- Partial up-front payment requirements to distant sellers before receiving goods
- Jobs acting as a money mideary, such as between a company and its clients

Craigslist users should never send money to someone who is offering them money - be it for a purchase or in exchange for some kind of job payment. These schemes often cost the user money, while providing the scammer with free cash - such as from the cashing of a fake check by the user, and wiring of a majority of the sum to the scam artist, whom the bank cannot track after discovering the forgery. In general, it is a bad idea to deal in anything with a third party (whether the user is the third party, another client is, or a person is contacting the user "on behalf" of someone else). People can get their own money from clients, so users should never play into their hands by accepting an owed balance from someone else as a middle- man or woman. Don't work with middle-men, and don't be one."

DISCO

Implore, crave your indulgence, very few people talk like that and most of them will spell check faithfully. Pity is that it gives a varied vocabulary a bad name.....

Endo Verendo

Welcome to the internet

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Jordansrealm

I got a fun one today... went something like this...

"I interested bike. You have still? Pics to send be wondrfl. I promise I have money."

I responded asking him if he was Yoda. Is that wrong?

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jeffj

Yes.

It's an insult to Yoda

IM4Ruckus

*** Be careful selling high end bikes on Craigs List ***

Anything your selling over 1k be sure to meet them somewhere else other than your place. Believe me... they come out with interest and later they'll come back when they think you not home and break in. I was selling a bike years ago and my neighbor was telling me they came back and tried to come through one of the window screens. They didn't get too far, My neighbor question them what's happening. They took off.
Another friend of mine met a guy at a shopping mall and before the test ride the visitor provided his wallet. Sure enough the guy took off and never returned. The wallet was a fake even stuffing in a couple dollars to fill it up and bogus business cards collected from all over.

Facts:
* Don't meet up where they know the bike will be parked.
* Before the test ride: Double check the ID and where they parked.
* Don't let them ride too far out of site and explain the riding areas are within view.
* Don't accept checks or money orders.. they could be fake if you don't know the people.

By the way I'm selling a Santa Cruz in Craigs right now and I've received all the same information STR posted. I just mark them as spam or delete them.

Laterz,

jake

This is one of my favorite Scam the Scammer stories of all time.
It's pretty long but funny!
http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/