Another Inept E-mail Scam

[WildCat]

I've recently put my old car up for sale on an internet auto sales site. I figured it might attract kooks and scammers, but this one takes the cake. The scammer sent me a message asking if it was still for sale, I said it was and to contact me if he wanted to see it. Here's the reply, I've kept the formatting but changed my name:

Hello WildCat,
I appreciate your mail and confirmation to proceed on
the transaction.
I am impressed by the prompt attention accorded the
transaction considering
the need for us to round up on time.
My client has accepted to pay the stipulated price of
$3,500 since the condition is ok ,
immediately with a cashier’s check, just that the
check, is going to be in an amount
larger than the cost of the car. Reason being that it
is a refund payment to my client
and the Company issuing the check has the policy not
to issue more than one check to a
refund payment, which means that the check is going
to carry the whole amount
em-block for the sales and shipping of the vehicle
from USA to South-Africa.
The check that will be sent to you is $9 ,500.00 and
you would have to deduct the
cost of your vehicle $3,500.00 from it immediately you
cash it and send
the balance $6,000.00 to my client via wire transfer
(Western Union / MoneyGram)
to offset the shipping charges. So he is entrusting
you to handle his funds with honesty,
care and utmost confidentiality.
On receipt of your confirmation to proceed, the check
will be sent to you.
Provide Name to be on check and mailing address,
where the check will be sent.
After you cash the check and send the balance, the
shipper will be paid and they
will come and pick up the vehicle immediately.
Ask questions where you are not cleared. I would be
there to explain further.
Please send more pictures of the vehicle. You can
reach me via phone any
time on 011 234 8023600613
Looking forward to rounding up this transaction as
soon as possible.
Thanks and have a wonderful week end.
Billy.

Wow! An 8 year old car w/ 106k miles on it, and he wants to ship it to S. Africa! Do they expect anyone to fall for this BS? My only surprise is that it's S. Africa, and not Nigeria. :p

[Iconoclast]

Originally posted by WildCat
Do they expect anyone to fall for this BS?Yes they expect people to fall for it, they're assumptions are correct.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/carsale.asp

[Psi Baba]

I read the snopes article. I still don't get it. If your bank clears the check and gives you the money, why not just keep all the money? Why even bother sending the "overage" off to some stranger? Just keep it all! If the scammers are stupid enough actually send a cashier's check (even if forged), then why not scam them back. Wouldn't the bank have to go after the issuer of the check if it's bad? I thought the whole point of a cashier's check was protection.

[teddygrahams]

As far as the bank is concerned, you printed the check in your living room and you owe them. It's a fake check.

[Mr Manifesto]

What happens when you call the phone number?

This one is a little sad. There isn't any real appeal to the 'greed gene'. Now, if there was some way that WC could 'rip off' the perpetrator of the scam (by somehow only giving him $3000 instead of $6000), that would be a good one.

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by Psi Baba
Wouldn't the bank have to go after the issuer of the check if it's bad? I thought the whole point of a cashier's check was protection.

Nope... They only have to go after the person that they gave the money to.. You...

The snopes article really explains it pretty well..
The scam works because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) requires banks to make money from cashier's, certified, or teller's checks available in one to five days. Consequently, funds from checks that might not be good are often released into payees' accounts long before the checks have been honored by their issuing banks. High quality forgeries can be bounced back and forth between banks for weeks before anyone catches on to their being worthless....

When depositing a check of any kind, if you bother to ask, they will tell you they are sort of ' loaning ' you the money, until the issuing bank pays them.. They don't get paid .. You have to return the loan..

[Beancounter]

Originally posted by Mr Manifesto
What happens when you call the phone number?


Nothing

It's a Johannesburg dialling code but there are far too many digits for a South African number.

BTW there are plenty of Nigerians living in Johannesburg and they are being blamed (rightly or wrongly) for a lot of the crime in this country. So there could be a connection, although our home grown crims are a resourceful bunch.

[Rob Lister]

This is a pretty cool scam, as scams go. I'm a firm believer that more people are honest than dishonest. I also believe that people jump at an opprotunity to 'prove' their honesty, such as actually sending the 'extra' money as promised.

The only downside to the scam is that I can't see a way to scam the scammer and only the honest get burned. The scammers investment is time to cull the marks and a forged document that can be replicated for pennies.

Still, there must be some way to lure them in. Maybe by agreeing to the deal but requiring a good faith deposit as insurance for the check. Say five bucks or so.

[Psi Baba]

Originally posted by Diogenes


Nope... They only have to go after the person that they gave the money to.. You...

The snopes article really explains it pretty well..


When depositing a check of any kind, if you bother to ask, they will tell you they are sort of ' loaning ' you the money, until the issuing bank pays them.. They don't get paid .. You have to return the loan..
So a cashier's check is no different than any other check, then.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Originally posted by Psi Baba

So a cashier's check is no different than any other check, then.

In this particular matter, no.

In the case of a geniune cashier's check, the person who wrote it cannot stop payment. Thus it is better for the recipient than a personal check.