nigerian scam workings

[xLibelle]

How do these things work?
i have something listed for $1k.
after his first inquiry, he responds with this:
Hello I really appreciate your response to my email.I want you toconsider it sold, pls do withdraw the advert from craigslist toavoid disturbance.I want you to know that i will be paying via bankcertified check .I will like you to provide me with the following.information to
facilitate the mailing of the check to you .
1.....Full name to write on the check
2.....Full Physical address to post the check
3.....City, State and Zip Code
4.....Home & Cell Phone to contact you
*** Note that the payment will be shiped to your address via UPS NEXT
DAYSERVICE and I will like you to know that you will not be responsiblefor shipping i will have my mover come over as soon as you
have cashedthe check** Thanks

its obvious this is a scam... how does this play to his court?

[Nicademus]

He sends you the check. You take it to the bank and cash it and the bank gives you money. You're satisfied and send him the item. Then a few days later the bank tells you the check was a fake and you are stuck paying them back.

I received the same emails when i was selling my BBS RS and RM wheels.

[kamotors]

the same thing happened to me on ebay a few years ago, i sold a dirtbike, they paid with a check, the check was $1000 more than the bike sold for, so i knew it was a scam, i took the check to the bank for them to check it out, and they said it was a nigerian scam, and that it happens all the time.

[equate975]

Yeah its easy to make fake checks that look real, like Nicademus said, the bank will think its real until it doesn't clear.

My buddy sold a car this way, cashed the check and it was all good. He was about to ship the car when he found out the check was fake.

[xLibelle]

what about those check cashing places? Dont they keep 25% and no questions asked?

Actually, i'll just keep the check... just to have as a souvenir :)

[JasonC]

Read this thread, http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=81994

[george graves]

^HA Ha - I'm going to have to re-read that one again, just for old times sakes.

There were so many people I wanted to share that with, but the content was a bit R-rated so I couldn't.

Glad you remembered it.

[xLibelle]

I found this tonight. Check Act 1 of enforcers

http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1260

[Aptyp]

it happened with me be but was a little different. I was sent amount through Western Union. But I forgot to grab the print out on my way. While at Walmart, I thought I'd cash it. I show my ID, and I obviously didn't remember the transaction/verification numbers, so lady asked me how much it's suppose to be. I said $180. She told me it was 3 grand. I thought the guy paid me for the whole car, so I e-mailed him, but got no response, I waited a few days, then went back to Western Union with all number and cashed it, then went to my bank and deposited. I waited a few more weeks, nothing happened.

I really have no idea what that was all about, but I think Western Union somehow got screwed.

[xLibelle]

lmao, that was a beginner scammer... he used real money

[Aptyp]

lol, i still don't know, I kept money in the account for almost a year waiting for a cop to knock on my door. Nothing ever happened.

[Scotaku]

They all start out similarly, and then take a twist one way or another.

Sometimes it's 'I will send you a (fake) check' and you send an item you're selling.
You get screwed out of your item.

Sometimes it's 'I will send you a (fake) check for too much' and you will reimburse them the overpayment.
You get screwed out of real money (and possibly an item you also send too).

'Someone else owes me money so he will send you a (fake) check' and you reimburse...
You get screwed.

Craigslist seems to attract them like flies to dog crap and there are posted warnings. I've baited a few of them for fun trying to get pictures of them holding stupid signs or "meeting" me at a place I know there was a webcam I can screencap. Once I had this scammer thinking I was stuck in China without a passport and living off of crackers and ketchup packets a la Tom Hanks in The Terminal. Oddly enough, most of the scammers I fished were in Europe.

At one time I thought I would devise a reverse scam and bluntly tell them I know they're trying to trick me. I would sympathize with them and tell them I know it's hard finding a good mark that will pay off. They're probably feeling like they've been scammed by the person who taught them how to do this and may have lost some money for their "training." How can I help? Well, for a small fee, I would use my past experience and contacts within the scamming world to track down the conartist that had fooled them into thinking this would work. Just send me a check with your full name, mailing address, home and cell phone numbers... ;)

[xLibelle]

I'm guessing there are plenty of people that do this 409 enforcer type of thing, as the link i shared provides a funny story about these guys got a scammer to pretty much go to darfur for like 100 days in complete strife.
Your descriptions match popular stories of reverse scams to a T, so i doubt you are being truthful in personally taking credit of everything you mentioned.

[Scotaku]

I'm guessing there are plenty of people that do this 409 enforcer type of thing, as the link i shared provides a funny story about these guys got a scammer to pretty much go to darfur for like 100 days in complete strife.
Your descriptions match popular stories of reverse scams to a T, so i doubt you are being truthful in personally taking credit of everything you mentioned.

I'd gotten tired of the repeat attempts to scam me any time I tried selling something. I saw how others were having fun with these scamartists and I tried it myself. What is so unbelievable about that? There aren't any funny blogs about tracing the source IP of some of their mail servers or of forwarding their scams to those ISPs to have their access neutered, but I've done that too. If I were lying, I'd make up something pretty outrageous like the Kimpire or witnessing the moon landing hoax. :roll: