I knew that this was a scam, but I don't know why

[question everything]

A few weeks ago we started some remodeling of our master bathroom. Before the remodeler was going to just trash a perfectly good tri-view medicine cabinet, I took it aside, decided to try to sell it or donate to charity.

The local paper offers an on-line only classified for $4.00 (for an item priced at $74.99).

I have never used the classified ads, except for last summer when we sold our 14-year old Volvo and it was a painless experience.

I got an email from someone saying that he was considering it for his son and wanted to know the price and condition. I repeated the price (hey, if he wanted to negotiate let him come with a counter offer) and described the condition.

A few days letter I received a reply and as soon as I read "AMERICAN funds" and shipping, I knew that this was a scam.

What I cannot figure out is, so, what he will get a medicine cabinet and will send me a bogus check, or no payment at all? How does this work?

I did not bother to reply.

Here is the "offer."


Hello ,
Thank you for your response concerning my enquiry.Inorder to conclude
our arrangement concerning your item i want to purchase,i've agreed on
the price you are selling it and i want you to forward me your payment
information so that payment can be made on time.The payment will come
inform of a Certified check drawn in AMERICAN currency.Moreso the
shipping fee will be added to the payment in which you have to deduct
your own funds and the rest will be for the shipping agent that will
come for the pick-up of the item at your location.You can contact them
via e-mail([e-mail]) in which you can make a
pick-up arrangement with them concerning the time they can come for
the pick-up of the item after you might have receive the payment and
verify by your bank.I'll be looking forward to hearing back from you
soonest with your payment information such as the name that will be on
the payment,your address and phone number for future communication.
Regards

[TreasonousBastard]

1. It's a variation on the NIgerian scam, where they...

order stuff and send you a phony check.

Your bank, as a courtesy, credits the "certified" check and you send off the stuff. A few weeks later, the check bounces and the bank deducts the money from your account. The "shipping funds" they add to the check, and that you have to hand over to the "agent" in cash is a new wrinkle. That would be a few more hundred you're out.

RUN! Some businesses have been hosed big time with this scam.

[Connonym]

5. bingo

generally speaking you'll see this kind of response to an item that is large and would require a steep shipping fee. I got this in several variations when I tried to sell some furniture on Craigslist. This is exactly the kind of shit that makes me really, really nervous when my mom starts talking about selling some of her antiques on Ebay. You just know that there are tons of gullible people out there getting taken in by this. Based on the copious number of urban legend emails my mom forwards to me I know she'd end up getting fleeced with something like this.

[question everything]

9. Oh, the shipping fee.

That, too, was the give away. Hey, I thought that I was advertising for the neighborhood, instead it went around the globe and back.

This is something that I always wonder about eBay and Craiglist. The almost blind trust between two strangers that both will stick to the agreed upon transaction.

[Maraya1969]

13. Maybe your mom can set up a paypal account and only accept

payment through them on EBAY. I've seen many items that will only accept paypal. When I've sold things I mostly get paypal but a couple times I got a check in the mail which I deposited and waited until it cleared before I sent out the item.

[Crabby Appleton]

12. yep nt

[Frank Cannon]

2. Jesus, why can't any of these dumb m-f-ers spell?

These scams always remind me of the classic Far Side cartoon where the dog is trying to lure the cat into the dryer by painting "CAT FUD" on the door.

I would think that if I were a crook trying to con someone in a foreign language, I could at least find a dictionary, a language book, or a relative or junior-high-school kid to translate for me. Just so I don't come off looking like a fucking moron.

[Bennyboy]

3. Ha HA HA!

Great Far Side reference.....

[Kat45]

8. You mean this one?

[Frank Cannon]

11. That's it!

Thanks for that.

[question everything]

10. Yes, the "king's English" also caught my eyes

I kept reading it and thinking to myself, WTF is it?

[Redstone]

4. That's pretty inexplicable, when the subject is a medicine cabinet.

Some kind of "bot" that spams the classifieds? I don't know. I'm completely mystified by this one, and will be interested to see the responses to your post.

Redstone

[huskerlaw]

6. Don't those idiots know

that AMERICAN currency is crap? They should be scamming the hell out of Europeans. Much more bang for the buck.

;)

[Muttocracy]

7. Mercer's fundraisers?

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