Is this a scam? (Craigslist)

[burnin_vernon]

I am selling a $2300 scooter. The ad is very thorough and here is the response I got...

Hi Seller,

Am Mr Kenneth Is your item still available for me to purchase plz if
so kindly get back to me via email. cos i will like to know the
present condition of the item
Thanks.

I went on to say it is good condition then I get this...

Yeah i will like you you to send me your full deatils in sending the cheque to you
so that as son as the cheque is cleared my shipping client can come and pick it up from
you over there thanks very much wayne
Kenneth

If he is going to send a check and let me wait for it to clear, I don't see the harm. The only thing I can think of is he gets my mailing address to send me a check, then comes and steals the scooter.

Maybe it's legit but my spider sense is tingling.

[HOOT]

Send the check to your work, parents or friends address if you are concerned about that.

I think he will send you a check for more money than you are asking and will ask you to send the rest to him.

[longsuffering]

It's almost certainly a scam. In all likelihood the cheque will seemingly clear, the buyer will pick up the scooter and 2 weeks later your bank will tell you the cheque or money order was counterfeit.

[octothorp]

To me it's suspicious. Any time he never actually mentions the item that he's purchasing from you, it makes it seem suspicious, but I'm not sure how exactly he would be planning to defraud you.

Have you done a search for for the email address? If not, I'd do that and see if anything pops up.

[sclitheroe]

Who buys a 2k $$ scooter without coming over to check it out themselves?

[stang]

scam

Cash only tell him

[ricosuave]

More troubling is: who writes emails like that? Some foreign scammer with very poor engrish skills.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Or bank draft.

[Resolute 14]

Dead on. Tell him you have had problems with cheques in the past, but that you would happily accept a bank draft. If he is in the US, you might want to specify instead that you will require a postal money order.

I can almost guarantee that you won't hear from him again.

[burnin_vernon]

Ah, thanks, all. I think I wouldn't even accept cash on the offchance it is counterfiet. How about Paypal? Would I be safe with that?

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

Ah, thanks, all. I think I wouldn't even accept cash on the offchance it is counterfiet. How about Paypal? Would I be safe with that?

With Paypal, the buyer could conceivably file a fraud complaint against you (ironic) and Paypal will pull the money back pending investigation.

[burnin_vernon]

Originally Posted by Super Nintendo Chalmers

With Paypal, the buyer could conceivably file a fraud complaint against you (ironic) and Paypal will pull the money back pending investigation.

Wow. Okay, I think I'll just pass and wait for a better seller. Way too many bad scenarios here.

PS..I love that handle. I truly laugh aloud whenever I think of Ralph. Forgotten gem of a joke.

[HOOT]

I would never deal with paypal unless it was under $100. I just don't trust them the way they can hold money, etc. Seen too many scams.

[Deegee]

Working for a financial institution I can advise that the cheques they send you with the overpayment is almost always a counterfeit Bank Draft.

And sometimes they look very real.

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/internet-s...ment-scam.html

[flamesflames444]

It's crazy how many scams there are like that out there. I was renting my old condo and got a reply of a grad student from the UK that was interested...emails went back and forth for awhile... I finally receive a Bank of America bank draft for 4 times the amount of the rent deposit. It actually looked quite legit..but by that time I knew it was a scam when they asked me to wire the difference back to them...

[GreenTeaFrapp]

What would happen if you cashed one of those fake cheque type things at a place like Money Mart?

[Hack&Lube]

It's obviously a Nigerian in a computer cafe.

[Winsor_Pilates]

definitely legit, go for it!

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

What would happen if you cashed one of those fake cheque type things at a place like Money Mart?

they would cash it for you for a fee.
if it were to come back NSF or counterfeit, Money Mart would seek restitution from you. Should you not provide restitution they will send it to a collection agency or their legal department.
Either way, yer on the hook.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

More troubling is: who writes emails like that? Some foreign scammer with very poor engrish skills.

They do this in order to make it so the receiver feels empowered and smarter than the other person so they will be able to get away with taking advantage of them. It is a pretty big red herring when you see poor English, because the majority of the time it is a scam.