SELLER BEWARE, Internet auction scams!
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Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 113
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From: Central PA
SELLER BEWARE, Internet auction scams!
I just posted this in the General Forum, but I know some of you Lightning guys buy and sell things on the net so I thought that this might be appropriate here.....
I just wanted to pass this along in case you have not already heard of this. To pay for my new F-150, I work as a fraud investigator for a bank and I have seen several instances of this scam recently. Normally when you are selling items on the internet you figure you are in control, you don't send the item until you receive the money, but some con artists have figured out a way to take you big time.
It starts with someone selling something (I have seen cases involving everything from cars to puppies!) on the internet. They are contacted by someone who is from out of the country, usually Nigeria, that wants to buy what they are selling. They say that someone in the states owes them money and to save time, they will just have that person send a cashiers check to you. The problem is that the check is for thousands of dollars more than what you are selling. The con artist asks that you deposit the check, take your portion and then wire them the rest as soon as possible, usually via Western Union. The problem is that the cashiers check that they send you is counterfeit, in other words it is worthless. The seller does not find this out until several days after they have wired the money and are left holding the bag for the bad check. Your bank will not be able to tell that the check is counterfeit and will not know until it comes back from the bank where it was drawn. In case you didn't know, you are responsible for all items that you deposit to your account if they are no good.
In a one week period we saw 4 cases of this scam, I just wouldn't want any of the F-150 users to become victims!
Later......
I just wanted to pass this along in case you have not already heard of this. To pay for my new F-150, I work as a fraud investigator for a bank and I have seen several instances of this scam recently. Normally when you are selling items on the internet you figure you are in control, you don't send the item until you receive the money, but some con artists have figured out a way to take you big time.
It starts with someone selling something (I have seen cases involving everything from cars to puppies!) on the internet. They are contacted by someone who is from out of the country, usually Nigeria, that wants to buy what they are selling. They say that someone in the states owes them money and to save time, they will just have that person send a cashiers check to you. The problem is that the check is for thousands of dollars more than what you are selling. The con artist asks that you deposit the check, take your portion and then wire them the rest as soon as possible, usually via Western Union. The problem is that the cashiers check that they send you is counterfeit, in other words it is worthless. The seller does not find this out until several days after they have wired the money and are left holding the bag for the bad check. Your bank will not be able to tell that the check is counterfeit and will not know until it comes back from the bank where it was drawn. In case you didn't know, you are responsible for all items that you deposit to your account if they are no good.
In a one week period we saw 4 cases of this scam, I just wouldn't want any of the F-150 users to become victims!
Later......
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 11,153
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From: Selden NY
Good Looking out Thomas 
I've gotten a ton of scam mail playing every thrick in the book, I'm sure many get played. Me I play along right up to the point where I'm suppose to send money, then I report the e-mail adress
I've gotten a ton of scam mail playing every thrick in the book, I'm sure many get played. Me I play along right up to the point where I'm suppose to send money, then I report the e-mail adress
