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Is this a scam?

#23
I personally derive great pleasure from leading these scammers along. I actually will go open another email account with Yahoo or Gmail and then reply (the first email usually goes through a craigslist remailer so they are none the wiser).
I'll act all cheerful and agree with whatever they say. Except I will give them made up info.
By the time they figure it out I will have had much fun with them.
Of course I use a secure TOR browser and such.
 
#25
I had a similar thing happen but it was "I am speech impaired. I wish to buy this as a gift for my niece, but I'm going to New York ...."(paraphrased)

I'm not usually one to Google complete sentences, but I did and I got a zillion results for the exact same scam, all on Craigslist.

People suck.
 
#27
These "canned" responses are common to Craiglist when you are selling or buying. Very common when buying cars. Usually you can tell when everything is perfect about the item you are wanting to buy, and the price is about 1/2 of what your brain tells you it should be.

The latest one I saw incorporated the story that she was in the US Armed Forces, and will be sent to Afganastan next week, so she "must sell it quick!" Everything is perfect. Everything is guaranteed. But the item is always somewhere else, where you cant see it, touch it or smell it.
 
#29
mjac28 said:
It seems legit to me just the other day a Nigerian prince asked me for a favor seemed like a really nice guy and I'm going to make 100,000 to boot looks like my luck is changing
Click to expand...

All I can say is, those Nigerians must be some of the nicest people on this planet. I too have been contacted by them, and one guy even told me that he would consider me to be a friend and a gentleman! How cool is that?? All I had to do is send him $5000 in cash and he would then be able to access the $2.5 million that belongs to him and he would then share it with me. Gosh.......like I said.........those folks over there are so nice!!! Even if he decided not to share his fortune with me, just knowing that he thinks of me as a friend and a gentleman would be all the reward I would need! That alone would be worth sending him $5000. What a great guy he must be.
 
#30
Winfred said:
Lots of "i" mistakes = scam.

Horrible grammar and spelling mistakes = scam.

Complicated payment instructions = scam.

I've seen this same trick with Western Union.
Click to expand...

I don't know if the grammar is that bad, he does claim to be an engineer!;)

There is a site, I think it's Ebolamonkey.com, where these guys play the most wicked games with the spammers. It's freakin' hilarious.
 
#31
NWB said:
I don't know if the grammar is that bad, he does claim to be an engineer!;)

There is a site, I think it's Ebolamonkey.com, where these guys play the most wicked games with the spammers. It's freakin' hilarious.
Click to expand...

LOL!! Civil engineer here! And you are so right.....some of the engineers I have worked with over the past 30 years can't write worth a darn! (Like writing "witch way do I go?")

I recall checking out that ebola website a few years ago, and I remember cracking up royally! Those scamming dimwits are so naive that they actually believe there are people stupid enough to fall for their nonsense! So it was great to read the strings of messages where we were messing with them. All too funny!
 
#32
Bassbubble11 said:
I have seen the same thing but with a check not paypal.
It is a scam. Don't know how this would work for the
scammer with paypal.

I am assuming after they get your item they put in a dispute
with PP that the item was never received. You don't have proof
of a shipping..... well ...... because YOU never shipped it.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what happens. You would end up with no bass (or whatever you're selling) and lose your money too.

This is one of the most common scams. Sometimes they will offer more than the price asked. I f****** hate these pricks.
 
#34
I still have a $32,000. Certified check here from a scam. I should have it framed. Thank God we never shipped the material. The check looks legit but I was leery and contacted the issuing bank in FL. Turns out they closed 2 years before it was dated. I got the FBI involved and they all but yawned.
Go with your intuition - if it walks like a duck, it's a duck.
 
#35
SactoBass said:
LOL!! Civil engineer here! And you are so right.....some of the engineers I have worked with over the past 30 years can't write worth a darn! (Like writing "witch way do I go?")

I recall checking out that ebola website a few years ago, and I remember cracking up royally! Those scamming dimwits are so naive that they actually believe there are people stupid enough to fall for their nonsense! So it was great to read the strings of messages where we were messing with them. All too funny!
Click to expand...

I have heaps of respect for my engineer friends, but their spelling....:eek:

I was crying with laughter when I read the ebolamonkey stuff. Definitely do not read it while at work or your co-workers will hear you laughing uncontrollably and think you're crazy.:D
 
#37
NOTE TO ALL - If someone picks it up - You have NO PROOF OF SHIPPING, so they can legitimately claim non-receipt to PayPal and get a refund. ONLY a FedEx, UPS or USPS receipt can be used to prove shipment to PayPal.

I have had some like that and just suggest that they have their pickup agent bring the cash, as mentioned above.

BTW - My CL ads always state "CASH ONLY"
 
#38
actually, many of the "i am the widow(/son/uncle etc) of an nigerian prince" type emails are not from Nigeria. Thing is, they send out thousands of 'em, and make sure that all "WALK AWAY, SCAM, SCAM, SCAM" bells should ring by using the oldest thing in the book... and well if somebody is stupid enough and have'nt heard of nigeria letters, they are the most likely prey to go along with it.

Pretty clever right?
 
#39
For kicks give him an email address not associated w paypal. you'll get a few emails to that email address--first with counterfeit paypal confirmations, then with counterfeit paypal announcements that the fbi is cracking down on online scammers (because that's their priority) & it will even include pictures of people in handcuffs. pretty funny.

Best thing you can do is report that user where ever it may be, TB or otherwise.
 
#40
Bassamatic said:
NOTE TO ALL - If someone picks it up - You have NO PROOF OF SHIPPING, so they can legitimately claim non-receipt to PayPal and get a refund. ONLY a FedEx, UPS or USPS receipt can be used to prove shipment to PayPal.

I have had some like that and just suggest that they have their pickup agent bring the cash, as mentioned above.

BTW - My CL ads always state "CASH ONLY"
Click to expand...

As soon as you mention cash only on pick up you never hear from them again. Funny thing that.
 

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