How does this scam work?

I'm selling some furniture on Craigslist, and I've gotten a couple emails with this basic gist:

>>

I really appreciate your response to my email.i want you to consider the item sold.pls do withdraw the advert from craigslist to avoid Disturbance, anyway I don't have time to come over to take a look Because of my business but you dont need to bother yourself with the shipment.I'll take care of that by engaging the services of a Mover. Hence I'll be sending a check and it will be delivered to you Via United Parcel service (UPS OR FEDEX). So I'll need you to provide me with the following information to Facilitate the mailing of the check.

1. Full name on the check
2. Full physical address to post the check
3. City, state.and zip code
4. Name cell phone to contact you.

Note that the payment will be shipped to your address via UPS or FEDEX NEXT DAY AIR SERVICE and i will like you to know that you will not be Responsible for the shipping i will have my mover to come over as soon As you cashed the check N: B UPS does not deliver to a P.O box addresses >>

I get that this is a scam, but when do they actually try and scam me? I would understand this if it was some big-ticket item and the scammer was trying to kite a check to get the merch, but this is some old pressboard bookshelves. Perhaps he knows of a secret map hidden within these shelves that could lead him to shores covered with treasure and mermaids.

The other possibility is that I'm being scammed by a robot, or some other type of Artificial Intelligence who just automatically sends this email to every Craigslist advertiser. If that is true, I'm almost wishing we could have taken the "Terminator" option where the machines simply try to kill us, rather than trying to defraud us with their superior intelligence.

jg

maybe they want to take your furniture before the cheque clears.. leaving you with a worthless piece of paper?

mad_machine wrote: maybe they want to take your furniture before the cheque clears.. leaving you with a worthless piece of paper?

Maybe, but that's a LOT of work for a few bucks worth of used pressboard bookshelves. If that's his scam he needs to go back to crimeschool.

jg

Check's likely to be stolen or a fake and you'd probably find it's made out for "a little more" as well. Give the shelves and the balance to the 'mover', then wait for the bank to discover that the check is duff.

And yes, they're probably sending this to everybody on craigslist and then some.

I would guess it's a bot gone off the reservation. Doesn't make a lot of sense.

Name + Address = Identity theft

Chances are, the check will be larger than the agreed upon amount, and the buyer will ask that you send him the balance.

Or something will happen with the mover that will require you to wire funds or something like that.

These scams are so transparent, I have no idea as to how people fall for them.

Furniture = $100 Check = $2000 You give furniture & $1900 cash Check is fake and takes 10 days to process

This scam is really only for the absolute dumbest of the dumb.

I still cannot that enough people fall for these scams to make it worth their while.

It's like the nigerians.. hasn't EVERYONE heard of their scams by now?

I've been going round in circles with a similar deal while trying to sell a roll cage kit through the GRM site. I also found it weird that since there's no way I'm shipping anything until the check actually clears I don't understand what the buyer plans on getting out of this!?! The buyer did want to make the check out to include the amount for the shipper so I guess they figured on trying to pull something with that.

Enough people fall for it, that Chris Hansen did a special on scammers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRbHXezGX9I

Or the movers are huge guys that rob you when they are supposed to pick up the furniture.

spritedriver28 wrote: I've been going round in circles with a similar deal while trying to sell a roll cage kit through the GRM site. I also found it weird that since there's no way I'm shipping anything until the check actually clears I don't understand what the buyer plans on getting out of this!?! The buyer did want to make the check out to include the amount for the shipper so I guess they figured on trying to pull something with that.

The problem is that it looks like the check clears and then bounces back weeks later. The fakes tend to be pretty good these days according to a friend of mine who's been occasionally indulging in some 419 baiting.

Kia_racer wrote: Name + Address = Identity theft

And you could never get that from a phone book. I tend not to worry too much about it until they start looking for bank accounts and credit cards. Even then, I think your info is out there at so many different sites your privacy is an illusion. If I was hacking, I'd hack Tire Rack, or the Royal Bank of Canada, not Jim Barnsley.