Strange internet buy/sell experience

I posted a bike for sale on Craig's List in Austin. It's a Trek 930 MTB from the
mid 90's.

Then I get this today via email:
[ QUOTE ]
I am intrested in buying your WTS Trek 930 mountain bike for shipment
to London, tell me your last selling price, the present condition, why
you are selling it and payment will be via certified check or bank
transfer so get back to me as soon as posible with the pics and let me make
arranegement for the payment.
Thanks,

[/ QUOTE ]


The shipping alone would be more than what the bike is worth!



Then, I replied saying I would need his postal code in London to calculate
shipping.


This is his second email:

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for your mail,well i will be taking by your words regards the
condition of the WTS Trek 930 mountain bike that is ok Because i would not be
able to come and see it unless you send me more pics due to the fact i'm in
London but i will be handling the shipping myself becuase i've seen a shipping
company here in London of which i am ok with their price, but its my client that
will send you payment via certified Cheque drawn from US bank and i would like
the price to be abeat conderate.So i would like to pay you $300 so kindly
forward me your full name, contact address,and contact phone number if you are
ok with my offer so that the payment can be send to you.
Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]


Some guy in London, England wants to buy a 10-yr-old mass-produced American
bike, pay twice what it is worth, then volunteers to handle the shipping
himself.

Um, okay...


BTW, $300 IS my asking price, although I have seen it for sale for $150.

Probably a "nigerian scam" - modified, but still the same sort of scam. I wouldn't bite if I were you. Search for "nigeriam scam" on Google, you'll find lots of good sites about them and they'll teach you how to protect yourself. If you want to check it out, you can contact your local police department or federal agency, they can usually provide you with some information too. There was a hilarious site I went to one time from a PCMag, it was a girl in the states who sold horses, but what she did was play along till the last minute, then inform the scammer that they just wasted all their time talking to her. Then she would turn in the checks and emails to FBI. I'll look for the link later.

I've heard of similar scams - where someone abroad wants to buy something and will have someone in the US pay for it. Apparently, they send bad checks or cancel PayPal later. You can't easily get your stuff back or file a claim because the recipient is someone else.

Don't sell to this guy!

Yeah, I used to sell regularly computer parts on eBay and I had several offers for something similarly convoluted, usually offering more than I was asking.

If the deal sounds too good to be true... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif

BODGY! Don't do it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif

Sounds strangely familiar to one I got just today...

How are you doing?My client was much impressed and he hopes that the bike is serviced and well kept too.He can't wait to see the bike.However,my client made out a cashier's check of ($31,000 )before he travelled to japan on a business trip,for a previous bike and its shipment charges etc,but it was unfortunately sold.The amount on the check he deposited for the bike is bigger than what should be paid to you now, so the check is now meant for the total expenses which includes the purchase of your bike,the pick up of the bike from its present location and the shipping charges/other necessary shipping arrangements.However he has instructed us to carry on with this transaction. So you're required to deduct the cost of your bike ($22,500)and send the balance of ($8,500 )to my client to enable him offsett shippingcharges/arrangements.once the transaction is concluded,My agent will be coming for the pick up of the bike from its present location, on an open vehicle ! and then drive to a pre paid shipper for shipment while title papers and other necessary documets will be handed to the agent at the time of pick up.Please Confirm this and provide name,address and phone number for check payment to be delivered to you via courier .

(This is the second offer I have got of this almost identical type)

How could you resist not screwing around with him... Like give him an address to the local police station or court...

[ QUOTE ]
matt_j said:
How could you resist not screwing around with him... Like give him an address to the local police station or court...

[/ QUOTE ] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

There always seems to be a "business trip" or something similar involved with these scams, like the ones where people hack ebay accounts.

I saw a counter-scam wherein a guy shipped a "Powerbook" to somewhere in eastern Europe after getting a rubber check to pay for it. The gag? The "Powerbook" was a 3 ring binder, and he valued it at something like four grand, so the scammer had to pay taxes to receive it.

It is a scam. They send a you a a MO or cashier's check. When you deposit it, the bank will initially credit you the amount. Then you think everything is fine and then you send an item. After a weeks/month the bank realizes the MO/cashier's check is fake and takes out the deposit, by that time, it is too late.

Oh here is the p-p-p-powerbook story, fun read.

Oh gawwwwdddd.... I used to think "Nothing impresses me any more" with computer related stuff but I really want to bow down and kowtow to that guy, he is a GENIUS for being able to pull it off and document it so well. You can *FEEL* the adrenalin rush as you read the part where they're closing in on the delivery and going to nail the guy. I haven't laughed as hard I did in a long time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

It's folks like these I really respect. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

27.5% of $2200 is over $600.. well done!

BTW lightwave, I think it's an auto-generated email or written by someone who doesn't really bother to take time to understand what's going on. "WTS Trek 930" -- isn't WTS "Want To Sell", us normal folks understand it and take it out of the description when referencing an item for sale.

Hmm it does sound very suspicious. No I wouldn't sell it.

bout busted a gut laughing, reading powerbook thread..

The P-P-P-Powerbook thread is definitely worth a read. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif