Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

Maclin

Admiral
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
6,761
I put in a legitimate Items Wanted like this in craigslist...:
"Need good used useable Volvo duoprop set, aluminum B series, anything from B5 thru B7. "


Someone responded thru craigslist with this:
From: Stone Richard (stonerichard32@yahoo.com)
I will like to know if the above listed item is still available for sale


So I sent this response from my home email:
"I have these in items wanted, I am sure you can relate! I was trying to find some before this weekend and I have a low budget right now, I trashed mine on rocks a couple of weeks ago and have the big family outing on Labor Day. Good luck on your quest, let me know if you find any that you do not need, thanks!"


And then got this right back from a slightly different account...:
Richard stone (ianrobinson2010@gmail.com)
Thank for the prompt response my secretary will process and mail a certified draft to cover the cost as am completely satisfied with it.I will need the details of whom & where to mail the payment
1.Name to be on the check
2.Home address
3.Mobile #
Please note 'United Parcel Service' do not deliver to P.O.Box addresses and i will not be mailing a draft to one.My mover will becoming over for the pick up right only after the payment as been delivered.Kindly delete the posting as am totally committed to buying from you to save cost,..Here is my relay phone # is (210) 209-8524 am deaf and will receive your phone messages via email, regards"
 

Thad

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
1,028
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

So let me get this straight.

You put an ad in WANTED. As in you are looking for one.

He replied, HE wants to buy the one you listed. Even though you did not list one.

Now he will send you a draft. Arrange pick up. AND he is deaf, other than not directly speaking to him, I don't see the relevence.

The only thing I am really confused on is, how does you cashing a fake draft at your bank get him anything but a good laugh?

Call me stupid, but I really, really, do not understand these scams.
Do they obtain your vital bank information? I could see if you were really selling something, that he would get the product for free, but other than that:confused:.
 

Maclin

Admiral
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
6,761
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

This one baffled me too. They got me to respond from my personal email account, that is all I think that they could get. I suppose if you keep on going they may ask for more. The deaf thing explains why they will not answer the phone, that it converts to email, but they do get to see what# you called from I guess.

I like the "as I am completely satisfied with it". sheesh:rolleyes:
 

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

I think they sell your contact info . . .
 

redone4x4

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Messages
1,548
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

I think they sell your contact info . . .

this could be...i started playing along with a response i got, i knew it was a scam. A few weeks later, i got another email with a link to paypal saying i just needed to confirm payment for a transaction that was started. logged into my REAL paypal account, and there were no transactions. so, they wanted me to log in under their link, with my password and all.....very scary. i could see how someone would easily do that out of curiosity.
 

Maclin

Admiral
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
6,761
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

I think they sell your contact info . . .

Thanks, this is what a co-worker thought too. Grabbin' addresses to use and look legit for their next target. Still hard to figure what good they get and what bad may happen to me, that is why I posted it here, to see what all this could mean, and if I should get ready for something else.
 

Maclin

Admiral
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
6,761
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

Redone, that makes sense...sell legit email addresses to phishing operations. I just called my spouse to REMIND her not to bite (she has answered a bogus paypal one before).
 

rokrau

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Oct 28, 2008
Messages
76
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

Craigslist has a page devoted to our "scamming friends"...
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
Btw. I bought and sold many cars and now my first boat from CL, my experiences with CL were all great and there are many trustworthy folks out there. However it is as they say, "if it sounds too good to be true it usually is".
Good luck :)
 

Tacklewasher

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
1,588
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

Sounds more like they send you a money order for more than the asking price. You box it up, pay the shipping and send them back the difference. In the meantime, the money order is fake and your bank takes 10 days to 2 weeks to inform you. So you are out the item, the cost of the shipping and the excess that you sent back to them.

I don't use my main address for selling anything (ebay or CL) but have a hotmail one I just use for selling. Don't care about spam there.
 

bassman284

Commander
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Jun 24, 2006
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2,839
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

My favorite is how they are always going to send their "mover".
 

iboats

iboats Customer Care
Joined
Jun 30, 1999
Messages
26
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

Please be careful of these. As many of you know iboats also has an online boating classifieds. Any time someone submits an ad it comes to us for review to make sure it is a legitimate ad. Currently, all reviews are handled by me, and most customer service issues are handled by me as well. As this is part of my job reviewing ad's and speaking with buyers/sellers, I unfortunately see scams such as these on an almost daily basis.

The old adage that if something seems too good to be true then it probably is, is more applicable today than ever. If you are buying or selling anything online please educate yourself about these types of scams and execute common sense to make sure you are not taken advantage of.

If you are a buyer and find something for sale at an extreme discount, never send any funds by way of a wire transfer unless you have completely verified that the product is sold through a reputable dealer/company. If the seller asks you to wire them any kind of money for a "holding fee", "down payment", or even payment in full, then you should execute extreme caution as these are huge red flags to indicate a scam.

If you are selling an item and a buyer offers to send a check for significantly more than the price of the item, with the request that you return the remaining balance back to them via wire transfer or any other means then this is almost guaranteed to be a scam.

In a lot of cases the scammer will play towards their victims emotions by giving a sad story, or a story about why the sale must be rushed. The only reason they want to do this is to try to prevent you from having the necessary time to make sure an offer is valid. Please do not fall for tricks like this. I am not saying that situations do not actually exist, or that good deals are not out there to be found. What I am saying is that with situations like these there is a hugh possibility it will be a scam and therefore extreme caution should be used.

In the case of Maclin, QC is probably right that it is a phishing scam to obtain valid contact information that will be used later to attempt another scam. Tacklewasher also hit on a key point, and there are a few things about Maclin's post that lead me to believe they will attempt to scam the money right away by doing something like this:

In a lot of scams like these once they have made contact with their bait email they will then try to hook you with an offer to send you a check significantly higher than your asking price. The reasons can vary, but typically they state the extra amount is to cover the cost of shiping, or for you to pay their "mover" for them. They will then usually give you instructions on how to wire the money to pay for their mover, and then request that you wire any remaining funds back to them. After several weeks pass, your bank will almost certainly come back and inform you that the check you cashed was not valid, and they will not be honoring it. That will then leave you withe the problem that you wired money to the scammer. It is almost impossible to get this money back. Usually the scammer is also in a different country which means if you try to pursue legal recourse then you would have to deal with international laws.

Even though Maclin was not selling anything, the scammer thought he was. Usually the scammers do not even look at what you list to buy or sell. This is one of the reasons they say they are interested in your "item", instead of saying they are interested in your car, boat, bike, refurbished couch, vintage 1976 diamond encrusted lava lamp, or whatever it may be. Also, the scammer is typically in another country and usually speaks very poor english or no english at all. This is attested by the poor grammar.

Again, I can not even begin to tell you guys n gals how many times I have spoken with people who have been scammed and it is my sincere hope that this will not happen to any of you.
 

Maclin

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May 27, 2007
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Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

Good stuff to know, thanks!
 

Thad

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1,028
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

I think the light is comming on in my little head now.

I have never had any personal dealing with this kind of thing. But would think it extremely odd if I were ever faced with it, and probably delete it.

Now I do have a better understanding of what they are trying to accomplish. Sad that people DO fall for it. Well, somebody must be, or it would not still be happening.

Thanks for the insight.
 

sands

Cadet
Joined
Feb 7, 2009
Messages
14
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

They have so many ways to scam nowadays. I operate a transmission shop in DC and by using call relay they try to get a car tow from California to Dc for a transmission work. They offer to pay with a cc and ask me to send a check to a towing company in advange... We have look for those new ways everyday. Thanks
 

Grand Larsony

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 13, 2008
Messages
221
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

Regarding Craig's List and email...

NEVER respond to an email from ANYONE on Craig's list. In your advertisement to sell (or item wanted) tell them clearly that they may respond to your posting with THEIR PHONE NUMBER ONLY. You call them and talk the deal through.

Real people sit around and reply to CL ads just to get your REAL email address. They then sell them in batches to spammers. If you reply to their inquiry, they'll have your real email address.

Replying to an ad is trickier... if the only way to contact a seller is to send them email, and if they're a spam collector, you'll get captured. No way around this one. Use temporary emails like yahoo or gmail and NEVER your real email address.
 

Grand Larsony

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 13, 2008
Messages
221
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

And watch out for CL deals that are too good to be true. Frequently, they're repostings of real items but with insanely low prices. They only exist to get you to send them your real email address.
 

mmccoy555

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
131
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

I had this happen to me when I posted a truck cap for sale. Someone responded and told me that they like the product and price and would send his moving men over to pick it up. he said he would give me a check for extra, bout 1,950 extra and I was supposed to cash the check and give his men the extra. With in a couple of days I recieved a check for 2,000. He kept hounding me to see if I had cahed the check yet so I called the bank that was written on the check and they said right off the bat "it's fraud, we've had 10 other calls today alone about it". So I played with em a little. Told him I cashed the check and was awaiting his men. He said just wire the money to me instead as my men won't be able to make it right away. That's how he makes his money and you get screwed with the bank.
 

Tacklewasher

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
1,588
Re: Total C-List scammer, funny but now they have my real email addy

Regarding Craig's List and email...

NEVER respond to an email from ANYONE on Craig's list. In your advertisement to sell (or item wanted) tell them clearly that they may respond to your posting with THEIR PHONE NUMBER ONLY. You call them and talk the deal through.

Real people sit around and reply to CL ads just to get your REAL email address. They then sell them in batches to spammers. If you reply to their inquiry, they'll have your real email address.

Replying to an ad is trickier... if the only way to contact a seller is to send them email, and if they're a spam collector, you'll get captured. No way around this one. Use temporary emails like yahoo or gmail and NEVER your real email address.

I've bought and sold on CL, usually by email. Have a Hotmail account and that's all it's used for. Don't care how much spam comes to it. If I'm not buying or selling, I don't check it.

Found a nice Lund 17 ft boat/trailer/motor for $3,800 a while back. Inquired about it and got directed to a fake ebay site. Figured out it was a scam (found the same boat on an ebay ad for around $10K) and hassled the guy for a bit (I need the trailer and Boat VIN and other misc questions) and finally had a bad day one day so I spouted off at him. Made me feel better although I doubt he cared.

Posted about it elsewhere. Someone responded as they had sent the guy money and wanted to know if I knew anything more about it. Poor guy was out the $3,800 and not a thing he could do about it.
 
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