I think I smell a scam.

[Detonate]

I recently posted an item for sale on Craig's list. This is the text of an email I got in response.

i'm a chief at sea and i will love to buy this item.i want to be
the best offer by adding $100 to your money then keep other offers
off,where i am i don't have access to my bank account and i have
access to my paypal account.I insisted on paypal because i don't have
access to my bank account online as i don't have internet banking, but
i can pay from my paypal account, as i have my bank account attached
to it, i will need you to give me your paypal email address so i can
make the payments asap for the item and if you don't have paypal
account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to http://www.paypal.com
and get it set
up , after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you
use for registration with paypal so as to put the money through. I
have a pick up agent that will come and pick the item up after i have
made the payment. Get back to me in time.


Looks fishy to me. So this is the reply I sent.

Send your friend the money and have him show up with cash. I won't hold the item for you.

[Zhao]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

Since he is a chief at sea, gotta look "fishy" (from fish). Nah, that's not funny. :P

He is only asking for your paypal email so he can pay you through paypal. As long as he pays and gives an address to send the item to, looks ok. It doesn't matter to you who goes pick up or not the package, that's his problem. But anyway, the mail looks fishy so you can just leave the item for sale while you wait (I don't know how craiglist works, but you get the idea), just in case he doesn't actually pay, the item stills for sale and therefore you get the chance of finding another buyer.

[oshunluvr]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

Detonate - you're right on. You will get scammers every time you post on Craigslist, just the nature of the beast. Try posting a car for sale add. I'd bet a months pay you'll get at least three "Foreign Investors" who have a buyer for your car overseas.

I would day this falls into the category of "If it's too good to be true...". Really? People offer you $100 over your asking price? Yeah, happens all the time...NOT.

This scam usually works like:
1. scammer has stolen credit card
2. sends you money on paypal using stolen credit card
3. you ship to his NON CONFIRMED address
4. 3 months later, CC company contacts paypal and requests a chargeback on the fraudulent charges
5. you are out your item

[dibl]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

I vote for "scam".

I don't know how things are arranged there in Colorado, but I found out that here we have a "craigslist-dayton" which is really a locally oriented subset of the big craigslist. This spring I sold two bicycles, a lawn mower, and a snowblower that were clogging my garage space, and it worked out fine. Guys showed up with cash in my driveway, got to look over the goods, we haggled a little bit, they ended up with the goods, and I ended up with the lettuce. There were no windy e-mail messages from off-shore locations.

[Detonate]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

The item is a motorcycle so shipping is out of the question. Has to be local pickup. I am not going to send this guy my PayPal email address. If he is serious, he will contact me. If his friend shows up with cash, I will let him have it.

[charles052]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

Agreed, it's a scam in some form or another.

I've been sent fraudulant money orders for 2 grand and the item I was selling was only $800. The 'buyer' was asking if I could send back the difference or something to that effect. I looked at the money order and it was very well made, watermark and all! Still, I knew it was a scam.

[Snowhog]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

He says he's a 'chief at sea'. His writing is horrible! Such a written communication suggests strongly that his statement as to what he is is false, and therefore, anything else stated within it is probably false as well.

[oshunluvr]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

Seriously Detonate, I'd give it a pass.

[GreyGeek]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

Trust your nose, Detonate, it's telling you the truth!

[Detonate]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

Anybody interested in a 1998 Yamaha YZ250?

[oshunluvr]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

No, but I know a guy that'll give you $100 more than you're asking...lol

Come to think of it - the scammer is the guy that will show up as a "Purchase Agent" and since he picked it up - you'd have no proof it was delivered. Bad news...

[GreyGeek]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

If I sat on that dirt bike I'd run out of springs and shocks!

[Detonate]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

Yes, not a bike for us seniors, it belongs to my son, who has decided he would rather have a fishing boat. I think this is a good move on his part.

[GreyGeek]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

Wise choice. It will increase his odds that he will arrive in one piece at the ages we have reached. 8)

[ScottyK]

Re: I think I smell a scam.

It's a scam, pure and simple. As the others above have said, he's probably using a stolen credit card, or forged and fake money orders.

Also noticed that he never identified what you were selling in the email, nor the asking price. Just wants to buy "the item" for $100 more than you were asking.

They just copy and paste these emails to everyone, and hope to get a few hits.