Scam again!

[racer-025]

I can't believe these scams are still going on. This time from a guy named Brad Pitt. Any IT website newbies out there - beware of this (below).


Dear Seller,
I saw your advert{ www.improvedtouring.com}and i am interested in buying your (Civic/CRX/Integra Rear Sway Bar ).I want you to tell me the actual price you want to sell it. I will like to know more about the present condition of it,i want you to forward the picture to my e-mail address, my home address below..
RTE DE PRILLY 23,
1349 CRISSIER,
SWITZERLAND.
Tell : +412-133390010.But My Phone developed some technical problems,i believe it will be ok soon. I am insisting on the picture because, i must see what i want to buy first, and method of payment will be by cashier's check
issued from US Bank and will surely clear. I don't want you to worry about the shipment of it,i have a shipping company that will take care of the shipment.Most important,i need your your full name and address in
which the check for the payment will be send to, The detail needed for the payment is bellwo: Full Name: That will be on the check for the payment
Residential Address:
City:
State:
Zipcode:
Country:
Phone Number:
The Main reason why Why i am asking for this information is
so that the payment can be made out on your name send to you fast and quick though one of the courier companies( ROYALMAIL ) so i want you
to mail me back with the detail so that this transaction can be fast.
I shall look forward to read from you Quick Respond.
Thank You.

[Richy Gonzalez]

I've been contacted by 2 different people on the same thing. Usually how I can tell is that every time I ask questions like, "What series have you run in the past?", "Where are planning on running the car?", "How many years have you race?" and the only thing they are interested is in sending the cashiers check.

By the way, how does this scam work. There was someone at my work that had a check mailed for more than the amount agreed upon with directions on sending the rest back. Also, someone else told me about the deposit later being withdrawn stating it was a "fraudulent deposit".

------------------
Richy Gonzalez
GB Racing - #24 ITA CRX For Sale $8300
LAMIN-X Protective Films

[John Herman]

Basically, you deposit the check into your account. The bank, by law, has to make the funds available to you within 48 hours. (I may have the time wrong, but its along those lines.)Now you believe the check has "cleared", when in fact it hasn't. The bank still needs to get the money for the cashiers check, but being an overseas acount, the process will take significantly longer than 48 hours. Once the bank discovers the check is bogus, they pull the money back out of your account. (Its part of that fine print in all the paperwork you signed when you opened your account with the bank.) While the bank is actually waiting for the check to clear, you've shipped the car, violin, vase, whatever, to the overseas "buyer". Goodluck trying to get your mechandise back once you're notified of the problem. I have read about this scam in the paper several times, and several people "lost" extremely valuable antiques this way.

[mgyip]

Originally posted by racer-025:
I can't believe these scams are still going on. This time from a guy named Brad Pitt. Any IT website newbies out there - beware of this (below).

And here I thought it was the "I am the accountant for a very rich African nation..." scam.

I'm amazed that anyone would be stupid enough to fall for one of those scams but obviously someone has before...If ignorance is bliss, there must be alot of very happy people in the world.

[7racing]

I can see this scam working for some items, like antiques (rugs, tables, hutches, etc). They are relatively cheap to ship and anyone, anywhere could be interested.

Now, how many people in Switzerland are really interested in an early model RX7, built for America's highways, that has since been torn apart for racing. It would cost more to ship it (even if they "owned" the shipping company) than it will cost to buy it. Cars are a little less likely to be caught up in the scam.

Now, about that swaybar. I would like to send you a cashier's check.......

Jeremy

[cherokee]

I looked into shipping a old car from France. The shipping from Europe to the east cost of the US was cheaper then having the car trucked from VA to MO. Getting the 30yr old car into the country is not THAT big of a deal. I ended up not getting the car...but I still have the hotts for that 60's rally car.

[ITANorm]

I got a similar "letter of interest" on my trailer. Like somebody's gonn'a ship a 39' trailer to the UK!! For some reason, interest seems to have faded when I told them I would only ship the trailer after my bank had verified the funds on the "cashier's check drawn on a US bank".

FWIW - this Forum is the ONLY place it's listed, for now. So be careful.

[Marianne]

This gets even wierder! Someone I work for put his cat up for adoption and got the same type of scam letter. Said they wouldn't use the cat for medical experiments!

[tophe7d]

Add "Mino Wincent" to the scam list. Wants to buy my car (I have an engine for sale) for a gentleman who just left for Japan and had a cashiers check made out for over the amount requested for another car that was unfortunatley sold... Blah, blah, blah!

I just replied him today that the engine was no longer for sale!

[gsbaker]

A new twist on an old thread, this time from the merchant's side...

So we get this order--from Ghana. We appreciate that racing is a global sport, but do not recall Ghana as being a vortex of vehicular activity. It's an impressive order which includes the top-of-the-line model with all the options. One little problem: no charge card information and the phone number doesn't connect, so we toss it figuring it's some kid in Iowa.

A week later the order arrives again, this time with the comment, "please i want you to send me.". Same deal: no charge card info and the phone is someone's fantasy. So we send a polite e-mail noting the deficiencies and the "customer" says he will withhold the charge card info until he has had the opportunity to review the product quality.

Oh, and he claims to drag race a Jeep.

Then again, ya never know. This guy could be the exclusive distributor for all things NHRA--in Ghana.

[lateapex911]

That's how I bought my last Ferrari....I told the dealer I was witholding my CC info until i could see the quality, and the dealer said "Okie Dokie". Around the far end of the lake, the front end washed out, and I mowed a couple guardrail posts down. So i took it back to the dealer...told him the quality was not to my liking..

I think you're on the right path Gregg.

If you're going to send out a system and not get paid for it, send one to our new President, so he can see first hand what the CRb is recommending the exclusion of.....

[imported_Webmaster]

Please ask these people for their IT.com member IDs and I'll have them axed!

Better yet, have them reply to you here via IM and then I can definatley track them and wipe them out.

[anrkii]

these scams are all over the place, often times they srent even interested in the actual item you are selling, especially if its large ar just plain dumb to ship it overseas, their real interest is you sending them money, they send you a fake check, or even fraudulent escrow ,much larger than the actual item cost, and then you wire the excess back to them.

couple weeks later the bank yanks the full amount back from you, and the overseas scum is nowhere to be found.

so dont EVER accept a payment for over the amount on any item you sell online.