Idiot Scammers wasting my time....

[MacroGuru]

So I have launched an online business - Ebay, Yahoo, and Overstock and Webstore - Plus Import here in Utah.

Well, I just recently put up an iPAQ H6325 on the 3, and from Yahoo....I have received multiple requests to sell outside of the auction, and to ship to NIGERIA of all places....One guy even had the audacity to try and send me spoofed paypal payments to me....using a europe.com and usa.com address....

Honestly...the emails I think are funny.....it's when they start bugging me on Yahoo Messenger. That gets annoying. :mad:

[Raiders Army]

For some reason I read this title to be Dark Scanners.

[MacroGuru]

For some reason I read this title to be Dark Scanners.Changed for you

[hukarez]

and to ship to NIGERIA of all places....One guy even had the audacity to try and send me spoofed paypal payments to me....using a europe.com and usa.com address....
Mega weird! http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif

I was browsing the San Diego Craig's list computers & tech classified forums, and noticed a bunch of folks are posting: "WILL NOT SELL TO NIGERIA" with their items. I guess it's a common theme, when they're getting e-mails like:

" hello,
my name is Tola Brown and i am interested in buying your item but i will
like to know if the item is in good condition, if it is i will like to proceed
with the payment thru money order and once i have made the payment and you have been sent the approval confirmation of the payment i will like to handle the shipping myself thru my fedex account because of the urgency need so please if that is ok with you just get back to me with your final asking price and also with your name and address so that i can proceed withthe payment immediately. Thanks and i look forward to hear fom you soon."

[sachmo71]

it's about time to declare war on Nigeria.

[sterlingice]

If you want some amusement out of this all, look for the topic of "spam baiting", particularly the saga of "Anus Laptops". Basically, screwing with these guys has become an internet art form and it's funny as hell to read some of them (tho some also get quite vulgar).

SI

[MacroGuru]

Mega weird! http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif

I was browsing the San Diego Craig's list computers & tech classified forums, and noticed a bunch of folks are posting: "WILL NOT SELL TO NIGERIA" with their items. I guess it's a common theme, when they're getting e-mails like:

" hello,
my name is Tola Brown and i am interested in buying your item but i will
like to know if the item is in good condition, if it is i will like to proceed
with the payment thru money order and once i have made the payment and you have been sent the approval confirmation of the payment i will like to handle the shipping myself thru my fedex account because of the urgency need so please if that is ok with you just get back to me with your final asking price and also with your name and address so that i can proceed withthe payment immediately. Thanks and i look forward to hear fom you soon."
This is how it has been the entire time....I keep telling them, nope, shipment happens when payment has been received and processed.

One guy today, even went to the lengths to give me a stolen credit card # for verification...

[Raiders Army]

This is how it has been the entire time....I keep telling them, nope, shipment happens when payment has been received and processed.

One guy today, even went to the lengths to give me a stolen credit card # for verification...
That is some crazy stuff. I guess sitting in your parent's basement gives you a lot of time to come up with scams like this.

[MacroGuru]

You know what makes it worse....I am now working under the assumption...everyone is trying to rip me off...If I get paid, I am happy

[Hammer755]

Another common tactic is for them so send you a check for far more than the item sells for. The scammer will ask you to deposit the check and mail him the difference. A week or two later, the bank will let you know that the check was fake and you're responsible for the funds.

[Raiders Army]

Another common tactic is for them so send you a check for far more than the item sells for. The scammer will ask you to deposit the check and mail him the difference. A week or two later, the bank will let you know that the check was fake and you're responsible for the funds.
How would I be responsible for the funds if the check bounces? Wouldn't the person who wrote it be responsible for it?

[sterlingice]

How would I be responsible for the funds if the check bounces? Wouldn't the person who wrote it be responsible for it?
Not the check that you wrote them to cover the differences. Basically, they write you a $200 check for $100 of goods and they want you to send back $100. So, you deposit the $200 check but it bounces so you've sent them $100 out of your own money because you get nothing from their check.

SI

[Raiders Army]

Not the check that you wrote them to cover the differences. Basically, they write you a $200 check for $100 of goods and they want you to send back $100. So, you deposit the $200 check but it bounces so you've sent them $100 out of your own money because you get nothing from their check.

SI
Gotcha. Not thinking clearly.

[sterlingice]

Well, and that's what they prey on.

And it's not just Nigeria, tho that's where a large chunk of it happens. Again, sites like 419eater.com (419 = Nigerian Penal Code section) have a ton of information about this stuff. That said, the real good stuff is where they go after these people and get dumb pictures, death threats, wasted time, or the best even get money out of the scammers (not as in they scam them back but they make them pay a bunch of money for shipping costs and the like).

SI

[Icy]

A friend had a KTM motorbike for sale in Ebay, a Canadian contacted him to buy the motorbike that was really stupid as the shipping from Spain to Canada is more than the motorbike value. He offered a check for the motorbike value + shipping costs, of course my friend smelt something fishy about that the check could bounce later and told him not. The world is full of scammers, and internet helps them to cheat worldwide.

Btw indoorsoccersim, i would like to chat with you about that online bussines you're opening, i have some ideas myself to create something after the good experience selling USA goods in Spain that a friend is having.

[Mo.Raider]

I get these messages constantly. I replied to the first one by telling them" I don't think so scooter", but haven't since. It became very easy to spot these morons with their same tired "please to tell me your final asking price for your product and I will send an agent"... Who the heck has an agent heh heh. I need to get an agent next time I buy online :) .