Pretty Sure This Is A Scam

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I advertised a fridge for sale on Kijiji and got this email today

"Thanks for contacting me, I'm presently on a tight working schedule so i might not be able to come see it. But be rest assured I'll buy from you so please kindly delete the post so that other interested buyer won't bother disturbing you over it, i don't mind adding an extra $100 to hold it for me. So due my busy working schedule , I will intend to mail you a certified bank draft as payment which would have to clear your bank before the pick up is done.

I'll be responsible for the pick -up and the pick up money will be included in your payment to avoid delay and to enable the pick up person schedule an appropriate time for the pick-up at your location after cheque has fully cleared your financial institution, I also have other items to be moved alongside with yours.

I would have really love to come for the viewing and pay in person but due to my work frame that won't be possible i work in the mining industry and have a one week off and 3 weeks none stop to work, this was why i incurred the service of a pickup agent, so if you have more pics that might be an option. Please do get back to me with your full name and address including your phone # so as to facilitate the mailing of the payment to your address without any further delay.

Thanks Caleb"


How does this scam work? He mails me a cheque and, before the cheque clears, comes up with a reason why he has to have the fridge right away?

I did not think people would go to this much hassle trying to scam a $500 fridge.
 
Sounds like the typical scam to me. If he will give you about 30 days for the possibly fake check to clear it might be safe. I usually tell people that the first person that hands me the CASH can have it no ifs and or buts. They can't or won't do that, no deal.
 
I think your idea of how his scam works is sound. Either that or he wants your contact info to sell to other scammers.

If Kijiji does the email relay I'd reply back with not so nice words.
 
If you respond, the next communication will be something along the lines of I accidentally sent you too much money ... can you send back the difference, I'll even give you an extra $ 100 for your trouble ...

Or, he is simply gathering info for identity theft. Full name and address are a good start. Then he'll ask for your SSN just to confirm YOU are who you say you are ... and then a bank account so he can directly transfer YOUR money, because he TRUSTS you ...

String him along if you like, but be careful what info you give out.
 
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Originally Posted by geeman789
If you respond, the next communication will be something along the lines of I accidentally sent you too much money ... can you send back the difference, I'll even give you an extra $ 100 for your trouble ...

That will be it.
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String him along if you like, but be careful what info you give out.

And don't try to cash/deposit any "check" he sends you; it will be counterfeit and may take weeks to come back on you.
 
Yes. Scam. Bad English. Check takes weeks to really bounce. Then you owe the bank money and you have no fridge. They have to credit your account within 2 days even if it takes longer so you think it clears but it doesn't. Only way to really tell is call the bank manager of the issuer to make sure the funds are there. That's what lawyers do when getting a check for a house closing.
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Yes. Scam. Bad English. Check takes weeks to really bounce. Then you owe the bank money and you have no fridge.

They don't want the fridge and will never pick it up. They want whatever cash refund they can get out of you for overpayment etc.

For example, they send you a fake cashier's check for $1000 on a $500 fridge. Oops, we sent you too much money. Please cash the check, refund us $400 and you can keep an extra $100 for your trouble. Now they have $400 and you have a worthless check come back that you thought had cleared. And a fridge.
 
Sounds like a scam. He doesn't want your fridge. He might "accidentally" pay you too much. Somehow you will end up having to send him some money. His cheque will bounce after 3 or 4 weeks and you'll be out the money and maybe the fridge - and then the bank will assess you an extra "bounced cheque" fee - mostly to add insult to injury.

Run.
 
Fake check scam, but its not going to be for your asking price. They will send you a check for higher than your asking price, then ask you to refund the difference due to a mistake on their part. Their check is bad and it takes weeks to track down, meanwhile you sent them good money. Strongly avoid.
 
100% scam. I dealt with this on multiple occasions selling on Craigslist. Don't cash it at your bank, I have read that sometimes there can be a penalty assessed to your account for the processing/returned check fee.
 
Any kind of anything nonsense is a scam. You don't have to understand their angle to just say no that's not going to happen, in your mind, then delete the message without wasting another second on it.
 
Simple solution, only take cash. If he can send you a check, he can wire via Western Union cash (for less than the $100 for your "trouble"), to you for pick up or to the people who are supposedly supposed to come pick up the fridge. Or better yet, he could send you money via PayPal. It costs you nothing to receive the money and PayPal will only transfer money to you when it has received the bona fide funds from the sender/payeees bank. PayPal is essentially a clearinghouse. Preventing fraudulent transactions like the one you're presented with is the very reason PayPal was invented. Because PayPal doesn't pay you until it has received the funds, there is absolutely no way you can be the victim of fraud using their service.

I never ever take a check...
 
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Advertising anything for sale on the Internet = cash in-person ONLY. I put this in every ad and I ignore anyone attempting to do otherwise.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
"Pretty sure", ....you think?


Well, he says he works in the mining industry. If you cannot trust a hotshot mining executive, who can you trust?
[Linked Image]
 
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