Something seems dodgy! advice please?

Littlepete

I need someones advice on the following situation.

I'm selling my car and was contacted by a buyer via the net. The buyer wants to ship the car to canada and has sent me a check from the UK, he then wants me to send a portion of the money he sent me to someone in the UK who will arrange the shipping and apparently someone will collect it.

At first i thought the guy was pulling my leg since the money he wants transfered for the shipping (to canada) ~8,000 euro (Which considering the cost of the car is a bit mad) but the check arrived this morning. Obviously i'll wait for it to clear before making any moves. But somehow it seems a bit dodgy. Maybe im just being paranoid.

Is there any steps i need to take to protect myself here? Any exporting documents i need to fill out? Anything special about the transfer of ownership??

RobAMerc

Is this a joke ?

Send nothing to anyone. This is a well known and documented scam.

Maybe agree to it and get the cheque from him as a souvineer, but your car will go nowhere and DO NOT SEND THIS PERSON MONEY OF ANY SORT!

The cheque he sends you will be rubber !

Littlepete

Thanks RobAmerc. I just found an article explaining how the scam works, the check was real but apparently it would clear for a few days then bounce.

http://www.4x4web.co.uk/scamexamples.html explains how it works -

Emails in bad english offering to buy your item and paying by Cashiers Cheque, building society or Bankers draft for an amount greater than you are asking, then to send the balance on once the cheque has cleared. This is a scam using stolen/forged bank drafts/cheques which can clear in 3 days and bounce in two months. You may then have no car, and have paid the scammer the surplus cash and your bank pulls the total amount back. DO NOT REPLY. The NCIS (UK National Criminal Intelligence Service) are aware of this variation on the West African Fraud.
If in doubt ring Nigel on 0871 2777160 (Line open most days including holidays 0830 - 2100, Note 0871 National call numbers are charged at 10p per minute all times)

mike65

Dear God. I can't belive it not butter (I'll let you decipher what I'm really saying).

Mike.

FX Meister

Waste the dickheads time and get him to send you the check

skibum

FX Meister wrote:

Waste the dickheads time and get him to send you the check

The op stated that he has already got the cheque

Littlepete wrote:

but the check arrived this morning.

Guy:Incognito

Whats the story with banks and cheques?

Banks have been refunding credit card and atm card fraud for ages, bu tyet they will clear a cheque then decide a few weeks later that the cheque isnt valid. Why do they bother saying the cheque has cleared in the first place?

crosstownk

If you smell a rat then pull out of the deal. But I do agree with a previous poster - waste the scammers time as best you can. It will entertain you and p1ss him off!

bazz26

I would report the cheque to your bank, explaining the scam, it will more than likely bounce but the bank may be able to do a bit of digging and trace it or at least prevent some other person from falling for the same scam by that individual.

Whatever you do don't give this conman a cent.

Esel

I have a bridge for sale if anyone's interested. Pics later.

Del2005

Stekelly wrote:

Whats the story with banks and cheques?

Banks have been refunding credit card and atm card fraud for ages, bu tyet they will clear a cheque then decide a few weeks later that the cheque isnt valid. Why do they bother saying the cheque has cleared in the first place?

It's because the local Irish bank clears the check and then posts it back to the issuing bank. When they recive the check and see it isn't a valid check they take their money back and then your bank takes it's money back and you're all outta luck. Where as with credit card fraud the only looser is the retailer/seller!

Edit
BTW - I know it's OT but Stekelly asked.

fletch

I always wondered how these people made their money.....it's from idiots like you! Sorry but common sense should have prevailed in this instance, like how in Gods name would it be economically viable to buy a car in Ireland (having never seen it) and then ship it thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada! :rolleyes:

mikedragon32

littlepete wrote:

But somehow it seems a bit dodgy.

Yes. Indeed it does. It's terrible to have to say it, but in this day and age, if your instincts tell you it's dodgy, best thing to do is walk away.

Why anyone in their right mind would want to pay over the odds for a car from Ireland and pay to export it to wherever (this applies to the UK "car finder" crowds too), when they should be able to do much better locally is beyond me. Anyone overseas looking to buy your car (unless it's a rare or vintage) is more than likely looking to scam you.

gyppo

esel wrote:

I have a bridge for sale if anyone's interested. Pics later.

I've always wanted one. The bigger the better.

overdriver

The good folks at www.419eater.com will tell you what to do. And how to waste his time, if you want. I once sent a guy on a 1200km goose-chase across Accra, Ghana to pick up money from a WU office that doesn't exist.

And another on a 5-hour train journey across the UK to "meet" me. I was watching him on webcam as he got to the meet!

unkel

Yes this is yet another Nigerian scam. My favourite is the one you'll find when you google "Father Bateyoo Reelgud of the Church of Fish and Bread"

overdriver wrote:

I once sent a guy on a 1200km goose-chase across Accra, Ghana to pick up money from a WU office that doesn't exist

Fair play to overdriver! Keep that scum busy

quarryman

overdriver wrote:

The good folks at www.419eater.com will tell you what to do. And how to waste his time, if you want. I once sent a guy on a 1200km goose-chase across Accra, Ghana to pick up money from a WU office that doesn't exist.

And another on a 5-hour train journey across the UK to "meet" me. I was watching him on webcam as he got to the meet!

brilliant! is the thread on 419? i'd like to read about that one.

Littlepete

Thanks guys, love that idea. Definately going to make the guy sweat for this one. Got some great idea's on that site pretending to send the money Via "eastern union" :> and make him travel across the UK to collect it.

I feel so dim for even considering that if might have been for real.

overdriver

quarryman wrote:

brilliant! is the thread on 419? i'd like to read about that one.

Should be! I "retired" a while ago - it got very heavy going, as I got into victim warnings and all that kind of carry-on. Very very depressing to have people you're trying to save from scammers dive right in and report YOU to the authorities, send ALL their money to them etc etc.

I specialised in audio baiting. If you go to the forums and run a search on mikmik, that was my username there, and all my stuff should come up.

Another proud moment was when I got one of them to walk back and forth across the Abbey road crossroads under the webcam,oh! and I got 12 of them arrested, one of whom was arrested in Talbot Street and deported out of Ireland.

Archeron

Littlepete wrote:

Thanks guys, love that idea. Definately going to make the guy sweat for this one. Got some great idea's on that site about sending the money Via eastern union by accident :>

I feel so dim for even considering that if might have been for real.

Maybe this is just the paranoia pumpkin inside me talking, but if this guy has sent you a cheque, does that mean he has your address? If so, I'd be hesitant about wasting more of his time. All fine and dandy when its behind the relative safety of a PC screen and email address, but I wouldnt go inviting trouble with potentially dangerous professional conmen who have my home details.
Just my tuppence.

overdriver

I really wouldn't worry about that. They really aren't going to be bothered because they have so many people on the go, it's a full time job as it is.
If the OP is in any way worried, he can set up a new safe email, and bait them from that.

overdriver

here's the one where the dude got areested in Talbot street:

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38989&highlight=

And here's the 1200km "safari" trip one:

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38563&highlight=

Sorry for drifting OT, mods!

Kinetic^

Overdriver, you are my hero, how must one become your padwan?

mike65

Legend.

Esel is that bridge high or low tide spec?

Mike.

overdriver

Ah, Kenny, young padwan! I accept trainee jedi's by PM!

overdriver

Here are soem of the phone calls I made, posing as a gay Austrian called gunter. Scammers are VERY homophobic. They hate gays, but their greed keeps them on the line.

Start at the bottom of the page!

http://gunter.hopto.org/

mike65

Brilliant! From 419Eater Trophy Room.

Mike.

overdriver

Yeah, he was my first. You always remember your first.


I got him out of bed at 2 a.m. to do a phone confession with my fake priest!

Seth Brundle

esel wrote:

I have a bridge for sale if anyone's interested. Pics later.

I know of a bridge sold recently in a scam that involved taxpayers money!

peasant

kbannon wrote:

I know of a bridge sold recently in a scam that involved taxpayers money!

Noice one centurion, loike it, loike it !

Esel

kbannon wrote:

I know of a bridge sold recently in a scam that involved taxpayers money!

I am in dispute with the previous 'owner' of that bridge, as the cheque he gave me to purchase it bounced, after I had refunded him the excess - which he was going to use to ship the bridge to the Sahara (I should have smelt a rat at this point tbh ).

Mike65, all my bridges are tidal, but your best time to remove them after purchase is low tide during hours of darkness.