Is this a scam? Not quite sure...
 

I have an Easton Press Stephen King book (The Dead Zone) advertised on craiglist and i got this email message concerning it:


Re: Stephen King The Dead Zone Easton Press 1993 1st Edition. - $215

MY NAME IS RONNY SMITH, I SAW YOUR ADVERT PLACING ON INTERNET WHERE THE PRICE IS STATE $215 AND I WILL LIKE TO PURCHASE IT WITH MONEY ORDER/CASHIER CHECK. IF THIS SUIT YOUR PURPOSE KINDLY SEND ME IS
CONDITION AND THE PICS IF AVAILABLE

Should i be concerned about this?
thanks.

Didn't you already post this?

Certainly you wouldn't send the book out until the MO/Check is cleared and cashed and money is in your hands.
Then again if it is a scam you could in the end waste time and possibly miss a legit buyer.
Does the e-mail come from the family of a deposed Nigerian king??

A non-native speaker with an Anglo name. Think this is a scammer..

The reason these scams work so often is that when you think the MO has cleared, it hasn't yet - often it takes twice as long for counterfiet copies to be traced.

That said, it seems he is from over-seas - find out where he wants the item shipped. My bet is he needs to send it to his friend in Nigeria via Poland, and is will to pay you an extra $500.00 to make it happen...

-Z.

Tell him fine & ask him to send the check overnight international mail.

Give your address of your local FBI office.

I get those all day. I tell em Postal money order and Two months shipping to make sure there is no problem with the MO.

I had a guy who wanted 25 liters of Curil K2 WTF 25 liters what are you putting together A ships diesel?

Never the less I quoted him a price. No check yet.
I also tell them to call me to dicuss shipping that will stop them if they are full of BS due to the cost of the phone call.

I have found that some of the weirdest people shop on Craigslist. It's useful, sure but sometimes you have to deal with stuff like this. Then you have to meet these freaks - see my post from yesterday. :rolleyes:

the plot thickens. I asked him where he was from, so he sends me another message.... my $215 book is now a $300 book. damn, this must be my lucky day! :)
read for yourself:


"Thanks for your good respond. i supposed to come and view what i wanted to purchase from you with my physical eyes but right not i am not in the state with my business partners which does not disturb the transaction. i will alos like you to do me a great favour that is by teling other interesting parties that the product for sale has been sold, if you promised to do this for me i will pay $300 for the book"

As soon a s you see the words BUSINESS PARTNER, you know it is a scam.

Maybe he just finished reading The Dark Tower VI and actually believes the crap about the misprints and the 1st editions. See how hard he bites on a 1st edition Salems Lot :)

as a matter of fact, i did have a 1st edition , 1st printing (1976) of Salem's Lot , but it was in paperback.

The tell-tale tortured English that screams "scam." Funny, really. They must all read the same bad book on how to do this.

Lets hope these guys don't improve their language skills anytime soon. Even with the fractured english, there's one born every minute. Doesn't it make you wish you had a buddy who spoke the regional Nigerian language so you could email the scammer back with a message about what a scum-sucking, low-life he is? :-)
Les

My buddy, originally from Nigeria, made the following translation that may apply to the book situation...

Thank you for your interest in the book, sir. I can only accept postal money order or Western Union wire transfer.

Thanks in advance. Bob
____________________________________________
Yoruba dialect:

Ese fun ife ti enin si iwe na. Sugbon, owo ti molegba ni money order tabi ki efiran awon western Union.

Ese pupo. Bob

The "thanks in advance" was for my friend, not the translation. Nice touch anyway!