How does THIS scam work?
 

I'm selling a Kendon folding motorcycle trailer on Craigslist.
My ad clearly states cash only.
Here are the email exchanges:

Me:

Thank you for your interest in the trailer. The price is $1500 firm. Cash only. How would you like to proceed?


Buyer:

ts My pleasure reading from you. hope its on condition as described? I m kinda of the old fashion to on-line business purchase & I really don't like solving much on Internet & due to numerous report of Fraudulent activities going on. I felt safe because my only option of payment would be Pay Pal. Any way, do you have an account with Pay Pal? I choose Pay Pal due to my past experiences as i was been burnt several times hence i choose this means as my only choice of payment for security measure as with Pay Pal, I can easily send money directly from my account to you as its good for online transactions. Kindly check with them on their website wwww.paypal.com and have an account created. needed details after you av setup an account, is your name and email address in order to send money. If you wish to proceed with my method of payment then go ahead and Remove the sales advert from posting.



Me:

I'm sorry. Cash only.



Buyer:

I believe am okay with the price,and the condition as described on Craigslist.I would love to make the payment ASAP before anybody else comes to you,The payment is going to be through certified check and when check cleared my picker will come to pick it up at your location,.Kindly get back to me with your Full name to be written on check and your Mailing Address,So for me to mail out the check asap.

In both cases, he is trying to get your personal information, likely to use to set up fake accounts of some sort in your name. Note that he wants your name, address, and email account name in both responses. The scam here is not for your item, it's for the information.

I've begun using the following:

"which Western Union would you like for me to go to so that I can send you money?" "Can you please make sure it is the one nearest my house?"

That usually results in an immediate hang up for phone scammers :D

Tell him that your e-mail connected to paypal is scams@fbi.gov and you live at 935 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20535. You can be reached at (202) 324-3000 to arrange a meeting.

Say to the **** "You have to come and collect the trailer anyway, bring cash then."

Resourceful little bastard, lol...


Paypal scam #1: Fraudulent or hijacked PP account. You receive funds, ship item, then get an email shortly thereafter letting you know it is being disputed. If using PP, always accept funds (and ship items to) users with confirmed addresses.
If paying via PP, always have items shipped to your confirmed address. Never use "friends and family" payment method on either side of a transaction, if you don't know the buyer/seller.

Paypal scam #2: Spoofed PP email. You have item for sale and are contacted from "buyer" that wants to pay via PP. You agree, and get an email from PP stating funds have arrived. However, email is fraudulent and not really from PP.
Scam works on premise that you will ship item without actually confirming funds in your PP account, and will just rely on the email (always log on directly to PP to confirm funds in your account).

Paypal scam #3: Spoofed PP website. Similar to the above, accept you get an email from PP requesting you log on to your account. Website is fake/spoofed (and some look very convincing), and goal is to obtain your log-on name & PW.

Check scam #1: Fraudulent check. Scammer contacts you about item, you agree on terms and they pay via "certified" check. Check is bogus, and would probably get flagged immediately at your bank. Premise is that you will ship item before depositing check.

Check scam #2: Same as above, but check is stolen/counterfeit (legitimate routing/account numbers), so actually passes bank deposit, but then bounces/gets flagged as fraudulent, and funds returned (or never makes it passed "pending" status).
Premise is that you ship item before it gets flagged.

Check scam #3 (probably the most common): Scammer sends (bogus) check for more than purchase price amount, and requests the difference to be paid to a third party.
Typically, you are asked to send the difference to their "shipping agent" who is supposed to pick up the item you are selling. This scam is used with various payment methods (checks, Paypal, Western Union, etc.).

MOSES!!

this is a single bike trailer? $1500?

opps..i mean.

dear sirs;
is this trailer for two bike or single bikes? is you firm on you asking price of $500 dollars minus from $2000 as you ask. i am interested serious as i am serious and interest in trailer for motobikes.

(seriously doc. where is this thing? 2" hitch ball? and i gotta ask my wife..but i did just let her have a dog :D)

omg Vash is the craigslist scam guy!

Two bikes. Any size. If you'll provide a bank draft for $101,500.00 I will deliver the trailer and Nigerian bank notes totaling $100,000.00

I'd take that trailer off your hands, but funds are a bit tight right now...I have a huge inheritance coming in from a long lost relative I didn't even know I had, and the "legal fees" for obtaining the check have been pretty high so far.
The inheritance is over $20MM though, so paying the legal fees up-front is, like, totally worth it!

This one brings back painful memories. Flash back to late summer 1974, when I'm in college. I had bought a 65 911, found in a local paper, for $600 I'd saved from my summer job.

Nice original car, silver with blue leather, wood dash and wheel, and nice chrome steelies, ran great but with low oil pressure. Tested the OP with a mechanical gauge, and replaced the faulty OP sender. Fixed. PO knew nothing of foreign cars, much less Porsches.

Advertised for sale in the Sunday NY Times, Section 5, which was the place in the 70's to find nice old sports cars for sale.

Sold it for $1,500 to a guy from NYC who came to pick up the car with a certified check, and a set of plates to drive it back to the city.
I deposit check, go back to school, and 2 weeks later find out from my dad that the certified check had been forged. Bye bye summer savings, nice profit for a 19 yr old college kid in 74, and one damn nice Porsche.