Please etll me if this is a scam or illegal

[DamnedButDetermined]

Sorry it is so long, but these are the e-mails I have recieved about someone wanting to purchase my parts car...

Hello am interested in your car ,one of my client saw your car in the net and car in the net and say he his interested ,he say your offer price is $400 but can only afford $400 ok with price let me know
PLS CONFIRM THE FOLLOWING ..........BELOW.
NOTE: THE PRICE IS FIRM AT $ USD.
Any accident history ........?
Are you the first owner of the Vehicle.........?
I hope all the documents are complete...........?
What is the Vin Number...................?
Note: My client takes care of the shipping,handling bills and my commission.
Looking forward to doing a successful business with you nicely!
Regards..
Mr. ...... .....

I answered with all the information...

His reply,
Greetings........
Thanks for your time , effort and anticipated cooperation . Happy to inform you that I have concluded with my client and he has instructed me to carry on with the transaction,he said that I should inform you that payment will get to you in a cashier check of $5,000 which is a refund payment of a cancelled order earlier made by my client.


Due to the company's policy this check has to be made out in this amount to you because the company's policy only allows a refund payment on one cashier check,so you are required to deduct cost of your vehicle $350 when payment gets to you and refund balance $4,650 to my customer's shipping agent via money gram transfer for him to be able to offset shipping charges.


After payment has reached you and balance sent back to THE PICKUP AGENT ,our agent will come for the pick up and drive to a prepaid shipper to be shipped to my customer,while title papers and other necessary documents will be sent by you via fedexcourier to my customer.

ATTENTION;

MY CLIENT JUST INSTRUCTED THAT YOU SHOULD NOT PREPARE ANY PAPER WORKS UNTIL THE PICK UP AGENT ARRIVES AT YOUR LOCATION WITH SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND VALUE THE CONDITIONS OF THE VEHICLE..SO AFTER THEN THE PICKUP AGENT WILL GIVE HIM A CALL ON THE CONDITIONS OF THE VEHICLE SO THAT HE WILL GIVE HIM A GO AHEAD ORDER TO SIGN ON HIS BEHALF..

PICKUP ARRANGEMENT;

PLS MY CLIENT IS MAKING THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS WITH SOME SHIPPING AGENT REGARDING THE PICKUP/SHIPMENT OF THE VEHICLE BUT HE ADVISED THAT AS SOON AS HE FINISHES THE ARRANGEMENT THAT HE WILL INFORM ME ON THE PARTICULAR SHIPPER(i.e the shipping agent's information) WHO IS GOING TO ARRANGE FOR THE PICKUP/SHIPMENT.


Please Confirm this whole arrangement and provide Name.................,Address..................... ... and Phone Number ......................for check payment to be made out in your name .

I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND...

Thanks for your time, effort and understanding...

HAVE A NICE DAY.

Management
Mr. ..... .....

I supply him with all the information he askes for...

His reply,
Hello Mr. ..... ..... thanks for your mail please send pictures my client need to see the pictures
thanks


I do so...

His reply,
Attention:MR. ..... .....,

I have fowarded the payment information that you provided to my client and he assured me that he will instruct the refund company to make payment in your name tomorrow being monday the 21st Day of February, 2005.

This will be sent to you after passing through the normal process of clarification.This may likely take up to 5 working days.The payment will be sent to you via a Courier service on the last day of the clarification.

NOTE: YOU ARE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE THE PAYMENT PACKAGE ON OR BEFORE MONDAY BEING THE 28TH DAY OF FEBRUARY,2005.VIA A COURIER SERVICE.

SECONDLY ; YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DEDUCT THE TRANSFER FEES FROM THE BALANCE OF THE FUNDS( $4,650 ) WHICH YOU ARE TO SEND DOWN TO THE AGENT VIA MONEYGRAM INTERNATIONAL WIRE TRANSFER.

RECONFIRM THE PAYMENT INFORMATION YOU PROVIDED FOR PAYMENT :

LEGAL NAME……………….. ..... .....,
ADDRESS……………………. blah blah blah
jacksonville, fl 32257. U.S.A,



PHONE#........................................... 904-...-....

My client informed me that he will scan all the agent information and his own information and foward them to you via email as soon as the agent is ready for the pickup of the vehicle.

Inorder to be a valid agent who is representing my client he or she must provide the following.

1-Valid International passport.....

2-Valid driver's lincence.........

3.Valid Work ID Card.......

4-Letter of authorisation signed and stamped by my client.

All the above will be scanned and fowarded to you via email by my client as soon as the agent is ready for the pickup of the vehicle.The agent will be signing on behalf my client where there is need for that as my client advised.

PLS CONSIDER THIS DEAL SEALED AND KEEP THE VEHICLE FOR MY CLIENT.

CONFIRM THIS WHOLE ARRANGEMENT AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE THIS MAIL TODAY SO THAT WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE TRANSACTION.

Looking foward to concluding this transaction to everyone's satisfaction!

Regards.
Thanks once again...Have a nice day.

Here is what I reply with....
I don't know how this is worth it to your client seeing as how they don't seem to be in the United States of America. I also have recieved another e-mail from a Mr. .... ...... who is from the United Kindom, and he tells me he has the same situation with a refund comming to him from a client of his and he wants me to do the exact same thing you are asking me to do. This all is very new to me and I have never heard of someone trusting a total stranger in another country to be take $350 out of a check made out for $5000 and send the rest back to them. I will do this, but your client has some major balls.

So I am expected to recieve this check from your client on or before the 28th of febuary, correct?
All of the information you needed me to confirm is correct.
If you could please send me a scanned picture of your valid work ID card so I can compare it to the one your agent will posess.

Also have you confirmed with the shipping agent that there will be excess pieces to be piicked up besides the vehicle it's self? The hood, bumper, rear hatch and some interior pieces are not currrently attach to the vehicle. If you need me to reattach them I would hope your client is willing to give me an additional $50 for my time and labor, and to get me back to the original selling price.

Now to protect myself incase something goes wrong I would like to have your:
Full Name
work address
telephone number

This way I can easily contact you!

The car is officially sold to you, and I am awaiting your payment!





What do you guys think of this?

I hope I am not doing anything illegal.

[Toahk]

its a scam....

[Phlip]

Scam, he sends you the check, you deposit the check, it looks decent enough to your bank, you send him the car and his change... He has turned a bullshit piece of paper into $4650 and a car, you are left with your dick in your hand, no car, and out whatever money your bank charges you for this fiasco... Don't go for it

[wootwoot]

I would not tell him its a scam, and call the cops on him. Or figure out a way to scam him

[SilviaDriver]

i got these about my HIDs. he is so stupid he emailed me and said "i am intereted in your HIDs its a nice vehicle blah blah blah" and told me ill pay you 5500 for it. hahaha i told him "i only accept paypal sorry"

[Jeff240sx]

It's a scam, hardcore. People have been fucked out of lots of money.. because they ship the item, then issue a refund for the massive overdraw on the money order/cashiers check. And the MO/CC was fake. This happens on Ebay all the time.
Where is he? If he's foreign, tell him ok.. and ship off a big, giant box. Claim the value at $5500. He'll pay VAT tax on it and get delivered a box with something crappy in it.. like a greasy power steering pump.
Like the pppowerbook. I loved that. Google it if you don't know what I'm taking about.
-Jeff

[thx247]

I think most of the scams don't even involve taking the item for sale, they just wait for you to cash the check and send them the money and then leave it at that.

[DamnedButDetermined]

I would not tell him its a scam, and call the cops on him. Or figure out a way to scam him


Tell me a good way to scam him!

At first I was thinking this was some kind of money laundering sceam. He sells drugs, buys huge money order checks, can't keep depositing money orders into his bank, so he does this sceam and gets the money wire transfered to his account?

Well I did ask for his information so we will see if he gives it to me.

thanks for your help

[driftyour40]

I say be careful, and get some sort of local law agency to help you. Don't go trying to scam a scam artist, you'll just loose. I would either end the transaction, or call a cop or something like a cop.

[RiversideS13]

def a scam. it is been on internet for a long time like this. NEVER refund any exceed money. I mean if you check or deposit the cashier check, you will receive whatever the amount is on the check. but once the bank confirmed that is a fraud check, they will bill on you for the debt.

My friend got a such cahier check for his GSR head and he was really concern about the "refund the excess money". So he took the cashier check to the bank and found it is a fake check. at the same time, the buyer got really angry about his lag process and was saying he gonna contact authorities and sue him.

[evilimport]

This is defintitely a scam... a friend of mine got nailed this way... pretty fuct up, but this scam works...a lot. Send that dumbass a crate full of Interpol's Customs SWAT team...he should like that.

[Pank]

It's a scam, hardcore. People have been fucked out of lots of money.. because they ship the item, then issue a refund for the massive overdraw on the money order/cashiers check. And the MO/CC was fake. This happens on Ebay all the time.
Where is he? If he's foreign, tell him ok.. and ship off a big, giant box. Claim the value at $5500. He'll pay VAT tax on it and get delivered a box with something crappy in it.. like a greasy power steering pump.
Like the pppowerbook. I loved that. Google it if you don't know what I'm taking about.
-Jeff
hah, the ppppower book originated on somethingawful.com's forums. I'm a member there, great forum.

[HyperTek]

yah my uncle was telling me something like that, he put up his VW Rabbit for sale somewhere, and was getting hit up from some guy in Africa wanting to buy it, sending a check and having someone go pick it up... total scam, who the hell would want a gasoline rabbit in africa?

[airsoft]

yeah i got an email like that, i just told him before i ship anything or hand any property to the agent, the check must clear US banks.

He never emailed me again... and i was having fun !

[Phlip]

Your last response should be:
"Sure, I have no issue in dealing with you, but I have heard of many scams on the internet, and have been made quite paranoid as a result... I have no problem taking your check as overpayment and remitting to you the change, but understand that I need to confirm that I receive my own payment BEFORE doing so, so you can expect to not send your 'agent' until I have confirmation that the check is legit and has cleared my bank... I will send your payment back to you through your own agent. Thanks,
<your name here>"

[DamnedButDetermined]

hahahaha...the dumbass still sent me the check here is a picture I took of it

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/everythingextreme/scamcheck002.jpg

I am going to take it to the bank and tell them about the internet scam and have them see if it is a fake check. If it Is I would like them to get the police in volved because the scam artist gave me a full name and address of the person involved (I am sure it is a fake alias, but you never know how stupid some people are).

[Drunk Bastard]

chevy chase bank.....? :duh:

[S14DB]

Um, it's a real Bank(http://www.chevychasebank.com/htm/). I had an account with them for over 10yrs.

Call Chevy Chase Bank (1-800-987-BANK) and ask if the account is valid. If they won't give you the info then take it to your bank and have them call. I wouldn't doubt that it's been forged.

[sykikchimp]

This is great..

definately send the guy a package with a HUGE value on it so he has to pay rediculous amounts of tax..

[biggie]

Make sure they look at it closely. From what I understand these guys have great copies of these checks. Don't think anyone can do anything about this though, because of it being out of the country. That's how they protect themselves right now (hopefully that will change soon).

[chokudoriS13]

This is great..

definately send the guy a package with a HUGE value on it so he has to pay rediculous amounts of tax..

He doesn't want the item. Nobody will come to pick the item up... All he wants is the "refund" money...