"We got two scam emails ...
I read about this scam online... They promise to pay you a cashier's check beyond your price amount and end up giving a false check and ripping you off by getting you to refund the difference and then the cashier's check doesn't clear cuz it's bogus."

Lisa O., Arizona May 10, 2003

     Sellers BEWARE!!!!!!! Internet scams, According to the FBI what I went through is typical. A person contacted me by E-mail, telling me he would give me the asking price for my car. He then told me that some one in the U.S.A. owed him money from another transaction, and this person would send me a cashier's check for the full amount owed and I was to send the difference to he shipping company in the UK (this time). The car was to be readied for shipping and would pick up by the shippers. His plan was: When I deposited the cashier's check in to my account, I was to have my bank issue a cashier's check to a person at the shipping Co. and Fed. EX. it to him. He would receive the check before the check issued to me was FOUND TO BE A FRAUD. But they are mainly working out of Nigeria, and according to the FBI, it is impossible to trace these people. Because my bank and I realized the check was no good, and verified, I was not swindled. When I notified him, He sent two different E-mails, threatening me, in a further attempt to get me to send money. (I could have lost about 4000.00 dollars) IF THIS HAPPENS TO ANY OF YOUR LISTERS, TELL THEM TO CONTACT THE FBI, IMMEDIATELY. MANY PEOPLE ARE BEING SWINDLED OUT OF LARGE SUMS OF MONEY. There is also an internet fraud web site, but they are overwhelmed with complaints. So, once the swindler knows you the seller has contacted the FBI, they will BE GONE!   Thanks,

Tony S., South Lake Tahoe, California July 31, 2003

    There is a scam being perpetrated by Nigerians on people advertising automobiles on the internet and it is beginning to appear that my deal was such an attempt. The scam goes like this: They find an advertisement and contact the seller via e-mail wanting to buy it. Then they want to send more money that the price of the car with the difference being returned to them by Western Union moneygram. They send a check marked "cashier's check" which turns out to be bogus, but unknown to the seller until he has sent the money. To compound the scam they notify the seller that circumstances prevent them from completing the deal and asking for the price of the car back also. In my case they sent a check for $8000 for the Thing that I was selling for $3000. The circumstances surrounding the deal arroused my suspicions and I consulted the bank manager who had heard of the scam and furnished the above information to me. At the present time the bank is sending the check through with a 10 day hold on it. No one expects the check to be paid. So I will probably be wanting to relist my Thing in your classifieds. I believe I have listed it in your Registry.
Terry H., Cattanooga, TN       September 19, 2003

I just wanted to thank you for the ‘scam’ alert you posted. We also heard from max_wade@mail.gr who tried the same tactic, asking us to take a check 8k over the asking price and return the difference. We of course suspected and asked for proper business identification and have not heard from Max since. But the next day we received two more inquiries from the emails, georgewilliams20032003@yahoo.co.uk and partric_j1@yahoo.com whom we suspect are the same persons as one accidentally replied with the information that we had only given to the other.

I would suggest that sellers use paypal or some other source of safe internet payment system as it seems scammers do not necessarily go away when confronted.

I will tell you that I was a victim of the fraudulent cashier's check scam going around. I thought I had sold the cars, and unfortunately discovered the money was no good. Luckily I didn't loose the cars in that deal, however, I did get burned and lost money. When I finally did sell the cars, I had to give the bank all the money to make up for being scammed <sigh>. Unfortunately the warnings on your website showed up too late to help me out..... Diane K., Winchester, VA     March 3, 2004

[Actually, this alert has been up since May 10, 2003.  She may have saved herself a lot of grief had she read this Alert when she placed her ad.]

These crooks with the bogus cashiers checks are flooding me with emails. Thanks for your services and time.   Rick P., Cave City, AR        May 1, 2004