Total Motorcycle Community Forums

camthepyro wrote:Well, make sure when he pays you, he doesn't go through a middle man (there are companies that do that). It's a pretty common scam for the buyer to request that you send it to him, while a middle man holds on to the money, and then he recieves the item, and you find out that the middle man is a fake company.

Examples of Scams
1. Someone claims that craigslist will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, OR claims that craigslist will handle or provide protection for a payment

These claims are fraudulent, as craigslist does not have any role in any transaction.
Scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from craigslist, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services -- all such emails are fakes!
2. distant person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier's check
you receive an email (examples below) offering to buy your item, or rent your apartment, sight unseen.
cashier's check is offered for your sale item, as a deposit for an apartment, or for just about anything else of value.
value of cashier's check often far exceeds your item - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service
banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases!
scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc)
3. Someone requests wire service payment via Western Union or MoneyGram:
Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is FALSE, once you've wired money, it is GONE.
Scam "bait" items include laptops, plasma TVs, cell phones, tickets - but could be almost anything
common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, Ukraine, Spain, UK, Italy, Netherlands - but could be anywhere
deal often seems too good to be true
4. distant person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money:
this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience - the cashier's check is FAKE
sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not
scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check
deal often seems too good to be true
5. distant seller suggests use of an online escrow service.
most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT, operated by scammers
for more info, do a google search on "fake escrow" or "escrow fraud"
6. distant seller asks for a partial payment upfront, after which he will ship goods
he says he trusts you with the partial payment
he may say he has already shipped the goods
deal often sounds too good to be true
7. foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers, then wiring funds
foreign company may claim it is unable to receive payments from its customers directly
you are typically offered a percentage of payments received
this kind of "position" may be posted as a job, or offered to you via email