I hate to be skeptical, but I just got what seems to be a suspect offer to purchase an instrument from a supposed Swedish broker who sent the message below. Sounds fishy to me…any thoughts?
i will go about payment by instructing my client in the states to issue you a certified bank check of $5,000 and this should take care of all expences in this transaction, what you will do once you have recieved it is to cash it, deduct your own money($1500) and the wiring charges and wire the balance to my international shipping agent through Western Union Transfer, once he recieves the balance will come over to your location the very next day for pick up, now the money wired to the shipper is his fees for his services, transportation to your location and back to me, also for all charges that may arise along this transaction cos i will want it to be delivered to me safe and sound without problems, i shall send you my shipper address as soon as i contact him, al l i need of you now is to mail me your full name and contact address as well as phone number
Typical fraudulent cashier’s check scam. You receive check, deposit, bank claims it clears, you send balance to scammer, bank eventually catches on in about 2 weeks to bad deposit, you’re out good money. Western Union in foreign countries is often involved, as there appears to be poor security or “inside” help to the scammer.
very true…my mother just got offered $4m…the legacy of the dying wife of an arab oil millionaire…a scam, needless to say, which originated in…(drumroll) Nigeria!
I’m not so sure. This one is from Sweden. What if the “shipping agent” is a tall blond Scandinavian beauty and she shows up at your door. Wouldn’t you feel obliged to give her the money anyway.
As said above, it’s a scam. Forward the message to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov, they collect such things…and theoretically go after the perpetrators (at least when the full moon falls on Friday the 13th in a leap year )
I was almost on a jury for a Nigerian scam case a few months ago. I was looking forward to it; after getting the email for years I wanted to see what the folks were like, it was federal jury so they gave you $60 a day, plus I really could have used the break from work.
The stories I’ve read usually involve cashier’s checks drawn on non US banks. Note however, that “i will go about payment by instructing my client in the states to issue you a certified bank check of $5,000”. This says nothing about the location of the bank, only the shipper.
How they work: Crooks know that consumers trust cashier’s checks, money orders and other official bank checks because the money is already set aside at the bank. That’s why con artists are increasingly counterfeiting official checks, especially for use when dealing with consumers long-distance over the Internet but also in face-to-face transactions, such as trying to cheat someone selling a used car through an ad in the local paper. Another element of the fraud may involve a cashier’s check for more than the amount due. Here’s an example: You’re selling a $5,000 item online to a buyer overseas who offers to pay with a cashier’s check from a bank in the U.S. When the official check arrives it is for $10,000, and you are instructed to deposit the $10,000 check into your bank account and wire the excess amount to the buyer’s account abroad. You comply… and later find out that the cashier’s check is phony. Depending on the circumstances and state law, you may be held responsible for the entire amount of the fraudulent cashier’s check you deposited into your account. Using our example, you may need to reimburse the bank for $10,000, even if that’s far more money than you have in your account.
Best defense: Independently confirm the name, address, home number and work number of the purchaser by consulting a phone book, directory assistance, or an Internet database. Insist on an official check drawn on a local bank or a bank that has a local branch, so you can make sure it’s valid. If that’s not possible, call the bank where the check was purchased (get the bank’s phone number from directory assistance or an Internet database, not from the person who gives you the check) and ask if the check is good. If you’d rather not call the bank, ask someone at your bank to inquire about the check.
Look for warning signs that an official check may be counterfeit. “A cashier’s check for more than the amount due with a request to transfer the excess amount to another bank account is like a neon sign that says ‘scam,’” according to Jeff Kopchik, a senior policy analyst with the FDIC’s electronic banking branch. Other red flags: The check shows it was purchased by someone else, not the person you are dealing with. Or the check doesn’t have the look or feel of a real check issued by a financial institution—perhaps words are misspelled or the paper is flimsy.
Be very cautious if you wish to wire money or hand over merchandise before the check you accepted is confirmed as paid (cleared) by your bank—a process that could take several weeks. Be especially careful if you’re dealing with someone long-distance, such as over the Internet. One way to protect yourself in an Internet sale is to use a reputable online escrow service that will hold the payment until the promised goods arrive. For more information about avoiding Internet payment scams, including fraudulent escrow services, read the FTC’s new “Internet Auctions” brochure (online at > www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/online/auctions.htm> ).
