So I found out a scam was about to be ran on me, but luckily I stopped before it was too late. I posted an add on Craigslist to sell my Samsung moment and I was offered more than I was selling it for. After giving my address (so they could mail the check) to who I thought was the buyer, I realized this was a scam. I also stopped replying to the emails the "buyer" sent me. There's nothing that can be done with them only having my address right? and I do not plan on cashing the check once it comes in the mail.
- I'm pretty sure this scam is coming out of Nigeria.
Update:Thank you guys! I just wanted to make sure I was safe. The guy is sending a check for 1600 when the phone was only $150. He says I need to take out 150 for the phone and $70 to keep to myself, and sent the rest to his "shipper" via Western Union. The only thing I will be doing with this check is throwing it in the garbage!
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Good save!
Never pay for anything with Western Union - you have NO way to get your money back once it's picked up.
It's ALWAYS a fraud when someone offers more money than asked for & wants the difference sent somewhere.
Craig's List should only be used for local transactions, so you can see & test what you're buying, and meet the person buying your stuff. Anyone not local is automatically suspect
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You are exactly right. It probably is a scam. DId you try going to Craigslist and looking at their features about scammers or the blog?
Someone tried this same thing on me with a piece of furniture I was selling on CL. I had it advertised for a set price and they offered me more if they could pay by check. I refused and later found out that this really was a scam.
Good catch on your part!
Yeah they will mail a check for more than you want. Maybe like 100 extra or more. then want you to send the extra back with them thinking you deposited it into your bank account. you pull that 100 or whatever out and later the check will bounce and you are out of the money of what you sent them..plus a bounced check. just if anything comes to your house take it straight to the police department tell them all you know. that's all you can do. Tell Jack Wrong to be quiet!!!
This is very common.. they do this on eBay as well. Anything that seems too good to be true, usually is. I do not think they can do anything with just your address - what they were really after is your bank details. Usually they ask for your address & then later on email you saying that in fact they can do a direct deposit, please send your bank details. Or sometimes they say, please send the item & you will have the money in Western Union.. but it's all fake, & there is nothing there.
Rather than throwing out the envelope when it arrives, mark it as Unknown Addressee, Return to Sender so they think they have the wrong address for you. If they know your address is valid they will keep targeting you with various scams by mail