[Manny_C]

So my DLM car is arriving in 4 days, and I just so happen to "sell' my RT/10 a few days ago, sort of. So all is looking good -- extra cash to dick around with.

But, here's the deal. This guy that was buying the car saw the ad online and emails me. He represents a Canadian client that is interested in the car -- a broker, no big deal. The client was going to purchase another Viper, but it was sold, and the amount of cash in escrow was more than what I was asking for my car, however, the cashiers check would be made out for the amount they have in escrow, and I could refund the difference. FLAG #1. I decide to go along with this for now. The guy asks me to pull my ad -- I tell him no, not until funds are received. Sure enough, today I get a fed ex with a Bank Of America Cashiers check for $7K more than I was asking. The check looks totally legit, or so I thought, until I really look at it. I notice at the bottom of the check this is text that says, "HOLD AT A ANGLE TO VIEW WHEN CHECKING THE ENDORSEMENT." Notice the part "A ANGLE" instead of "AN ANGLE." I can't imagine BofA would have an error like this on their cahsier checks.

So I take it to my bank and ask them to verify -- they call the branch it was supposedly issued out of and sure enough, it was never issued. This is a fake.

The guy who sent it wants me to western union the difference (there's the scam) and also wants to set up a time to have a trucking company pick up the car. I expect they will never try to pick up the car and instead just want the wester union money, which goes to some account in Canada it looks like.

So, this all just happened. Who does something like this get reported to? The FBI?

-Manny

 

[Lawboy]

yup!!!! good catch!

 

[Roadkill]

Pretty common scam. Do you know what city this guy is in? Probably want to involve the local police as well. Did the guy give you a phone number? Involve the law enforcement in his town as well.

 

[KosherBenz]

Awsome Catch... Now go nail his ass to the wall!

 

[Gerald]

What a scumbag, good job Manny.

 

[JT]

My guess is your local FBI office will be interested in this - and then work wtih Western Union to nab him when he comes in to pick up the funds.

This is getting to be a common scam - good eye! Now go get 'em!

 

[Chip]

That exact thing happen to a friend of mine with a motorcycle. Same exact story.....total scam. They even cashed teh check. Took 4 days to figure out it was bad.

 

[1TONY1]

Fed-ex him back 7K worth of Monoply money.

 

[Genetic Cesspool]

DAMN IT!

Note to self.....next time I try and scam someone out of 7 grand, hit the 'spell and grammar check' on the old Microsoft word first!

Really, it amazes me with all these scams on the internet at how poorly the scam artists spell and execute the scams. Even more amazing is how often it works.....

Glad you caught it Manny! Can anyone think of some way of tracking who it came from? I'm not familiar with Western Union but is there any way of tracking who the difference was supposed to go to?
I suppose it was probably some P.O. box or something, was it?

 

[par]

Manny,

awesome catch! Go and nail that dude!

 

[RockStar]

Let me know if you need any 'special' assistance up here in Canada. /images/graemlins/ar15firing.gif

 

[Yellow Fever]

Pretty common scam. Do you know what city this guy is in? Probably want to involve the local police as well. Did the guy give you a phone number? Involve the law enforcement in his town as well.

:stupid: This SCAM has been going on for years...Glad to hear that you didn't fall for it.

 

[Viperjohn]

Fed-ex him back 7K worth of Monoply money.

Or take a crap in a box and next day air it to him. :devil:

 

[NOITALL]

where was the guy from? Those crafty canadians...

 

[King GTS]

Way to go Manny! Now the real crime will be if you don't report it to the FBI. Counterfeit money orders are serious business. I'm surprised the Secret Service doesn't get involved in situations like this. Being they handle all counterfeit money cases.

 

[gthomas]

Money crimes are usually reported to the Secret Service. Since it crosses state lines, I would definitely get them involved. They are a clearinghouse for these types of scams.
Glad you didn't fall for it. I always wondered how people could be silly enough to send people money, when it hasn't even cleared. If it happened to me, I would tell them I would be happy to send them the excess money, after it has cleared. Just like if someone gave me a check, or money order, etc., they could have the merchandise after we immediately go over to the issuing bank(or mine) and it has cleared.

 

[gthomas]

BTW-Some of the scammers actually 'create' a bank name, and when you call for verification, their girlfriend will 'verify' it. So, as a rule, make sure it clears first.

 

[BigCarrot]

Fed-ex him back 7K worth of Monoply money.

Or take a crap in a box and next day air it to him. :devil:

That's so funny! I was scrolling to the bottom of the page to write that!

 

[gthomas]

Out of curiousity, didn't your bank call the authorities? I can't imagine them not calling someone, because if you would have deposited it, when it didn't clear, they would have called the police and have you arrested.

 

[Manny_C]

Well, I called the FBI. Nothing they can do since I didn't lose any money or the car. So shitty. But if somebody 'attempts' to rob a bank and gets away with nothing, they would be all over this. Stupid. I guess these guys will continue to do this to others. No doubt they contact hundreds of people and a few of those hundreds of people fall for this, and they just keep cashing in.

-Manny