This place is great. I wonder if there is a way to scam the scammer. Attention smart guys, can you think of anything?

 

Run Far Away!!!

 

This is a definite scam. I had the same thing happen with a guy named Bob Harry. The amazing thing is that I took the bogus check to the bank, told them it was fake and they credited my account with it and did NOT tell me it was fake for 10 days. It was a cashier's check. In the meantime Mr Harry wanted the additional money right away, harrassing me endlessly.

RG

 

Banks can take MONTHS to reverse the credit. When the issuing bank gets the check back, sooner or later through their internal checks and balances, security, etc., they will inevitably find out it is a forgery. This is when they will reverse it, and it is well within their rights to do so.

Never be fooled into thinking that, Because the check "cleared," that you are home free. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is why the scams work, as if it takes 2 months to figure out the check is fake, the scammer is long gone but you, the victim, are still around to have your account debited.

If it is out of the ordinary, particularly as described above whereby YOU send money back to anybody, RUN, DON"T WALK AWAY.

 

This is true. Checks can take weeks or months to be returned, and you are the one that will get screwed. Banking laws related to checks are designed to protect the banks, not the customers. This is because the banks are the only ones lobbying for the laws in the first place.

One thing most people don't realize is that a couple of years ago Congress passed a law saying that any check can be presented electronically for payment. That means that all anyone needs to withdraw money from someone's checking account is their account number and the routing number of the bank. This information is printed on every check you have. It is also often printed on checks you deposit into your account.

Another scam is where someone sends you a check, you deposit it into your account, then they get the returned check back with your account number written on it. The routing number for the bank is easy to find as they use the same one for every customer (some banks use different ones in each state, but it is still easy to find). The scammer now has all the info he/she needs and can either use an electronic draft to empty your account or can go to any check printing place and have a book of checks made up with their name on them and your account number / routing number. By the time your bank figures it out, the money is gone.

There is no protection for you in either of these situations unless the bank is able to successfully retrieve the money from whomever they paid it to. Sometimes if it is another bank they can get the money back, but sometimes they can't and then you are just screwed.

What really sucks is that you can't even get a bank account that would allow you to have a debit card but not have the ability to write checks. If they did, that is what I would use. There are many protections in place in the event someone steals your check card, especially if it is used a credit card rather than a debit card. You are only liable for $50 in that case. I virtually never write checks anymore, definitely less than 10 per year. If I could get an account that was protected from electronic drafts, I would switch in a heart beat.

 

The guy called me on the phone today asking if I received the check yet. I suppose he's going to try and rush me into sending out the money quickly. I think I'll just string him along like he's trying to do to me. Or do you think it would be better to tell him I have sent his check and e-mail address to the Secret Service?

 

this happened to someone i know with a guy/person he met in craigslist. was scammed $14k!

 

you can always say that you are contacting the postal inspector and ftc regarding this transaction for protection....to find out his response to it.

 

I received a scam e-mail on a vehicle I have listed on Autotrader. Here is what they wrote:

Hello, I am Dr. Rene Tank from Oxford research institute in Uk,I am planning to visit the United states middle of Novembe for a Research programme in Washington and will be staying for more than 4months,I will be in need of a good car and i think if you still have your car for sale i am very much intrested in purchasing it. Let me know if you still have the car forsale, so i can request for more pics and most important again is You Last price Offer to sell the car to me.Let me have all this details so i could make arrangement for a deposit paymet with my Research programme sponsorer to send you a deposit payment, then on my arrival i can complete the balance funds via certified funds or cash before car pickup and Change of ownership documents. Hope to hear back from you soon.thanks and God bless. Regards, Dr. Rene Tank Contact phone: +447024093266 rene_tank@magictaxi.co.uk

It would be almost funny if they weren't trying to rip me off. It is a shame that there are not better means to track and punish all the scammers out there. Seems like a new wave of them recently. I like the idea of scamming the scammer somehow.

 

C'mon, do you REALLY need us to tell you this is a scam?

How have you made it this far in life?

 

Bad news! Do not trust luxury motors. I dealt with them once and will never do it again.
I bought 2007 Carrera Black with only 70 miles. Apparently they had swapped the original 19" carrera sport wheels with aftermarket black rims. I found out after driving back home that there was no TPMS installed. Come to think of it, they probably removed it before giving me the car since test driving from 57 miles on did not produce the TPMS warning light. I had wondered why they had to take the car across the street to their garage before giving me the car even though it had already been cleaned. It will cost me $1000 to replace, according to Porsche dealer. The price of the car was attractive, that's why there was a catch! After calling, they just said to "Live with it." I am now pursuing legal action, also thru state attorney general offices of Indiana and Illinois.

DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE CROOKS!

 

The best way to deal with a car or large money transaction is a wire transfer. A wire transfer is only transacted between two banks if the money from the originating bank is present. For example, if you are the seller and you have a potential buyer ask him or her to wire the monies into your account. If the monies reach your bank, then have the bank manager verify and hold the monies so the originating bank can not pull back the money. Once 24 hours have elapsed, you are home free.

Another way to transact larger sums of money is through an escrow company. I choose the money wire over all other transaction types.

 

Please keep in mind that these scammers have set up phony on-line escrow companies! You place the money with a supposed 3rd party escrow and away goes all the money.

Deal with real companies with real offices with much more to loose that your piddly deal or real attorneys to create an escrow agent.

Wire transfer protects the SELLER, but not the buyer! You can wire funds and the seller never shows or doesn't sign over the title!

 

Amazing...Tell the guy that your bank is running an investigation on that check..I bet he wont call you again..

 

Is there a way to scam the scammer? You bet. For a handy how-to guide see:

www.419eater.com

Look at the galleries, read the stories, and laugh your a$$ off as the people who perpetrate these scams get exactly what they deserve.