Boat Buying Scam

reellittlephish · Post by **reellittlephish** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:08 pm

Has everyone seen this scam? In exchange for a bad check you lay out x amount of your money and part with your boat....

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Hello,
I write in the respect on the enquiry made on your boat some days ago, I have just spoken with my client, I am delighted to tell you that he has recommended your boat and hope to pay as agreed upon, he has instructed me to carry on with this transaction and he also instructed me to inform you that payment will get to you in a Cashier check of $13,750 , which is a refund payment of a cancelled order earlier made by my client. Due to company policy this cashier check has to be made out in this amount to you because company policy only allows a refund payment on one cashier check. So you are required to deduct the cost of your boat ($8,750) when payment gets to you and refund $5,000 balance to the shipper for him to be able to offset shipping and other tax charges. After payment has reached you and balance sent to shipper, the shipper's agent will come for inspection, pick up & signing of papers and take to a prepaid shipper to be shipped to my customer.

Confirm this and forward your Name......, Address.... and Phone number........... for payment to be made to you as soon as possible.

Thanks and have a nice day.

Capt......

palmdale-shane · Post by **palmdale-shane** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:19 pm

I've gotten 8 or 9 of those messages within two days of putting my boat up for sale. I thought it would be funny to tell the guy I wanted $100,000 U.S. dollars for my boat and the next day he emailed me agreeing to pay that amount for his client. I ended up telling him that I was forwarding his emails to the LAPD. He hasn't sent another email. I can't believe people actually fall for that scam.

-Shane

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Bill Hutcheson · Post by **Bill Hutcheson** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:43 pm

Shane -

Sounds like a good deal to me! I'll buy two at that price.

You just have to pay my gas to get to Palmdale from San Diego - which nowdays should run about $150,000 per trip.

I wish one of these MSNBC type shows would do something on these guys. Instead of the Sheriff's Dept waiting outside, it can be a bunch of guys who have fallen for this scam in the past. They can gather the scum up, throw them into the black van, and take them out for a boat test of thier own sans a life vest for some good ol' American justice.

I just pray that none of our bassin breatheren would fall for this ploy.

Hutch
WON BASS

scottkh · Post by **scottkh** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:45 pm

Try this web site

http://www.419eater.com/

Waste of my time. I'll use my happy button, the Delete Key.

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:12 pm

It's a variation of the Nigerian scam (AKA 419 scam)... funny how gullible people fall for this all the time.

You CAN report this to the FTC... forward to spam@uce.gov

Also, if you've been a victim of some similar fraud you can file a claim HERE.

Brian D. · Post by **Brian D.** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 7:25 pm

mike goodwin · Post by **mike goodwin** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:58 am

about 3 or 4 weeks ago a good friend of mine got this same thing, he was excited about selling his boat. I told him this is pretty screwy sounding, better be careful. A week goes by and he receives a cashiers check. He called the bank on this check, gave them the check number and they told him it was fake. This thing looked real.............BE CAREFUL..........Mike G

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:48 pm

Just as an aside, I received information from one of the computer security organizations that I thought was interesting:

STATISTICS, STUDIES & SURVEYS
--One in Five US Surfers Are Victims of Internet Scams
16 August 2007
According to a survey commissioned by Microsoft, one in five US based Internet users has fallen victim to an online scam. Of those victims, 81% admitted doing something to compromise their system, such as clicking on attachments in an email which appeared to be from someone they trusted. The survey revealed that more than half of those surveyed "had little or no knowledge of current online threats and scams." The report highlights that while security tools are important, "people need to be constantly updated to the threats that exist and how to avoid them"

palmdale-shane · Post by **palmdale-shane** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:08 am

These jerks can't even remember what they are trying to buy. I just got this email from a scamer. Keep in mind I'm selling a boat but he thinks I'm selling an animal. These guys are too funny. Notice he mentions that he is a pastor also.

Hello,

Thanks for the response concerning the sale of the pet (Animal),The price of the pet is ok by me and the condition too,and i will be happy if it goes to me,go get the advert off the web and consider it sold, You dont have to bother about the pick up,presently i am schedulled to leave for Sweden on a business angagement and this will last me ten working days but i believe this does not stop this transaction as i will be informing my business associate in the United states to make out a Cashier's check of $160,000.00 to your care as soon as you receive the payment you will deduct your cost price and additional $1000 for removing it from the advertised site and keeping it clean for me, then you will transfer the balance via western union money transfer to the shipping company that will handle the pick up,the reason being that i have other consignment which they will pick up for me,they will as well responsible for the signing of all titles relating to this transaction.Kindly provide this information below:

Full Name On The Cashier check,
Full Home Address,
State,
City,
Zipcode,
Phone Number,
Cell Phone Number,

More also if my mode of payment is considered and if i can trust you with my fund.
I look forward to doing business with you.

Regards.
Pastor Harry Gibson

bigazbass · Post by **bigazbass** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:10 pm

Yah some are soooo dumb. But then others surely hook lots of people. There is the ebay one that says you have become a power seller......that definitely would trick the right people.

When I get those I put "get a job losers" or something for user name and send it back to them.

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 1:23 pm

Best thing to do is delete the email... don't respond, don't click the links, don't do anything (unless you forward to a reporting agency). Just responding will often be enough to show it's a 'live' email address and get you on other lists, or subject you to additional spam and such.

bigazbass · Post by **bigazbass** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:55 am

Yah, I agreed never respond and delete!!

I just can't resist sometimes putting, get a job idiot or you suck giant donkey.............

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:01 am

I understand how the emotions run, but what you have to recognize is that they probably won't even read your insult... most everything they do is programatic and automated. They are usually sending the notices to thousands of addresses at a time, and believe me they don't read the responses.