Guys, am i getting scammed?

[diluzio91]

So i posted an add on craigslist offering computer repairs. Someone replies to me asking if i can do bulk laptop repairs. I say yes and this begins, So at this point i recieve this email

Hello,
How are you doing today . Am Glad to Inform you that the Check Payment
of $3850 has been sent to you and will delivered By UPS to your
address. Here is the UPS Tracking Number (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
When you Get the Check, take it to your Bank and have it cashed or
deposited and let me know when the Bank says the funds will be
available. You are to deduct your money and forward the remaining
balance to the shipping company Via Western Union To the information
below as soon as you have the cash in hand.


NOTE : Below is the shipping company payment receiver information you
will be sending the Balance to.

Payment Receivers Information:
----------------------------------
Name: Rhonda xxxxxxxx
Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Dr
City: xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
State: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Zip Code: xxxxxxxxxxxx

The Western Union charges are to be deducted from the remaining balance after
you've deduct your money.

When the Money has been transferred Let me have the information's Below

1. Sender's full names and address exactly how you wrote it on the Western Union
2. The receiver's full names and address exactly how you penned it down on
the Western Union slip.
3. MTCN#(Money Transfer Control Number - 10 digits)
4. Total Amount Sent : (Amount receivable by the receiver )

Please make sure you get it done as soon as you receive the Check so
that the shipping company can ship the Laptops to you immediately they
confirm their money.

Kindly write back to me immediately you read this email.

Rowland.

(xxx added to block sensitive information)

Im really nervous, but I need the money too. Help me out guys!

[Okele]

Ya its a big scam and not very new actually, there is a link somewhere in the chatterbox about scambaiters.com. This was actually featured in the link, basically they are sending you a check, which is really no good. You cash it at your bank, and then you keep some change and send the rest to them. It's actually some fools from somalia or Kenya I think that are behind this. Anyway, don't bother with responding to them. Good luck!

[BuzzKillington]

Yes. lol

[blueonblack]

You need money, you don't need what these people are offering.

[ownaginatious]

Ask if he also happens to be a rich Nigerian prince who is also by chance a relative of yours ;).

[BuzzKillington]

A golden rule: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

[TheGreatSatan]

Don't give them any info! They will steal your identity. Type that UPS number they gave you into any search engine and watch all the people got the same email.

Like this one:

http://www.angelfire.com/ns2/drinkwater/Mrs.Linda.Kaka.Rowland.htm

[crenn]

I've seen these type of things before. THIS IS A SCAM. Report it to your local police station. This is the modern day money laundering process. People get caught up in this and later get arrested because they helped the criminals. I'll try to find the documentry that I watched about this.

[TheGreatSatan]

Just visit Scambaiter

[diluzio91]

Ok, I'll call the police about it when the check arrives and give it to them. (is that the right thing to do?) and will also reply in an email that i will be unable to do the servicing as the quantity is too large for my facilities, saying that i am sorry to have wasted their time.

[crenn]

I wouldn't reply at ALL. I'd report to the police without delay and before this check arrives, they can advise you further.

[diluzio91]

Ugh... ill be out of town when the package gets here... Should i do it immediately when i get back?

[crenn]

I'd goto the station tomorrow and explain everything. If you can, print out all of the messages (including your craigslist posting) and emails, I'd do so.

[diluzio91]

Thanks for writing back to me Alex. The Laptops are 7 and they will be
shipped to you once you send the shipping fees to the shipping
company. The shipping company will ship the Laptops to you at your
convinient time and also come for the pick up of the Laptops after you
are through with the work at your convinient time too so there is
nothing to be worried about. You are to deduct the payment for your
work and forward the remaining to the shipping company infomation i
gave you in my previous email.OK? So make sure you get it done as soon
as possible and get back to me.

Sandra.

[Diamon]

there is nothing to be worried about.

Yup, sure looks like a scam e-mail. I got my entire inbox full of phising e-mails claiming they're from Blizzard and that I should give them my acc name and pass so I should know.

[slaveofconvention]

This is definitely a scam - it has nothing at all to do with money laundering or identity theft though so don't worry about that. This particular scam works because it takes banks longer than the usual clearance to realise a check is counterfeit. What this means is that they WILL pay out on the check, you will get your money. Then you send the "difference" to the scammer. About a week to ten days later, the bank will recall the check payment and all of the money credited comes back out of your account, leaving you out of pocket for the "difference" you forwarded. You may also get hit with bank charges relating to the bounced check.

Like I said, definitely 100% a scam. Almost pointless letting the police know as it WILL be international, and for a small enough amount that they are highly unlikely to start dealing with interpol or the foreign countries police department. At the same time, don't go worrying about your identity etc or money laundering - it's neither, this is a 100% cash collecting scam where they get the "difference" from you before your bank realises the check is counterfeit.

[TheGreatSatan]

But by doing that you become an accessory to bank fraud, and you are NOT out of reach for the police.

[NightrainSrt4]

I didn't even read the first post after the first few sentences to know it is a scam. Craigslist + Western Union = SCAM. And even when it isn't (this is), it isn't worth the risk.

CL used to have a big thing at the top about not accepting western union as well.

[mDust]

Haha! Tell them that you cashed the check but your price went up. Tell them to send you another $75,000! Make them aware that you will be doing $3,000,000 worth of work on those laptops, so it's in their best interest to do so. Tell them to WU you the money instead of sending a check because it's faster, and the faster you get the money, the faster you can get to work on their laptops to make them a huge profit! No matter what they say, tell them Usman Bello just offered you $150,000 and has already sent some anus brand laptops, so you won't have time to get to WU to send their money back. Tell them to send a courier to pick up the full amount minus a 10% restocking fee, as this is a typical American business practice...

...be creative man!:twisted:

[diluzio91]

lol... who's up for setting up a fake gmail and we all get a kick out of this one? ill say that "my facilities cannot handle this large a number of laptops, i will be transferring your order to my sister business who has the ability to handle this number of computers. I will also have the check sent to them as well so they can handle the courier service" what do you think TGS? TBCS scam bait?

[TheGreatSatan]

If you don't mind running the gauntlet, then go to scambaiter.com and learn how to turn the tables on them

[diluzio91]

lol... ill have to do that... after i get back from vacation

[rendermandan]

I honestly can't believe they are still trying these scams. I read one where the guy got the Nigerian to tatoo something on his arm, and join some religion etc.
It was hilarious. The anus computers..... LMAO!

[blaze15301]

send it to the fbi

my mom got scammed by that she now owes around 4 grand to the bank.

[TheGreatSatan]

I honestly can't believe they are still trying these scams. I read one where the guy got the Nigerian to tatoo something on his arm, and join some religion etc.
It was hilarious. The anus computers..... LMAO!

Yeah, at Scambaiters

[Drum Thumper]

I'm all for it. It'll give me a chance to get rid of the clutter!

[mDust]

I'm all for it. It'll give me a chance to get rid of the clutter!

By clutter, did you mean 'laptops'? :devious:

Just tell them that you received their 30 laptops and have completed the work, but don't have a return address. See if they'll send UPS your way on their bill!

[Mach]

I'd tell them that
I offer an expedited laptop swap program that I can offer to you for the equivalent funds that you are asking me to refund. This program helps a business get up and running faster because they don't need to wait for laptop turn around. You would only need to cover shipping pre-paid through ups. Then I'd ship them everyone's odds and ends, a few hundred pounds maybe. (once the check is confirmed to be fraudulent that is). I have a few things to donate ;)

[diluzio91]

lol... now that you mention it, i do have a few bags of cement from recent renovations that i could send to them... pre mixed...