Scam on Ebay

I got this lovely response to one of the items i'm selling on Ebay:

Q: Dear Seller, Good Day To You, I am interested in your item displayed on eBay, i want to get this item for my Grand Son who is currently studying in Africa as a congratulatory gift.I would have love to bid like others but the nature of my job will not allow me to do this at this time, I will be offering you $950.00 for this item. I want the item posted Via USPS Express Mail Delivery (EB) 5-7 days . So please if you are interested in selling this item to me, kindly send me your Valid PayPal email address so that I can send out payment immediately via PayPal, As i said earlier am offering you $950.00 for this item this will include both the shipping and handling cost to Africa. Your urgent response will be highly appreciated. Thanks and God bless.

This was my response:

Hello, YShiko2 - I might consider this offer, with assurances and proof that your money is good. This would require a lengthy wait time while the funds clear. My husband is a US FBI agent, so would oversee this.
Please give me the complete mailing address in Africa, so I may calculate charges to deliver.

Sandy

I consider any offers that seem too good to be true to be a scam. I regard ANYTHING from the entire continent of Africa to automatically be a scam and just mark it spam and delete. If you got the message through eBay, I'd forward it to them and request the sender have their account pulled.


Kent in SD

I had something like this happen to me. The guy actually sent a check which my bank confirmed was legitimate...i deposited it...two weeks later my bank suddenly said that the check was no good...good thing i didn't ship the item yet. Definitely be wary of strange deals abroad.

It also seems the whole continent is dying in plane wrecks and relatives have inherited millions they wish our help to deposit in the US. All we have to do for a cut of the inheritance is to put up a few thousand "good faith" $.
Right...



Sandy

Must be my lucky day!

Just got this this morning!


NOTICE OF YOUR FUND APPROVAL Sunday, April 27, 2008 7:54 AM
From: "Robert S. Mueller" <r.mueller@fbi.gov>Add sender to Contacts To: undisclosed-recipientsThe Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI Seattle Office
1110 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98101-2904
Phone: (206) 350-6981

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Has discovered through our intelligence Monitoring Network, that you have an on going transaction with a Financial Institution in Nigeria, as the owner of the said sum $7,500,000.00 USD confirmed on a certified cashier's check.

So the Federal Bureau Of Investigation (FBI) Seattle, Washington in conjunction with The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Has screened through our various Monitoring Networks and has been confirmed and notified that the transaction you have with the Financial Institution is Legal and you have the Lawful Right to claim your due fund. We advise you to go ahead with the transaction as we are monitoring all their services and networks. Be advised that any letter or claims notification received from anybody or company should be forwarded to us with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, you are advised to follow the procedure of the Financial Institution. They have their own legal procedure which we have examined and confirmed legal. Follow their instructions while you keep us updated for more details. You are advised to contact the necessary office for more details of transfer as we are monitoring every move now.

Please, be advised and be aware that your funds had been insured and the necessary charges would be taken care of by you, as confirmed by the Monitoring network. For your own good you are advised to confirm any transaction or lottery promo you have either involved yourself with in the past to enable us trace this scammers. Only the Financial Institution has been confirmed Legal any other are still under investigation, and so many others are scam, most especially from Nigeria and Africa.

You are to contact the EFCC Director of Operation Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde with the information below in regards to more details on your funds.

Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde (Director of Operations)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
Phone: +234 1 479 0580
E-mail: efcc-ng@live.com

If you need to contact me at any stage please do not hesitate to call (206) 350-6981.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Robert S. Mueller, III (Director)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Sandy, The SCAMMERS are doing the same thing on craigslist.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Internet reality ...................

Carol

Hi Sandy,
thanks for the post. I too was involved in a similar scam but believe it or not, the camera came back to me as "undeliverable" Didn't realize until later, that no payment had been posted to my PAY PAL account. Buyer sent emails telling me he was trying to buy camera for nephew in Florida as a surprise. I informed him that I would only accept a US Postal Money order for payment. Never heard from him a again. I was lucky "this" time because I really got ripped off about a year ago for the tune of $650.00. Vowed, never again!!!!!

I'm not sure why anyone would reply to such an obvious scammer. Just forward their message to security@ebay.com and let them handle it, although they seem too overwhelmed or understaffed to do much of a job on security.

Caveat emptor!

I'm not sure why anyone would reply to such an obvious scammer. Just forward their message to security@ebay.com and let them handle it, although they seem too overwhelmed or understaffed to do much of a job on security.

Caveat emptor!

Oh by the way,
more than half of these scam emails are actually from USA or Europe, or so I heard. May be an IT specialist can throw more light. I wonder with almost no electricity and internet connections how come african people manage to send these scams to people in US/Europe.

I received the same scam; send me the camera and upon arrival the payment will be sent. The biggest mistake, aside from sending the merchandize, is replying at all. More scam e-mail are then headed your way.

I refuse to sell or buy on FleaBay. I don't trust PayPal. I delete scam e-mails without reading them. The only method of payment I will accept is US dollars in cash, or a USPS Money Order...

I have yet to be taken to the 'cleaners

-PB