Is this a Scam?

[makbike]

As you know I've been trying to sell my recumbent. The activity it has generated from my listing on Craigslist has resulted in nothing but people trying to cheat me out of my money and bike. I posted the bike on a recumbent forum the other day and received a PM from a new member yesterday asking about the bike. We exchanged emails and he wants to purchase the bike. Here is the last note he sent me ......

I've got $500 cash burning a hole in my pocket, which I would be willing to give you as a non-refundable deposit via Postal money order. I'd mail it out saturday with the balance paid within 30 days at which time you'd ship the bike.
I could do the remainder immediately via Paypal but hate to puff up my credit card if you are not rushed for the funds.

If I go with this offer, who can I take the MO to is if it is real? I don't want to cash it and be held responsible for the funds.

Have any of you handled a transaction in a similar manor?

What do you think, is this yet another attempt to get my money and my bike or is it a good offer? I[m typically a very trusting person but this whole thing has me on pins and needles given what little I know about how people are trying to cheat each other.

[songlady]

That makes me VERY nervous! I don't think I'd take him up on it.

[KnottedYet]

Our local Craig's List has a warning posted at the bottom of each screen specifically saying NOT to accept postal money orders from anyone.

I don't know why, and I don't know anything about it.

But that PM smells fishy.

[Tuckervill]

Don't do it. You have every right to expect full payment up front. You're not a business and you don't have to assume the risk of one. A buyer has no right to expect you to take that risk.

This sender doesn't exactly meet the criteria of most of the scams (he's not offering more than the asking price). But, here's the warning from craigslist about money orders:

FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.

Is he just trying to get your bike for nothing? That's just stupid. Wouldn't you know where he lives or something? I guess he could be using a fake name.

Anyway, just don't do it unless he's got the cash up front.

Karen

[Tuckervill]

Another thing I just read on Wikipedia. Sometimes the first offer is just to build your trust, and the scamming ("oops, made the money order out for too much. Please wire me back the difference?") comes later.

Just don't do it.

Karen

[mimitabby]

has there been much conversation about the bike?
no? it's probably a scam. You can tell him you will only take a cashier's check (bank guarantees money behind it) for the amount of the purchase. I bet he'll go away.

[Eden]

Yes that is a scam - the money order will be fake, the next thing the person will try to talk you into is cashing a money order for *more* than the asking price and sending back the excess. Don't even get involved with this person unless they will put the whole thing on Paypal.

[smilingcat]

I've got $500 cash burning a hole in my pocket,

is an opening line for a scam.
MO, cashiers check and bank notes can all be counterfeit.

Don't even respond to the guy. more you engage him more chances of giving too much information about yourself.

About three years ago, I sold my car. Best place was on e-bay. Yahoo was terrible with scammers floating around. Local paper that advertises cars were just as bad.

"Hi, I am an agent representing a client, he had given me a check for $*** for a deal which did not consumate. He is out of Europe and unable to issue you the check but would like to purchase your car immediately. We would like to send you the check and have you send us the car with the excess balance back to us..."

Same form letter with different e-mail address. I tried to trace his e-mail and got very confusing... Somewhere in eastern Europe...

My first reply was that "I would set up an escrow account with a title insurance company and he can forward the check. When it has cleared with confirmation from the issuing bank, the title and the car will be released by the insurance company." No reply... but I kept on getting ths same silly form letter with different names.

DON'T BOTHER

an honest buyer is expected to show up and give you cash in hand and in return expect to have the item transferred at the same time.

Other weasely thing some buyer will do is show up and claim they are short by $** and would you be willing to take less or will be back with the balance. Tell this kind of person BYE BYE!! NO DEAL.

smilingcat

[SadieKate]

We're selling a lot on Craigslist right now. Legititmate buyers aren't even questioning that it is a cash-only transaction and that they must pick up the item unless you can arrange to meet somewhere, but even that is rare.

Don't even take a cashier's check as those can be counter-feited also. I assume the Criaglist folks have posted the warning based on a large statistical sample and wouldn't be making idle chit-chat.

[ttaylor508]

Has he came to look at the bike? I would say if he has not expressed an interest in looking at the bike or test riding it then it is probably a scam. Since most craislist buyers are local to the area you post they want to see before they agree to buy. We just had DH's old mountatin bike posted on Craigslist in Seattle and this is the first reply I got:
-----
Hi,
I've just gone through your ad and I'm interested in buying. I'm presently in NY on an assignment but I can arrange your payment from here and It will only take 3 business days before the payment will get to you. I will be adding $20 extra for you to keep in my favour. Money Order is the only means I can pay you with at the moment. If this is acceptable by you, Please send me your full name and address where the payment will be sent to, so I can send your payment. I will make arrangement for the pick-up once you receive payment
Thanks
Tara
-------
I knew this was not legit so I never even responded. The second response was a legit buyer who wanted to come look at and test ride the bike.

[rij73]

In my opinion, the whole point of Craigslist is that it's local. I would only ever sell something in person for cash only. In all transactions that take place long distance over the internet, I believe it should be "buyer beware" not "seller beware"! So, as the seller of such a high cost item, you have every right to expect full payment up front via Paypal. The guy sounds like a scam artist for sure...

[makbike]

Thanks guys, maybe I need to add some information. First, this is not a response to my Craigslist ad but to one I recently posted on one of the recumbent forums. I have exchanged a few emails with this guy (he is in Utach and I'm in Kentucky) regarding the bike and he has appeared to be interested in making the purchase.

I stopped by the post office in town this morning and spoke with one of the clerks there regarding money orders. Her advise was to make sure any potential buyer pays with a USPS money order for they have a machine they will run the money order through to check to see if it is a real one or counterfeit. If it comes out as a fraudlent check they will prosecute the sender. I'm really torn on this one for according to his email he is willing to send the $500 as a nonrefundable holding fee and the bike is not to be shipped until the remaining balance is payed (via USPS money order). What to do what to do?

[ttaylor508]

Did he bargain with you at all with the price? I just think it is kind of weird that someone from states away would buy something sight-unseen, and be willing to pay shipping on top of that. Do you have it priced so far under what it is worth that it is a steal. Also the fact that he has "money burning a hole in his pocket" yet he doesn't have enough to pay for it in full. On ebay at least you have a little bit of backing from them if a deal goes bad. I would be really careful.....

[mimitabby]

well, you have two things we didn't know about
1; the post office. take his check (he's far away) and take it to the post office
2; the community of recumbent folks. Talk to others; is he new? do they know him?

go for it. you don't ship the bike until you get all your money.
and if the PO will guarantee the checks are good or bad; no worries.

good luck

[Tuckervill]

Nope, I still say don't do it. If he wants it (sight unseen?), he'll cough up the cash.

If you think people don't hang out in obscure places ('bent forum) looking for a mark, let me tell you about something that happened to me way back in the '80s. I had a crib and other baby items for sale in the paper. I got a phone call about the ad from a woman. She started talking about her baby, and asked me about my baby and pretty soon we weren't talking about the items I had for sale, but she was asking me about breastfeeding and then how big my boobs were. I began to suspect a pervert and ended the conversation...but the pervert went a LONG LONG way to get me to talk to her (it was a him, cuz the voice was strange) just so he could talk boobs, but not just any boobs, lactating ones, you know? He was a freak.

It was someone who had to be cruising the baby furniture ads, just so they could talk dirty with some stranger? That's pretty a pretty focused place to be looking.

Also, when I had a foster dog I was trying to get rid of (wasn't selling), I got those scam emails about the dog, and it wasn't even for sale. Rat Terrier forum. Obscure.

Cash, paypal or nothing is what I say.

Karen