Beware

grayelky · May-07-17 07:05

This was posted in another forum I read. I suspect many on here also frequent other forums, so the info is worth looking over:

It goes like this:
Scammer opens an account and scours the want-to-buy ads in the Trading Post
Scammer never posts public comments to the ad but sends a private note to members telling them he knows a guy who has what they are looking for. (if he did it in public comments we would all see he was shotgunning all the WTB ads in the TP).
He claims to have good results dealing with this guy in the past. He gives you the email address and phone number of the guy and urges you to call him.
If you fall for it and contact the guy they then try to lure you into to providing personal info or sending money for something you will never ever see.

In this case the scammer was using the username of vcat and is using a computer in Nigeria. Not that we have anything against RFCers who may live in Nigeria but all of you are, I'm sure, quite aware that many of these scams originate there. The number he gives you to call is the same number associated with the infamous IRS scam.

Things to look for:
Newish member.
No prior posts in any of the fora on RFC.
Never has what you want but knows someone who does.
Sends you the tip via PM instead of in the comments section of the ad.

Be careful!

MR_22 · May-07-17 14:05

OV-1D · May-07-17 14:05

The real shame is scamming is getting to be must more profitable because of the DUH brains out there multiplying at a serious rate .

To Old To Run · May-08-17 04:05

Wish there was an easy way to catch these bums

Thanks for the info

MR_22 · May-08-17 08:05

True, OV. If they didn't occasionally hook someone gullible, they wouldn't keep doing it. I'm so skeptical that I often don't even trust legitimate calls. And even if I *DO* trust them, I never give out a credit card number unless I initiate the call myself and I know the number I'm calling is correct.

Doubt everything. Sad, but sound advice.

heyjoe · May-08-17 08:05

one thing i would add is that i have seen the scammer say that they themselves have the item in the want to buy, not just that someone else has it

EvilWayz · May-08-17 10:05

The Nigerians have pulling this on every level since they got the internet apparently.

ikoiko · May-08-17 11:05

I had a voice-mail the other week from "publishers clearinghouse ".
I won 3 million dollars and "a new car".

Very happy it wasn't an old yugo.

Apparently, publishers clearinghouse is now located in Jamaica.

OV-1D · May-08-17 11:05

Lucky you ........ now just forward the transfer fees , ha , Western Union of course ..

EvilWayz · May-08-17 13:05

Another scam i forgot about, is if you sell something on craigslist they send you a letter offering more than you paid for it, and ask you to ship it to them.I cant remember how the rest goes but they either end up stealing money from you or whatever you were selling.

MR_22 · May-08-17 14:05

Quote from: ikoiko on May-08-17 11:05
I had a voice-mail the other week from "publishers clearinghouse ".
I won 3 million dollars and "a new car".

Very happy it wasn't an old yugo.

Apparently, publishers clearinghouse is now located in Jamaica.

Awesome! Congrats! Do you have to drive the car home?

MR_22 · May-08-17 14:05

Quote from: EvilWayz on May-08-17 13:05
Another scam i forgot about, is if you sell something on craigslist they send you a letter offering more than you paid for it, and ask you to ship it to them.I cant remember how the rest goes but they either end up stealing money from you or whatever you were selling.

Yeah, my brother got hit with that one while selling his snowmobile in the local online classifieds. They would send him a check for the snowmobile, plus a HUGE amount of extra cash, some of which he was supposed to return for some reason. Yeah, I forget the details, too, but he would have been out the snowmobile, plus the cash, when the check didn't clear.

I think they were supposed to send a certified check or cashiers check, which is supposed to be as good as cash, but it ends up being counterfeit, so it takes awhile to find out there's no money behind it. By then, they are long gone with your "sold" item, as well as the extra cash.

EvilWayz · May-08-17 14:05

Yeah, thats how it went. A friend almost fell for that when she needed to sell her wedding set in a hurry. Didn't pass the smell test.

ajr · May-08-17 17:05

This garbage is non stop these days and it's sickening. I'm having a really bad day. Evidently, the IRS has a major judgement against me 'and' my computer has a virus! I know, because the guy that works for Windows Tech Support called me and told me so. LOL!

Andy

theysayimnotme · May-09-17 00:05

Quote from: MR_22 on May-08-17 08:05
True, OV. If they didn't occasionally hook someone gullible, they wouldn't keep doing it. I'm so skeptical that I often don't even trust legitimate calls. And even if I *DO* trust them, I never give out a credit card number unless I initiate the call myself and I know the number I'm calling is correct.

Doubt everything. Sad, but sound advice.

I use virtual credit card numbers for everything on the inter-net or telephone. They can only be used for one company & you can set a limit to the time & amount.