Scammers… they are out there

Posted July 1, 2009

Scammers are everywhere on the net. Of course, you hear stories about people being sent rocks on eBay instead of that expensive camera you already paid with, but that’s not the only way scammers try to get you. Let me preface this story by saying that I didn’t get scammed but the attempt was there. The reason why I’m sharing the story is that at a certain point, it was so obvious, and even comical that a scam was going on.  I just hope that nobody would be so naive to fall for these tricks.  I didn’t say stupid because there are some who just don’t know and are truly naive.

The setting here wasn’t eBay but Craigslist.  I’ve been singing the praises of Craigslist for a while now.  I still think it’s the greatest thing for selling / buying stuff that you need and don’t need.  I always keep a close eye on camera gear and I always sell my camera gear on there.  This time I was selling one of my lenses.  It is a lens that sells on Amazon for $710.  Since I’m selling it used, but it’s in great condition, I listed it for $600.  I got a few emails, but nothing too promising.  Then there was an email from some “lady” that said that she wanted to send the lens to her “friend” as a wedding gift but that she was out of the country.  She said that she could send a Money Order.  I told her that I would agree to the terms as long as everything cleared at the bank, etc.  I even offered not to charge her anything extra for shipping as long as it was shipped in the US.

What happens next is the comical part.  I received an email saying that a “Xoom Money Order” had been made for $720.  What? $720?  I get an email from her right after that telling me that she put extra money on there to pay for shipping.  She gave me the shipping address.  To where you ask?  Nigeria.  Red flags I say.  I immediately emailed her back and said that this was a scam.

The best part was her replay back:

So wht is the big deal shipping to Nigeria because i also paid form the shipping.Do get it shippped today.Hoping to hear from you soon.

Here’s what I find the most comical about it, but sad at the same time because people do fall for this.  Just because I received an email from some company saying that I received a money order doesn’t mean anything.  I mean, it’s just an email.  She never had my bank account # (which you should never give out) or bank routing #.  This is just like me writing on a piece of paper, “$1,000,000”, and giving it to someone  for them to cash it in.  As far as the “Xoom Money Order” is concerned… from what I see, Xoom seemed to be a legitmate company for wiring money but mainly used in the UK.

Moral of the story… don’t be naive out there.