Question I received about an item I am selling on eBay

bankson

bankson

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I am selling a Gamecube on ebay, and look at this crazy question I got today-

HELLO, I'M INTRESTED IN THE IMMEDAITE PURCHASE OF THIS 2 UNIT I WILL PAY YOU $200.00USD AND I WILL BE MAKING PAYMENT RIGHT AWAY,I SHALL BE PAYING YOU MONEY ORDER VIA WESTERN UNION AUCTION PAYMENT,I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IF YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO SHIP AS SOON AS YOU RECIEVE PAYMENT CONFIRMATION AND APPROVAL NOTICE FROM BIDPAY? HIS IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT IS DEMAND IS HIGH IN MY STORE IN AFRICA.AND I'LL WANT TO COMPLETE THE TRANSACTION IN A TIMELY MANNER. SO IF YOU AGREE IN THIS CAPACITY,KINDLY GET BACK TO ME WITH YOUR CONTACT NAME AND ADDRESS SO AS TO MAKE PAYMENT ASAP. MIND YOU, I'LL BE HANDLING THE SHIPPING TO AFRICA WITH MY UPS ACCOUNT.OKAY? NOTE: IF YOU WON'T SHIP UPON PAYMENT RECIEPT,PLS DON'T BOTHER TO REPLY COZ I DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE.OKAY? AND IF YOU AGREE TO RELEASE THE ITEM FOR SHIPMENT UPON PAYMENT CONFIRMATION AND APPROVAL FROM BIDPAY.GET BACK TO ME WITH THE BELOW INFORMATION ONLY SO AS TO MAKE PAYMENT.OKAY?YOUR CONTACT NAME: YOUR CONTACT ADDRESS

I of course am not responding to it, but I was trying to figure out what part is the scam that would screw me or another seller over...
 
Probably wants you to send the money to nigeria, there's a name for this kind of scam using WU but im not sure what it is. Avoid anything like this as if it were the plague
 
[quote name='guessed']Apparently, Western Union money orders are easy to counterfeit.[/quote]

WU MOs suck IMO. No watermarks, etc. Plus no where to cash them other than your bank potentially, as Western Union agents don't have to cash the MOs. Plus there is no number to call or website to check that you can put in the serial number and verification it is legit. There is a number a vendor can call to verify but this costs $2! (Called the Cashguard service, completely ridiculous IMO.) I really don't see much of an advantage over a personal check for anyone getting one.

Compare that to a postal money order. You can walk in and cash it at any PO in the country.
 
^I clicked on that 419 site and at the end of the second paragraph there is a hidden word that appears if you highlight the area next to it.
 
That same exact guy tried to scam me (the text is almost identical). He said he wanted it shipped immediately and would pay an extra 50 for it (it was a psone with lcd screen, selling for 120). He then waited 4 days to pay for it (not something you do if you want it immediately). I don't remember the guys id, though the account was closed a few days later, and it said he was from singapore (not africa). Also, when he attempted to pay he sent a horrible confirmation letter from western union. Numerous spelling and grammar mistakes (these would have been obvious to anyone), and a picture taken from a non western union site. It also said if I had any questions e-mail [email protected] (didn't even try to disguise it). I called western union (I was certain it was fake, but I didn't want to yell at someone until I could eliminate the .1 percent chance I was wrong) and they said the confrimation number he gave also wasn't one they use. Don't tell him his mistakes though, the guy is so incompetent that there's a very small chance people will actually fall for it, don't want to help him get better. Though, if you want to make him pay a few bucks, he wants to pay for the shipping label on ups.com himself. Let him do that (of course don't ship the item though), at least he's out a little money.
 
Here is the letter he sent me, though I took out my address. I also don't know how to get the two pictures to show, but still how bad of an attempt this is should be obvious.

Dear (removed my name),
Western Union ® Auction Payments hereby congratulate you and at the same time informing you once again that the ® Money OrderSM sent to you from Davis Loots has been Approved.
® Money OrderSM : $160.00

Auction Item : PSONE COMBO system & 5" LCD screen sony playstation NEW
Auction Site: Ebay

Please verify that the following address (as entered by the buyer) is correct once again.

Name: (I removed all this info)
AddresS:
City :
State:
Zip Code :
Country : U.S.A

This order has been approved, and will the send the the above address in 5-7 days.You CAN NOW end the items to the buyer. ®Money OrderSM, And if you have any question, feel free to contact our customer service at ([email protected]). Thank you for using Western Union ® Auction Payments. We look forward serving your online auction payment needs in the future.
Sincerely,
Western Union Auction Payments.




--
___________________________________________________________
Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com
http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup
 
So the scam lies in that you get a confirmation the money order is sent, and they are hoping you send the item when you get that as opposed to when you actually receive the money order. Not something I would ever risk, but I wouldn't be surprised if some inexperienced sellers thought they hit the jackpot and lost out in the end.
 
Got a question as I am too a seller on ebay, say if i ran into one of tese WU MO scams, and they send payment when I clarify I dont use WU MO anyways, can I keep the cash without actually sending, IF he counterfitted it, and who would I report thios too thanks
 
[quote name='Nirvanaguy777']who sends an email entirely in caps, its basically like hes screaming the whole thing at you[/quote]

Many people with low vision type in all caps as it helps them see their messages better. But that's neither here nor there, this is definately a scam.
 
Scam.
And blinding. Although I didn't think about visually-impaired people typing in all caps.
I don't know why anyone with any modicum of internet experience would *ever* deal with someone in Africa. Not being country-ist or racist, but it seems like almost every scam comes from Africa, and I worry enough sending something across to CA, much less across the globe.

Not to mention, this line would have gotten a big F-U from me just because.

NOTE: IF YOU WON'T SHIP UPON PAYMENT RECIEPT,PLS DON'T BOTHER TO REPLY COZ I DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE.OKAY? A
 
Ask yourself this simple question first. Why would anyone pay you $200 USD, if they can order it from any retailer for $100?

There, done.
 
[quote name='ChrisXE']Got a question as I am too a seller on ebay, say if i ran into one of tese WU MO scams, and they send payment when I clarify I dont use WU MO anyways, can I keep the cash without actually sending, IF he counterfitted it, and who would I report thios too thanks[/quote]

What cash are you going to keep? The scam is that they send you a FAKE cash transfer and depend on you sending the item before you realize it.
 
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