Ah, Craigslist
January 14, 2009How I love you so. But your no-frills interface looks the same as it did in 1998, and you attract a LOT of weirdos.
I’m always buying or selling something on craigslist and luckily all of my transactions have been very pleasant. At the moment I’m selling our old dining room set and I got this reply, which sounds just too good to be true.
Hello
I appreciate your response to my inquiry. Am interested in buying
it from you. I would love to come and check it myself but I just got
married and am presently on my honeymoon trip to Hawaii with my wife.
Pls do withdraw ,with immediate effect, the advert from Web as i
dont mind adding $50 for you to do that, so i can be rest assured that
the item is held for me. I should believe it is in good condition as
stated. I will be making the payment via a Certified Check, which my
secretary will mail across to you. I’ll be picking the item from you
with the aid of my mover. My Mover will be coming to pick it from you
once the Certified Check has been cashed.
Pls I will need both your full name and physical address to issue
out the payment.
It’s almost an exact duplicate of the example scams craigslist warns us about here. Example scam email:
Thanks for your mail, Since the cost of your bike is $800 i just contacted my client about the cost of your bike and it present condition and he said there is no problem about that.So my client said he will be issuing you a
Certified Check of $4000 while you wire 3000 to me through Western Union
Money Trasfer and you deduct the cost of your bike $800 and keep the
remaining $200 which my client said you should take for the terms of
Transaction and Agreement between you and my client.So i will like you to
send me your full contact information to where my client will be sending you the Certified Check…
The only thing I can’t figure out is this: If it’s a scam, what the heck would he/she want with this old dining room set? It’s not like it’s a laptop, or it can be sold for double the money on the black market. The set isn’t worth a penny more than what I’m asking.
But I still think it’s a scam. I just can’t figure out what to write back to this arsehole. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
In the meantime, I WAS going to copy and paste a post left in the ‘Bicycles for Sale’ section but it got yanked in the last few minutes so its gone. Funny as hell. Titled “To the guy who puked on my bike outside WaWa” and went on to thank the guy for barfing on his Huffy cuz when he went home he told his wife that he puked from too much exercise and now she’s pampering him and is goin’ to let him watch the Eagles game without bitching at him… so he asks the guy to meet him at the same WaWa next week so he can puke on it again.
Classic.
badluckcity.wordpress.com 
Unless I am missing something it doesn’t sound like a scam. He’s sending you a check right? You’re not sending him anything… Just keep it on the list until his check clears – then throw it out in the street! LOL
Tony, It’s most def. a scam.
I just got another offer, this one almost identical: I bet they “make a mistake” and pay me too much, then ask for the rest back, before the fake check gets flagged. No question it’s fake:
Hello,
Thanks so much for the prompt response to my enquiry,can I possibly get more pictures,The price is okay by me,I really wish to be there to check out the item but I don’t have chance cause am the very busy type,to proceed with this transaction,my mode of payment will be via cashiers check/bank certified check,Concerning the pick up, my mover would be at your place for the pick up as soon as payment is confirmed .I will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the payment
(1)Your full name:
(2) Contact address where payment will be sent to:
(3) Tell/cell numbers:so please do withdraw the advertisement from CL. cos I urgently need the item .I Await your response as soon as possible.
Thanks.
They almost got me. They send you a check and want you to send part of the money to a shipper. (Maybe fattshipping@hotmail.com and when I went to the bank they said funds are there and he keeps on saying send funds asap and my bank said it cleared and I almost sent the funds and I checked my account and the bank held those funds double. Acording to the bank they can’t tell you that the chexck cleared, at all. I tried to cash the check at the bank it was drawn on , and they said, the funds were there but I could only deposit the check. It is a scam. Hope you didn’t send any money to anyone..
Man, these scam offers just keep coming. a bit of Googling came up with this:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080605152217AAKuLfk
“Yes this is a scam, the Nigerian check scam to be specific. The warning signs is all in the email. They are willing to buy the dresser site unseen, they mention “item” instead of dresser, and my all time favorite is when the scammer asks for info that is clearly already provided in the listing. The scammer asked for a photo, but you had already included a photo of the dresser. They just sent you one of their automated scam email responses.
What this scammer will do is send you a cashiers check for way more than the cost of the dresser and shipping expense. They’ll email you saying that the check is on the way, but they wrote the wrong amount and would like you to cash the check and wire the amount they overpaid back to them. It will look as if that check has cleared the bank, but two or three weeks later, the bank will find out the check is no good and you’ll be responsible for it.
Visit the website 419eater.com. It has info about international scammers, as well as examples of emails they send out to unsuspecting people who fall for their scams. Do not give out your personal information to this person. Report the person and include their email response to Craiglist mods as a scam. On Craigslist, it’s best to sell to local people and only accept cash. It tempting to jump at this person’s offer and get rid of that dresser, but everything about this is screaming scam.”
They send me a check for too much money, then ask that I send back the overpayment. The furniture is never picked up. Just what I thought.
My 5 cents:
These guys are arsehells for sure. Response for my ad:
FROM: “mayor johnson”
I appreciate your response to my inquiry. How was your vacatios? I’m interested in buying it from you. I would have loved to come and check it myself but I’m on a business trip to france .I would love a surprise change of furniture in the home on my return.Pls do withdraw the advert from craigslist as i don’t mind adding $50 for you to do that, so i can be rest assured that the item is held for me. I should believe it is in good condition as stated.
I will be making the payment via a Certified Check, which my secretary will mail across to you. I’ll be picking the item from you with the aid of my mover. My Mover will be coming to pick it from you once the Certified Check has been cashed. Pls I will need your full name and residential address along with your phone number to issue out the payment.
Best wishes,
Mayor
I might bomb the hell out of this spammers den, no matter where they are. If Nigeria, be it. Arsehells.
I got a similar message today, selling items in Vermont. Here’s what the potential buyer sent me:
=====================================
Hello,
I really appreciate your response to my mail I saw your item on
Cl for sales and am seriously interested in buying this if still available for pick up and am satisfy with the description, condition and the price but pls i will appreciate it, if you can withdraw the advert from craigslist to avoid disturbance and I will pay you extra $20 for the removing, as you will be receiving be paying with a Bank Check.I will need you to provide me all this information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1. The full name to be on the check.
2. Your mailing address(residential address) please no P.O BOX address because i want the payment to get to you at your house or your office address to make the transaction fast
3.Your phone number and the best time to contact you.
***As for the pick up,i will know how to handle that with my mover that as been helping me to move in my belongings into our home, the Mover will come for the pick up once the Certified Check has been cashed and i will like to complete this transaction soonest.thanks and get back to me with the full info as soon as possible.
Thanks.
xxxxx xxxxxxxxxx
[…] the way, the craigslist scammers I mentioned before are way more prevalent than they were just a few months ago. I literally get a response to my […]
I just received an almost word for word identical response from “Mayor Johnson” for 5 separate postings that I made on Craigslist. He only offered $30 to “remove my advert.”
I told hiom that I only deal with local buyers for cash only. He responded with a song and dance about waiting for his check to clear. I told him that unless his bank had a local branch in my area, where I could cash the check against his account rather than my own, that my policy stands.
He responded that of course it is a local check. His enthusiasm and instant responses just smelled funny, which is why I googled “mayor johnson” and “craigslist scam”,- and here I am!
These postings were for a charity fundraiser. These scammers should be ashamed!
Has it really?
I just got this I wanted to cuss and swear back at them but I feel it better to keep quite and post the crap out of their name on the net.. as should every body!
Re: Yamaha CG101A Classical Guitar(Natural) – $100Wednesday, August 12, 2009 3:50 PM
From: This sender is DomainKeys verified “Julia Ross” Add sender to ContactsTo: “***ME***” Hello,
I appreciate your response to my inquiry. Am interested in buying
your musical instrument. I would have loved to come, check it out myself but
I just got married and am presently on honeymoon to Hawaii with my husband.
I would love some surprise inclusions in his music studio on our return.
Please do withdraw the ad from craigslist as I wouldn’t mind
adding $50 for you to take it down, so that I can be assured that the item
is held for me. I should believe it is in good condition as stated in the ad.
I will be making the payment via a Certified Check, which my secretary will
mail across to you.
I’ll be picking the item from you with the aid of a mover. My Mover
will be coming to pick it from you once the Certified Check has been
cashed. Please I will need both your full name and physical address
along with your phone number to issue out the payment.
Best Wishes,
Dr.Julia
—
Still available and in good condition, Please let me know.
Dr.julia. dr.juliaross@gmail.com Julia Ross
I am dealing with the same “Mayor Johnson” and the same language in his “offer” email right now. I’ve already given my address so a check will probably arrive on Monday. How do I “return” the check and get this creep out of my life?
Here’s what I replied when I received this:
Great! I’ll remove it right away!
Please send the check to:
Attn: Fraud investigation officer
C/o Appleton Police Station
222 S Walnut St
Appletin WI 54911
920-832-5500
I got a similar one from an Augusta William
Hi,
I appreciate your response to my inquiry. Am interested in buying
your item. I would have loved to come, check it out myself but
I just got married and am presently on honeymoon to Hawaii with my husband.
I would love some surprise inclusions and replacements in my husband’s studio
on our return.
Please do withdraw the advert from craigslist as I wouldn’t mind
adding $50 for you to take it down, so that I can be assured that the item
is held for me. I should believe it is in good condition as stated in the ad.
I will be making the payment via a Certified Check, which my secretary will
mail across to you.
I’ll be picking the item from you with the aid of a mover. My Mover
will be coming to pick it from you once the Certified Check has been
cashed. Please I will need both your full name and physical address
along with your phone number to issue out the payment.
Regards,
Augusta
As an update, these scammers use real checks (where they get or manufacture them, I don’t know for sure). After receiving a check for $1000 more than the promised price, I called up the bank and the company listed on the check (nothing referring to Mayor Johnson). They were able to verify that the check information was legit, but the institution named on the check said that they had had a number of scam attempts against them and that the check number was not one they would have written.
The way it works is that if you cash the check, it will come back a week or two later that the company did not write it and then you are held responsible for the fraudulent check.
Here is another example:
From: Oruko Jesu
Hello
thanks for getting back to me,am interested in your item and i will
like to buy this item from you…am okay with the price listed for
your item…So please do withdraw the advert.I will also like you to
know that i will be paying via Certified Bank Check drawn directly
from my bank or i make a bank transfer to your account due distance
i am.I will need you to provide me with the following information
to facilitate the mailing of the check today.
.
Your full name
.Your mailing address(residential)
.Your phone number
I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for
shipping, my shipper will come over there as soon as you have the
payment in hand…..Await your response as soon as possible.
****please note that the payment will be made overnight via ups or fe dex
courier service and please ignore every other buyer.***
Here’s my email:
“Thanks for the swift reply.I am okay with the condition and price of the item and am ready for its purchase.I’ll be paying you with a certified Bank Check and the payment will be issue out to you Via Ups Courier service I’ll be responsible for the pick-up,while you hold on my behalf. Once you receive this, my mover’s will come for the pick up at your place.I will be needing the following information to issue out the payment……
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address(Physical)….Not P.O.box
3.Your phone number
** Please note that the payment will be overnight to your address and it will be delivered within 2days.I will also wait for the check to clear before i have my mover come for the pick up
Warmest Regards”
I responded with the contact info of the local chapter of the FBI. I’m sure it won’t do anything but it made me smile.
And supposedly this person’s name is Jeff Nice but his yahoo address is kemi_jamall@yahoo.com. Seriously? It’s like he’s not even trying.
He just responded to my email that with the FBI contact info:
“Thanks for getting back to me with your contact details..The check will be issued out and you will get it shortly via Ups.The Mover’s money has been added in the check.So when you get the check,you will cash at your bank,Deduct your money,Plus An Extra $50 for your running a rounds,Then you will have the rest of the money sent to my mover same day Money gram,I will send you my Movers information as soon as you receive the check.”
At least I’m wasting his/ her time.
Just got a reply from Jeff Nice about a scooter, all he said was:
“Is it still available?”
I replied yes and I expect a scammy request because his reply email is Kemi.jamal9994@gmail.com ugh I hate these people.
I just got the same response for a weight bench I listed on craigslist. I can’t figure out how they will profit from this unless it is like you said, they write the check for too much and want some back.
Hello
I appreciate your response to my inquiry. Am interested in buying it from you. I would love to come and check it myself but I just got married and am presently on an honeymoon trip to Hawaii with my wife.
Please do withdraw ,with immediate effect, the advert from Web as i don’t mind adding $50 for you to do that, so i can be rest assured that the item is held for me. I should believe it is in good condition as stated. I will be making the payment via a Certified Check, which my secretary will mail across to you. I’ll be picking the item from you with the aid of my shipping company. My shipper will be coming for pickup once the Certified Check has been cashed. Please I will need both your full name and physical address along with your phone number to issue out
the payment.
I await your urgent response.
Regards.
Dr David.
Got one too, didn’t even mention the item. And received the email and response from two different emails. My person was Joe William
Hello
Thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant purchase, so pls do withdraw the advert from Craigslist, i dont mind adding an extra $50 dolls for you to take the advert down from criagslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.
I will also like you to know that i will be paying via Bank Certified Check OR money order , and it will be over night payment due to the distance. You dont need to bother yourself with the shipment ok, i will take care of that. So i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address be it residential or postal address
3.Your Phone Number. **Once again, I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for shipping i will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check** Have a nice day
Joe
Such bs, why would you buy something you can’t see or profit from?
I just got the same craigslist scam from “Cindy Jacobs.” Good postings everyone!!
Hello,
We almost got caught with the ‘Cindy Jacobs’ scam.
Here is the email we received from ‘her’
***********************************************
From: Cindy Jacobs
Date: May 20, 2010 10:51:01 AM PDT
To: Sonia Theodossiou
Subject: Re: Crate and Barrel Sofa – $480 (mountain view)
Hello,
Thanks for the response, just to let you know that am okay with
the condition and price of the item, am ready for its purchase and my
form of payment will be by sending you A Bank Certified Check via UPS next day
delivery.
I’ll be responsible for the pick-up and schedule an appropriate time for the pick-up at your
location after check has been received and cashed,
I would have really love to come for the viewing but due to my work
frame that might not be possible,but if you have the pics,might want
to have a good look. Please do get back to me with the following
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address(Physical as Ups does not deliver to P.O.Box}
3.Your phone number.
I appreciate you holding this for me. Please delete the posting as I
am definitely buying it from you and it would be sad
for me to have the payment in the mail only to be
informed of the its sale also am deaf and will like to be contacted via
email.*Looking forward to receiving this information, so the payment
can be made out asap
Thanks
*************************************
Not sure what else to do to prevent anyone else being caught but I am posting this in as many places as possible!
Good idea Sonia. Thanks.
Glad to know I am not alone, but distressed at the prevalence of this scam. This is the email I received to a posting on Craigslist:
“Are you still selling the advertised Furniture on Craigslist? I would love to come to check it, when is the best time to come for it?”
John Smith.
After I replied that the item was available, said “John Smith” then sent the following:
Thanks for your timely response to my inquiries . I would love to make an instant purchase of it. Please do withdraw the advert from craigslist as I don’t mind adding $50 for you to do that, so I can be
rest assured that the item is held for me. I will be leaving for Hawaii with my wife for our Honeymoon, we just got married and I would want surprise inclusion in our home on our arrival. I will be paying via certified check and I wouldn’t know if that is acceptable by you, if you concur with me on my mode of payment kindly provide me with your full name and physical address (not P.O Box)
along with your phone number to issue out the payment. I’ll be picking the item from you with the aid of a mover who will be coming over for the pick-up once the Certified Check has been cashed so you don’t have to worry yourself about the shipping.”
If the english in the email had been a bit tighter, he might have convinced me that this was legit. My husband and I laughed, however, at the awkward language, which was the biggest tip off that this was a scam. I mean, who says “surprise inclusion?” When I told him I would be cashing the certified check at his bank, and not mine, I stopped getting emails from “John.”
Hello,
How are you doing today,thanks for your response to my earlier email,
I want you to consider it sold, pls do withdraw the advert from the
site and keep it for me,because i will be buying it and send payment
to you asap,I will be sending you a bank certified check and it will
be delivered to you via United Parcel Service (UPS) and it will
include the shipping fund,because i want you to help me take care of
the shipping to me, so I’ll need you to provide me with the following
information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
Full name on the check.
Full Physical address to post the check
City, State and Zip Code
Home & Cell Phone to contact you.
Note that the payment will be shipped to your address via UPS NEXT DAY
AIR SERVICE,Waiting to read from you asap.Regards
Got this scam from the e-mail address robertmcgee747@gmail.com and tommy.tray040@gmail.com
Post the crap out of it 🙂
Just got a similar email. The bastard didn’t even have the decency to offer a bonus for removing the ad!
(email below) I responded by telling him to have his mover bring the cash and I’ll hand him the product.
From: Blake Farless blakefarlesscucl@hotmail.com
Hello…..Merry Xmas…… I really appreciate your response to my
email and i want you to consider it sold, Pls do withdraw the advert
from CL to avoid disturbances,anyway i should have come down to
come and look at it but I don’t have time to come over to take a look
due to my Business transactions that makes me busy but you don’t need
to bother yourself with that and also the shipment I’ll take care of
that by engaging the services of a mover, so I’ll be sending a
certified bank check and it will be delivered to you via United Parcel
Service (UPS), so I’ll need you to provide me with me with more
pictures and the following information to facilitate the mailing of
the check ……
Full name on the check.
Full Physical address to post the check
City, State and Zip Code
Home & Cell Phone to contact you.
Note that the payment will be shipped to your address via UPS NEXT DAY
AIR SERVICE and I will like you to know that you will not be
responsible for shipping i will have my mover to come over as soon as
you have cashed the check* N.B UPS does not deliver to a P.O box
addresses.Thanks and hope to hear from you as soon as possible…
Regards
So glad I found this website! I was finally about to assume that this might actually be legitimate and do what they asked. It came from a lady named Nicole Thompson at these addresses (nicolethompson@yimail.us) (thomnicek@inbox.lv)
Here are the emails back and forth.
****************************************************
Is this item still up for sale?
**
Yes it is. If you are interested you can call me at
**
Hello,
Thanks for your response…I will like you to know am interested in buying this item.The method of payment i will be using will be a Bank Certified Check which will be sent via Ups next day air delivery and this is because i am currently away on a business contract. Also i will be adding $50 to the asking price for the reservation of the item, If you do agree to sell this item to me and have it reserved pending delivery of payment to you
I will be responsible for the pick-up and the movers payment would be included in the check mailed to you in order to avoid delay and to enable the pick up company to schedule an appropriate time for the pick-up at your location as I have other properties to be moved alongside this item to my new home.
Please delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you.I will also wait for the check to clear before the pickup is done.If you do have more pictures, please send them to me so I can get a better look.If this is fine with you Please get back to me with the following so that the check can be mailed out to you.
1. Your Full name which the check would be issued out to.
2. Residential or Office Address where the check will be mailed to.
Also i am deaf so i cant communicate to you than via email as my tty and adsl have been sent out for updates.
Await To Hear From You
Thanks and stay blessed
*****
Hello,
How are you doing today, I will like to inform you the check will be delivered to you today via UPS, Also the reason for the amount which i told you before is due to the mover’s fee in picking up the item i bought from you and from others to my new house, All you have to do now that the check has been delivered to you, Is to take the check to your bank today and have it deposited,Which will take a period of 24hours to clear, Once you have the check deposited in your account, Kindly do inform me so we can schedule the pick up. Await to hear from you
Pleasure doing business with you
Thanks and Stay blessed.
*****
Nicole,
I appreciate you being so prompt. I will not be home until later this evening, but according to the tracking number the check should be waiting for me. I will cash it tomorrow and let you know so we can set up a time. Thanks
*****
Let me know once you deposit it
Thanks
*****
I deposited the check this morning. They did not put a hold on it, so you can set up pick up arrangements. Thanks
*****
Great, the check should be cleared by tomorrow, does friday sound ok to you? if not when are you available?
*****
Hello,
Thanks for confirming funds being available to you, My mover just made it clear to me that all payments needs to be payed via western union to their Head office which is located in London, United kingdom even though my mover will be the one doing the pick up at your place, So all you have to do now is go to your bank,After you must have deducted the item cost and an extra $30 for your run around to the bank and western union. withdraw the rest of the money in cash and go to any of this Western union outlet around you below
Once you get to any of this western union outlet’s above, do request a sending slip, fill in the mover’s head office information below, tender it back to the staff there with cash and have them process the payment to them
Name : Brian Jacobs Movers
Address : 39 crowden way
post code : se28 8he
City,Country : London, United Kingdom
I must let you know there is a western union fee for sending, You should deduct the fee out of the money your sending, Once you have completed the western union payment to the head office, Kindly do get back to me with the following information below as shown on receipt
1}Sender’s name and address
2}Mtcn number {which is the 10 digits number on the western union receipt}
3}Actual amount sent in GBP after the fee had been deducted
4}A scanned copy of western union receipt if possible
Also i will need to know if the time pick up can be done friday, Please try to complete the western union payment as soon as you can as i have to move to my new home.
I will await the western union details as requested above asap and your availability on pick up
Pleasure doing business with you
Thanks and stay blessed
*****
Can i have an update if the payment has been made please?
*****
It has not. I have been at work all day
Thanks
*****
Can you have it done as soon as possible today please?If you need an outlet other outlets closer to your work, you can give me your zip code at work and i will help you get an outlet near you, you can send from, So the pick up can be done tomorrow
*****
Ok i will await the western union details once its completed
Thanks
*****
I have decided not to complete this transaction. I have alerted my bank to the potential of the check being fraudulent, as I have not withdrawn the funds from my account yet. I believe this is a scam. Nice try though!
*****
What do you mean by this? Am so suprised with your email, i will report you, you said you were going to go to the bank, withdraw my money and send to my mover, and you send me this?
*****
Yes, well having found a website listing several similar emails that were exactly the same, I believe this to be a scam. If my bank says the check is indeed valid, then I would be happy to complete the transaction. Which item were you getting again?
*****
Or if you could send me the phone number of the moving company so I could call them to set up the pick up, that would work as well.
****************************************************
I have not received a reply to either of the last two emails. I can assume the last one I received is an attempt to guilt me into following through with the payment. I googled the address and name of the mover and could find nothing about them. Also the check looked odd, but since the bank said nothing about it, I assumed it was valid. Shortly after I received the email about western union to London, and that is what made it appear fake to me. The check was from a real company, in this case Wilson-Mohr. The address matched and everything. The part that was odd was the line above the routing number was crooked, diagonaled upwards on the check.
hope this helps
Man, I can’t believe you went that far with it! Lucky the bank didn’t charge you. These losers are getting desperate… now I get replies from them for small inexpensive items.
Here’s the latest one I just received from a woman named Lisa Moore. The thing that made me alert was she’s buying the item without seeing it. Who would buy a used furniture without actually seeing it?
———–
Thanks for Please be informed that i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank as i just moved here from wyoming on a job transfer..I will need the following details to mail the payment as soon as possible.
1.Name to be on the payment__________________
2.e prompt response to my mail.
I will be buying from you so please kindly withdraw the advert from C..LIST.
Home address______________
City____________
State_____________
Zip Code________________
3.Cell phone#______________________
I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you have your money I am completely satisfied with the advert and the payment will be delivered within 2-3? working days.** I use a hearing impaired phone # and will receive your calls via email **
Thank you
Lisa Moore
Here’s the one I received today. It appeared one hour after I posted my listing. The first inquiry from ibbbiggy245@gmail.com simply said “Still available for sale?”.
After I replied I received this from alexander rainey [rainey.29.alexander@gmail.com]
Hello,
Thanks for getting back me am ok with the price and the condition..
Thanks for the prompt response to my mail. I will be buying it from you so please kindly withdraw the advert Please to be informed that i will pay you with a certified bank check and once you have the check cashed at your bank then i will arrange for the pick up at your place.. I will need the following details to mail the payment as soon as possible.
1.Name to be issue to…
2.Contact Address(City,State,Zip code)
3.Contact telephone number home,cell or work…)
Pls note that FedEx/Ups does not deliver to P.O box and the payment for the item will be overnight to your address asap.i really need this item and i will appreciates you if you can help me to save item till the payment arrives as it will save me some extra cost.. and my shipper will come as soon as you have the check cashed in hand, So please send me an email only Regards
Thanks
Awaiting for your prompt response
I was so pleased to find this website which confirmed my immediate suspicion that this was a scam. I will now report it to craigslist even though it apparently won’t do much good.
Well, it’s March 2012 and I’m still getting posts like this. I knew it was a scam as soon as I read it, but I thought I’d search the internet and what do you know? Here it is.
I was selling an Android Tablet, and this is the response that I got when I said it was still available.
==================================
John Bowell biokaz04@gmail.com
7:34 AM (3 hours ago)
to me
Hello,
Thanks for the prompt response to my mail. I will be
buying it from you so please kindly withdraw the advert from the web
as i will be adding $50 for the removal. Please to be informed that i
will be paying you with a certified bank check and once you have the
check cashed at your bank then i will arrange for the pick up at your
place..I will need the following details to mail the payment as soon
as possible.
Name to be on the Check_____________
Home or office address(No P.O.BOX)___
City__State__Zip Code_______________
Phone Numbers_____________________
FYI:You will not be responsible for the shipping of the item..and I
will have my mover come over for the pick up as soon as you have the
check cashed at your bank,and i will get back to you once my secretary
made the payment out to you immediately.
I thought I smelled a rat as son as I got this reply to my add this morning:
Thanks for the prompt response to my mail. I will be buying from you
so please kindly withdraw the advert from C.LIST. Please be informed
that i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank it will be
delivered to you via United Parcel Service (UPS or FED EX), so I’ll
need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate
the mailing of the check…
Name to be on the payment………..
Home address………..
City…………..
State………..
Zip Code…………..
Cell phone #…………….
I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you have your
money I am completely satisfied with the advert and the payment will
be delivered within 2-3 working days.** I use a hearing impaired phone
# and will receive your calls via email ** N.B UPS and FED EX does not
deliver to a P.O box addresses.Thank you.
From Johnny Bowell
—————————————-
HA…LOL!
I have to admit the last time I got something like this I tried to have a little fun with them by sending “my” information back to them which was really the address and phone number to the FBI in DC.
Losers.
Just recieved a scam like the ones listed. This one was from Johnny Bowell . Don’t these people have anything better to do?
Johnny Bowell segzykul@gmail.com SCAM
I have been trying to sell an A/C compressor on craigslist for a days now. When I saw a response to the ad I was hopeful. So I respond to the email… The first thing I notice is, almost immediately, I received a response after I sent the email “Yes the A/C Compressor is still for sale.” Then I begin to look at the different emails….
First email: licon.ben33@gmail.com
Email I replied to (automatically): segzykul@gmail.com
Email I received the immediate response to: segzykul@gmail.com
Red Flag!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is how the email response looked:
Thanks for the prompt response to my mail. I will be buying from you
so please kindly withdraw the advert from C.LIST. Please be informed that i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank it will be delivered to you via United Parcel Service (UPS or FED EX), so I’ll need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check…
Name to be on the payment………..
Home address………..
City…………..
State………..
Zip Code…………..
Cell phone #…………….
I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you have your
money I am completely satisfied with the advert and the payment will
be delivered within 2-3 working days.** I use a hearing impaired phone # and will receive your calls via email ** N.B UPS and FED EX does not deliver to a P.O box addresses.Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something just doesn’t set right with even the look of the email.
The fact that they were going to be paying with a certified check from the bank and having it delivered to me via UPS or FED EX sent another red flag up.
Another thing is the use of the word advert.
And the fact that this person uses a hearing impaired phone # and will receive my calls via email.
I still wanted to make sure before I responded, so I Googled this Johnny Bowell and found this website.
I am guessing it is a fake… I just wonder why? Sounds dumb to me, but I guess they are making money at it otherwise they wouldn’t be doing it…
I Don’t Think So!
I deal locally and face to face thanks! :0)
johnny bowell segzykul@gmail.com This is scam. I got the following email after replying to him:
Thanks for the prompt response to my mail. I will be buying from you
so please kindly withdraw the advert from C.LIST. Please be informed
that i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank it will be
delivered to you via United Parcel Service (UPS or FED EX), so I’ll
need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate
the mailing of the check…
Name to be on the payment………..
Home address………..
City…………..
State………..
Zip Code…………..
Cell phone #…………….
I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you have your
money I am completely satisfied with the advert and the payment will
be delivered within 2-3 working days.** I use a hearing impaired phone
# and will receive your calls via email ** N.B UPS and FED EX does not
deliver to a P.O box addresses.Thank you.
[…] post on Grand Funk Railroad has gotten quite a few neat comments, but not that many hits. This one about Craigslist scams gets quite a bit of traffic, but nowhere near 300 hits a […]
Same exact emails sent to me for an item I had listing, word for word.
i just had this guy, john bowell, interested in 2 things i am selling sending me a similar email, wanting to send me a cashiers check, first of that is a warning sign. i knew it was a scam when he wanted all my info, warning 2. the best thing to do is report him to craigslist or whatever site your on. then send his contact info and the emails to the fbi, they have an internet scam program, they do not find this scam funny. i recenty moved to florida from new york ad in looking for a place to rent i inquired to about 50 homes, no lie but only 23 of them were real ppl and not these piece of shit scammers. pardon my french, but they piss me off so much. as long as people fall for their scams they will continue to do this. dont be a sucker and report them. you can always search an email or name to see if they are legit. good luck
Johnny bowell / segzykul@gmail.com wants my CL canoe today. He’s still hearing impaired and wants me to pull the ad and send a bunch of info. Thank you for these posts clarirfying the scam.
Thank you for posting this… I have some artwork for sale and segzykul@gmail.com is inquring today if “Is the items still available for sale??” I posted It is also affiliated with another email address of bobmccain56@gmail.com. Sellers beware!
Another from Johnny Bowell:
Wants to pick up an antique armoire: any time you see a sight unseen buy with cashiers check, no phone # and blind pick up, run away as fast as you can, this sort of inquiry has happened twice from 2 separate people in past month.
“Thanks for the prompt response to my mail. I will be buying from
you so please kindly withdraw the advert from C.LIST. Please be
informed that i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank it
will be delivered to you via United Parcel Service (UPS), so I’ll need
you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the
mailing of the check…
Name to be on the payment………..
Home address………..
City…………..
State………..
Zip Code…………..
Cell phone #…………….
I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you have your
money I am completely satisfied with the advert and the payment will
be delivered within 2-3 working days.** I use a hearing impaired phone
# and will receive your calls via email **
N.B UPS does not deliver to a P.O box addresses.
Thanks”
This is the other inquiry which I googled and a twitter feed warning of a kamerygreem02@gmail.com being a craigslist scammer “I believe this is based on trust.”
Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:12:00 -0700
Subject: Armoire –
From: kamerygreem02@gmail.com
To: Frank Thomas
Hello,
Thanks for the response.I am okay with the condition and price of the item and am willing to add extra $20 so you could keep it in my favor. I’ll be paying with a Check via next day delivery.
I’ll be responsible for the pick-up and the movers/pick up money will be included in your payment to avoid delay and to enable movers to schedule an appropriate time for the pick-up at your location after check has been cashed,as i have other properties to be moved alongside with yours.
I would have really love to come for the viewing but due to my work frame that might not be possible. kindly get back to me with your full name and address including your cell and land number so i can make out payment to you.
I believe this is based on trust.
Thanks
I am sooo glad this was here I only had to google the guys name and email to find out mister johnny bowell is a scam. thank you people!
I had the same email him wanting wood although he never states how much he wants just calls it an item and never says how much just that he wants me to take my ad off so no one else will buy it ! I got that he’d send the money and then I cash it and send it to other people ! NOT, for one that doesn’t sound right no one does this
Got the same scam but from two different people.
Thanks for the complement, but this is a once a week lunch hour hobby for me, and keeping it short is exactly why it’s lasted 7+ years. Most aspiring writers just can’t keep up, fizzle and burn out.
Received this via a text message today from a Carla Hermans (carlahermans@yahoo.com) in regard to a motorcycle I’m selling, and am assuming it’s just another iteration of the other scams mentioned here:
Hello… I really appreciate your response to my mail.I want you to consider it sold, pls do withdraw the advert to avoid disturbance.I want you to know that i will be paying via bank certified check due to my bank limit.
I will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1…..Full names to write on the check
2…..Full address to post the check
3…..Cell Phone to contact you
I want you to know that you will not be responsible for shipping i will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check.
Thanks.