# wow there are so many scammers lol



## snow (Apr 21, 2010)

So two days ago I posted up my laptop on c list for $1000. So far I have had two legit emails about the computer and a total of 7 scam emails! That's crazy.
I think they are all from the same guy too as they all have to do with him being in Russia but I have to pay someone in Africa...when will it stop?

_Thanks for your swift response I live at Apt 1028 Bloor St W Toronto,
ON M6H 1M2, I'm really interested in buying this item, I would have
love to meet you and pay with cash or do the shipping myself to know
the present condition on this item but presently am out of state for a
business conference trip held in Russia I need someone I can trust to
help me with the shipping as i am presently in Russia meanwhile I'll
pay you 1300 for the item including shipping and handling fees to my
Co- Worker wife who is studying in West Africa, please if you are OK
with my offer_


----------



## Theratboy_101 (Apr 27, 2010)

ya there are so many... I'm still shocked that they think that could ever work.

I was selling something one time and this guy said it was in the navy and at sea, so he'd have his friend come pay me and pick it up... as long as I got cash in my hand I was ok with it. but then the next day he wanted to send me a cheque for $200 and have me cash it and mail the cash to his friend for gas money and shipping.

after that I blocked his e-mail and sold it to someone else


----------



## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

I think a good chunk of them come out of third-world countries such as Algeria and some african, asian and slavic countries where one (especially people getting income through piracy and illegal activities) can afford cheap computers and set up a scamming operation. Where there is no employment and struggling people have extra time on their hands, there is always the willingness to make an attempt at gaining income by working for a scamming operation.

Of course, few people fall for scams but when you have access to millions of people worldwide via the internet, even the occasional lucky strike of a few hundred USD or some personal info to sell to a larger company can go a long way.


----------



## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

I was selling my car on craigslist years ago and i ran into the same thing, guy from i think toronto wanted to buy it, was going to send me a certified cheque... which he DID.

but he said he was going to send more then i said because he wanted me to ship it to him..

Being very WEARY about the situation i deposited his cheque and asked the bank to put the cheque on hold until it actually cleared.

5 days later the bank phoned and said it was a fake and then the cops got involved..

I'll never deal with anyone that's not willing to come and meet me now.


----------



## Adz1 (Apr 21, 2010)

funniest part about scams like this is that some people do get caught up in them ...


----------



## rescuepenguin (Apr 21, 2010)

A few years back I read a report written by a journalist who had walked into an Internet cafe in Nigeria. He interviewed some scammers in there. They told him that if someone fell for the scam, then they saw it as legitimate income. It should be noted that, that type of activity is illegal in Nigeria, but due to lack of enforcement they were free to carry out their activities. They were also asked about which nationalities fell for their scams the most. They replied "Americans, because they are the greediest". They also stated that they rarely sucker Canadians. If you think about it, most scams (including investment scams) play on someone's greed.

Steve


----------



## summit (Aug 22, 2010)

These kind of scams are successful by numbers, lets say 1 out of 10,000 people would fall for this, if this scam is sent to 100,000 people that would give you a 10 people that would be targets. Its basically a full time job for them, sit around copy and pasting the message to as many ads as they can to find someone vulnerable enough to fall for it. 

There are still people falling for the whole "my deceased father has left 345,345,645,136 dollars in a foreign bank account and I need your help to get it!" bit. Even if they get $100 from you, its probably a years salary where the scam originates, and with little employment as alternatives it will continue to happen with slightly different variants unfortunately.

Never ship anything to anyone without the cold hard cash first, unfortunately thats what it comes to.


----------



## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

I got a call from the bank today .. Called the bank back after telling original caller to ahem.. attempt the impossible for normal people . Turned out call was legit and I didn't let the guy finish .. LOL.. 
Somehow my Visa number was compromised in some data base breach and someone put a 29 cent charge on it to see if it was active ..... in Queensland, Australia .....Then someone called the Visa centre trying to get the billing address changed to hide their activity .. It didn't work .. Guy at the bank said the low initial charge was just to see if an account was active before trying to milk it with big charges..... and changing billing address lets them hide their activity for a month or so... What stopped them ?.. The 3 digit pin on the back isn't recorded in data bases. If they had had that the scam might have worked .. Be very careful where you use your cards , and never give that security check pin unless it is to a legit business you phoned; never in response to a call you get from someone "checking security".
Op in Visa centre actually thanked me for telling their OP who called me to ... .ahem .... lol.. Had I listened to all his message , I would have been told to call Visa back at their number listed on their card, not at a number someone gives you on the phone.

If you get one of those cheque scams , never deposit to your account .. Get the bank to clear it first before creditting to your account .. My sister got stung by the bank over one of those bogus cheques.. Deposited it , waited for it to clear before shipping a car she was selling .. and when bank found out it was bogus , charged her fees for converting the money from foreign currency to Canadian , and then back when they found out it was bogus .. Cost her $200 in bank fees for that bogus certified bank draft. Luckily it didn't cost here a LOT more.. Cash locally is a much wiser way to go .


----------



## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

its brutal
i had someone access my bank account from quebec while i was in amsterdam and they froze my bank acct
was lucky i had a credit card to last me the rest of the trip till i got home and the bank sorted it out


----------



## Trouble (Apr 27, 2010)

*And don't email them back cause then they have your email addres. When selling my dad's boat and Harley I got emails about a guy on an oil rig wanting it and then one of a guy as a sailer and so on. So many scams.*


----------



## slipstream (Apr 25, 2010)

Funny how a few words make it unbelievable eh? 

Like he lives in Toronto, yet he is out of STATE?? COME ON. Do they think Canadians are that stupid. sheesh. I wish I could trace all of them and pay em some visits. lol


----------



## gmachine19 (Apr 21, 2010)

These scams work all the time. Thats why people are still doing it. Just imagine if out of 100 emails they send, 1 poor slob falls for it. Easy money for them.


----------



## dZilla (Dec 30, 2010)

gmachine19 said:


> These scams work all the time. Thats why people are still doing it. Just imagine if out of 100 emails they send, 1 poor slob falls for it. Easy money for them.


If only they were sending it out to a 100 people.....

I work in a place where we had someone call us, and ask if they could fiure out where their money went as they sent it to someone in regards to a car they bought that was being shipped,and that the people needed more money because the shipping company wouldn't release it for another 500$ or so. They start off small, 10--50$ then they get you with the rest (at least for buying things), and the same is for selling things....

Best rule of thumb is, if they won't come in person then don't sell it....


----------



## snow (Apr 21, 2010)

slipstream said:


> Funny how a few words make it unbelievable eh?
> 
> Like he lives in Toronto, yet he is out of STATE?? COME ON. Do they think Canadians are that stupid. sheesh. I wish I could trace all of them and pay em some visits. lol


That was the first thing that cought my eye too. Goes from Toronto to Russia then africa...all over the world lol.


----------



## Phillyb (Jan 18, 2011)

Money Talks checks Bounce 

-Canadian pride-


----------



## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Here's an oldie but goodie: this guy got a scam email and decided to seriously mess with the head of the scammer. The results are quite funny.

The Powerbook Prank: He wanted a Powerbook. We gave him a P-P-P-Powerbook!

As for CL, I usually tag my ads with "Local pickup, cash only, no exceptions". Usually keeps the scammers from annoying me.


----------



## gmachine19 (Apr 21, 2010)

Elle said:


> Here's an oldie but goodie: this guy got a scam email and decided to seriously mess with the head of the scammer. The results are quite funny.
> 
> The Powerbook Prank: He wanted a Powerbook. We gave him a P-P-P-Powerbook!
> 
> As for CL, I usually tag my ads with "Local pickup, cash only, no exceptions". Usually keeps the scammers from annoying me.


hahaha thanks for the good read!


----------



## icecool (Apr 21, 2010)

kelly528 said:


> I think a good chunk of them come out of third-world countries such as Algeria and some african, asian and slavic countries where one (especially people getting income through piracy and illegal activities) can afford cheap computers and set up a scamming operation. Where there is no employment and struggling people have extra time on their hands, there is always the willingness to make an attempt at gaining income by working for a scamming operation.
> 
> Of course, few people fall for scams but when you have access to millions of people worldwide via the internet, even the occasional lucky strike of a few hundred USD or some personal info to sell to a larger company can go a long way.


I actually saw the documentary regarding Nigerian scams a couple of years back. Like you said, the person they interviewed mentioned that due to the lack of legal enforcements, they were free to carry on these types of schemes. It was funny though because the background of the interview took place in an internet cafe with 20 computers and the majority of people using them were searching out people to scam.


----------

