If you are selling something online through Somd.com classifieds, eBay, etsy, Craigslist, or any other venue and a "buyer" says they will pay you more than the purchase price for your item and asks you to refund the remainder, THIS IS A SCAM.
How it works is that the scammer offers to buy your item and says they will send you a cashier's check for more than the amount you set. They say their "shipper" will come and pick up the item, plus a check for the difference. The shipper is a cohort, or occasionally someone they've suckered in as well; the cashier's check is a fake or stolen; and you are now out the item you were selling, the money you refunded to the scammer, AND any bank fees associated with the fraudulent check.
There have also been cases where people have done jail time for unwittingly getting involved in these scams as the courier.
There is nothing the online sales venue can do to help you, nor will calling the police or even the FBI do any good. Most of the time the scammer is in a foreign country and outside US jurisdiction. In other words, you will be #### out of luck.
If you receive an email inquiry regarding something you have for sale online - again, this can be ANY online venue, even Amazon - written in broken English and offering you more than your asking price, stop communication with this person. Don't respond to them and don't give them any personal information. Just delete their emails. Don't think you can "play" with them - they've been doing this a lot longer than you have and you will not win.
Tell your friends, tell your family. Repost this on your wall. After 20 years in this business, it amazes me that anyone is still falling for these scams. So seriously, knock it off and please tell everyone you know to knock it off as well.
How it works is that the scammer offers to buy your item and says they will send you a cashier's check for more than the amount you set. They say their "shipper" will come and pick up the item, plus a check for the difference. The shipper is a cohort, or occasionally someone they've suckered in as well; the cashier's check is a fake or stolen; and you are now out the item you were selling, the money you refunded to the scammer, AND any bank fees associated with the fraudulent check.
There have also been cases where people have done jail time for unwittingly getting involved in these scams as the courier.
There is nothing the online sales venue can do to help you, nor will calling the police or even the FBI do any good. Most of the time the scammer is in a foreign country and outside US jurisdiction. In other words, you will be #### out of luck.
If you receive an email inquiry regarding something you have for sale online - again, this can be ANY online venue, even Amazon - written in broken English and offering you more than your asking price, stop communication with this person. Don't respond to them and don't give them any personal information. Just delete their emails. Don't think you can "play" with them - they've been doing this a lot longer than you have and you will not win.
Tell your friends, tell your family. Repost this on your wall. After 20 years in this business, it amazes me that anyone is still falling for these scams. So seriously, knock it off and please tell everyone you know to knock it off as well.
