INTERNET SCAMMERS
The world is full of scam
artists who search the web for victims. Please send scammer e-mails to: martin@antiqueadvertiser.com
for inclusion on this web page. Knowledge is power.
Counterfeit U.S. Postal Money Orders: U.S. Postal Service warning
The US Postal Service has made available a pdf file which shows how to tell if you have a genuine postal money order. CLICK HERE
If you have questions about accepting U.S. Postal Money Orders, call your nearest U.S. Postal Inspection Service Office or Post Office. Call 1-800-ASK-USPS or visit www.usps.com for these telephone numbers.
DIFFERENT SCHEMES, SAME RESULTS
We strongly encourage everyone to use caution and common sense when dealing with any financial transaction.
1. distant buyer offers a high-value (but fake) cashier's check in exchange for your item (samples: see below)
SCAM REPORTS
1/18/07 - Dear David,
Thank you for reporting these scammers (see below). The check you received is bogus. If you have already sent a check to the scammer, you should try to stop payment, otherwise you will be out of luck (and cash).
Our advise is to CUT OFF ALL COMMUNICATION WITH THESE SCAMMERS.
Best,
The A.A.
-----Original Message-----
From: David Keller
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 8:36 PM
To: martin.marcus@verizon.net
Subject: Fw: payment sent and will be recieved t ommorrow
***********I received this e-mail and several others from the same person and then a bogus check from another party.*********
----- Original Message -----
From: jesse morrow
To: David Keller
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 7:55 PM
Subject: Question on cannon heater #20
I just place a look on your antique at antiqueadvertiser.com and i am interested in immediate purchase,but before i proceed on this transaction i will like to ask some question as follow. 1. Do you accept a (Cashier Check/Money Order) as a mode of payment? 2. What is the final asking price you can go at last? 3. Will you allow my shipper to come to your location for the pick up of the antique cos i don't want you to worry yourself about the shipping of the item my private shipping company will be responsible for that.4:How long have you had the item,get back to me with the pics.
**************This is another one***************
----- Original Message -----
From: jesse morrow
To: David Keller
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 11:09 PM
Subject: Get back to me.
Ok, the price i sok,am serious abt the purchase of the antique.i want you to
know that the payment that will be sent to you will include the item money and
the shipping fee,my shipper will be coming for the pick up of the antique as
soon as you receive the payment.so all you will have to do as soon as you
receive the payment is that you will send the extra fund that is the shippers
fund to the shipper via western union money transfer.
Get back to me with the payment info. I will like to ask the folowing questions.
[1.]can i trust u with the money? [2.] will u be able to wire transfer the
shipper fund the same day u receive the payment? [3.] will u be available when
the shipping company will be coming for the pickup? [4.] can i take u for ur
words. Is everything clear to you let everything go smoothly because i like to
do business with honest person.Have a nice day. Get back to me with the payment
info so that i can send the payment. Regards. Jesse.
*******************and another********************
----- Original Message -----
From: jesse morrow
To: David Keller
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 2:48 PM
Subject: payment sent and will be recieved t ommorrow
i want to tell you that the payment has been sent out and you will receive it tommorrow unfailingly,so get back to me as soon as you receive the payment,so that i can forward to you my shippers info.ok.am awaiting your mail as soon as you receive the payment.
*******************This is the newest attempt.************************
----- Original Message -----
From: streammate447@aol.com
To: David Keller
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 12:39 AM|
Subject: purchase
Hello Seller
I"am Steve Bruflat i came across your US Army cannon heater, on net, so i
want to know the last price, and if the Good is still aviliable for sell. please
contact me througth this same e-mail address,my cell phone number is 4013699690.
streammate447@aol.com And i am using this opportunity to tell you that i will be
willing to pay with a Cashier Cheque as for the pickup from you i have good
shipping company that will take care of that as soon as the payment has been
made to you and comfirm from you, and date for the pickup pls as for the item i
will like you to remove it from on sale advert and keep it for me ok so pls get
back to me as soon as possible. thanks. So i want to know if you
are interested in selling the Good to me.my phone number is 4013699690.
1/18/07 - Dear Winnowna,
Thank you for reporting this attempted con game to us. This is a total scam. The checks you receive will be forged. If you have already sent the amount specified to the scammer, you will be paying out of your own pocket.
Our advise is to CUT OFF ALL COMMUNICATION WITH THESE SCAMMERS. If you receive any checks in the mail, destroy them immediately.
Best,
The A.A.
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-----Original Message-----
From: winnowna lanam
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 12:18 PM
To: martin.marcus@verizon.net
Subject: scamers
Here is what information I have at this time. Not that I can't afford to pay for
this but if at all possible please help me. I don't want to find myself in an
unwanted place looking out from within prison bars. Please help me if you
are able, this is all the information that at this time has been given to me.
Sincere thanks,
Winnowna.
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THE SCAM LETTER:
Hello Sweetie,
As soon as you received the checks tomorrow..you'll get 10 pieces of Money Orders,$820 on each money orders...you'll have to take 5 pieces of the money orders to your bank and have them cashed,keep the remaning 5 pieces untill i ask you to cash them.....After cashing the 5 pieces of the money orders at your bank..total will be $4,200....take out your own $400 it will remaning $3,800 so go send the remaning $3,800 to my Attorney through WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER close to you....
Dont forget to deduct all the transfer fee before sending the cash to my....
Attorney...Below is my Attorney info...
NAME:- Samson Yusuf
CITY:- Cotonou
Country:- Benin
As soon as you are back from the western union,You will e-mail me the
transfer details such as :
Sender's Name ..............
Reciever's Name ............
MTCN (10 digits) ...........
Text Question and Answer..
Amount Sent.........
And you will be ask to use a secret question and answer when sending the money
so use {whats's your favourite color ? and answer is RED}
Longing to read from you soon..
N.B
If you wont be home to sign for the payment...drop a note at your front door instructing the courier man to leave the package beside your door..
THE TRACKING CODE: FEDEX: 858080874443
THE EMAIL ADDRESS: Walter Thomas" walter_bee200316@yahoo.com
12/28/05 - Subject: FAKE USPS MONEY ORDER EMAIL
I became one of the victims, but maybe this will help someone else. He sent me 5 fake money orders in the amount of 850.00 each. I deposited only (2) thank god.
Subject: JOB FOR YOU
Would you like to work online from home and get paid weekly ? R & K
LIMITED needs a book-keeper in the states, so i want to know if you will like to
work online from home and get paid weekly without leaving or affecting your
present job? I presently run a textile and fabrics firm in the UK and we need
someone to work for the company as a representative/book keeper in the states.
My company produces various clothing materials, batiks, assorted fabrics and
traditional costume which we have clients we supply weekly in the states. My
clients make payments for our supplies every week in form of Cashiers
check/Money Orders which are not readily cashable outside the United States, So
we need a reliable and trustworthy individual in the states to work as our
representative and assist us in processing the payments from our clients and
will paid weekly. All you need to do is to receive the payments from our clients
in the states, then get it cashed at your bank, you will then deduct your weekly
pay which would be 10% of whatever you cash then forward the balance to the
company down here via the closest western union or money gram outlet close to
you. I sincerely hope i can have an irrevocable trust in you on this. So all i
need to do is to forward your information to our client who will be make the
money orders payable to you on our behalf then send it to you via mail or
courier. I will need the following information below:
1.YOUR FULL NAME AND CONTACT ADDRESS.
2.YOUR DIRECT TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBERS.
3.YOUR AGE AND PRESENT OCCUPATION.
4.YOUR EXPERIENCE IN FUND MANAGEMENT
At the provision of the above information we can now forward your information to
our clients so that they can start to make payments to you as our representative
in the states. As soon as we confirm any payment coming to you i will definately
notify you and i will give you the information to as to where to send the funds
to either via western union money transfer or moneygram. I await your positive
response to this.
Warmest Regards,
Robert Keller
CEO R&K Fabrics & textiles
+44 703 184 1684
12/20/05 - I posted an on-line classified on Washington Post to sell an antique chair. "Graham" grahamstores2001@yahoo.com responded and said he would pay by money order. However he was going to send me a large money order in the amount of $1000 where I could deduct the amount of the chair and send it back to "him". I finally received 4 money orders in the amount of $850 each. I believe these are fake. The money orders came from an address in CA and I was instructed to send the money orders on to an address in PA after deducting the amount of the chair and related fees.
Then I saw your web page.
After refusing to sell him the chair I got this email from fbi_scams@yahoo.com:
"Hello Tina Kinney, We did receive an email from Graham Bells Jr. notifying us of a breach in contract between both of you, he stated that hes buying a chair of $250 and you have agreed in selling it to him based on agreement and trust and he had to issue money orders of $850 each (4 pieces), and he informed us he had to issue the money orders in your name and have it sent to your full name and address stated below: Tina xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Your corresponding emails with Graham Bells have been recorded into out system and we will be waiting to hear your own view of the transaction before necessary measure will be taken which may include: 1. Coming to your location to confirm if truly you have the item listed for sale. 2. checking if you have cashed the money orders or checking your account if you have a new deposit Please endeavor to reply back asap Yours Faithfully Smith."
I contacted yahoo email services and washington post of this scam. Tina Kinney
That second shot e-mail is the most amateurish attempted scam that I have ever heard of. Thanks for sending it. I'll add it to my scammers page
10/12/05 - Sir: I know you have nothing to do with the people who answer your ads but you might want to be aware of a recent scam. And warn your advertisers to check out all buyers, before they deposit their money or cashiers checks into their bank account. I advertised two small occasional antique chairs on your site. Total $300.00 I received an immediate offer for them from a buyer in Sidney, it was a huge scam, he sent me a money order for $3200.00, wanted me to cash it, go to Western Union, and send the difference between the price of the chairs, the cost of the money order etc., to some person in Nigeria, who would handle the shipping. I smelled a rat immediately. Wrote back and said no, then I received another email assuring me it (the cashiers check) was 100 percent okay and to send the money to someone in England. Took the money order to my bank, and yes, it was bogus. No such Citrus Bank in Orlando Florida existed, the name had changed. Evidentially someone had gotten hold of a lot of their money order forms and were using them. They were all handwritten, which also raised a red flag. Just a warning. the bank said that 500 of these money orders had tried to come through their bank. So buyer beware. mdg1945@cfl.rr.com
ACTUAL FRAUDULENT E-MAILS
From:
Shelly Sun [mailto:buy4china19@yahoo.com]
>
Sent: Tuesday, 20 September 2005 11:29 PM
>
Subject: PAYMENT CONFIRMED SENT......PLS DO GET BACK ASAP
Hi
Mike,
>
Top of the day to you......how are you and everything generally? I
>
hope you are fine as usual and hope all is going on well.........i
>
just received a confirmation notice from my client that payment has
>
being sent out to you today and should be delivered to you this
>
thursday or latest for friday....in which my client also advised that
>
upon your receipt of payment,pls kindly take it to your BANK and have
>
it cashed of which,after you have cashed the money order at your
>
BANK....you are expected to ship out the laptop to the address
>
provided you in
>
>
Least i forget,pls be informed that a total payment of
>
$2,500USD(equivalent to AUD$3,240) was sent to you by my client and i
>
will want you to deduct your asking of AUD$1,154(equivalent to
>
USD$900) for both laptops and kindly help send back the balance left
>
AUD$2,086(equivalent to $1,600USD) via western union money transfer to
>
me in China.The reason why a total payment of $2,500USD(equivalent to
>
AUD$3,240) was sent to you is because:
ETC, ETC, ETC.
Subj:
Signed pair of Bakelite Miriam Haskell earrings {PAYMENT AND SHIPPING} WITH
TRUST
Date: 4/17/05 2:29:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: bush_rich002@yahoo.ca
Thanks for the mail,
As a matter of fact am so much interested in buying this Signed pair of Bakelite
Miriam Haskell earrings and the price is okay by me for $550 immediately if you
will accept a cashiers check and i will like you to remove the ad from the
website and give me your contact details so we can proceed with payment and so
other people will no it has been sold,cos my client in US who is owning me the
some of $8,000 will be one to issue out the payment to you.and immediately you
receive this payment from him,you are to get it cash immediately at any cashing
outlet arround you.and imediately this is done, you will deduct the total cost
of your Signed pair of Bakelite Miriam Haskell earrings from it and just $50 for
your compesation towards this transaction,and immediately you have deduct all th!
is amount from the $8,000, you are to go ahead and have the rest balace forward
to my shipping agent for him to come for the pickup of this Signed pair of
Bakelite Miriam Haskell earrings in your location.Moreso i want you to
understand that the balace you are sending to my shipping agent wil be the one
to prepare himself to be in your location.so i want you to get back to me ASAP
with this information needed from you for the payment.such as follow..
YOUR FULL NAME ...
CONTACT ADDRESS ....
CONTACT PHONE NUMBER
YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER..
so that i can forward this to my client immediately for him to issue out the
payment without any delay. i look forward to hear back from you.
Remain Bless in God
Bush....
Subj: The
Shipping Payment Arrangement
Date: 4/9/05 1:29:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: eric_kenny24@yahoo.com
Hello Aio ,
Thanks for the email.I appreciate it a lot.I am happy that you have recieved the
payment in good faith.I am planning on a trip to visit my ill wife so i want
this sales to be completed as soon as possible.Please i want you to send the
excess funds to the shipping agent so that they can prepare the necessary paper
works and documentation and the shipping arrangement can countinue.
They will only charge you for the cashing of the check and transfering of the
excess funds to the name and address given to you by the Mr Brown.
Please i want you to deduct all the charges of transfering from my money
and send the remaining balance to the shipper.
Please note that you will tell them at the western union office that you are
sending the funds to your sister so that they will not charge you more and
double for bussiness transaction.I hope you understand me i want you to make use
of it.
Please as soon as the funds is sent out today let me know with all the transfer
details so that i can meet up with my plan of visiting my sick wife this week.
Here waiting for your response
I am counting on you please dont fail me.
Thanks and God bless you as you do so.
Best Regards
Eric