Gumtree, dodgy response?..

Fart

Hey guys,

I'm hoping to sell an item on Gumtree. Some guy responded to me but two numbers that he uses were shown in the email response. I googled these and they seem to be numbers used for fraud phone calls.

Would it be ok to post the numbers here?

Anyways, I let him know about this. He responded saying he's still interested. Apparently, he needs my info in this order:

Name:
Address:
State:
Postal Code:
Telephone Number:
Price of Item:
Email:

He said that he will send out a cheque, I can cash it into my account. When the cheque has been cleared, he will send out a courier to collect the item. He'll also include courier fee within the cheque so I can give to the courier.

Seems very professional... or does it?
He's buying from England, by the way.

Thanks.

tallaghtoutlaws

Scam.

Fart

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Scam.

Aha, one word says it all.

Thanks

NavNav

100% scam. Same thing is happening to me right now! I've traced his originating IP to, would you believe it, Nigeria!!

the groutch

one of the most common scams going
cheque will bounce and you lose item and what you paid the "courier"

Joey the lips

give the email your name at a different address.

Tell him you have yet to receive the email

The next mail from him will be..I have overpaid you by 50 euro. Can you please deposit this back into my account number....

Another version of the classic scam.

prettygurrly

can a cheque bounce though if it's already cleared?

sealgaire

Fart wrote: »

Hey guys,

I'm hoping to sell an item on Gumtree. Some guy responded to me but two numbers that he uses were shown in the email response. I googled these and they seem to be numbers used for fraud phone calls.

and you are still asking us here????

jor el

prettygurrly wrote: »

can a cheque bounce though if it's already cleared?

Once it's fully cleared, no. The trouble is that a bank will generally let you draw funds from an uncleared cheque. It could take several days, or even weeks to clear a cheque, and when it does eventually bounce, you'll be billed back for any funds you've drawn on it.

prettygurrly

well from what I see, your man said that once the cheque has cleared then he'll send a courrier. Dont hand anything over or pay anyone until it has properly cleared (even if it takes weeks). Tell the buyer this and see if they're still interested. it is probably a scam so it's unlikely that it will clear. you haven't lost anything tho if you dont hand anything over...

on another note. i was trying to sell an eternity ring i got off my ex years ago that i wore for a year then we broke up. had so many people in nigeria try to scam me it was embarassing. got to the point that i would play along and mess with them cos i was so disgusted. the method they used on me was they would send a fraudulent email from paypal saying that funds were being held in a separate account until i had entered the tracking code after posting the item by registered post. once i had posted it and had proof of postage then they would release the funds into my paypal account. i immediately smelled a rat being an age old ebayer. thank godi checked. it's perfectly plausible but totally untrue!

rubadub

Speaking of cheques (I hear scam when I hear that word), I was in Easons the other day and it say they would no longer be accepting cheques from some date in July due to withdrawal of some guarantee scheme, which is probably this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheque_guarantee_card

Ireland

As of 2010, there were 1.4 million valid cheque guarantee cards in Ireland; however, just 45% of debit cards and 39% of ATM cards held the cheque guarantee function. The Irish cheque guarantee scheme covers sums of up to €130 per cheque. In 2010, the average value of a written cheque was €5,000, and only 1.5% of all cheques were used in conjunction with a guarantee card. Between 2007 and 2010, cheque usage decreased by 30%. In lights of these statistics, the Irish Paper Clearing Company announced in December 2010 that the Republic of Ireland cheque guarantee card scheme would cease on 31st December 2011

In another thread somebody was saying An Post were insisting on cheque payment for customs charges.

prettygurrly

rubadub wrote: »

In another thread somebody was saying An Post were insisting on cheque payment for customs charges.

only ever had to pay cash for that. I wish there was a way to pay my VAT on goods bought in America before they hit customs. the €6 fee by An Post is outrageous.

Guy:Incognito

jor el wrote: »

Once it's fully cleared, no. The trouble is that a bank will generally let you draw funds from an uncleared cheque. It could take several days, or even weeks to clear a cheque, and when it does eventually bounce, you'll be billed back for any funds you've drawn on it.

Get it, cash it, then keep fobbing him off saying theres problems with your bank until it bounces. Might annoy him a bit ifnothing else.

jor el

prettygurrly wrote: »

well from what I see, your man said that once the cheque has cleared then he'll send a courrier. Dont hand anything over or pay anyone until it has properly cleared (even if it takes weeks). Tell the buyer this and see if they're still interested. it is probably a scam so it's unlikely that it will clear. you haven't lost anything tho if you dont hand anything over...

The scam works because people won't know that the cheque hasn't cleared. Most will assume that because the funds are in their account that it has cleared. This is not the case. You're also best off not giving any real details (like your name and address) to a scammer. You have no idea what kind of person you're dealing with.

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Get it, cash it

You can't cash a fake cheque.

Guy:Incognito

jor el wrote: »

You can't cash a fake cheque.

The bit you quoted is pointless without the rest of what I said. With the 2nd bit it clearly means stick it in the bank till they tell you it's worthless.

prettygurrly

yet again, ask your bank if the cheque has cleared...very simple. tho i agree with not giving your real name and address...

Grumpypants

Send him an email saying your bank charges a cheque clearing fee of 30 euro's for all cheques and that you will send him a cheque for the full amount +50euro for the courier and 30 euro to cover the clearing fee plus 50 euro for your courier and once your cheque clears he can tell you and that your courier will call around to his house to collect the money.