First day on Craignslist -

[monkey44]

Quote off Craigslist - "Hi I'm Emma Gerard the agent for Diocese Of Camden. ,I would like you to get back to me with your direct email address for my client to contact you in purchase of the merchandise from you, Hope to hear back form you sooner Thanks...

Notice you have to get back to me with your direct personal email to my email emmaym4@gmail.com

Emma Gerard"

😄 :B :R
Wondering if this is for real. Should I respond? Emma sound pretty sincere, and of course, perfect language. "Merchandise" ... ha, she doesn't even know what I'm selling.

I can hardly wait for the 'check is too much", please send me the difference and my agent will pick up your garden trailer, and ship it to my client in Nigeria, or Egypt, or India, or China so their engineers can copy my home-made but completely innovative design.

[BobsYourUncle]

noe-place wrote:
2cts; it's so obvious a member of congress could spot it.:S

Even with the IQ of a short fence post?

[noe-place]

2cts; it's so obvious a member of congress could spot it.:S

[monkey44]

westend wrote:
If you're selling hardware, especially electronics, play along with 'em. When all the phony checks and money orders have been delivered, ship on their dime and include a rock inside a box. Make sure you fill out the customs report that the box contains that laptop or other item that is valued. They will have to pay the duty on the assessed value of the shipment.

Naaaa, no sales stuff - just an old yard trailer.

But, that's an idea though. We should all take the 'fake checks' ... then ship PIF with rocks and high value. Better make it 'light weight' rocks tho, or you go broke shipping the 'joker'.

[westend]

If you're selling hardware, especially electronics, play along with 'em. When all the phony checks and money orders have been delivered, ship on their dime and include a rock inside a box. Make sure you fill out the customs report that the box contains that laptop or other item that is valued. They will have to pay the duty on the assessed value of the shipment.

[paulm999]

This is not a scam. It's a simple phisher for verified email address. Junk mail interception by all the ISPs has become so effective, verified addys can fetch $5-$10 an address. In the W95-98 days, an addy would only make 5-10 cents for the "work at home in your spare time and make $10,000 a month" people.

[monkey44]

Yeah - sometime on a boring day, I jerk 'em around a little. I remember once a while back, quite a few years, we had one going on here - RV.net - that we kept going for several weeks ... and shared it here on this site -- everyone got to chime in and it was a good laugher ...

I think it was here, might have been IRV2... pretty funny, course we all had more time then, now we spend our excess time figuring out all these newfangled PC programs. 🙂 🙂 🙂

[daveshan]

3 dog nights wrote:
Have fun with it! Set up a new email with gmail or yahoo and see where she takes you. What else are you going to do on a Sunday afternoon?, nothing on TV.

This was my thought also, in fact I have a toss away Gmail address that I use for things that are high risk as far as spam goes.

I also like to play with the idiots that call me saying "We've detected a problem with your Windows computer" I can usually yank them around for 10-15 minutes on a good day.

[DianneOK]

This actualy happened to me. I decided to play along. Making a long story short...I recieved 3 money orders totalling much more that the price. I called a store that sells them and we had a conference call withe the issuing company. The money orders had been "washed". I kept copies of all emails, packaging, money orders, etc. Contacted my local Sheriff and they took a report.

Unbelievably, a couple of days later an investigator from NJ contacted me for more info. A few weeks later he recontacted me...the culprits were caught!!! Seems the person used his real address when he sent the Fed EX package 🙂 🙂

[John_Joey]

What I like to do is keep a list of the e-mail addresses of the scammers and then send other scammers one of those e-mail addresses. Makes me smile thinking they are wasting time trying to dupe each other.

[monkey44]

Mowermech - yes, you're right ... Cl is a great resource - I've sold lots of things on it legitimately.

But This one was too funny, so had to share it with you all. Was thinking about responding, but am camping now and can't seem to find the time to play games with these jokers.

One piece of advice to anyone that use CL - let the first contact bounce thru CL, so you don't put your phone or email in the ad ... THEN ask for a phone or email for the responder in the ad - that works every time for me, and I've sold lots of stuff. But it makes the first contact legitimate if a buyer leaves a real contact number, and it weeds out the scammers (usually anyway) ...

[mowermech]

For items that have (or could have) a title, I just tell them that the Laws of the State of Montana require that I have their name and address to fill in the blanks on the paperwork, and I can not proceed with the sale of the item until they send me their name and address. Also, the sale is cash only, so their shipping agent will have to bring the cash with him when he comes to pick "the item" up.
Strangely, that stops things right there. I never hear from them again.

By the way, craigslist works. I listed a Suzuki outboard, and the second caller came, looked at it, put it in his truck, and handed me three $100 bills (the first caller wanted a long shaft motor for his sailboat). Sold within 48 hours!

[motorcycle_jack]

I once had someone tell me through my CL listing that he wanted my item and would send a check. I said sure send it, his information and address to this address and I would even pay shipping to his address:

FBI Fraud Bureau
Attn: (my name misspelled)
100 W. FBI Road
Washington, DC 10010

I never heard from him again, I wonder why? I'm still offering to sell it!

[3_dog_nights]

Have fun with it! Set up a new email with gmail or yahoo and see where she takes you. What else are you going to do on a Sunday afternoon?, nothing on TV.

[PapPappy]

BobsYourUncle wrote:
I'll buy it from you but you have to wait until I cash the cheque from my winning the Nigerian lottery that I never bought a ticket for!

Yup, I was notified that I won $670,000.

How did you win? My Daughter got that letter too????
And dopey 30 year old tells me that "the check is good...she called the bank...there just isn't any money in the account!" :S

Sometimes, I wonder how she made it to 30?? No, she's not Blonde:B

I guess that is the reason these things continue...people get starry eyed when they see the numbers on the check, and their brains go into sleep mode!


Also suprised the church is involved with the OP's ....does this mean that they will have to go to confession??:B