Is this a scam?

[dennis thompson]

I have something for sale on Craigslist for $175. I got a response saying he'll pay me $40 over my asking price with a money order, I should send him my name ,address & phone number & after the money order clears he'll arrange to pick it up.He's away on a business trip so he can't come to look at the item. Sounds fishy to me, I don't plan to respond, anyone else ever get something like this?
Dennis

[David G Baker]

I would not deal with the person. The deal fits the scam pattern to a tee. I can smell the fish all the way from New Jersey to Mid Michigan.

[Scott Shepherd]

It's a scam. Why would anyone offer you more than you're asking for anything, unless there was a bidding war on.

Common sense rules here. It's a scam.

[Eric DeSilva]

This is a *classic* scam. Money order will be credited, but the MO is a fake. Once goods are picked up, the issuing bank will eventually declare the MO a fake, and the credit to your account will be reversed. You will have lost the goods.

http://www.ehow.com/how_3390857_spot-fake-money-order-scams.html

[Mike Cutler]

Scam.

the next step is too inform you that he will be remitting the payment in the form of a larger Money Order from a friend and ask you to deposit the Money Order in your bank. He will offer to pay you fee for processing the Money order for him and have you give the remaning balance, minus the agreed upon price of the item, to the friend in cash along with the merchandise.At this point, if you go for it, the Money order will not claer, he has the item and the balance in cash from your account that you gave to the friend.

Scam!

[Scott Shepherd]

Get him to send you the MO and then hand it over to the police when it arrives. Maybe it will help them get to the root cause of it and keep others from being ripped off.

[jeremy levine]

I have something for sale on Craigslist for $175. I got a response saying he'll pay me $40 over my asking price with a money order, I should send him my name ,address & phone number & after the money order clears he'll arrange to pick it up.He's away on a business trip so he can't come to look at the item. Sounds fishy to me, I don't plan to respond, anyone else ever get something like this?
Dennis

Just reply with this information

Mr. S Service
6601 Ventnor Avenue, Ventnor City, NJ - (609) 487-1300

[scott spencer]

Sounds like a classic scam opportunity. Cash on the barrel face to face with locals is what works best for me.

[Jim Terrill]

Just reply with this information

Mr. S Service
6601 Ventnor Avenue, Ventnor City, NJ - (609) 487-1300

I'm partial to the J. Edgar Hoover building, but that would work too. The craigslist scams might actually work if they did a few things:

1) Use someone who speaks English
2) Send one spam email per ad (got 6 identical emails within a minute of each other with the same exact content)
3) Use a bogus email with an actual name, not random characters

[John Coloccia]

I have something for sale on Craigslist for $175. I got a response saying he'll pay me $40 over my asking price with a money order, I should send him my name ,address & phone number & after the money order clears he'll arrange to pick it up.He's away on a business trip so he can't come to look at the item. Sounds fishy to me, I don't plan to respond, anyone else ever get something like this?
Dennis

Talk to your local postal inspector. If he mails it to you, I believe that now counts as mail fraud. You think the Mossad are tough? You ain't seen anything until you've seen postal inspectors in the act. They'll have him, and 100 of his closest friends, crying, whimpering and pleading for mercy.

[Lee Schierer]

I'd call the local FBI office and get the name of any agent and send that name and address to the person who wants to pay extra.

I get emails every once in a while asking me to make multiple pieces of furniture that were supposedly seen on my web site. Usually there is nothing close to what they want on my site. Most of the time I simply delete them, but once in a while I will send a some what reasonable but high price per item back to them. I've yet to have any of them take me up on my offers..

[Scott Shepherd]

Talk to your local postal inspector. If he mails it to you, I believe that now counts as mail fraud. You think the Mossad are tough? You ain't seen anything until you've seen postal inspectors in the act. They'll have him, and 100 of his closest friends, crying, whimpering and pleading for mercy.

What are they going to do, delivery junk mail to them on a daily basis? Oh wait....they do that to us every day......... :D

[Joe Chritz]

Safe bet is if you have to ask it is.

Further I wouldn't let him in at all, even if he offered up cash. Meet somewhere else to complete the deal if he has cash.

Joe

[Zach England]

It's only legit if your great uncle was a wealthy african king who recently died and left you a fortune.

[Eric DeSilva]

Considering this type of fraud happens all over the country every day, I think you guys have an overoptimistic view of law enforcement resources if you believe that referring the case to either the postal inspectors, the FBI, or local police will result in any investigation...

Of course, maybe that is because I lived in a city where I called 911 on two separate occasions and they didn't show up either time.

[jeremy levine]

I'm partial to the J. Edgar Hoover building, but that would work too. The craigslist scams might actually work if they did a few things:

1) Use someone who speaks English
2) Send one spam email per ad (got 6 identical emails within a minute of each other with the same exact content)
3) Use a bogus email with an actual name, not random characters


I like the J. Edgar Hoover building but I needed a location in NJ and I really want them to call.

[Pat Germain]

Eric is spot-on. If you notify any kind of government agency or police about a Craigslist scam, the most they will do allow you to fill out a report. They have bigger fish to fry and no resources to persue such fraud. That's why so many scammers get away with their scams.

My wife works in banking. She tells me there is now so much fraud with money orders, almost nobody will even accept them anymore. So, even if you tried to deposit a money order, your bank might not even accept it. If they did accept it, you can bet they'd put a hold on it before allocating any funds.

[Don Alexander]

any offer thats more than the asking price should set off the SCAM alarm

IMHO

[Rob Wachala Jr]

I have something for sale on Craigslist for $175. I got a response saying he'll pay me $40 over my asking price with a money order, I should send him my name ,address & phone number & after the money order clears he'll arrange to pick it up.He's away on a business trip so he can't come to look at the item. Sounds fishy to me, I don't plan to respond, anyone else ever get something like this?
Dennis

Scam -- anytime it's I'll send you money order, or i'll have a 'service' pickup the items. Scam.

[Chris Kennedy]

What are they going to do, delivery junk mail to them on a daily basis? Oh wait....they do that to us every day......... :D

I flew on one of the first few days after planes were back in the sky after 9/11, and the Feds were still scrambling for law enforcement and security personnel at airports. I was flying out of Detroit Metro, and there were various federal agents wearing the standard blue fatigues with their agency emblazoned in yellow on the back. I saw FBI, ATF, and one Postal Inspector. I kid you not. I thought it was almost hilarious until I saw his .45 and just how serious he was. I got a new respect for the USPS that day.

Cheers,

Chris

[Dennis McGarry]

Do what I do, say ok, get MO, wrap on a tube and turn a pen out of it, then mail a box back to them filled with used baby wipes and diapers...

[Zach England]

Do what I do, say ok, get MO, wrap on a tube and turn a pen out of it, then mail a box back to them filled with used baby wipes and diapers...


How do you turn a pen out of a money order?

[Jon Lanier]

Big time scam.