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Thread: I wonder how this scam works?

  1. #26

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    this scam was on out local kijiji selling site for a lot of instruments. I was selling harps and mandolins and a few other things, and for a while I got a lot of these answers. I told them to send the agent with cash during the pick up--and got no further e mails, except once when they threatened to sue me. I told them please send the writ and claim to my home address and I will happily counter sue(I was a lawyer in my misspent youth).

  2. #27
    Market Man Barry Wilson's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    I had one like this selling my van. They sent me a very realistic looking "money order" ... I still have it here somewhere. The pick up agent was already contacting me before the MO had arrived too. I told them both I had to wait until the payment had cleared my account before I would do any shipping... they got quite belligerent. I knew it was a scam so I dragged it on for a long time to have fun...
    Kala tenor ukulele, Mandobird, Godin A8, Dobro Mandolin, Gold Tone mandola, Gold Tone OM, S'oarsey mandocello, Gold Tone Irish tenor banjo, Gold Tone M bass, Taylor 214 CE Koa, La Patrie Concert CW, Fender Strat powered by Roland, Yamaha TRBX174 bass, Epiphone ES-339 with GK1

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  4. #28
    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by Petrus View Post
    Nobody says "kind regards."
    Although less common in the USA versions of this are common, and I use it all the time-especially in professional correspondence. I think "Regards" isn't necessarily a warning sign.

    Best regards, Larry

  5. #29

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    I don't know, people butter ya up pretty good, right before they put the screws to ya.....

    Sweetest regards, Jeff

  6. #30
    Still Picking and Sawing Jack Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    The minute the "pick-up agent" is mentioned, sirens go off and red lights flash. That's all I'd need to know to break the connection IMMEDIATELY.
    I thought I was a pretty good "Pick-up agent" when I was in my 20s...

    Been a while, though.
    Ha, ha! keep time: how sour sweet music is,
    When time is broke and no proportion kept!
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  8. #31
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works

    I was contacted on a sale from a persom named Bibby, claiming he was from Germany. But on every contact he had a different means of payment. ( the sale was only $350.) I researched the named and it came up as a famous artifacts scientist from Germany. He said on his finale contact that he wanted to do a bank wire transfer. I presented his request to my bank for advice . They didn't hesitate in saying they believed is was a scam. I never heard from the buyer again.
    So be sure your clear on how you transact for payment. And always have the buyer pay for insurance and sale price up front if they are serious.

  9. #32

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Many scams out there. My parents -- over 85 yrs old -- were contacted by a person claiming to be my son, in jail for DUI -- "Please don't tell my parents" -- and asking for money. Tipoffs for my dad, a very savvy guy were
    -- the call was direct and all calls from jails are collect
    -- the caller requested $3000, which through a bondsman could cover $30,000 of bail, a lot for simple DUI
    -- the caller wanted the money transferred to a "lawyer" instead of the county
    -- he called the county and they had no record of an arrest of my son
    -- he finally reached my son, who was at work, not jail, and closed the matter.

    This type of scammer tries to target the elderly. There is a special place in hell for these guys, right next to the banjo players (just kidding).

    If a deal smells fishy, it probably is. As noted above, use of language is often a clue. The original poster should consider changing any password associated with accounts using the email address the scammer used to contact him.

    With warmest annual best wishes for accumulated good byes and conditions,

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  10. #33

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by ddminpgfl View Post
    This type of scammer tries to target the elderly. There is a special place in hell for these guys, right next to the banjo players (just kidding).
    Right along beside them would be the lady who took it upon herself to set up an online "charity" immediately following the Newtown, CT massacre, playing upon people's sympathy and of course, benefitting only herself.

  11. #34
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    I really don't understand how any of these scams work. They seem so blatantly obvious to be from someone you don't know about something utterly fictitious. I get some every day, usually directed into my junk folder, and I just delete them, or report them as phishing. This is one of today's crop:

    IRREVOCABLE PAYMENT ORDER VIA ATM CARD‏
    From: Mr. Lucky Miracle (w.benin77@yahoo.com)

    It would be a lucky miracle indeed if it were for real!

    I opened the email account I use for band announcements and PR after leaving it be for a couple of months while the band was on hiatus, and my junk folder looks like page after page of this nonsense. The program deletes messages out of the junk fole=der after couple of weeks, so I can only surmise how many passed through during this time. I wish I could figure out how to take a screen shot to display what this looks like, as some of them are quite droll. These are some randomly chosen subject lines:

    Good Day, Dear Friend; Hello Dearest; My Dearest, i need your help; Re: Loan Offer; Dear Winner; I am willing to will it out for charity.; Gift; Attn: Sir/Madam; Re.Internal Audit, Monitoring, Consulting and Investigations Division‏ [from UNITED NATIONS.ORG (unitednationsinter@outlook.com), clearly NOT the UN]; Your Mailbox is Full Clean up your inbox in seconds‏; Get Newer Version of Outlook.com‏

    and on and on and on. These last two are particularly troubling, because unlike the rest, obviously phony, these appear legit, until one looks at the sender's addresses and sees they are not from the home office, but rather from someone's own account. I can see how someone could mistake them for actual messages from one's email provider if one didn't look too closely.

    I guess enough people get hoodwinked due to unfamiliarity with the telltale signs to make it worthwhile for scammers. It probably takes just one sucker to make it a good day. And it probably means they have spent an hour or so having a beer or two while tapping merrily away on their keyboard, a pleasant enough way to pass the time. All the while having a good chuckle at some trusting soul's expense.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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  12. #35

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    First: They get your attention
    Second: They get you to engage in dialogue
    Third they choose a scam from their extensive repertoire depending on your responses to 1 and 2...
    It also helps them if you adopt a superior atitiude on how you think you can ridicule them - they call that dialogue...

    Turn your back on it and walk away...

  13. #36

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    If I can't talk to them I won't deal with them. Period.

  14. #37

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Back in the day -before the internets was the phone room. The difficult young adult son of one of my closest friends came to stay with us for a while-he was a terrific guitar player with movie star looks but generally a real piece of sociopathic work in every other manner. He had worked the phone rooms and gave me a demonstration. He had a complete other voice and manner in the demonstration. Explained to me that it was possible even back then, 20 years ago, to get demographics of all sorts about people ---Alzheimer patients for example. "Hello, Mr Jones remember the $2500 you owe us for the roof job that we did for you? Listen, do you have a check handy........." Yes, a very special place in hell...

  15. #38
    Still Picking and Sawing Jack Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    My stepfather, a WWII B-24 nose gunner and retired machine shop worker, got a phone call from his "grandson". The phone call started out: "Grandpa?" "Is that you, Ryan?" "Yes, it's me, Ryan. I'm in trouble: please don't tell my parents! Can you lend me a little money?"
    Several days and several payments to a "lawyer" later, he was out $20,000 before he finally realized he was being scammed. Warn all your parents and other seniors about this and other scams.
    Ha, ha! keep time: how sour sweet music is,
    When time is broke and no proportion kept!
    --William Shakespeare

  16. #39

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Roberts View Post
    My stepfather, a WWII B-24 nose gunner and retired machine shop worker, got a phone call from his "grandson". The phone call started out: "Grandpa?" "Is that you, Ryan?" "Yes, it's me, Ryan. I'm in trouble: please don't tell my parents! Can you lend me a little money?"
    Several days and several payments to a "lawyer" later, he was out $20,000 before he finally realized he was being scammed. Warn all your parents and other seniors about this and other scams.
    OH! Good Lord! That is truly EVIL. There should be vigilante death squads taking these people out.

  17. #40
    Registered User Petrus's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Roberts View Post
    My stepfather, a WWII B-24 nose gunner and retired machine shop worker, got a phone call from his "grandson". The phone call started out: "Grandpa?" "Is that you, Ryan?" "Yes, it's me, Ryan. I'm in trouble: please don't tell my parents! Can you lend me a little money?" Several days and several payments to a "lawyer" later, he was out $20,000 before he finally realized he was being scammed. Warn all your parents and other seniors about this and other scams.
    I saw a version of this scam in a movie once (Nine Queens I think it was, or the American remake of it.) There, the cons went door to door randomly buzzing apartments until they got an old lady to answer, then pretended to be some distant relative in need of cash. Of course it's kind of dumb not to ask follow-up questions to make sure the person is who he claims to be (such as "how are the kids?" when you know the real person doesn't have any kids), but that doesn't excuse the con. It's ordinarily a short con but the anecdote involving your stepfather clearly shows that it can be stepped up exponentially.

    BTW, the oldest con and the simplest is simply to take payment for an item and then not send the item.

  18. #41
    Infrequently Smelt Gregory Tidwell's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    I see they have stopped referring to the marks as "My dear Beloved Darling."

    That just stinks like a scam.
    Objects in mirror are closer then they appear.

    - Buick, 1986

  19. #42
    Registered User Petrus's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Amateur work at best. In the best cons, the mark never knows he's been gamed.

    Another trick to watch out for is the complicity angle. The con drops hints that the exchange you're about to engage in may be a little "shady" or in a "gray area" of the law, the idea being if you were to go to the authorities afterwards you'd be exposing yourself as well as the con. Generally, this isn't the case, but it's a psych trick to discourage victims from seeking redress. (Of course, if it really is a shady deal, you'd be a fool to go to the authorities and probably deserved to be ripped off.)

  20. #43

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Roberts View Post
    My stepfather, a WWII B-24 nose gunner and retired machine shop worker, got a phone call from his "grandson". The phone call started out: "Grandpa?" "Is that you, Ryan?" "Yes, it's me, Ryan. I'm in trouble: please don't tell my parents! Can you lend me a little money?"
    Several days and several payments to a "lawyer" later, he was out $20,000 before he finally realized he was being scammed. Warn all your parents and other seniors about this and other scams.

    I'm confused. Grandpa doesn't know his grandson's voice?

  21. #44

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Grandpa doesn't hear so well ---that is a part of being a Grandpa!

  22. #45
    Resonate globally Pete Jenner's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by Petrus View Post
    Nobody says "kind regards."
    I do.
    The more I learn, the less I know.

    Peter Jenner
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  23. #46

    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pete Jenner View Post
    I do.
    Fair dinkum?

  24. #47
    Registered User Mando-Mauler's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    I am also an Aussie, like Pete Jenner and I ALSO use "Kind regards" or similar terminology in my correspondence. Perhaps we are a little more polite in our social intercourse.
    Pete Jepson, aka Mando-Mauler
    Quote Originally Posted by Pete Jenner View Post
    I do.

  25. #48
    Registered User edandjudy3946's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    got the EXACT same response when I sold my Bulldog mando on Ebay 2 weeks ago. I just answered "are you kidding me ?"
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  27. #50
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: I wonder how this scam works?

    Quote Originally Posted by barney 59 View Post
    My favorite all time scam for idiots is ---"We found a box of money with your name on it. Please sent xxxx $ (and all your secrets) for processing...."
    This is nearly exactly what showed up in my junk email. I usually just click through all such crap and "report Phishing Attempt" or just delete, but this one I might just have to keep, for sheer bravado and unintentionally hilarious self-referential irony. I won't post the whole thing - it's a riot, but it's lengthy - but the subject line should make your eyes roll:

    Dear Scam Victim



    I kid you not. If you weren't before, do just as this person says, and you will be.

    It boils down to the UN and the IMF working together to compensate victims of a scam for their losses. BTW, apparently I am one, to the tune of $400,000 - or $2,600,000, depending on how you read the inelegantly worded and inconsistent verbiage - and all I need do is send them $120 - reduced from $454.00, or $454.99 (it varies, probably a typo) - to cover processing costs. I'd better ct son, though. They have a contract with FedEx that lasts until March 2014. Now that's a world-class typo!
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

    Furthering Mandolin Consciousness

    Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!

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