Seller Beware!! Craigslist scam in progress!

[kiramdear]

I've got a hot one on the line here. Here's the ad I posted on Craigslist:

"Rickenbacker "R" Tailpiece - mint original
This is a genuine "R" talipiece which was original to my 1982 320. I'm upgrading to an accent TP so I have to sell the "R". It's been kept in the case since I traded up to a Bigsby early on, so there's not a scratch on it. No trades, no lowball. Firm price."

Here's what's happening:

"Hi,
is the item still available?"

"Yes, you're the first asker."

"Thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant
purchase,so please do withdraw the advert from Craigslist.I dont mind
adding an extra $50 dollars for you to take the advert down from
criagslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.
I will also like you to know that i will be paying via check,and it
will be an over night payment due to the distance .You dont need to
bother your self with the shippment ok,I will take care of that.So I
will need you to provide me with the following information to
facilitate the mailing of the check.
1.Your full name.
2.Your mailing address,be it residential or postal address.
3..Your phone number.
**Once again ,I will like you to know that you will not be responsible
for shipping.
I will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check**
Do Have a nice day,
My Warmest Regard "

"That sounds fine, Andrew. I assure you you won't easily find another of this age in this fine of condition. But rest assured the "R" is yours, following payment. I've attached some (poor, I'm afraid) photos of the piece."

"Hi Kira,
How are you doing,hope nice and okay?
Thanks for your concern and understanding, i really appreciate it.
I will also be notifying you that i have ordered my secretary to issue your check from the bank as soon as possible.
Get back to me with an update and on check arrival."

"Hi Andrew,
Everything is fine. I'm buying a vintage accent tailpiece for my 320 to create my own "Miami" version 325, or, well, close to that model anyway in looks. That's why I'm selling the original one. I'm curious if you have plan to install the "R" on a specific guitar? How many Rickenbackers do you have? I have my 1982 320JG and a 4001 Walnut from 1977, both great players, and collectible, too, but they're not available because they're like family, if that makes sense... Rick owners can be a bit fanatic, as you may know.
Take care, I'll keep you posted."

"Hi Kira,
How was your day ?I want you to understand that the deal is on as my
secretary as posted the payment already, but there was a slight error
i guess we can handle with care, instead of the actual amount $225
for the item,she made out the check for $2250 she claimed that was
what i requested but she didn't get that straight. So once you have
the check please cash it and deduct the money for your goods plus $50
that for your running around expenses.The excess fund should please be
sent to my mover via WesternUnion,this fund will be use in offsetting
the cost of the shipment he as undertaken for me recently.
**Please email at once to let me know that i can trust to have the
excess funds sent to my mover**"

Is this rich? I'd be laughing but he's wasted my nice day twice already.

[wj350]

Very cool Kira! An extra $50 for taking the ad off CL, and another extra $50 for your trouble with the check!! Man are you lucky!!!!!!

[doctorwho]

The wording in the first e-mail from the 'buyer' would have had me laughing! I guess scammers have no ability to write creatively, but instead they just keep using the same rhetoric, e-mail after e-mail ... maybe they are just copying these things from a book?!

[kiramdear]

The wording in the first e-mail from the 'buyer' would have had me laughing! I guess scammers have no ability to write creatively, but instead they just keep using the same rhetoric, e-mail after e-mail ... maybe they are just copying these things from a book?!

I thought it was strange he called it "the item". But this is my first attempted scammer I'd run into. That's why I sent the questions to him after. His English was terrible so I thought he was not ignorant but just foreign.

Here was my final response, BTW:

"Andrew, I want to say this politely:
I want you to know that Craigslist has been advised of your proposal for the means of payment and will be knowing how this turns out. Your suggestions amount to a well known scam. I'm not judging your intentions but I am wary. If you wish to honor this deal as agreed then please follow my wishes for a prepaid U.S. postal money order ONLY in the exact amount. You may then pick up the item following appointment. If the deal goes as described then I'll give a good report to Craigslist. If you disappear or cancel on the deal I will take it as an admission of bad intentions and report a negative outcome to the folks at CL. If I don't hear from you right away I'll repost.
If I do receive anything from you other than a prepaid postal money order for the correct amount, I will destroy the document immediately. Nothing personal, but this is how I must proceed.
Kira"

[Rickygirl]

Something happened to my Mum recently, completely unrelated to guitars. She teaches Yoga. Someone from Africa asked her to teach private lessons and accommodate his daughter. She emailed back and started to get quite worried about it as it all unfolded. Luckily, she is very cautious, but it almost caught her. She then started to panic that this person would be able to identify her as she had no idea where they got her name and email address from. She is in her mid 70s and tends to worry.

Altogether a most unpleasant experience for anyone. Glad you sussed them out quickly Kira.

[kiramdear]

If I was younger and ornerier I might have tried to have some fun with the guy.

[jps]

If I was younger and ornerier I might have tried to have some fun with the guy.

You do look pretty young in your avatar.

[jingle_jangle]

The grammar and syntax of the first response to your ad, Kira, would be a tip-off to me. The somewhat terse style, eliminating articles, is typical of non-European ESL people. I know, I grade a lot of ESL papers, and I also deal with China regularly--this could have been written my my Chinese contact. (I might add that her English is a hell of a lot better than my Mandarin, which is non-existent!). While I don't think there are any books with this sort of text to copy, I'm sure that these scammers borrow from each other.

Man, all this hassle for a couple of hundred bucks...must be cut-and-paste.

[1965]

I get the same thing every time I post something worth over $500 on CL. Nothing new, but still no less annoying. Really fills up my inbox.

[paologregorio]

It doesn't even have to be that much; I posted a pair of Celestion Greenbacks, as well as some EV12S speakers for sale and I received similar messages. I even get a few when I post roommate ads. They're complete scams. It would be great to be able to reach through cyberspace and slap some of these folks upside the head for all of the irritation they cause the rest of us.

[kiramdear]

I've never bought or sold on Ebay. The total of my Craigslist sales is about 6, and this was my first experience with an attempted scam. Next time, of course, they won't even get a response.