SCAM?

[lindabarzini]

I offered a boat for sale for $10,500. Someone asked me what my best offer would be. I said $8,000.

In broken English, they kept saying they would send a check. Today, I received an actual check for $11,000. It looks like a legitimate check from a business.

Is this some type of scam?

They never asked one question about the boat. They just seem intent on me telling them when the funds are cleared. Any ideas?

[MarkJ]

Yes, a scam. Was it on Craig's List? Or similar?
Be very careful
The scam works something like: the ring you tomorrow and say loops, can they get the extra $3,000 back. You send them $3,000 and their check bounces.
You are out of pocket $3k.

Something like that.

Sent from a stupid phone that replaces words with weird stuff.

[MarkJ]

Don't bank the check
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/sales/cashier.asp

http://classroom.synonym.com/craigsl...ams-14039.html



Sent from a stupid phone that replaces words with weird stuff.

[Kenomac]

They're just fishing for fools using a rubber check scam.

[sailnow2011]

The check will clear the bank, then bounce back. Its a scam.
Take the check to the local FBI office.

[RainDog]

It is not unusual for your bank to clear the check, make the funds available, and then weeks later change their mind and take the money back. Make sure you are well aware of this practice before your proceed.

details here: Bamboozled: How scammers use bank regulations to cash in on check scams | NJ.com

and here: https://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

This does sound like the over-payment scam as indicated by others, but could also be a shipping scam. When you tell them the funds clear, they will tell you what kind of scam it is

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by RainDog

When you tell them the funds clear, they will tell you what you what kind of scam it is

Haha!

Was just about to post: tell them the funds cleared, they'll tell you what scam this is (DO NOT cash the check for real!).

[skipmac]

Like Mark said, it's a scam and you will probably be contacted to send some to a "shipper" or someone else via Western Union.

Don't try to deposit the check. Even if you don't send any money back to the scammer you might be responsible for bounced check charges, but you could take it to your bank and ask them to verify it.

[RainDog]

The reason this is such a great (as in high success rate) scam is because it plays off our trust of our banks. We think if the bank clears the check, that means the check is good. We trust our banks to be too greedy to make the funds available unless they have verified them.

Alas this is not how the banks work. They just make the funds available, and then when the check bounces, they tell you to pay up. By the time your find out you cannot actually trust your bank after all, it is too late.

[lindabarzini]

Thank you everyone. Excellent. The check looked very real.

[hblask]

This is why banks will have to either adopt blockchains or be replaced by someone who will. There's no reason for this scam to work anymore.

[belle-isle]

In between blockchains and checks, solutions of the future and of the past, what is used in most modern countries nowadays is the transfer. Money is taken from the payer's account and transferred to the payee's account. Much less risky, as there is no "bouncing" possible.

This is the preferred means of payment and has been for decades, in many countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Belgium to name a few. But, often due to regulation, or to banks being lazy, or to consumers actually hitting the brakes (it's not always the banks' fault), other countries tend to maintain that medieval technology called the check, such as France, the UK, the US, etc.

My advice : if the buyer calls back, ask him to wire the money instead.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[SaltyMonkey]

Was it an official or certified check?

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by hblask

This is why banks will have to either adopt blockchains or be replaced by someone who will. There's no reason for this scam to work anymore.

Checks haven't been around for years here ...
I do remember them -- like I remember VHS.

We can still receive checks from countries that still use them, but it takes some doing and patience to get the money, so most people will prefer a bank or wire transfer.

But, if I may be so blunt ... common sense should prevent a successful scam.

[Rustic Charm]

This is very interesting. I dont think this scam could work in Australia because once a cheque has cleared your no longer responsible for it here. That's the whole point of a min five day clearance to 'clear' the cheque.