BMO money order for $2500 for a $100 item

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Nov 2011 Posts: 4

Hi,

So I'm selling my $100 item and get contacted by a Mr Garry Shane ([email protected]), he informs me he is out of the country on business at the moment but wants to purchase my item so can I ship it abroad to Cyprus for his daughters wedding. He has also just been traveling through Canada and so will be sending me a Canadian money order to cover the cost of both the item and the shipping.

Sure enough the BMO money order arrives for $2500 (the max amount allowed apparently for one of these).

He urges me to go cash the money order and to keep checking the ATM for when the funds become available at which point I am to contact his shippers ([email protected]) who will request a money gram payment from the local post office.

I'm new to all this but can anyone think of some fun ways to wind this guy up?( The scam seems ridiculous, I mean even before the alarm bells went off I told him after the first email that if he is going to paying by cheque I would be waiting for full clearance of the cheque before sending/paying anything. So I don't know what he's expecting to happen by sending me a fake order...perhaps catch those few people who only wait a day or two before clearance to send the money over??)

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:32 pm

Welcome to 419Eater.
He's hoping that you will send the money by Moneygram after the check appears to clear. It can take days, weeks, or even months before the fake is spotted.
Read the stickies about safe baiting and ask for a mentor. On no account bait from your real life email address.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Nov 2011 Posts: 4

Don't worry I tore up the Money order as soon as it arrived, the alarm bells went off some time ago. Also the email I'm using to contact him is my "trash" gmail account that I use to sign up to various disposable services (such as forums haha) not my main account. Although unfortunately he does have my real address, as I was under the impression he was just a buyer on an auction site before the alarm bells went off, so maybe I shouldn't bait him after all, LOL.

[It's interesting to hear that Money orders and cheques can actually take months to clear though. So if after 2 weeks I went into my bank and they told me the money order has cleared, and I then withdrew the money, then 3 months later the cheque/MO could still be returned leaving me negative? Whats the point in having a "clearing" system then? surely the bank should be liable if they have told the customer after sufficient time that the cheque/MO has *cleared* (not just available but cleared)?]

]

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:56 pm

Have a look round for our Shipping Company, much better than his, cheaper and more reliable. It goes by the name of A L L S T A R S H I P P I N G. Let your lad know, after his shipping company has contacted you that you've used a better one.
They are very good, from what I can remember they have a 100% record.

Admittedly that's 100% failure....

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 1:11 pm

^ I think it's a bit different if the cheque turns out to be stolen or forged. Be careful Wink

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Nov 2011 Posts: 4

Nailgunner wrote:

^ I think it's a bit different if the cheque turns out to be stolen or forged. Be careful Wink

After some googling I found out that( in the UK at least) the regulations changed in 2007 to mean that after 6 days you can be certain that the money is yours and you are protected from any loss if the cheque subsequently bounces or turns out to be fraudulent. See: http://www.ukpayments.org.uk/payments_industry/payment_fraud/cheque_fraud/ and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6144756.stm

At least that is partly reassuring. Although I obviously wouldn't want to bet on it..

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 2:01 pm

If he has your real life anything, drop him. Make up an emali address used only for baiting, make up a nonexistent but plausible street address, and send him an email saying "Yes I'm willing to sell you my item", where the item is unrelated to your actual item, perhaps nonsensical, such as a fur sink.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Nov 2011 Posts: 4

vonpaso xlura wrote:

If he has your real life anything, drop him. Make up an emali address used only for baiting, make up a nonexistent but plausible street address, and send him an email saying "Yes I'm willing to sell you my item", where the item is unrelated to your actual item, perhaps nonsensical, such as a fur sink.

Yeah, as I say, I didn't get in contact with him with original intention of baiting him he just fell upon my lap. Maybe you're right though he does have my address, so I should probably tell him where to go and then leave it at that.

I guess you guys could have some fun with him if you wanted though? his details are above..

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 29 Mar 2012 Posts: 2

Concerning this person I was selling a £100 gas fire on bargain pages web site when Gary Shane emailed me wanting to by the fire.

He too told me the story about his daughters wedding and sent me a cheque in Canadian dollars for $2,500 asked if i could pay his courier for the collection of his goods that he had brought around the west midlands so i did it .. the cheque bounced sky high but i had been emailed and chatted with him and the courier to send the cash £1400 asap by money gram which I stupidly did .. now im in deep craps with my bank which has started a fraud investigation .. Im so scared Id never dont this before.

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:49 pm

Depending on the country you're in, you can be liable for 'dodgy' cheques for a long time. Check this video at 6.15:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF5u6CmgbsI

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:33 pm

@Maxine - Sorry to hear that, hopefully the investigation will show that you've a victim, not a scammer.

About the video Angus is posting, couldn't it be argued that the banks are misleading people if they say that the cheque is cleared - at least if they don't warn the person that it can change?

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:11 pm

I would argue that the banks are misleading people. The video shows that customers are liable for the banks mistakes for 90 days in most places, and up to 6 years where the law allows it!

Here in the UK, cheques are rapidly falling out of favour, and many shops no longer accept them. This is part of the reason why. It is too easy for a scammer to exploit the system, and the liability falls on an innocent party such as Maxine.

@Maxine - Don't worry too much. Just be honest, and answer all their questions to the best of your ability. As Probie said, you are a victim in this episode. There are several places to get help, and I recommend that you contact the CAB as soon as possible. They will be able to advise you far better than I can

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 29 Mar 2012 Posts: 2

thanks to everyones help I have been to the CAB office and they say I have a complaint against the bank for cashing a cheque before it had cleared.

My fingers are crossed and Im going to fight these jerks at Barclays for their incompetence.
I will be happy to let you know how it all turns out for me.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Sep 2008 Posts: 689

honest bankers? .... Rolling Eyes

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:29 pm

^^ sort of an oxymoron like "honest lawyers", eh?

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Sep 2008 Posts: 689

You can't beat a good oxymoron ... my favourite has to be "police intelligence" Laughing

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