Chain of events, Craigslist/Nigeria Scam Attempt

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Jan 2012 Posts: 10

First contact. 1/19/12
is it still for sale?

Me:
Yes, I still have it at the moment.

Him:
>> Thanks for getting back to me...I am so serious in purchasing your
>> craigslist item ,But i will not be able to come for the pickup due to
>> the nature of my Job. I will be glad if you can be so nice to help me
>> ship it down to my Daughter as a BirthDay Gift ,So i am ready to pay
>> you $400 for the item cost including the shipping cost , and i will
>> prefer paying you via paypal , cos it is very fast and secure ,so do
>> get back to me with your paypal email for the instant payment or you
>> sign up for a paypal personal account . Thanks.

Me, being suspicious obviously:
Where is your daughter located? What kind of work do you do, where are you located? And are you willing to trust me enough to FIRST pay me, THEN I ship? Thanks

Him:
yes..so send me your paypal email for the payment

Me, before I realize I may want to mess with the guy:
I cannot ship outside of US, where is your daughter located, again.

Him:she lives in west africa

Me, being sarcastic, though he didnt get it:
Ok, I do not have a paypal account. How do I get one? Or perhaps I can
provide my bank account and routing numbers to deposit the funds there.

Him:
Thanks for your message..Since i'm currently out of the State,i
will suggest i use PayPal because its easier and reliable and also,it
is recommended by the government if one want to do a safe transaction
online..You can signup to www.paypal.com and get back to me with your
paypal email .ASAP.

Me, after creating a fake email/paypal:
Ok I made a paypal account, below, thanks.

Him:
On 1/19/12, Jack Edward <[email protected]> wrote:
> I HAVE MADE AN INSTANT PAYMENT OF $400 USD FOR THE TOSHIBA LAPTOP,
> AND THE MONEY AS BEEN DEDUCTED FROM MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT , AND AM VERY
> SURE THE PAYPAL ONLINE WOULD HAVE NOTIFIED YOU FOR THE MONEY I SENT
> TO YOU . SO KINDLY GO AND GET MY ITEM PACKED AND GET IT SHIPPED OUT
> NOW VIA THE USPS EXPRESS MAIL INTERNATIONAL 3-5 DAYS (EMS) , I
> DONT WANT ANY OTHER SHIPPING METHOD EXCEPT THE EXPRESS MAIL
> INTERNATIONAL (EMS) . HERE IS THE SHIPPING ADDRESS .
>
>
>
>
>
> Name : ridwan gbolahan
> Address : #5 Adegoke Street Oremeji Mokola
> City : Ibadan
> State : Oyo
> Zip Code : 23402
> Country : Nigeria

Followed immediately by another guy...check out his Title (omg):
My name is Richard Wilson. I'm a PayPal representative in charge of your transaction with Jack Edward( [email protected] ).

The fund of $400:00 has been deducted from our client's account,But will not be credited into the seller's account until we verify the shipment details due to security purpose.Kindly go to the Usps Post Office and have the item sent and get back to us with the Shipment Tracking Number within the next 24 hours and we shall send you a confirmation email to verify your PayPal or credit card account and the credit the $400:00 into your it.We will not be able to call or receive a call from you at the moment.Do get back to us here if you have any question concerning this transaction.

We thank you for being an asset to PayPal and we hope to serve you better in the nearest future.

Sincerely,

Richard wilson
President
PayPal Inc

Now, the "official" mail from "paypal". I counted no less than 15 grammar and spelling errors. Terrible attempt at spam.

Hello Customer ([email protected])

You've got a payment of $400.00 USD from Jack Edward ([email protected])
Thanks for using PayPal. To see all the transaction details, Read The information BELOW carefully

It may take a few moment for this transaction to appear in your account please follow the new PayPal policy.
Seller

[email protected]

Note to seller
Please get the shipment made and get back to us with the Shipment details.
Insurance Fee. - Confirmed*

Name: Ridwan gbolahan
Address: #5 Adegoke street oremeji mokola
City: Ibadan
State: Oyo
Zip Code: 23402
Country: Nigeria Secured shipping thorugh
Usps Post office (EMS)

Description Unit price Qty Amount
"Toshiba laptop

Item Number :Not On File
$325.00 USD
1
$325.00USD

Insurance Fee
$00 USD
Shipping Fee $100 USD
Total
$400.00 USD
Payment
$400.00 USD
Payment sent to: [email protected]

Issues with this transaction?

This PayPal® payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED"but will not be credited into your account until the shipment reference/tracking number is sent to us for shipment verification so as to secure both the buyer and the seller. Below are the necessary information requested before your account can be credited, get back to us here webmail.onlineverify@ consultant.com and our &a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;l t;/ span>customer service care will attend to you. As soon as you send us the shipment's tracking number to us for security purposes and the safety of the buyer and the seller,the money will be credited to your account.

Below is the address where the shipment is to be made to using USPS express mail international 3-5 DAYS (EMS)
address above via
Name: Ridwan gbolahan
Address: #5 Adegoke street oremeji mokola
City: Ibadan
State: Oyo
Zip Code: 23402
Country: Nigeria

Please note:
Once shipment has been verified and the tracking number sent to us, You will receive a "CONFIRMATION Email" from PayPal® informing you that the Money has been credited

This payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited into your account until the Tracking number#(Shipment Tracking number) that will be given to you at the USPS Office after you ship the item is sent to us for verification at our customer care webmail.onlineverify@ consultant.com so as to secure both the buyer and the seller.
Below are the relevant information required before your account will be credited:

All you have to do is to reply directly to this mail with the Tracking number# provided at the USPS post office Outlet Nearest to you.You can get more information on this or ship the item online at www.usps.com Once the details has been sent to us and verified,you will receive a "CONFIRMATION E-mail" from Pay Pal® Service informing you that your account has been credited with $400 USD. The Transaction will appear in your PayPal account Overview as Jack Edward after the Shipment Tracking Number have been verified.

Please,understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect both the Buyer and the Seller. We apologize for the inconvenience this might have caused you.

PayPal would be responsible for any loss incurred during the course of this transaction.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Copyright © 1999-2011 PayPal. All rights reserved.

PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. & Cie, S.C.A. Société en Commandite par Actions
Registered Office: 5th Floor 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg RCS Luxembourg B 118 349

PayPal Email ID PP843

So the above was yesterday, and have delayed in responding while we debated what to send them. But since have realized perhaps nothing, let go, etc. Then today...

Him:
WHY THE DELAY OF MY SHIPMENT, AFTER THE PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE AND FUND
HAS BEEN DEDUCTED FROM MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT, OR ARE YOU TRYING TO CHEAT
ON ME . WILL YOU PLS GET MY ITEM PACK AND HAVE IT SHIP BEFORE I REPORT
YOU TO CRAIGSLIST AND PAYPAL AND TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST
YOU.SHIPPING ADDRESS BELOW.

Any thoughts on how to proceed? Let it go? Cuss him out? Send a brick? This stuff really erks me, so if I had to chose which way to lean, to guide me if anyone would be so kind, would be on the "offensive" side. Thanks a lot. DO68 1/20/12

Baiting Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Posts: 21158

If he has ANY real information on you, DROP HIM!

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 669

Like next victim recommended, drop the bait if this scammer has any of your real information, even your PayPal account name. Better safe than sorry.

If you are indeed baiting safe already, I think the easiest route would be to ship him the item. (READ: Don't ship anything, but tell him you did.) Notify him that the package is on the way, and that you sent it through the US Postal Service, therefore there is no way of tracking the package, and he'll have to wait an unknown amount of time for it to arrive. Items which are shipped overseas can take a while. Smile

I think you may want to keep this to yourself at first, but when he starts asking why he hasn't received it yet, inform him that you sent the package using certified mail, and and according to the post office, it has been delivered and there is a signature to prove it. At this point you will have turned the tables on the lad, and you can scold him for being so irresponsible and unprofessional. He might believe that his delivery was chopped, which will only add to his frustration. You could even email him from another account and thank him for the free stuff. Laughing

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Jan 2012 Posts: 10

Well, he has my work cel number, and my first intial and last name...

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 669

That's unfortunate. Pretty much everyone here is going to advise you to end the bait and don't communicate with him anymore. Remember that you must put your own safety and privacy above all other aspects of baiting. While it may seem that the lad couldn't do any harm, keep in mind that some of them have associates in other countries. There's no need to put yourself at any risk.

On the plus side, you have the lad's contact information. You could set up (or use an existing) anonymous email account which has none of your personal info tied to it, and then contact the lad from there, starting the bait over and this time being better prepared for how to handle the direction it takes. Smile

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Jan 2012 Posts: 10

Right, understand. Its my first time, and honestly didnt know about any of this. More so you guys on our side. Super cool! I could spend the rest of the day just reading your sigs. lol.

But 10-4, will let it go. Thanks a ton, and may see ya around next time. Great site, great work ppl!

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Jan 2012 Posts: 10

Right, understand. Its my first time, and honestly didnt know about any of this. More so you guys on our side. Super cool! I could spend the rest of the day just reading your sigs. lol.

But 10-4, will let it go. Thanks a ton, and may see ya around next time. Great site, great work ppl!

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Jan 2012 Posts: 10

Well, he has my work cel number, and my first intial and last name...

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 669

Don't be a stranger DO68. Smile

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