I need help...not a scambaiter

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

I'm not a scambaiter, but I love the sport and I spend a lot of time reading the adventures of people on here. Which is why I feel like an absolute moron about the fact that I'm neck deep in a scam. Before I realized I was being scammed, I gave out my address and received a "certified" check for an amount far above what it should have been, with a note saying to cash it, take my portion and then forward the rest to a third party. Now, I know this is a scam, but the question is, what do I do with the check? This person has my address and that creeps me out. Do I return it and then just not reply to emails? Do I pretend I never got it? I don't want to mess with this person or scambait him, since he has my real info, but I just don't know what the best way to detach myself from this is. Help!

Again, this was never intended to be a scambait, and I really did think this was something legit, since I do work for people who send checks, it's just that the amount over the normal amount, the broken English emails etc, all add up to a scam to me. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Hi.

So long as you haven't cashed this check, or any others, from this person you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

One option for getting the scammer to leave you alone is to write back to him on Monday and inform him that the bank told you that the check was no good. Tell him that you will not do business with a crook, and then cease communicating with him.

He will leave you alone, eventually.

As for the check, you can file a report with your local police if you want. You can destroy it. You can write fake across the back of it and hang it on your office wall as a reminder. Just don't cash it. Very Happy

If you have cashed previously checks, not knowing that it was a scam until now, you need to be proactive and start getting that taken care of- you will need to contact your bank and law enforcement and explain what has happened. If you have to go that route, you may want to consider a lawyer. Whatever you do, don't let it go; ignoring the issue will just get you into lots of trouble.

Lastly, this bit has me a little concerned:

Quote:

since I do work for people who send checks

Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:55 am

Tell him the check was found to be fraudulent by the bank and he is never to contact you again. Ignore any and all communication and he will quickly move onto someone else. Then, if you so desire, get yourself a gmail address and read all the stickies (sorry, but someone was going to say it sooner or later) and bait him anonymously.
I wouldn't worry about your details being out there provided you don't REALLY antagonise him.
Just confirm what details he has: is it just name and address or does he have more, such as passport (not much you can do about it), bank details (be aware of account flashing and maybe have a word with your manager) or credit card (cancel and get another)?

Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:00 am

Sorry to hear about your incident. Unfortunately - this type of thing pops up here on the forums every couple of weeks. It takes a lot of courage to admit this has happened to you...

There is a tremendous amount of information here about how to keep our crooked friends busy with faux transfer details, getting them to put small animals on their heads and take a photo or even making them think that there is a pot of gold at the end of a 8 hours rickety bus ride.

As for the cheque.. I would also suggest that writing "FAKE" on it and put it away for safe keeping. It is very important that you do not try to cash it '..to see what happens..' nor if some other third party were to question it, try to take it to a bank, etc

Edit - three people beat me to saying what was posted above...

Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:01 am

Yeah, mount it on decorative wooden plaque with a very fine finish, and hang it on your wall.

Well, really you should take it to the po-lice and whatnot. But if you get it back and there is nothing they can do, then do that thing up there.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Thanks. All he has is my address and my cell phone number (which is far more than I'd like, but there it is.) He doesn't have any other info, and I've never cashed any checks. I'll just let him know the bank wouldn't cash it and I'll just hope he moves on. As for working for people who pay by check, it's always been companies that are established and usually through referrals, and in almost a decade, I've never had a problem. But, things will be different from now on. I'm only going to work for people face to face from now on. It's just too risky. And, I really do know better.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

I'm glad that you realized that it was a scam. Very Happy

Many folks don't, unfortunately.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

One thing I didn't expect. The certified check came from within the country, from WI. Is that common?

Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 4:49 am

Hi ilie and welcome.

You can find information here bout check scams.

I am glad that you didn't cash the checl. I have read the accounts of people who have cashed checks not knowing the consequences. It is always a real problem.

Scammers have many ways to try to get "free" money. Sometimes they have someone in the US who prints checks, or just someone who forwards them to victims.

Some scammers are well organized groups and some are solo. I am glad you are going to drop this one ASAP. Cool

Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:12 am

ilie wrote:

One thing I didn't expect. The certified check came from within the country, from WI. Is that common?

There are lads all over the place. If you want to find out where your scammer really is then copy/paste the header from one of his emails and check out the IP here

http://headertool.apelord.com

Glad you realised this was a scam before you got into serious trouble.

Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:31 am

Welcome ilie. Very Happy

I am very glad that you recognized that it was a scam. Everyone here has given excellent advice. You might also want to visit ScamWarners . There is a lot of information on various scams, and a support team to answer questions.

Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 3:13 pm

Hey there - good thing you noticed the scam before it was too late! A lucky escape there! Shocked

Anywho, if you're worried about the Lad having your telephone number, just call your provider and get it changed for a new one. To be honest, I doubt very much you'll come to any harm as long as you sever contact with this person immediately. Smile

And as for what to do with the cheque? Anything you like, apart from cash it! Laughing

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Hmmm...

I checked the origin of the email, (thanks Gnasher) and it looks like it's from the US. I'm still functioning under the assumption that there's no way this is real, because it involves sending money to a third party, and I have no intention of cashing this thing, but it just seems odd that it's coming from the country and so is the check. It reminds me of that old horror movie where they trace the call and it's coming from inside the house. Given that it may be coming from inside the country, I don't know if I should:
A. Take it to the police to see if it's anything that's worth having them check into (which scares me a bit since I don't have an ocean separating me from the lad)
B. Just tell the person I'm not interested
C. Tell the person I know it's a scam (which scares me a bit, since this person may not be all that far away)
D. Other

Any advice?

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:50 pm

Hi ilie and welcome
Very often the person mailing the checks, is also a victim. Someone who believes they are employed by the scammer, or caught up in a love scam working for their husband to be, writing his company checks.

Tell the scammer the bank has deemed the check fake. They will protest but move on once they realize they're not getting your money.

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:53 pm

ilie wrote:

I'm not a scambaiter,

Do I pretend I never got it?

sounds like baiter talk to me... heck, you even got your first trophy Laughing

well done on not cashing it and discovering the fraud.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Just for fun, I googled the "company name" on the check sent to me. It looks a whole lot like a fake site, but I'm curious if there's a way to find out when a site was registered or opened. I may do some checking around here to find out....

The "company" is: High Performance Aircraft Products, LLC.

Two interesting things: The contact information for the only person on the site is [email protected]. Bloomer, WI is supposedly the city where the company is located.

I know it's a scam, I'm just finding it interesting to see how they put the thing together. Could come in handy if I do decided to come over to the dark side.
Twisted Evil

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:59 pm

It's likely that the company is real but just the name is used in fake/forged checks - the most common scenario.
If this is the website you mean, highperformanceaircraftproducts.com was registered in 2004 so (though it's possible) it's unlikely to be a scammers domain.

Elite Baiter Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 1269

ilie wrote:

I feel like an absolute moron about the fact that I'm neck deep in a scam.

Don't put yourself down over this - scammers have had months and years to perfect their web of lies and deceit.

GordonBennett wrote:

Then, if you so desire, get yourself a gmail address and read all the stickies (sorry, but someone was going to say it sooner or later) and bait him anonymously.

No, it's a bad idea to bait him. Why? He already has your personal info and knows how to push your buttons.

Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:30 am

ilie wrote:

Could come in handy if I do decided to come over to the dark side.
Twisted Evil

Too late!

If you like the idea of baiting (although NOT the lad who tried to scam you, he knows too much about you) then read around the Stickies and the forum to get a 'feel' for the various types of scam and how they can be baited safely and when you feel ready with your sparkly new baiting email addy then head over to the Surplus Letters and take your pick! There's a fresh new batch of lads waiting for you every day. Good luck and if you really want to get into baiting then sign up for a mentor who will help and advise while you learn the ropes. It's a steep learning curve at first but well worth it and I should warn you now that it's horribly addictive (and terrific fun) too.

Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:41 pm

Actually, if you want to get revenge on the lad who almost scammed you, I don't see why you can't. Grab a mentor to help you along the way, set up a gmail account using totally fake details, and respond to his job offer. If you're a male, make your character a female and vice versa. Same goes for age, if you're young make your character old, etc. Get a K7 telephone number, sign up for premium so you can use a drop-box somewhere far far from where you live in real life. Then just do exactly like you did with him when you were (almost) a real victim. That's what straight-baiting is - acting like a real victim. When your totally fake character gets the checks from him, then the fun can really start Twisted Evil

!

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