Internet Sales Scammers

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Posts: 3

Wondering if I could get some guidance. Here's the scenario - online sales forum (ebay, whatever) scammer posts with offer to sell an item worth $10,000 for $5,000. I identify the scam (poster does not actually own the item) and offer to buy it knowing full well it's a scam with the intention of extracting some info from the scammer. Scammer asks for a wire transfer and provides me with his bank wire info (account name (his "wife's") and number, ABA number) so I can send the funds and provides a cell phone number to contact him.

Apart from reporting this to the police (which will likely go nowhere) is there something more I might consider doing?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Baiting Guru Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 3877

consider reporting the account to alan, and claim a piggy.

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=119780

even if the police is not able to do something (international borders, restrictions...), alan has connections to close down bank accounts.

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:14 am

Yup, If you were supposed to send them money chances are the info is real.

Congrats on a Piggy if it goes through.

(Talk about falling into a shit house and coming out smelling like a rose? LOL) (Well, it is valentines)

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:22 am

you must make sure that it IS a scammer...it's not cool getting an innocents accounts shutdown.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Posts: 3

Thanks for the info. No question it's a scam - plenty of indicators and red flags, but the clincher is that when I asked for a better photo of the item the guy provided me an image he took off the internet. It's a pretty unique item and he stole the image from like the 5th website that comes up in Google. He's apparently not the brightest bulb on the tree (although he did at least rotate the image, I guess to try to throw me off the scent).

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 4:32 pm

How are you baiting safely on ebay? Don't they require a valid credit card or bank account (which presumably is your real information) to sign up?

I'd start by hitting the "report to ebay" button.

And reading the stickies at the top of the page here Cool

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Posts: 3

Good point on safe baiting. The source isn't ebay, it's a much less formal marketplace type forum, but I hear you on the anonymity concern.

In any event, I have signed up for a mentor to assist moving forward with this guy, but maybe the answer is just to dump him and move on . . .

Baiting Guru Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 3877

Big Al wrote:

Congrats on a Piggy if it goes through.

no If... send it, claim it. it's that easy.

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1066

Quote:

In any event, I have signed up for a mentor to assist moving forward with this guy

Well, hello there. Wink

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

Quote:

but maybe the answer is just to dump him and move on . . .

Sounds like a good plan and welcome here. Very Happy

Hiya, Bear. Very Happy

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1066

^Wandering away from the VD thread, are we?

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

Occasionally....for some reason Rover expects me to monitor other threads, too Laughing