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Sellers Beware!
Counterfeit Check &
Overseas Wire Transfer Scams Continue Reading below or
Every day we hear reports of people successfully selling their stuff on Charlotte County For Sale.com. and many other online websites. There are scammers that surf all of the online classifieds to find potential Victems. The most common type of scam seen today starts out when an overseas or out-of-area buyer that requests to pay by cashier's check which is usually for more than the amount of the item, and then requests the overage of the funds sent via wire transfer. Scammers have their own shipping agents. The checks scammers send are counterfeit. Unfortunately by the time the Banks find out (several days later due to hold times) the unsuspecting seller has wired hundreds even thousands of dollars to someone in Nigeria or other distant land, way beyond the reach of U.S law enforcement.
Although we as well as many other sites such as this one take proactive steps to stop these scammers, the best defense is to identify the tall tail signs. Here are some tips to help you have a safe and enjoyable sale online:
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Buy and sell locally. There's no substitute for dealing with someone who lives and works in your hometown. This helps everyone by keeping the money here, in Charlotte County.
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Don't give out personal info like social security numbers, credit cards numbers, etc. We will never ask for any personnal information.
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Don't accept any form of checks, cashier's checks, or money orders; PERIOD.
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Do not send money by Western Union or Wire Transfer money to anyone, anytime, anywhere, no matter how sad or great their story is.
Since law enforcement and special organizations have been educating people about online scams, scammers have had to change their tactics and go after the buyers. Now they will try to place an ad and get you to send them money for an item that does not exist. Some have actually made it on our site. Once you email them their story changes.
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Overseas scammers use may use fake phone numbers. If you call a number that is out of service, rings a fax machine, or a person that is not selling the item, send us an email. On each ad you will see a report this as inappropriate link. Click the link and fill in the short form.
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Scammers offer items that can be shipped. Motorcycles are a favorite item. Remember, buy locally.
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Don't buy an item that you have not seen and touched. Photos are easily faked.
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If something is too good to be true, it probably is.
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. . . you are trying to use our site and you are from Nigeria, Europe, West Africa or any other place other then the U.S and you want something shipped to you.
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. . . you throw in an extra $100 for people's trouble or stress.
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. . . you need money sent to you by Western Union or wire transfer immediately.
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. . . you want or need to pay by cashier's check, money order or postal check.
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. . . your phone number out of service.
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. . . you make contact using an Internet Relay Call and you can't meet locally.
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. . . you have a shipping agent.
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. . . Your not in town at the moment and you must have the item shipped to you immediately.
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. . . your e-mail address has the suffix of a foreign country, for instance: gmail.co.uk, msn.co.nr, etc.
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. . . you're willing to pay more than the asking price for anything that can be shipped.
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. . . you care more about the detailed financial transaction than the merchandise you're buying.
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. . . you require the use of an escrow service other than Escrow.com, which is legitimit.
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. . . you are a prince, a government minister, or you have a wealthy relative that died and left you a ton of money and you need my help to smuggle it out of the country. In fact, the more interesting your story, the more of a scammer you are.
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Do not respond to suspect emails. They will not get your email address until you respond!
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Forward suspected scammers to their email providers using abuse@ and the provider's domain. For instance, a scammer using "jane.doe@aol.com" should be forwarded to abuse@aol.com and so on.
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Learn more about scams by going to the FBI's website at www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.
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Contact the Federal Trade Commission: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357) or online at www.ftc.gov.
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Contact the Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www.ifccfbi.gov.
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Report any and all scams to: www.ScamChecker.com.
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Forward suspected e-mail as attachments to admin@charlottecountyforsale.com.
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If you have lost money in a Nigerian scam, contact the U.S. Secret Service at 202-406-5572. If you have received a letter, but have not lost any monies to this scheme, you may fax a copy of that letter to 202-406-5031. For more information, visit the websites listed below:
Example #1: International Lottery Scams If you receive a call stating you have won thousands of pounds in a lottery, hang on to your wallet. It is a fraud. Even so, scam operators, often based in Canada or the Netherlands, are using the telephone and direct mail to entice consumers to buy chances in high-stake foreign lotteries, from as far away as Australia and the Americas. In addition, lottery hustlers use victims' bank account numbers to make unauthorised withdrawals, or use their credit card numbers to run up additional charges. Responding to just one foreign lottery ticket can open up the doors to many more bogus offers for lottery or investment "opportunities." Ignore all mail and phone solicitations for foreign lottery promotions. If you receive what looks to be lottery material from a foreign country, turn it over to your local postmaster.
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Example #2: Advanced-Fee FraudDear Sir, First, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction. This is by virtue of its nature utterly confidential and 'top secret'. You have been recommended by an associate who has assured me in confidence of your ability and reliability to prosecute a transaction of great magnitude involving a pending business transaction requiring maximum confidence. We are top officers of the Federal Government Contract Review Panel who are interested in the importation of goods into our country with funds presently trapped in Nigeria. We solicit your assistance to enable us to transfer into your account the said trapped funds. I have been delegated as a matter of trust by my colleagues to look for an overseas partner into whose account we would transfer the sum of $US21,320,000 TWENTY ONE MILLION THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS)… We have agreed that you will be entitled to 30% of the total sum, 60% for us and 10% will be set aside for any expenses while transacting the business.
The letter goes on to explain that Nigerian civil servants are forbidden to operate foreign bank accounts. All that is needed are the bank account details of you or your company and perhaps blank pages of letterhead. Companies and individuals responding to this approach later receive another letter asking for money for a last minute bribe. There is evidence from around the world that company directors, lawyers and other professional people have reportedly lost significant amounts of cash. Inevitably, having parted with the money, they never heard from their African business partner again. Others have had personal and company bank accounts emptied of money. Don't reply to these requests. Never, ever, reveal your bank details to strangers.
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Example #3: Counterfeit Check ScamDear seller, I'm interested in purchases your advertised KING SIZE MATCHING
BEDROOM SET the prices $450 is okay by me. I'm shipping it down to
Bournemouth, Dorset in England and if i can pay with a check drawn
in an American Bank. If this is okay with you do get back to me
immediately for me to arrange the payment. Concerning the shipment,
Because my shipper will need to come and pick it up from you as will
seal this transaction and before my shipper can come to your location,
i will need to pay my shipper first. So I want you to help me because
i will prepare you the cashier check of $3000 and you will deduct the
cost of your KING SIZE MATCHING BEDROOM SET, plus the tax,because i
want you to help me by sending the remaining balance to my shipper
through any Via Money Gramme Transfer around you for fast shipping
arrangement, so that my shipper can travel down to your location.
Well i am a born again christain and i will like to do business with
a God fearing person, and i will like to know if you are a born
again christain, cos i will like to trust you and i will also like
to do more business with you. So if you are okay with my suggestion
do get back to me immediately with your Full name, Contact address
and Phone number for me to issue the check with your name. Thanks
for your understanding in anticipation. Best Regard.
Mrs Kelly rogers.
Nice meeting you. |
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