Is this a bike scam???

[Crackerbunny]

I’m currently selling a bike through MCN and have just received a’ too good to be true e-mail’. An overseas buyer is offering full asking price and has offered to send a cheque and then arrange collection of my bike via a 3rd party ‘shipment handler’. Being a good natured, trusting idiot I thought ‘fantastic’, until my brother pointed out to me that cheques could still be bounced 4 weeks after the money has shown up in my account leaving me with a stolen bike, a couple of grand lighter and no-one to blame but myself. Is anyone else aware of this happening? Who do I report it to? And what a b*******.

[Sid Squid]

Heard of this a couple of times, beware.

[Carsick]

It does sound alot like a scam.
String them along with something about the bike that would blatently get their attention if they knew what the bike was and see if they notice.

[embee]

got a barge pole handy?

well don't use it!!!!! :evil:

[Ed]

It's fraud.

[derbybiker]

It's a scam - don't fall for it.

You could have some fun though and string him along like the guy in the link below: -

http://www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk/temp/scammers.html

If you do string him along start another thread to keep us up to date with what happens.

[Italianjob]

It's all a big scam...

I had the same reply when I advertised my dad's car on ebay. 10 minutes before the end of the auction a guy with a feedback rating of -5 :shock: placed a bid for the full asking price. The next day I received the following email:

Hello Stephen,
Thanks for your mail, it look great and I 'm
interested in purchasing it.Concerning the shipment,my
shipper will come and pick it up from your location as
soon as we seal this transaction. A client of mine is
owing me some funds (£5,500)I will instruct him to
issue you a banker's draft in your name and You will
deduct the cost of the Ford Mondeo Ghia X , 1998, S
Reg (£1,700.00) and also send the remaining balance to
my Shipper via western union money transfer for
immediate shipping arrangment. If this is okay with
you do get back to me immediately with your
information as listed below for me to instruct my
client to issue the banker's draft in your name.
Hope to hear from you soonest.
NAME :
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
COUNTRY:
(HOME,CELL AND WORK) PHONE NUMBER:

Best regards,
Paul.

NB: I am given you compensation £50 and consider items
sold for me.



Never received any 'compensation' either...

[creamerybutter]

I remember Ride or MCN or someone fetured this, total scam.

I got this when selling my old phone with a buy it now price of £75:

"Hello, Compliment of the season,i want to pay for your item pasted on ebay.can you give me cost of everything,am buying this item for a present to someone specail to me whom have save my life for years back,when i traveled to africa ,who help me out when i have a problem .his a pastor,JOHN BENARD,PLZ CAN YOU DO ME THIS FAVOUR TO SELL IT TO ME I WILL OFFER YOU 100.00GBP I PROMISE OK THANKS"

Sent a e-mail saying it had already been sold and they sent me a couple more asking if it was for sale again.

[BURNER]

I am Chike Debby, the uncle of Tom Abacha, the director of projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission. I can confirm this is a scam.

please visit http://www.xach.com/scammer-name/ to find out who you really are :lol:

[Crackerbunny]

Kim Enagua, the great aunt of Ige Baloy, the executive director of the Federal Ministry of Aviation in Nigeria

thanks for all the feedback though. ie-mailed him back asking him to clarify his poor english/ grammar. have a feeling i'll never hear from him again though

[Nekkid]

My mate had the same when selling his Duc. A scam for sure, but I don't understand how it works. Assuming you wouldn't let the bike go until you had the money cleared, your bank can't take back money that has cleared, can it? I don't see how it works, someone enlighten me!!

[Crackerbunny]

http://www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk/temp/scammers.html
this man is a genius
i so hope i hear from senor 'santos tito' , and i will keep you informed...

might as well have some fun with the international chav-scum

[Crackerbunny]

Apparently the scam works because a cheque can appear to clear within a couple of working days. but can still bounce up to 4 weeks later...leaving you a bit fecked off.

it's not theft as you 'sold' your item, you then owe the bank the cost of the item and you're high and dry

[chazzyb]

For those that don't know: the scam is that the cheque arrives, your account gets credited and the goods get shipped. Some weeks later, when the cheque gets to the foreign paying bank, it finally gets dishonoured. Because your bank hasn't been paid, your bank then removes the money from your account.

[Jabba]

The other scam is that the "buyer" offers to overpay you, asking that you give them cash and the goods.

Bastids.

[simon-temple]

It's all a big scam...

I had the same reply when I advertised my dad's car on ebay. 10 minutes before the end of the auction a guy with a feedback rating of -5 :shock: placed a bid for the full asking price. The next day I received the following email:

Hello Stephen,
Thanks for your mail, it look great and I 'm
interested in purchasing it.Concerning the shipment,my
shipper will come and pick it up from your location as
soon as we seal this transaction. A client of mine is
owing me some funds (£5,500)I will instruct him to
issue you a banker's draft in your name and You will
deduct the cost of the Ford Mondeo Ghia X , 1998, S
Reg (£1,700.00) and also send the remaining balance to
my Shipper via western union money transfer for
immediate shipping arrangment. If this is okay with
you do get back to me immediately with your
information as listed below for me to instruct my
client to issue the banker's draft in your name.
Hope to hear from you soonest.
NAME :
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
COUNTRY:
(HOME,CELL AND WORK) PHONE NUMBER:

Best regards,
Paul.

NB: I am given you compensation £50 and consider items
sold for me.

Never received any 'compensation' either...

Yep, I had a similar one when I tried to sell my friends car on ebay, a guy with -5 rating been registered for 12 hours !!!! registered in singapore living in switzerland and wanting delivery to Holland !!

OK this man has lots of cash so he must he the real deal!

leave it or string him along for a laugh!

[Balky001]

Well, if you bank an cheque dranw on an overseas account you may incur bank charges anyway so ask the buyer to telex money in to your local Thomas Cook - this way you do not need to give your account details and he has to show his passport before sending it with cleared funds, so there's no risk it should bounce. Additionally, you need to present passport/ID to pick up the money and therefore you are clear of any dodgy money laundering suspicions. Everything will be documented and audit trail would give you safeguard.

If it is drawn on a UK bank, you could ask the bank to so a special clearance, and confirm when monies have been received by the bank into their account before sending the bike.

If the buyer doesn't like either option, don't deal with him.

[kjames]

the link http://www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk/temp/scammers.html
was sooo funny. if its a bit too long to read just browse down to the scanned cheques this guy has recieved.

k