Scam? I'm puzzled by this one...

I got two e-mails today (I've gotten similar ones in the past, but never paid attention to them):

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From a Yahoo account

Hello
i will like to know if you have Seagate 80 GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA in stock ,and i will like to order for 100 pieces ,and i will also be paying with my credit card so kindly get back to me asap if you do have it in stock.
Continetal Maketting Associate

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I replied back, telling him that if he'd give me $8,900, I'd be more than happy to ship them to him in a matter of days.

Then I got another e-mail:

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From another Yahoo account

My name is Margarita Henandez,Please i will like to
know if you have the following products in store
SEAGATE BARRACUDA 7200.7 80GB HARD DRIVE ATA/100
8.5MS 7200 OEM
SEAGATE BARRACUDA 80GB ATA 2MB 7200.7 [ST380011A ]
or you can kindly list the ones you have in stock.if
you dont have the ones i mentioned so get back to me
with the price of this items as we are ordering for
(100 pieces) of this items to Indiana, Terre
Haute.i want to know the total cost of this items
plus the shipping and handling.
Please kindly get back to me as soon as possible as
i will be online waiting for your fast responce of
this qoutes.

Thanks

Regard
Margarita Henandez
2211 cleveland ave
*********
IN. USA
*********
(***) **** ****

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I replied back with the same answer: get me $8,900 and I'll ship them out asap...

Then I got a reply back from yet another Yahoo account:

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Hello *******
thanks for getting back to me and i so much appreciate it ,well as for the price there is no problem ,so pls kindly get back to me with total cost plus shipping within the US.and also advice if i can forward in my Credit Card Information so that it can be charge cause i want product ship immediately.
thanks hope to hear from you soon.

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This has scam written all over it, but I don't get it... what's the deal? Are they hoping I'm going to send them the HDD's before I have my money - indicated by the "I want product ship immediately (yeah right)? Or is there something else wrong... are they using stolen CC's? Anyone? :)

I don't take credit cards (too costly) - kinda sucks, because I'd love to know if he can get me my $8,900 right away - so should I just give him my bank account info - nothing much he can do with that, I'd think...

Setup a paypall account and have him wire you the money... or reply that you'll have to go through paypal and demand payment first. See where it takes you, but don't hand out your bank account information, very easy to abuse that.

We used to get that all the time where I worked before. I'm sure the name on the card isn't the name of the person contacting you. Ask if they want to give you a money order or certified cheque and if they go that far double check with the bank. They'd have to be pretty ballsy to go that far.

I gave him my PayPal info... can't wait for his reply (if any)...

Good spelling is obviously not a requirement of a "Continetal Maketting Associate"

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His reply to my PayPal request

Hello *******
thanks for the mail ,well i would have love to make the payment thru paypal but have been scammed of $10.000 .am sorry that it can,t be possible if you really want to sell this product to me kindly get back to me asap with aggrement with my mode of payment .thanks

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Doh... Funny how he mentions being scammed :D

Ask them to send the credit card info... then get the card checked by Visa to see if it's legit.

Sent the e-mail... How do I have the card verified? Just call Visa and ask them? :)

PayPal would be the best:

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Premier Accounts include all the benefits of a Personal account PLUS the following premium features:

* Accept credit card payments
* Accept payments on your own website or personal homepage
* Set up your own PayPal Shopping Cart
* Exclusive customer service hotline 7 days a week
* Identify yourself as a Premier Account in your reputation pop-up box, visible to anyone paying you
* Be featured in PayPal Shops, where over 56 million PayPal customers will be able to make instant online purchases from your website!

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Otherwise, I would find out the number for the security division of Visa, explain that you think someone is scamming you with a potentially stolen CC# and could they verify that the # is valid.

[edit]

You know, I wouldn't be surprised if they say that they want to pay by cheque, offer you a cheque for more than the value of the drives and ask you to send back the "difference".

We get people asking for funny qty's of items on a regular basis.
Most don't reply when we send them our standard "Mail Order CreditCard debit Form" it asks for information including Drivers licence number, a personal contact number, and a residential address (couriers require a senders and recievers Phone number), oh and Business registration number (in Aus they also need a ABN -Australian Business Number- this is required by Tax law in all transactions)..

You could just refer the scammers to FBI or similar.. ???

cheers

edit/ what stops the remaining scammers: our delivery requirement: the person taking delivery MUST provide proof of Idenity, ie drivers licence.
0 fraudulent purchases in 2.5 years, thousands of succesful deliveries..

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You know, I wouldn't be surprised if they say that they want to pay by cheque, offer you a cheque for more than the value of the drives and ask you to send back the "difference".

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I thought the same thing when I read Neg's first post but his scammer's "I've been scammed on Paypal" email strogly suggests that he is either working very hard to socially engineer you into believing that he is dead set on a CC payment only to suddenly find, at the last minute, that he has overspent on the other items on his shopping list and the CC will not hold for the amount you require and can he send you the check Ms. M. so rightly refers to _or_ it is a stolen CC.

I would run a tracert on the originating IP address to try to determine the general geographic location, then ask for the CC#, Expiry date, Security #, (the three numbers at the end on the back), the name on the card and the complete billing address including the ZIP code because this is what the CC company you deal with requires. If the general geographic location doesn't match at all, Argentina vs Dallas ;), I would write back telling him he is an idiot and he has been reported to his local authorities and never to bother you with his trivia again. If the address and the geographical location are "acceptable" then PM me the CC information and I will get it run against $8900 and see if it works and will then contact my CC company with a suspicion and see what they say.

This does have scam scribbled all over it.... the beauty of scams is always working out how it's going to work _before_ you lose your ass.... ;)

The three e-mails I got all came from the Netherlands...
I sent him an e-mail asking for the cc info and all the rest - told him his disks have been packed and are ready to ship :D

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The three e-mails I got all came from the Netherlands...

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Really?? And yet they claim to be in Terre Haute, Indiana? Interesting...

Neg:

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told him his disks have been packed and are ready to ship

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You lie like a cheap Japanese watch....

You lie like the "eat by" date on your local supermarket's pies....

Any assistance I can give I will happily provide.... ;)

you get ALL the fun.
All I've been getting recently is a twist on the 'money out of Africa' scam.

Now they say they have the money in Iraq .....................

And they NEVER call back :(

MsMittens > the one claiming to be from Terre Haute was another one... interestingly enough, I got both e-mails at around the same time... the one from Terre Haute just replied to my first e-mail:

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Hello sales,

Thanks for getting back to me, please i will like to know your preffered method of payment,because as for now the payment will be done through WESTERN UNION or through a CHECK, so kindly get back to me with the method you preffered most.And i will like to know if you will help me arrange the shippment to Africa,because the items are to be distribute there as we have some client over there in Africa,so if you will help arrange the shipping there get back to me with the total cost of this items plus the shipping and handling charges with FEDEX, but if you cannot please get back to me with your method of payment.
I will be waiting for your fast responce and please get back to me along with your Name and Address which the payment will be made to,because as soon as i get that i will arrange for the money as we need this items to be urgently delivered.i will be online waiting for your reply.

Thanks

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Hehe.. That second is the scam with a cheque. The cheque or "western union" will be higher than the amount and you're supposed to "refund" the difference. Problem is it's a fake cheque. So you'd, if you weren't smart, get screwed out of the amount of the cheque including the extra funds, the cost of shipping and the actual items plus service fees associated with bounced cheques.

Interesting :)

I replied with a request for a $9,400 cheque :D

There is one way to be sure...open up a new account at your bank...email him to deposit a " cashier's check " for the full amount and the items will be shipped within the hour of comfirmation by the bank. :)

And the goods will have to shipped to..............................NIGERIA! :D

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Hello Sales,
Thanks for getting back to me. i need your name and address.here is the shipping address below

Name: David Williams
Address:75 Alimosho Road
City:Iyana Ipaja
State:Lagos
Country:Nigeria
zipcode:23401

I will notify you when the CHECK has been send, so as soon as your money is cleared get back to me with the tracking info.

Thanks

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Neg:

Take the check, frame it and put it in your den... Then, when you have it, write them back and state that you are waiting for the bank to clear it and see the funds in your account. When they say they need the drives _immediately_, acquiesce (sp?), and tell them you shipped them by FudEx... tracking number... UR4N1D10TG1V3UP..... Note the shipper's mis-spelling... ;) Then have a nice cold one with Mel.... :D

I think we should play with the other one though.... I'm inquisitive as to what they are doing....

I Googled that Alimosho Road in Nigeria:

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http://pcjsl.com/tryouts/misc.htm

i humbly request playing for the position of central midfield/ forward.Am quick and energetic.Am proficient in English language.Creative and ability to scoring goals.I hope these would be of advantange for me in your club herewith is my CV. NAME : .Aigbosoria Monday Marvelous ADDRESS : 69 alimosho road iyana ipaja Lagos Nigeria NATIONALITY : Nigeria DATE OF BIRTH: 06/12/1983 MARITAL STATUS: Single HEIGHT: 5ft7" WEIGHT: 65kg POSITION: leftside midfield / forward DOMINANT FOOT: both SCHOOLBOY: youth sars football academy PREVIOUS CLUBS: forwardever fc, zeigeneth fc PRESENT CLUB: Mighty sparrow fc CAREER DETAILS: I have played in U- 14 AND u- 17Youth Sport Federation Of Nigeria, (YSFON), Organised competitions. i 've also played in an inter - state tournament and in club league. Honoured: Joined the national team in year 2001

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And there seems to be a school on 66 Alimosho Road: http://www.studyabroad.com/simplehtml/white/Niger.html[/i]

Whoa.....

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Acquired Knowledge Institute

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I got all my degrees from there.... You mean it's a scam.... Goldurn it....

Ok... before I get too confused with the two scammers you have running... can we concentrate on the CC one... The check one is, (as Ms.M accurately predicted), is a no brainer.... I'd love to see where the CC one wants to go....

I have to leave the satellite office right now and take my sweetie to dinner.... Then there's that "American Idol" thing we _have_ to watch... Well hey, Simon is a Brit and has a personality that is about as "cute" as mine when presented with idiots.... ;) So, it'll be tomorrow before I get "back into the fray" but they will take longer to organize themselves.... I'd love to keep playing with the "CC kid" just to see where he goes.... You in?

Of course I'm in :D

I just send him a reminder (hasn't replied yet to my request for the cc info), telling him that if I have his info within the next hour I can ship the goods out tonight... otherwise, it'll have to wait until tomorrow :D

I'll check back in the am.... ;)

Now it's getting more interesting...

This is the guy from the first e-mail I got (from a Yahoo address):

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Hello
i will like to know if you have Seagate 80 GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA in stock ,and i will like to order for 100 pieces ,and i will also be paying with my credit card so kindly get back to me asap if you do have it in stock.
Continetal Maketting Associate

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I reply, giving him a price of $89 a piece... He replies, with a different Yahoo address:

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Hello
thanks for getting back to me and i so much appreciate it ,well as for the price there is no problem ,so pls kindly get back to me with total cost plus shipping within the US.and also advice if i can forward in my Credit Card Information so that it can be charge cause i want product ship immediately.
thanks hope to hear from you soon.

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I reply, asking for a PayPal payment... he replies, saying he wants to pay by cc...

He finally replies, and it's interesting:

The cc card info (complete with name, address, number, security code, expiration date) is from someone in Elk Grove, California...
The ship-to address, though, is to an Orlanda, Florida business (a legitimate one), specializing in Server Monitoring Tools...

Now I'm lost... don't tell me this guy actually really wants 100 hard disks... his e-mail addy still traces back to the Netherlands... I get two totally different e-mails, from two different people (both Yahoo accounts in Holland though), asking for 100 Seagate Barracuda's... one tries the cheque-scam as described by MsMittens, the other one is um... dunno...

check the card, and if its legit make your self some money.

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The ship-to address, though, is to an Orlanda, Florida business (a legitimate one), specializing in Server Monitoring Tools...

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I used to run the goods in department of an engineering company. If I wanted some stuff delivered via a back door.........................Easy order it under false creadentuals, have it shipped to work, make off with goods. Gone into the eather Or variant of..

I still gotta go with the " cashiers check " I mentioned before...that way you know the money is there...credit cards are too easily used and abused even if he is legit.

A cashier's cheque isn't a guarantee these days. Seriously, when I look at this they are missing out on a serious opp to do it right. As it stands a lot of these scams are easy to pick out due to spelling and presentation. They aren't thinking how to social engineer properly.

See if I was to do it, I'd say I'm from AO. I'd do this by picking an older, unused account (claiming I forgot the password and don't log in anymore). I know that Negative is here based on a Google search of his company. I'd then do a letter, professional english (maybe with one or two minor typos), saying that "my company needed some drives for an upgrade and I thought why not do a favour for someone I know". Then once Neg and I agree to a price, I would say the company has a cheque already done out for what they priced them at (higher than the quote Neg gives me). I'll send him the "certified company cheque" and he can send me the difference in a Money Order or Money Wire. That said, using a Nigerian address (or any African address) should fire off warning bells for anyone.

It's unfortunate that a small few schmucks are ruining the good name of Nigerians elsewhere (I've had quite a few students from there and they are the nicest, politest and most considerate group I've ever had).

sound like time for a fone call to the co.. You do need a Purchase order Number, to supply the goods. this is for legitimate goods tracking.. only one of the 30 or so suppliers we have will supply me any goods if I don't supply a Purchase order number...and this co is bloody small and all orders are COD. and you will need to contact the co to confirm the order number.. if itis a legit order from a legit co.. it will be a legit purchase order number.. oh and get names of the people you talk to..

SPAM

For the biggest collection of "playing with scammers" go to:

http://www.419eater.com/

END OF SPAM :p

This isn't just spam anymore... I have someone trying to use a California VISA to have goods shipped (for almost $10,000) to a company in Orlando, Florida... The company claims to not have placed such an order...

I discussed this with Tiger (on the phone... he's got a nice British accent :D ), and I've called the FBI with all the details... I'll leave it up to them...

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I've called the FBI

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Good man.....

This is great site! However, I can't believe these scams still go on, especially since the scammers are being flushed out and published with pictures!

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Originally posted here by the_JinX
SPAM

For the biggest collection of "playing with scammers" go to:

http://www.419eater.com/

END OF SPAM :p

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BTW - This whole thread has the makings for a movie! Well at least a story on the Daily Show. The scary thing is the coordination you all were able to make through the board to flesh out these characters and take action - amazing!

Negative - I ask because I don't know (wet behind the ears I am!) - but do you even run a hardware shop?

KuiXing-2005.

I run a computer repair business. I hardly keep any stock - definitely not 100 hard disks :)
Since I own a business, I can get those hard disks at wholesale prices (I could probably get them for around $60 a piece... haven't even checked yet :D ). The thing is that the ship-to-address is a business as well... they could get the same wholesale prices if they wanted to - no need to go through a retailer.

The whole problem here, if I might interject, is that someone as yet unknown chose the wrong person to try to do business with in the wrong way.... But they might never know that because they probably didn't do any "homework".

Neg is not only a smart guy but he has resources that are incredibly suspicious resources. :D

Neg and I talked on the phone this morning and we agreed there were two courses of action. I utterly applaud his choice while understanding that his initial reticence was justified.

Neg: I _really_ am proud of you... I did not want you to feel any pressure to take the more "risky" option available and I left it up to you.... When our conversation was over I really felt that you would take the route of less "risk". But you didn't.......

Ladies and Gentlemen: I'm here to tell you that Neg is a _really_ "stand up" guy.... and I _really_ do believe that.....

Mel: He's a keeper.... (in case you didn't know.... ;)... and he has a really nice Belgian accent

Hey Neg,

Thought I'd tag this on. At another forum I'm on (Bicycling Discussions) one of the user's had run into a potential scammer and wanted advice on how to deal with it. The last person in the thread posted this (I figured this might be an idea for future usage):

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Had something similar happen to me once. They wanted my bank account number and such. I played desperate, saying how Jesus must have sent them to me because I needed the money real bad because I had just lost a job and it was my kid's birthday and I'd been drinking too much lately. I gave them my phone number and said please call me today, please. The phone number was to the Chicago division of the FBI.

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Damn.... and I thought I was pretty evil.... :eek: