Selling Things Online is Fun!
I’m buying my GF and I new laptops, so I’m selling my old Fujitsu Lifebook. I’ve sold some NES games recently on Craigslist, so I figured I’d use it to unload my laptop as well. So far all I’ve gotten is a bunch of responses from “Nigerian bank account”-type scammers. It’s pretty obvious which mails are bullshit, but for whatever reason I feel obligated to give them the benefit of the doubt (i.e., treat each response like it’s not Jean Claude Damn Scam). Here’s a sample of the correspondence so far.
From Marx:
is it still avaliable ?????IF YES,pls do u accept payment with paypal? can u ship to west africa? its for my patner abroad on an inspection work for his company and its meant to be a birthday gift for him,am presently in need of it for him and let me know if u are ready, i will add $120for shipping,reply awaited.thanks
Oh! Obviously a scam, so I don’t even bother. However, despite the fact I think it’s a bit odd that the first two hits on my posting are from “Marx” and then “Marc,” I give Marc a chance because his mail is short and to the point.
From Marc:
Hello,
Is this item still up for sale???.From Me to Marc:
Yes, yes it is. Interested in maybe taking a look at it?From Marc:
Thanks allot for the reply……..actually i supposed to come and check the item out but im out of states right now so i wont be able to come over but i will pay $250 for the item and please note that am shipping the item to an overseas partner so i will include $100 shipping fee,i will arrange for the payment of the item via paypal,it is very secure and fast mode of making an online payment or
transfer,to proceed with the transaction asap send me your paypal email address so that i can proceed with the payment of the item.
Thank you very much hope to hear from you soonFrom Me to Marc:
Meh. Nice try.
Because my posting was listed in “electronics” instead of “computers” it is flagged for removal. I repost it in the correct category and get some more emails:
From Kimberly:
I’d like to know if this item is still available.From Me to Kimberly:
…yes?From Kimberly to Me:
Am glad for your quick response..Actually am currently in New Zealand but i want the item for my Daughter who study abroad..Am ready to offer $80 as an extra and i have contact USPS(Global Express) for the shipping cost and they told me it will cost $80 for the shipping..Kindly get back to me with the total cost and your Paypal email so that i can effect the payment to you now if possible you can get the item shipped to her today.Many Thanks.
From Me to Kimberly:
If you’re going to rip people off at least make it believable. Christ.
From Collins:
Do you still have it?From Me to Collins:
*sigh* Yes.From Collins to Me:
Thanks for your reply concerning my enquiry.I am satisfied with the condition of the item and willing to offer you an amount of $240 for the product, I would be glad to make payment with the following payment option: I will be making the payment by CASHIER CHECK which a friend of my who is owing some amount and he is the one to send the check.Once the CASHIER CHECK is received and clears in your bank,there ill be a difference on the amount, there ill be an addition sum added to the amount you have to get.After u recieve the check u take it to ur bank when it clears then deduct your money out of it,then send the rest to the shipper who will get it from you, you will send the rest via western union informaton….What i need now is your full name a address and your cell phone number ok,so as to proceed soonest hope to read from you..From Me to Collins:
Wow you write a lot like Marc, Marx, and Kimberly! And you all handle extremely simple transactions in the same unnecessarily complicated manner! What an amazing coincidence!
From Ben to Me:
How low will you go on this item?From Me to Ben:
…asking 200. But make me an offer.From Ben to Me:
Hi
Thanks for your Reply.. I am happy that you still have the item because i have been searching to see this kind for long now, i am buying it as a special gift to my son. Your price is considered.I will be sending the payment to you can send me your Full name and Home address so that i will send it to you through money order which is also 100% safe for online transaction. I will be taking care of the shipment tax so you don’t need to bother yourself regarding the shipment fee as i will add it when sending the payment to you.
Please i will want you to get the package ready for me and consider it as sold as i will be sending out the payment once i receive the required information as stated.
I will be waiting to receive your reply soon. Have a nice day.
206 666 1926From Me to Ben:
You have got to be kidding me.
I almost want to bite on one of these mails just to see exactly how the scam works. So far this is about how much sense it makes to me:
Step 1: Bill ships laptop to West Africa
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!
I have since appended my listing to say “First response that is not spam gets special discount.”
Edit:
Extra super fun - I Googled Yahood Googled the number and got a pretty sweet list of people bitching about the same dude. He’s been doing this for a while and from what I can tell, isn’t very successful.
One Response to “Selling Things Online is Fun!”
This American Life had an awesome segment this past week about some dudes that try and scam these scammers in various ways, mostly just to waste their time. But three guys in particular sent a scammer on a wild goose chase through Chad and Jordan and a bunch of war torn shitholes for more than 100 days. It’s absolutely brilliant, they tell him to make signs in arabic(which he doesn’t speak) that say things like “Muhammad is a pedophile.” And apparently the scammer’s brother broke his leg, it was really a win win situation for everyone involved.
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