Audiogon sellers, please stop and read this thread
I had a couple listings last week and I received one e-mail from a potential buyer to instruct me to contact him via his private e-mail right away.
I was offered to be paid by Cashier Check rather than Paypal. I accepted the term that the buyer would have his "agent" to pick up the units for sale. In term, I told the buyer I would only accept the Cashier Check from major banks.
Yesterday, I received an e-mail from the buyer instructing me to deposit the Cashier Check one I receive it BUT since the Cashier Check was made by his "financier" for more than the sale price, the buyer wanted me to cash out the difference and send a Moneygram to his "agent" so his" agent" can pick up the merchandise and the buyer thanked me for my " corporation".
I demand to know if the Cashier Check was made from major banks or not and how much is the difference between the sale price and the amount of the Cashier Check. I have not heard a response from him since then.
What's up? Was I born yesterday or is it a case of innocence 'till proven guilty?
I have had this happen several times since the beginning of the year. Always a no feedback "buyer" that wants you to reply immediately by email and pay by cashiers check. Do not continue contact with them. Go through the link at the top of the Audiogon home page for reporting problems and ask them to ban this person. Ensure you use the fraud tab on that page to send the email. From my emailings to Audiogon staff about this, they are working to put a stop to this type of activity.
Perhaps we ought not be so passive. Why not try to actually get these scum arrested by reporting them to the apprpriate authority. I believe interstate internet sales are actually policed by the Postmaster General's office. I am unsure if there are other ways to try and defeat this nonsense.
This is a well know scam; avoid this scam artist like the plague! You are being wise to consult with fellow Audiogoners before parting with hard earned cash/components.
Scam that is also uaed in car sales. Why would someone over pay and want change back? Next time play along to see how much info you can get on the crook. Hope all goes well and you don't get burned. These are good warnings. Thanks.
Buyers are best to stick to PayPal payments. Sellers should use PayPal but not release the goods to the Buyer until the funds are fully cleared, e. g. 30 days plus. The fact PayPal puts a hold on funds going to the seller is the biggest hang up with PayPal transactions. Better yet, terms of cash on pickup, with demo of goods is the safest way.
How it works if you fall for it. Buyer sends a cashier's check for more than the amount. The buyer gets you to deposit the check and refund the amount over the purchase. What has just happened is the buyer gets free cash from you, it can take up to two weeks for a cashier's check to fully clear. Meaning you are out not just the excess cash but there was no payment for you item either, long after it is gone from you. As W.C. Field's said "You can't cheat an honest man"
I had a similar experience a while back. Needless to say, run -- don't walk. As another courtesy, please let A'gon member assistance know. In my case, they blocked my purported buyer. But . . . like weeds, they always come back using different handles. Thanks for the heads-up.
I've seen something like this on local classified listing sitess well. Besides sellers reporting these types of scams what else can be done to stop these thieves? Audiogon has all sorts of gear for sale. Some really big dollar.
Well that proves that thieves will infiltrate any medium to satisfy their unconscionable pursuit. It makes me wonder how succesful they have been with AudioGon members or if at all. The real crime here is that is will create a suspicious tone to all transactions. Hopefully you have registered a formal complaint with AudioGon so that they may determine if this person's membership should be blocked. Unfortunatly they can re-register with a new e-mail address before the membership is cancelled. Thanks for sharing.
First thing first....what was the name of the Buyer? Audiogon should be notified immediately so they can remove his Buyer status and hopefully, all future usernames coming from his email account. I know this easy to work around, but A'gon should still be notified. This is a long running scam. In a week, possible longer, the "check" will turn out to be fraudulent; the Buyer hoping you will cash him out before the ruse is discovered. Run, do not walk, to the nearest exit. Jerry
Yes, a huge scam. I had a similar thing happen to me several times with the sale of Mountain bikes. If a buyer can't meet my terms (which are always very reasonable) I don't sell to them.
I recently had such an offer from a potential buyer. Unfortunately, it appears that the professional scammers have discovered Audiogon. To avoid any such issues I typically avoid buying from sellers with no/negative feedback, and only sell if the person is willing to pay via paypal or US postal money order. It's probably unfair to new members who want to conduct legitimate deals, but I prefer to err on the side of caution.
Got a similar offer on Audiogon. Once I asked for clarification, for the entire process looked convoluted and suspicious to me, never heard back from the "buyer". I eventually got a legit offer from another buyer, for less than my asking price, but with normal paying terms and everything went to the satisfaction of both parties.
It's an old scam - just this weekend I've got several "offers" on items I have for sale here. They all have the same "tone" to them "Dear Seller" etc. Its clear that the fraudsters have no clue about what they are "buying" I of course alerted Audiogon and to their credit they acted on the tips almost immediately, by removing and presumably blocking the crooks from further actions on the site.
Its a shame that attempted fraud is becoming so prevalent here on the "new improved" Audiogpon. I for one am not impressed with it, real traffic is way down - with real - I mean folks that want to buy or sell audio whom have a real interest in it, just take a look at the forums postings are way down.
I had the same experience selling on Audiogon. The buyers audiogon name was mariecollins. I tore up the check and moved on, it had scam written all over it.
Unfortunately, this has become a very popular scam. I sold two cars in the past year, and had at least a dozen offers almost identical to the one you described.
A legitimate and professional agent (such as for a celebrity) would be the buyer and you would not know there even was a client. This is a scam to be avoided. The proposed transactional basis alone is inconsistent with best business practices.
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