Selling an item on craigslist. Something VERY VERY fishy.

[Arid]

Hey facepunch. I'm selling a bowling ball for $125.00 on craigslist, somebody emailed me about the item. But very fishy things were noticed, [B]there is a tl;dr at bottom for non investigators.[/B] Here is the first email:

[quote]
From: ERIC O'neil <[e-mail]>
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 5:27:35 PM
Subject: YOUR ITEM ON CRAIGSLIST...

Hello Seller
I am interested in your item, i need to know if it is still available for sale and in good condition, as i am okay with the price of the item and shall be making an immediate payment for the item thru Cashier Check, because that is the only method the payment can be made .

And as for the shipping i will arrange for a local pick up for the item as soon as you got the check cashed and have the full payment in your hand and the i will take care of the shipping bill .

If you are ok with all this arrangement quickly get back to me with all this informations below so that the payment can be mailed to you asap

Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zipcode:
Phone#:
Final asking price:

I awaits your response fast..........[/quote]

So that was the first email, nothing too too fishy, but it seems automated or mass-sent, doesn't it? I responded with this:
[quote]
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:01:00 -0700
From: [email][e-mail][/email]
Subject: Re: YOUR ITEM ON CRAIGSLIST....
To: [email][e-mail][/email]

Thank you for your interest. Here is my information (using my mother's name because I am not yet 18.), will I be receiving the check by mail, which bank will I (my mother) be withdrawing it from (your bank)?

Name: -censored-
Address: -censored-
City: -censored-
State: -censored-
Zipcode: -censored-
Phone#: -censored-
Final asking price: $125
[/quote]

That is what I emailed him as a response to the first letter, and he responded with this:
[quote]
From: Eric O'neil <[e-mail]>
To: [email][e-mail][/email]
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 3:13:30 AM
Subject: Can i trust you..?

Mother..

How are you doing? I hope everything is going as planned? As a matter of fact the deal is on and I will effect the payment immediately, So the payment will be delivered to you as fast as possible,and once you get it,I guess you know how to handle everything! Moreover please do not bother about any other buyer for the item cause i am highly interested in purchasing it from you but there has been a new development which I believe we can resolve based on Trust and Understanding.I will be instructing my associate whom I have supplied with some goods and has some outstanding payment to make to me, to send the payment to you, this is because I am travelling out of town tomorrow because of my wife who went on excursion trip with the school student and she is about to be deliver our baby so I have to be there to witness everything going on and I will be back very soon. but you will have to be honest with me in doing this as my balance with my associate is $3,950 who has indicated that the payment will be issue out all at once so the total payment you will receive from my associate will be $3,950.

So that when you receive the payment, You will deduct your own payment of $125 for the item and have the remaining balance of the funds send to my store keeper through western union transfer immediately after cashing the check so that my store keeper.after which my store keeper will make all necessary pick up arrangements with my shipper for the item to be picked up at your place. So when you recieve the payment I will want you to take it to your bank or any check cashing store outlets and have it cashed so as to fasting the transaction, and also deduct $100 for yourself for the running around and gas.

Please e-mail me back as soon as possible to enable me know If you will be honest with me to handle the payment the way I stated above. Thanks and have a nice day,while I await your swift response soon.Sorry for the inconviniences this might cause you[/quote]

Now, this email was very broken english and hard to understand. He just told me he wants to send me a $3950 check to cash and take out $125 as a payment for my bowling ball, and another $100 for running around to the bank and cashing it. WHAT THE FUCK? Who would trust someone with 4000 dollars?? This is where it starts getting fishy, I think he wants to make me a middle man in some type of drug payment. I responded with this:

[quote]Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:30:38 -0700
From: [email][e-mail][/email]
Subject: Re: Can i trust you..?
To: [email][e-mail][/email]

I'm sorry but I'm having trouble understanding this response.
You want me to recieve a $3950 check? Then cash it, remove my $125, then send the rest to who? Sorry, I'm just really confused. Try breaking it down a little bit, thanks.

I've also noticed that your email is .co.uk. I'm in America. [/quote]
Thats the email I tried sending to clear things up, he responded with this:

[quote]From: Eric O'neil < [email][e-mail][/email]>
To: [email][e-mail][/email]
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 3:35:44 PM
Subject: RE: Can i trust you..?

Yes i am from the USA, yes you get everything right, You will deduct 125 for your item and another 100 for your gas to send the rest to my store keeper via western union. So you will deduct 225 all together now

Thanks

Eric[/quote]
So he wants me to take 100 dollars in gas, JUST for going to the bank and sending his "storekeeper" (which I think is codename for drug dealer or something). Who the hell would do that? And notice how he says "125 for [B]your item[/B]" he has not once mentioned that it is a bowling ball. He hasn't asked any questions or for any details. Wouldn't somebody do that? I responded with this:

[quote]Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:31:33 -0700
From: [email][e-mail][/email]
Subject: Re: Can i trust you..?
To: [email][e-mail][/email]

Alright, that sounds like a plan, but won't I be needing the information of your storekeeper? [/quote]

Which is obvious, I would need the info to mail it. He responded with this:

[quote]From: Eric O'neil < [email][e-mail][/email]>
To: [email][e-mail][/email]
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 12:03:48 AM
Subject: RE: Can i trust you..?

Sure i will provide you with the store keeper information, the payment will be mail out to you first thing tomorrow morning and i will get back to you with the tracking number.

Thanks[/quote]

Uhh okay, so I presume he will send his "storekeepers" information when I recieve the check? Maybe i'm overthinking this and he is an arab that is trying to buy and re-sell my item, I dunno. I responded with this, because I did not know what he was giving me the 100 dollars for if somebody was picking up my bowling ball, because he said it was for gas and I didn't need to drive anywhere if someone is picking it up.

[quote]Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:18:15 -0700
From: [email][e-mail][/email]
Subject: Re: Can i trust you..?
To: [email][e-mail][/email]

Alright, I have one more question, where would I be driving that would require 100 dollars in gas money? [/quote]

He responded with this (in the caps, probably because he thinks I'm dense or something, I don't know.):

[quote]I GAVE YOU THE 100 FOR YOUR GAS, YOU DONT NEED TO DRIVE THAT FAR, JUST LOOK FOR THE NEAREST WESTERN UNION OUTLETS AROUND YOU, THE 100 IS YOUR GAS AND RUN AROUND.. JUST TO SHOW THE SIGN OF APPRECIATION

ERIC.[/quote]

So I responded saying sorry its late I didn't understand.

So that is our e-mail convo.

[B]TL;DR[/B]
I'm selling a bowling ball for $125. This man wants to send me a [B]$3950[/B] check, wants me to cash it, take $125 out for my item (which he never actually acknowledges as a bowling ball, just "your item"), and also $100 dollars for going up to a western union bank and sending the rest of the money to his "storekeeper." Then his storekeeper or someone, will come and pick up the bowling ball. Does that not sound fishy to you or what? Am I in the middle of some kind of overseas drug payment or something? Because this dude's email changed during our convo, the first email ever sent by him was from one email, and the rest were from another (they haven't changed since the first.) Please help, or tell me if i'm being stupid about this. Anybody ever have experience with anything of the sort??

I appreciate any opinions or thoughts.

[Deadoon]

Sounds like trying to frame you for some drug money trafficking and get some investigator off of him or something.

I actually remembered something happening similar to this like 4 years ago...

[Death0nWings]

My advice would obviously be to not do it unless you want the party van outside your door.

It's situations like these where you can sit back and think "What if?" though.

[pimp_kewkie]

Print out the e-mails, go to a police station and ask the officers about it. This guy is speaking in very broken English and wants you to jump hoops for a fucking bowling ball. Very fishy indeed.

But don't do it.

[Aries]

Trust him, sounds legit.

[Arid]

[QUOTE=pimp_kewkie;16193018]Print out the e-mails, go to a police station and ask the officers about it. This guy is speaking in very broken English and wants you to jump hoops for a fucking bowling ball. Very fishy indeed.

But don't do it.[/QUOTE]

Good idea. I might do this tomorrow.

[B]Also, the guy has my address now..[/B]

[Not1337!]

Sounds pretty legit to me

[jesseluver93]

Holy fucking shit. [B]DONT DO IT.[/B] Dont fucking deal with that. Take it to the police. Take your emails and explain [B]everything[/B] you can to them. That is way too shady for a fucking bowling ball.

[pimp_kewkie]

[QUOTE=aridpheonix;16193033]Good idea. I might do this tomorrow.

Also, the guy has my address now..[/QUOTE]

Yeah that could end up being a huge problem. If he e-mails you again don't respond. Make sure you tell the police he has your information.

[Zeke129]

Here's what he's trying to do. You'll deposit the check, and the bank will put a hold on it. (ie, you won't be able to access the funds immediately) They figure you will be dumb and withdraw the extra from your account and send it to him, finding out a week later the check couldn't go through.

This works because the money will appear to be in your account as soon as you show the bank the check, but you won't actually be able to access it.

Also, the fee for a bounced/fake check will be your responsibility.

[Arid]

I'm basically fucked. The guy said he's sending the check tomorrow, what should I do? My mom is going to kill me, she's going to fucking kill me. I'm going to go to the police station with a printout of the emails, and when I recieve the check, I'm going to take it to the police too. Is this the best thing to do? I'm too afraid to tell this guy that I want to pull out on the deal.

[pimp_kewkie]

[QUOTE=aridpheonix;16193131]I'm basically fucked. The guy said he's sending the check tomorrow, what should I do? My mom is going to kill me, she's going to fucking kill me. I'm going to go to the police station with a printout of the emails, and when I recieve the check, I'm going to take it to the police too. Is this the best thing to do? I'm too afraid to tell this guy that I want to pull out on the deal.[/QUOTE]

Well, get to the police before he gets to you. Once that happens the police will be with you the enitre time.

To be honest I would have pulled out right when he started talking about that check shit.

[trutelz]

1. take $3950 check
2. cash it
3. dont email him back
4. buy something nice

[Arid]

Damn. You guys are right. FUCK. I fucked up bad. Really fucking bad.

[damian001]

OP, this is what happens. He sends you a check for $4000. You deposit it. Then you send like $3700 to the guy. Then the bank declines the check you deposited, but you've still lost that $3700.

And he's never going to pick up that bowling ball either. It's a Nigerian scam.

[DeadMollusk]

What the actual fuck?

[Arid]

[QUOTE=damian001;16193182]OP, this is what happens. He sends you a check for $4000. You deposit it. Then you send like $3700 to the guy. Then the bank declines the check you deposited, but you've still lost that $3700.

And he's never going to pick up that bowling ball either. It's a Nigerian scam.[/QUOTE]

That's exactly what I'm hoping. That they are way the fuck over in Nigeria and if i just give the check to the police they will forget about it.

[Zeke129]

[QUOTE=damian001;16193182]OP, this is what happens. He sends you a check for $4000. You deposit it. Then you send like $3700 to the guy. Then the bank declines the check you deposited, but you've still lost that $3700.

And he's never going to pick up that bowling ball either. It's a Nigerian scam.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I pretty much said those exact words already.

OP, if you want to get clever, scambait the fucker. Play along and post updates. We'll help you out. Or go to the cops, that works too.

[Slayer3032]

Do a Return to Sender on the check and send him an email saying sorry but a close friend of mine wanted it more.

This is a scam.

[url]http://www.google.com/search?q=check+cashing+scam[/url]

[pimp_kewkie]

[QUOTE=aridpheonix;16193170]Damn. You guys are right. FUCK. I fucked up bad. Really fucking bad.[/QUOTE]

Wake up as early as you can tomorrow and go straight to the police about it.

That's all the help I can give you man. Just ignore the guy untill you contact the police.

[yuki]

Call the feds and get it checked out. You could help them with a sting operation.
That's vastly cooler than selling a bowling ball.

[pimp_kewkie]

[QUOTE=slayer3032;16193205]Do a Return to Sender on the check and send him an email saying sorry but a close friend of mine wanted it more.

This is a scam.

[url]http://www.google.com/search?q=check+cashing+scam[/url][/QUOTE]

Wow that's sweet. Good job. (no sarcasm.)

[damian001]

Oh wait. I just forgot the associate. He's actually from here your place and knows he'll be scamming you. Bust that store associate dude before he gets to you.

[Zeke129]

[QUOTE=aridpheonix;16193170]Damn. You guys are right. FUCK. I fucked up bad. Really fucking bad.[/QUOTE]

You didn't fuck anything up, I don't know why you think this.

Throw the check in the trash if you're that concerned, it won't be real anyway.

[pimp_kewkie]

OP check this site out.

[url]http://fakechecks.org/[/url]

[Big.Boss]

[B]Don't be a pussy, he seems legit.[/B]

In all seriousness though,

I'd have cut and run when he started talking about the $4k check.

[Bengley]

This happened to me once about 2 years ago. Just tear the cheque up, email him saying you have torn the cheque up because you realised it's a scam and you will hear nothing more of him

Also, it's a genuine cheque but basically he doesn't have any money in the account it is linked to, so he's giving you a cheque to an account with no money in it.

[decilling]

really fuck with this guy, He is trying to get you to deposit his fake check and then send him 3700 of your money as the change. lead him on a long as you can and do not give him anything

[FunnyBunny]

Reverse scam him.

[Arid]

I got the IP from the email and traced it to Kansas.