e-bay scam
Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 9:03 am
Hello fellow forum members, only motoring related as I was selling my car.
I've heard of this before, but from my conversation with a nice lady from west mercia police today, three people have fallen for this in the last fortnight in her area, so perhaps worth reminding people.
I advertised my old beemer on ebay, gave the usual stuff, only uk bidders, less than 10 feedback, contact me first etc.
A Canadian redgistered user with zero feedback used the buy it now button, has sent me a load of broken english e-mails, and today a cheque arrived.
The cheque was of course for more than the amount of the car sale, and I was to pass the difference onto the "shipper", the cheque itself was issued against a Welsh company, but sent from a French speaking African country, the cheque was dated two days after the letter was posted, but otherwise looked very good.
I contacted west mercia police, they seemed uninterested, so I contacted Barclays bank ( it was drawn on a barclays account), the advice of the stupid lady at barclays head office in london ?..........bank it, see what happens !
A WPC from West Mercia contacted me this evening, and she was very interested, and now has all the e-mails, the cheque, envelope , Canadian address,etc
She says the Police are losing patience with the banks, apparently they often give this advice when contacted, then moan about the scammers.
I can't believe people can be so dim as to fall for this, you will lose your car, and end up owing the bank the entire sum on the cheque ( I'm not sure how the banks get away with this, must be some loophole somewhere, as once its cleared, I'd regard it as their problem).
I've heard of this before, but from my conversation with a nice lady from west mercia police today, three people have fallen for this in the last fortnight in her area, so perhaps worth reminding people.
I advertised my old beemer on ebay, gave the usual stuff, only uk bidders, less than 10 feedback, contact me first etc.
A Canadian redgistered user with zero feedback used the buy it now button, has sent me a load of broken english e-mails, and today a cheque arrived.
The cheque was of course for more than the amount of the car sale, and I was to pass the difference onto the "shipper", the cheque itself was issued against a Welsh company, but sent from a French speaking African country, the cheque was dated two days after the letter was posted, but otherwise looked very good.
I contacted west mercia police, they seemed uninterested, so I contacted Barclays bank ( it was drawn on a barclays account), the advice of the stupid lady at barclays head office in london ?..........bank it, see what happens !
A WPC from West Mercia contacted me this evening, and she was very interested, and now has all the e-mails, the cheque, envelope , Canadian address,etc
She says the Police are losing patience with the banks, apparently they often give this advice when contacted, then moan about the scammers.
I can't believe people can be so dim as to fall for this, you will lose your car, and end up owing the bank the entire sum on the cheque ( I'm not sure how the banks get away with this, must be some loophole somewhere, as once its cleared, I'd regard it as their problem).