Another Scam

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

For a few months now I have been trying to sell a Drytex dust extractor via both HomeWorkshop and eBay with no luck so I was happy to receive this email from a Jeff Johnson:

Hello,

Good day to you.Am interested in your Advert and would like to know the reason you are selling it..Mind you,i will be responsible for the pick-up of it at your locations okay. Kindly leave me your mobile number.

Regards

In my immediate enthusiasm to sell I responded with the following:

Jeff, Good Afternoon!

Thank you for contacting me regarding the dust extractor. The reason for selling is that I bought it partly out of ignorance at least 20 years ago intending it to be used with a Jones & Shipman cylindrical grinder that I had acquired. What I did not realise at the time was that I didn't really need an extractor for this type of grinder so it has stood in my garage unused, collecting dust you might say, ever since.

I have tested it on a rotary converter and it appears to run perfectly well and I can demonstrate this to you. My contact number is 07799 xxxxxx and being retired I am available at most times and days.

Again, Thank You,

Rs.,

Chris Crew.

It then struck me that the English in the email was appalling and why would someone need to know the reason I was selling? I then smelled a rat and decided that this was going to be scam and should have been ignored. Sure enough, the following response was received this morning:

Hello,

Good to hear from you.I can confirm am satisfied with the price and am willing to buy from you okay.Firstly,i will like you to be aware i will be paying you via cheque rightnow and i do have a removal agent that we be doing the pick-up arrangements for me as soon as you have confirm the cheque payment clear in your account so you don't need to bother yourself about sending it okay.So i urge you to send me your details below:

Name on the cheque

Home Address

Postal Code

Mobile and Landlines

All the details required so that the cheque payment can be issue out to you and get delivered to your letterbox by Tues/Wed okay.So as soon as you have confirm the cheque payment,get it deposited into your account and speak with your bank about Negotiation so the money can be made available to your account within 3-5 working days and will be responsible for any charges incurred during this process okay.So as soon as you have confirm the money available to your account,get back to me immediately so that my removal agent can start necessary pick-up arrangements at your location okay.It's my pleasure doing business with you.Hope to read from you soon with your details.

I will wait till it's credited to your account before the pick-up arrangements can commence okay.

Regards…

Jeff

These scumbags must think I came down with the last shower and I am only sorry that I was stupid enough not to realise the initial email was bogus, but at least I only revealed my mobile number. I am fairly certain they must have got my email address off HomeWorkshop as contact via eBay is done through that site.

So stay alert and try to be a bit sharper than I was initially. (BTW, the extractor is still here for sale if any may be interested).

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

[vic neweyParticipant @vicnewey60017]

I wonder how they would have continued if you had given them your address, probably turn up and argue on the doorstep that you have been paid.

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

This is a old one. It predates online market places like ebay. It used the prined autotrader and the like to identify marks.
They will end up "overpaying" you the transport agent fee and askig you to pay it in cash to the collection agent. Later the cheque is rejected by the bank and you are out the item and the cash fee.
A friend of mine had one on used car. it was identified early so police were involved nd it was worked through and resulted in prosecutions. They were even using stolen company cheques.

It's a bit differnent from the common bank details theft of today so maybe people are fallling for it again.

Robert G8RPI.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Chris Crewe:

I have a comment about this and will PM you.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

So they are going to send a cheque to a town they probably don't know. Just give them the name of the chief Constable and address of the police station so they can do the fingerprint check straight off.

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

Posted by Bazyle on 22/01/2022 21:35:16:

So they are going to send a cheque to a town they probably don't know. Just give them the name of the chief Constable and address of the police station so they can do the fingerprint check straight off.

No, the emails have been deleted in short order, I wouldn't give them the satisfaction, or take the risk, of another response. Anyway, I have finished with cheques now as it's at least a 20 mile round trip to the nearest bank for me and even that one is closing in May.

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

I feel rather ashamed of a silly mistake recently. Out of the blue I got an email saying I'm a 26 year-old, how old are you, Baby?

Like a fool I couldn't resist replying with, Far too old for you, stopped being hormone driven a long time ago.

Of course, I have since received umpteen saucy emails offering all sorts of sexual excitements. My security even picked up one and put up a red danger notice.

I expect that a positive response from me would have quickly led to being asked to make payment then theft of banking details – no way!

Wonder how the first email arrived as I don't do porn or any other dodgy sites.

Just deleting them all, hope they get tired of it.

If not, I have another (legal) way to eliminate the problem which I have no intention of revealing.

One lives and learns.

Edited By DMB on 22/01/2022 22:19:03

[lfoggyParticipant @lfoggy]

I have finished with cheques now as it's at least a 20 mile round trip to the nearest bank for me and even that one is closing in May.

You can actually pay in a cheque now using your smart phone without leaving home !

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

You can pay in bank cheques at the nearest Post Office too.

Andrew.

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

Posted by lfoggy on 02/02/2022 17:22:54:

I have finished with cheques now as it's at least a 20 mile round trip to the nearest bank for me and even that one is closing in May.

You can actually pay in a cheque now using your smart phone without leaving home !

Very handy being able to that. I have used the facilty many times.

regards

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

Ifoggy, I have all but finished with bits of paper these days, but I am afraid you can't pay cheques into TSB as their online banking facility doesn't support it, or at least it didn't up to a couple of years ago when I enquired in a branch. There is no facility on the TSB online banking site that I can see to allow you to do this although I know some online banks do have this facility.

Andrew, we lost the village Post Office about three years ago with a small PO counter opening in the village shop to replace it. Sadly, it now looks like this is also due for closure unless someone can be found to take it on rather than convert the premises into residential accommodation. To digress slightly, the village tea room is up for sale too, probably to be converted into living accommodation and I don't give the village pub much longer either given the owner's (a very rich absentee business family) propensity to put clueless young people, IMO, in it as managers who have progressively run the business into the ground by treating customers as a nuisance. I know this village is not unique in losing its local amenities and public transport links. It is the way of the world these days.

 

Edited By Chris Crew on 02/02/2022 19:32:51

[Anonymous]

Posted by Chris Crew on 02/02/2022 19:31:45:

……., but I am afraid you can't pay cheques into TSB as their online banking facility doesn't support it, or at least it didn't up to a couple of years ago when I enquired in a branch.

If it's a couple of years since you enquired (and if you are interested), I'd enquire again. A lot has happened in two years. Or look for an appropriate app on your phone/pad.

It's become very common these days (at least on this side of the pond and I can't believe it's different in the UK) and I'm sure TSB must be onboard.

[SteambuffParticipant @steambuff]

I'm afraid not …. You can't pay a cheque into your TSB account through their app …..

[Anonymous]

I have to admit that I don't often receive a cheque to pay in these days and I presume it's the same for others so perhaps the TSB considers the potential volume isn't worth the effort. (And/or perhaps they want to promote direct deposit rather than cheques).

(Now that I think about it, the only cheque that I pay in these days is a monthly Provincial tax rebate for 30 some odd dollars. One of those tax rebates that probably costs 3 times what the cheque is worth to process and leaves you wondering why they didn't just tax you less in the first place).

Edited By Peter Greene 🇨🇦 on 03/02/2022 01:38:12

[RobinParticipant @robin]

Anyone who posts on my FaceBook page gets a one word reply from the delectable Sophia Smith.

I think she is a bot but I don't know how to remove her

[Author]

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