Is this an eBay scam? I am selling a laptop.
 

Hi,
I am Dr.LUCAS BENT.Regarding the advert you placed on ebay, which I happen to be very much interested in and I would like to purchase the item for $2800.00 US DOLLARS plus cost of shipping.I want you to get back to me if this offer is okay with you,i want shipment through Global Express Mail Delivery moreover the package will be shipped to my son in Nigeria who is attending an exchange programme there.
The item is meant to be a Birthday present.I would have sent it myself but i am out of town for An AID'S/ HIV CAMPAIGN RESEARCH.I will pay you through MoneyGram International.Reply me with your email address and also i need your Name, contact Address,Telephone # and e-mail address to make payment for the item as soon as possible.I also have a hotmail address ([email protected]) You can add me to your chatting list so we can chat later.
Thank you

Something about this msg I got this morning dont seem right.

nigeria = bad

I'd say go with your gut feeling.. Too many red flags for me.. :)

Yeah I dont even know what a MoneyGram is. I mean if I have the money in hand im happy and I will ship it anywhere in the world.

Even if its NOT a scam, that laptop will likely be used for evil anyway. LOL

tell him to send u the money first.
OTHERWISE, stay clear of it! It sounds like a scam to me.

HAHA.. I could care less at this point

looks like a scam 2 me

i wouldnt send plauge to nigera

A laptop for 2800? What are you selling?

What's his feeback rating on eBay?

It's a scam! 100% sure

Yes this is a scam. Don't fall for it.

it's a scam, the money order will be fake.

it has scam written all over it...

Yeah I guess my gut feeling was right.. thanks guys.

Scam.

He's trying to rush the deal by using a deadline (birthday), so you have less time to analyse and decline. His affiliation with aids research and supposed Dr. title is intended to make him seem intelligent, educated, and philanthropic, and therefore trust-worthy. To top it off he wants moneygram and is using a hotmaile address.

Unless I missed your sarcasm, I would say either ignore him or have him pay via paypal (the norm).

Yeah I have heard of this "moneygram" stuff. It's obvious a scam as he is offering you like an extra 30% expecting you to jump ahead with the deal and not think.

Fuck that. I wouldn't do anything with Nigeria

Without a doubt, it is a scam. There are ton's of Powerseller's on eBay who regularly post these type's of e-mail's on the PS board. Sometimes there's a variation on who the laptop is for (niece, nephew, daughter, son, etc.), but the end result will be the same.

If you sell high-end electronics on eBay, here is a tip. Set your auction up for IPR (Immediate Payment Required) through PayPal. It will potentially save you some money in re-listing fee's and will hopefully weed out potential scammer's.

Tell him you've sent it to him.

Your feedback could do with some improvement!

And be sure to add this guy to your Blocked Bidder's List so be won't mess with your auction. Those that try to pull the Nigerian Scam are famous for doing a BIN, which could cost your $ in re-listing fee's if your item doesn't sell a second time.

hahaha scam scam scam

Damn right they got me like that :mad:

Definately a scam. He's come out ofthe blue and offered 800 more than your asking price, capitalized key points to make his name, what he's involved with and the dollar amount seem important. His son is in Nigeria on an exchange program. Ask him where.

One would think, if the good Doctor is involved in AIDS research, he'd know enough not to spell the word with an apostrophe:1orglaugh

100% scam without doubt.

I received almost an identical email last fall after advertising a pickup truck for sale.

It reeked of scam and after diggin' around online we found a forum with hundreds of others who'd received similiar bogus offers.

The bad english is the trademark.

DON'T follow through on anything with these fraudsters!

http://www.tgpwiz.com/hh/ebay.jpg


wtf ^^^ is this who I think he is?

tell us the juicy details, otherwise I'll have to start a new threadf later on when I'm bored ;)

If you are the seller dont you always collect the money first ????:helpme

How about this
When you get the moneygram and you take it to the bank to cash it - do not let them just cash it have them run it thru the machines they have to verify if it is legit or not.

I might add - Moneygram actually IS a legit form of payment, its similiar to Western Union. We took payments through Moneygram from Capital One credit card holders all the time.

Regardless, its still a scam. A detective on our local fraud squad told me the fraud ring operates primarily out of Amsterdam.

Well, MoneyGram cant be charged back IIRC, thats why eBay dosent want anyone using it, so I dont see how you could get screwed. But, like another poster said, make him pay first. Otherwise, steer clear.

ummm yeah its a scam.

No.

Don't even take it to a bank. It could be taken as attempting to pass a fraudulent document and you could potentially be charged. If the bank wanted to get sticky about things, they could place the responsibility on you to prove that you didn't create the document yourself.

We were advised of this by local detectives last fall.

Best move is simply not respond to the email. Delete it. Trash anything they might send you.

ask for money in advance

Yep that is the scam here, fake money order.
They had it on the local news here about this exact type of scam.

Dude, mess with the guy, i saw a website not long ago where the guy shipped a box that was weighted for the person to think it was a laptop and forced the dude in nigeria to pay DUTY tax, ofcourse he marked up the value like 3500 USD.. and when he opend it, it was a laptop made of silly putty.

Yeah I heard of a girl that saved up her money and bought a plasma screen on eBay and all she got were a pile of books.

From now on I open the box before the FedEx guy leaves.