Suggestions for dealing with a scam

Triathlon Forum
1

I’m selling my Yaqui Mariola frameset and have advertised it in a few places (Slowtwitch classifieds, roadbikereview.com, RBM). I received the following message this morning:

I came accros ur ads and am highly intrested in buying it from u.

I will want to know if u still have it for sale and if its still for sale.

Really i went through the deytails u illustrated on the web which am really ok with it but i will really be glad if u could give me any more details which is not included on the web.

Will want u to give me more details on it.And pls get back to me with ur mode of payment.

I responded that the frame was still available and that I would prefer a money order or cashier’s check. Here’s the next response I received…

Thanks soo much for the mail and yea am really happy and glad reading from u and cos the Yaqui Mariola tri/TT frameset is still available.Yea as i did made mention in my email i sent to u that i read through the ad and am really ok with it but i could not make any call right now due to that i dont have the paermit to a long distand call but i promise u that once we conclude on everything i dont mind to ask my husband to locate a near by local pay phone station to give ua call,i only want to know if there is other details which u did not include in the ads.But with the one u have mailed me now am really ok and satisfied with it. All the same i will want u to pls email me with pics and if u can not get then u dont need to worry.Really just to let u know that as for the payment,i will be paying with a Certified Cashiers Cheque drawn from a local bank in US and as for the shipping i will handle that myself by contacting my international shipping agent to really handle that for me. Really I am Canadian as u can see from my email. But presently based in Oslo Norway were i work as a Minner.As for the price am really ok with that $925 If u are ok with me then u can mail me back and let us conclude on everything today. Thanks soo much.
Other than the obvious approach of simply ignoring these messages, do you have any suggestions for how I can have some fun with this? Thanks.

2

Since you know it is a scam, I don’thave to tell you about the fraudulant check that they’re going to send. You could go ahead and let them send it, but you’d want the local authorities in on it before you do (so they can trace the people down before hand if possible). No matter what happens, do NOT send the bike.

Okay, other than that, I would call them on what you suspect is going to happen and see what their reaction is (I suspect their reaction will be to just drop off the face of the earth).

3

vell cince u asqed…

i’m sure you failed to mention:

you have an inside line on a warehouse full of those things and what a sweet deal you could work out with this Minner lady.

oh yeah…don’t forget to mention *your *international shipping agent also offers a special deal on multiple deliveries but you need an actual mailing address for them to work out a package proposal.

what about Krugerrands in advance, in place of a cashier’s check??? those are easier to deal with going over the border.

and if she has any friends who want to party…