SCAM Alert

[chriskoz]

Watch out for this prick. Here is the note I posted on ADVRider.

I have had my truck on Craigs List and got a bite. Below are the correspondence I have gotten from a Mike Ballard. It seemed a little fishy and is getting more so. At this point I am trying to minimize my exposure. I would appreciate it if someone could let me know WTF this guy is trying to do. The truck is only $800 so there must be something else this guys want from me other than my gorgeously beat up F150.
Thanks


Hello,
Thanks for your reply concerning my inquiry,am quite comfortable with the condition of the item since i won't be making any repairs on it,i will add extral $ 30 to your asking price for keeping it for me. I am paying by Check . It will take few days for payment to get to you. As per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment has been received by you. Kindly reply with your details on where the Payment should be send to. I will let you know how i intend to pick it up.
Here is the information needed for the payment below.
(1) Full Names
(2) Mailing address, No P.O.Box Please
(3) Your direct Telephone Numbers(Home or Office and Cell)
Note:
As soon as you have your money in hand we can talk about the picking up of the item ok. I would like you to take the posting off craigslist today.

I sent him my address but did not take listing off. Can he do something with information already provided? I also asked him to call me and he said he was deaf. Then I got this:

Hi,
How is your day going? i hope you are fine and alright.I just want to inform you that the payment has been mailed out and there is something i think i must bring to your notice. After a reconciliation of my account, i discovered that somehow my assistant has over paid you. The payment that was meant for another transaction was sent to you and the one meant for you was sent to another, however i want to believe i wont have a problem with you.All you have to do is to cash the Check at your bank when you receive it get your required amount and send the balance to the shipping company.It is the policy of the shipping company to recieve payment before going for any pickup.You have to please bear with me as it is the best i can do in this transaction.The shipping company will contact you in good time.Please feel free to ask me questions. the payment will arrive this week.
Regards.

I told him I would NOT deal with anyone on his behalf and his assistant could contact me.
I am pretty sure this guy is a scammer, now I am just trying to figure out his game and if I gave him something I should not have, and of course what should my next course of action be.

[Grady]

This is a common scam. What he is doing is trying to get you to deposit his check and then send the "extra" money to the "shipper". He is hoping you will send the money to the shipper before his check fully clears. That way you use your own money to forward to the "shipper" before his check bounces. He has no intention of actually acquiring you truck, just your money. Usually in most of the emails from these people they use a generic form, they usually never state exactly what it is your selling. They usually use words like vehicle, item, or product. That way they can send out hundreds of the same email to every add, and then wait for a bite. If you respond to him tell him that you are going to wait until your bank says his check has cleared, before sending any money to the shipper and see what he says then. There really isn't anything harmful he can do with the information you gave him, he probably is not even in this country and the check will be from a foreign bank.