Solved: TEXT ME SCAM buyer willing to pay if you text them...

[taojessy]

Beware of this scam. I was wondering how it worked, and so I took the time to reply to a scammer and find out.

"I would like to purchase (your expensive listing) for the full asking price. Just text my number at 916-xxx-xxx with the eBay item number only".  So I did. I gave them information that can be easily obtained from a phone book or a simple Google search. My name, address, they already had my phone number. So I'm not worried about identity theft. They sent a check to me in the mail. The check was for more than $5,000, almost double what I was asking for my listing. They asked me to deposit the check through an app and no need to go to the bank. After I deposit the check I would pay half the money to a "mover" who would come pick up the item I was selling plus the "moving fee". I heard that if you deposit a check online it will take a couple of days to clear and in that time the scammer would push me to give me the money and item. So I thought if I just cash the check and the bank doesn't turn me away and actually cashes the check and gave me the Benjamins I would be fine. 

But no. After doing some Googling, I find out that FAKE CHECKS are a thing. And that you can cash the check, but it will be several weeks to SEVERAL MONTHS before the bank realizes the check is fake, and then hold YOU accountable for it since YOU cashed the check. They will put a black mark on your record and ask you to PAY THE MONEY BACK TO THE BANK. 

Thankfully I didn't cash the check. But I had no idea fake checks were a thing that banks would not take responsibility for if they cash them and instead hold you, the bank customer, accountable rather than the entity that issued the check! Terrible. 

But just a warning to watch out for fake checks, and don't respond to those "I'll buy your item if you text me" scams. 

[dhbookds]

Just a general warning.............if anyone offers you more than you are asking for something..........it's  a scam.......

[bonjourami]

So you think your bank should be responsible for the bad check you might pass? Ok.

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

You didn't know that "fake checks were a thing"??? And you had to " Google that"? Ok, ahh you don't get out much do you?

[southern*sweet*tea]

These fake check scams have been around long before the internet, and yes, if you deposit or cash one and it is eventually found to be fake, YOU will be held responsible for the funds, because the perps use fake names and will be long, long gone by the time the fraud is discovered.

People are expected to use common sense when conducting business transactions.  There is no legitimate reason on this planet why someone would pay double the asking price of the item.

[jayjaspersgarage]

Unfortunately many people are so desperate that they would fall victim to all sorts of bank fraud these days.  I have heard of all types of schemes people use to steal from others'.  I appreciate the original post because it might prevent a young person from making a big mistake.  

I wouldn't shame someone for not knowing everything as life is complicated.  Compassion is the solution to many evils.  

Of course if someone watches the movie "Catch Me If You Can" they would understand how fake checks are made.

[smileytown18]

General: Once you show these guys you may be the type to fall for these things (by actually responding), I'll assume they'll keep trying. I wouldn't even start!

Be careful & be safe!

[rschissler]

Glad you caught it in time.  You should never need to text or email someone, to complete a transaction on ebay. That's an immediate red flag.

[wesk_36]

East West Bank

 has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation...

Any information you have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of"

[shipscript · Accepted solution]

@taojessy 

Thank you for taking the time to both pursue the scam and then to provide a full report to help others.

I am also one who will string along a scammer to see where it goes. The key when playing that game is to make sure you have no exposure.

Stolen card scams

On one of my sites that deals with corporate purchase orders, I frequently receive emails "I would like to buy some things, do you accept credit cards," so I know right there that a scam is brewing, and normally I delete. But, many years ago, I had a little time on my hands and felt like taking one for a ride. Sure, I said, what do you want, and provide your card. The scammer had a "shipping company" with one of those free, throw-away, email addresses all set up to accept the goods, and I was to pay that company from the card proceeds.  With a card number in hand, I emailed back the next day that the card limit was insufficient and could he provide another card for the balance. The following day, I told him the second card was declined, could he provide a third (I knew he would have a stack of numbers). With three in hand, I called the card company and reported them stolen (we had a nice conversation about how those newly issued cards had probably not even made it to the owners).  Banks of card numbers are sold to scammers in other countries who must hurry and use all those numbers before the theft is discovered. Thus, my scammer was anxious to get the deal done and could practically taste the rewards of his first card scam.  After stringing him along for a couple of weeks with various "difficulties", I had to get back to busy work and abandoned the game. A month later, he contacted me to get it going again, and I sensed pleading in the message. Too bad.

eBay Car Scams

We see car scams every day on the forums. Scammers list on Craigslist and other sites, and, when contacted, tell the buyer that eBay will handle all the details of the sale. From there, the victim provides personal info and the scammers make up a pretty invoice page that has eBay logos on it. 

One day a potential victim posted a picture of that invoice on the forums, so I phoned the "eBay financial department" number listed on the fake invoice.  It was answered by a very smooth east-euro accented man who was highly skilled in banking. First, he asked me to verify I was the person to whom the letter was sent, which I could repeat off the face of the letter along with the transaction number (I suspect they get a lot of calls from third parties sniffing around).

I asked a number of questions, acting confused, starting off with why the phone number I called was not in the same state as the "financial dept" on the invoice, and I thought eBay's HQ was in San Jose, and continuing down a complete list of "I don't get why nothing matches".  The scammer was able to easily recover from all of those by making up reasons, many that I knew to be wrong.

Normally, the victim is to call from a bank so that this scammer can give the wire transfer details to the teller. I said I was still a bit hesitant, so no, I wasn't yet at the bank. Responding to my concern about a wire transfer, he calmly walked me through the process, assuring me that it is safe and common. The conversation lasted perhaps 20 minutes as we plowed through the assurances, and the scammer was patient, professional, and willing to allow as much time as needed. The final step was to have the "banking dept" phone me back at the number on the invoice. That's where I had to say no, I was really not ready for this.

The takeaway from that call is that some of these guys are running an extremely smooth and sophisticated operation, and it is easy to see why victims fall into the trap.

The gift card version of this scam is a little different and potential victims find it easier to question buying a car with gift cards, but that scam also has plenty of victims.

Wrong Number Scam

Scammers and opportunists buy up all of the toll free numbers that are juxtapositions of popular phone numbers (DMV, VA, SocSec, Banks, eBay, etc). We've seen reports on the forums of people phoning eBay support, to be asked for a credit card.  What has happened, is that the victim has misdialed and reached a site that harvests monthly subscriptions against credit cards. I filed a report with the FCC a few years ago about this scam because I was receiving all the rejected calls.

The way the scam works, when the victim misdials, they may reach a recording that might offer a cruise or time-share opportunity, or some subscription, while on hold. When a human answers, the victom is asked for personal information and a card number.  Those victims who are phoning their bank or card company, or questioning a bill, might easily give up this info, and then a small recurring charge appears on their card.

If the victim declines to provide a card, or demands to speak to someone, the caller is directed to dial a number that just happens to be my number (if the victim misdials or forgets to include the area code - and if they misdialed the initial number, it is highly likely they'll misdial the second number).  So, for several years, I received a lot of "customer support" calls from irate customers complaining about whatever their original issue might have been. I haven't received any of those in the past 2 years, so FCC did something about redirecting, but the system is still in place because we still see complaints here on eBay.

[bargainnation]

Thank you for posting this. Sadly, there are still people that will continue to fall victims to these scammers because they don't know any better; they need money and ignore the old adage that if it sounds too good to be true it is or they are blinded by greed.

I feel sorry for the elderly who fall for these scams  especially if they have limited income to begin with.

[dbfolks166mt]

I actually had one of these related to a Craigslist posting. I was quite aware of the scam when I received the note from the buyer. Contacted law enforcement followed through with the cashiers check deposit and law enforcement was here when they came to pickup the item. Arrested both individuals and that is the last I saw of them, of course the check did not clear and I still had my item. 

[soh.maryl]

Uh, just for your enlightenment, it is not just the elderly who fall for these scams.  Gullibility has no particular age range.

[chapeau-noir]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Uh, just for your enlightenment, it is not just the elderly who fall for these scams.  Gullibility has no particular age range.

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So true!  It's funny that as soon as I turned 65 I started getting all of these scam calls and people offering to fix my computer over the phone, etc..  I'm not sure they realise that people in my generation built the internet. 

[backroomnoir]

Fake checks have been a thing since checks were invented.  You should probably change my checking account number, since you attempted to cash the check.  

But never respond to a buyer who asks you to contact them outside of eBay, it's always a scam.