Re: Paranoid: Here is a scary auction
Message #1 Posted by Ernie Malaga on 25 June 2003, 1:04 a.m.
Mike:
Quote:
What do you think? Anyone here know this seller?
Imagine the following scenario. You see a guy having dinner at a fancy restaurant. When the waiter brings the check, the customer pays with a credit card. The waiter takes it away and brings it back for signature. The guy promptly shreds the carbon paper to a million pieces.
What he doesn't know is that the waiter may have copied the credit card number, date of expiration, and even the 3-digit security code from the back.
It's happened many times before, and will keep on happening. No credit card purchase is 100% safe, whether done in person, on the phone, or via the internet.
Now, I would be _especially_ suspicious about any such purchase if the seller is in Africa. Justified or not justified, Africa has gained a bad reputation, as you mentioned. It's always the good guy who pays for the sins of the bad one. Maybe the whole thing is as legitimate as it can be, but the problem is that you can't be certain.
Offer to pay with an international money order instead. If this is rejected, it is almost certain that it's a scam.
-Ernie
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