WARINING (PSA): unusual replies to HP classifieds Message #1 Posted by Mike on 3 Jan 2005, 1:58 p.m.
Just curious, if others have received these type emails in replies to ads on HP classified site. I have received two (2 more since composing this) very nearly identical emails expressing interest in one of my HP classified ads.
Here was the most recent:
Quote: hello seller,
I am XXXXX (name omitted) by name am from YYYYY (location omitted) and am a very good business man, i came accros your ads and am evry much interedted in buying it and i will also like to know if it is still for sale or not and i will also wanna know the last price and also wanna see the picx and my mode of payment will be by a cashier check okay hope to hear from
you soon....
regards
Both emails had identical subjects: interested in your... (HP Museum Ad title was here)
What is suspicious about them?
nearly identical content.
Have the last line as "Powered by outblaze"
Have an apparently scanned subject line.
Begin "Dear seller" rather than by name.
In the case of my ad, it was for a "Huge lot" of many different things but was referred to as "it" in both emails. Both emails arrived at nearly the same time. Had a third a couple of days ago that was also identical.
While the questions asked might seem appropriate, the timing of these two, the nearly identical content, the same ending line, the fact that they reference "it" instead of recognizing it was a lot, make me a bit suspicious about the replies. Anyway, I thought I'd just ask others.
And it just gets stranger
I have just received a 4th reply. This one really looks strange. All 4 of these were from foreign solicitators. Here is that content
Quote: Hello,
How are you today , am very much interested in buying the ZZZZ (item deleted; cost $200) , to hasten up this transaction and to make it easier there is an associte of mine in uk who i will
instruct to issue out payment to you immediately.i had a dicussion with not quit long, of what i am about to buy from you . he has agreed to issuing you a MONEY
ORDER CHECK ,i will instruct him to issue out the check in your name, so a total check of ($4,500) will be send to you because this is the total money i need from him .pls after the payment is in your possesion you will faithfully deduct your own part of it.More so i have discuss this transaction with my SOLICITOR and he told me that i should not be AFRAID , I don't know if I can ENTRUST YOU with my balance after you have deducted your own part of it ,the balance will be sent to my shipper for the pick-up of the bus i bougth from you and with the other goods i bougth from MR TTTT (name deleted) in Sweden . I have informed my transporter(shipper) of my intension to buy this from someone inUS .pls let me know if you are okay with my method of pay can forward it to my client to issue out payment to you as soon as possible
WARNING: These might be perfectly legit but sending $4500 to someone for a $200 item sounds like a potential scam. I have declined such offers but will let you know of any followups.
Anyone else experience this? (4 offers in a couple of days, all from foreign bidders wanting to pay by certified checks, with the same ending line in their emails.) I'm not normally this suspicious but 4 nearly identical emails from four foreign buyers is a bit of a coincidence, don't you think?
NOTICE: Be very careful about accepting any form of checks, especially from foreign buyers. There is no way to verify checks. You may wind up sending items and later find out that these supposedly certified cashier's checks were bad.
Apologies to anyone that might have sent me a legitimate request that was similar to these.
Edited: 3 Jan 2005, 3:03 p.m. after one or more responses were posted
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