I recently had a kayak listed for sale in the classifieds and was contacted by a guy that turned out to be a scammer. He sent us a check for the kayak that was way over the amount agreed on, he told us to send a portion to his shipper and we can keep the rest until he was ready for it to be sent. Took it to the bank, but it seemed a little shady so we waited to see if the money cleared…DO NOT send these people money even if the bank says the check cleared, the bank came back a week later and said the check was indeed fake. I did some research and found that many people have lost money this way because they send the money out to the “shipper”, and then the bank comes back later to say the check was fake and the person has to pay that money back. Thankfully, we did not send money. I want to help other people avoid this as well so here is the information that we had, he may change it but here you go:
Name: Robert says he is from Florida
Phone # (352) 403-1716
email: rpocala4@gmail.com
Déjà vu.
The way over the amount is a flag…
They’re hoping for that sucker born every day.
Hmmm. Going to be selling a boat soon. Think I’ll set it up as a cash sale, with the transaction to take place in front of the sheriff’s department so they can check for counterfeit bills.
Someone tried this on when I was selling a kayak on gumtree. They asked if they could overpay to cover the cost of shipping. I thought it was suspect so I had a look on Google. Really common scam.
Cash talks, BS walks.
I just had the same experience with him, but called it off before the check arrived because it seemed sketchy. I hadn’t seen your post then; I just found it by googling his phone number.
That’s a common scam with ANY item for sale – it’s been around for years, probably as long as there has been a Craigslist. I get such offers nearly every time I list anything for sale on CL for over $200 (bicycle, kayak, car,etc.) Buyer is always “out of town” or “on the road”, says they will “send my agent to pick it up”, sends a check for over the amount and requests “change” in cash. Checks are ALWAYS fake. Kiss your item goodbye if you let them take it. The FBI has been warning consumers about this for years.
I got so many of these “offers” at one point that I started telling them to mail the “check” (written out to “Miss Ima Griffter”) to an address which is actually that of the regional branch of the FBI.
There is NO reason why somebody buying a kayak cannot show up with cash. No cash, no boat. It’s that simple.