I recently put a set of mini alloys up for sale on the mini world website. A man contacted me via e-mail to say he would like them. He said that someone owes him money so he'll get them to send me a cheque the wheels went for £200 but he sent me £1500, so I have to send him £1300 back via western union mail. My family thinks this is a little dodgy and I should wait at least 3 weeks for the cheque to go through all the proper checks. Has anyone had any experience with this sort of thing?
2007-11-13 02:45:51 · 30 answers · asked by ! 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Personal Finance
I paid the cheque in yesterday (Monday) im going down the bank first thing tomorrow to stop it, if its to late to stop what should I do?
2007-11-13 06:44:23 · update #1
ITS A SCAM
a well known one
it relies on the fact that it can take several weeks for a bank to clear an international cheque....... when it bounces - as it inevitably will - the bank will hold you responsible for the amount... even if they have shown it as 'cleared' (many banks automatically show a cheque as 'cleared' after 7 days - as long as it has not bounced in that time)
Don't send any goods or money ... if you have sent anything already, you can kiss it goodbye
2007-11-13 03:00:15 · answer #1 · answered by Vinni and beer 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is a very common scam - DO NOT GET INVOLVED!!!
What happens is that buys something off you and pays with a cheque for more than the value. Then he asks you to send back the remainder via Western Union (so he collected it without being traced).
You pay the cheque into your bank, and initially it looks as if it cleared. You take out the extra money and send it to him.
A couple of weeks later the cheque is returned uncleared, and the money is taken back from your account.
Not only are you left with no alloys, you are also left with a debt of £1500!
This is 100% a scam, please don't fall for it and if you here anyone else having the same thing, explain to them that its a fraud and why.
Unfortunately a lot of people still haven't heard about this scam, and are getting sucked in, and losing large amounts of money.
Because the money is sent to another country, there is nothing the police or bank can do to help you, your own your own with a big debt, and no way of getting your money back.
2007-11-13 06:18:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
This is a scam, and a pretty old one. It relies on the fact that Western Union is pretty much instant and untraceable like sending cash in the post, thus you will have sent him clear funds before you realise the cheque has bounced. Unfortunately if you've already sent the wheels, it looks like you've lost the those also. Never send goods until the cheque has cleared.
When you get the notification of the bounced cheque, send everything you have - corresponence and all to the police - this is theft and fraud.
Always look out for anything suspicious when buying or selling at distance - online, classified ads, Autotrader, etc.
And for added interest, watch 'The Real Hustle' on BBC3 I think. It's always showing how these scams work.
2007-11-14 05:54:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say it dodgy, why would a man send you a cheque for £1500 when he has only to pay £200, Waite until you get £1500 money from the cheque and then send him the £1300 back.
2007-11-13 04:27:12 · answer #4 · answered by Baz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you cant stop a cheque that you paid in only one that you have written yourself. This is a scam so send him nothing until his cheque clears which can be 2 weeks for UK cheque or after 6 weeks for a foreign one and even at that you cant be sure. Do Nothng and dont send the wheels then you have nothing to lose.
2007-11-13 11:34:26 · answer #5 · answered by pink_lady101 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This sounds very odd.
This may be money laundering! He is trying to scam you by getting you to "hold-over" these funds.
Do not pay the cheque in. If you have paid it in already, phone bank asap and get it stopped as you suspect it to be a fraudulent payment.
Be alert to these scams. How often do you accidentally issue a cheque for £1300 more than you mean to.
2007-11-13 07:43:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course it's dodgy when you think about it. Why not just send a cheque for the £200?
2007-11-13 05:05:57 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No No NO!!! very old scam, dont touch it with a very long pole, the cheque will bounce, I would bet my house on it, let me guess African right? this scam has been doing the rounds for years, you send him the excess money via western union, then the cheque bounces, you lose your money and you never hear or see the bloke again, hes up £1300 quid, and you are stitched up, please dont send anyone anything.
2007-11-13 03:00:29 · answer #8 · answered by magpyre 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
an old scam...
you get a check from abroad for more than the amount needed
7 days later the check shows as "cleared" in your bank account
thinking its the real deal you send the goods and excess money
three weeks later the bank says 'hold on. the check has bounced'
you realise youve been had and go crying to the bank that they shouldnt have shown the check as cleared
bank says 'tuff luck' and points to its T's & C's
you are down 1300 quids and the entire african continent points at you and laughs
2007-11-13 03:12:40 · answer #9 · answered by . 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That's a common scam. You send the surplus off and, lo and behold, the cheque he sent you bounces! Guess who's out of pocket? I'd send his cheque back, say you want the precise sum in your hands, definitely and irrevocably, and then you'll send the wheels, not before. I'd guess you won't hear anything more.
2007-11-13 02:57:04 · answer #10 · answered by champer 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋