Well, it looks as though I can jump onto the "scammed welcome wagon" as well... *shakes head* There is another name out there that needs to be looked after. She caught up with my on Craig's List. It is our very first time selling anything through the internet and boy did we just learn our lesson hard core. We didn't even think about it being a potential scam, until we went to the desired location and the postal lady basically refused to send out our package because of its
destination, which just happened to be Nigeria.
Her name is Catlin Edilson.
I was offering, and still am, thankfully a really good computer package. The first e-mail we get is: "Hope its in good condition?" So, naturally we responded.
Next message we receive: "How are you doing? I will like to let you know that I have gone
through your postinmg and very satisfied with it, I am willing to buy
it as far as I will not be making any repairs on it.I am buying it for
my ex-neighbor's daugther who lost both her father and mother during a
motor accident when going to work couply of weeks ago as a gift which
she also need for her final year project. So I will be buying it with
an offer of $1,200 for packaging. Because I will not be able to come
over there to pick it up myself due to the nature of my job and also
the distance,I reside in Columbus, OH.
I will like to send the money through United States Express
payment(Standard Delivery Service) which the money Order will be
delivered in 1-2days latest So to proceed with the payment I will
like to have your full name , street address , City , State , Zip-Code , private email address
so that it can be forwarded for payment today and also includie your phone number , so that you can be contacted by United State Postal Service(USPS) so that the money could be delivered latest tomorrow after all arrangement.
I will also like to let you know that I have a fedex prepaid account
which will take care of the shipping cost,so you will not have to pay
for shipping once payment is made.
Thanks for your understanding and please note that it is needed
urgently so I will like to hear from you soon
Regards ..." And of course, we took the bait.
Then we are sent this now very familiar e-mail: " I have just gotten an approval email notification from( United State Post Service) that my payment for your item has been approved so all you got to do now is to get the package ready for shipping, i will be sending you a fed-ex pre-paid shipping label which you will affix the package before you drop it off at a FedEx location but before that,i will like to know the weight of the package in the lbs so that i can forward the shipping label to you and also for you to copy the tracking number on the label and send it to their customer care department for verification.
I will be waiting to hear from you soonest. Please ensure that its packaged properly cause i have to pay an extra fee to USPS for them to process my payment fast.
Thanks
so pls check your junk mail and get back to me asap" So, now we're excited! Yay, we're making a sale, and it's $200.00 more than what we were asking for.
Next we received the kicker: "Congratulations! United States Postal Service has received your email address from "Catlin Edilson" to inform you of the order to have a$1,200.00 United States Postal Service® branded Postal OrderSM sent to you for the following item ''GREAT Computer Package With Extra Goodies" has been processed and APPROVED:
The financial details of the transaction are stated below:
Your money order is being approved and will be completed once we have receive shipping tracking for shipment verification and authorized your method of payment
What's Next? When you ship out Merchandise, you will receive a Confirmation email from which you can track the money order, This measure is taken in order to protect both seller and buyer interests and to reduce the occurrence of fraudulent activities.
***IF WE DON'T RECEIVE THE SHIPMENT TRACKING NUMBER, YOUR DELIVERY WILL BE STOPPED***
Status
Order Information
Place Order Date: 17/03/2008
Customer Number: (**********)
Money Order(s): Money Order Number Ship Date
451063442 17/03/2008
Payment Information
Buyer Contact: Catlin Edilson
Buyer (USPS) Account ID:
Account Details
Name: Catlin Edilson
Bank Name: First National Bank
Account Number:
4270177568 <--- Does this account # look familiar?
Country: U.S.A
Payment Method: Pay USPS Online
Total Charges: $1,200.00
Seller Information
Seller Contact:
(Details below have been modified)Sarah Jane
Seller Phone Number: 301-111-1111
Seller Address:
1111 Sucker City
Las Vegas, Nevada 11111
Shipping Method: Business Day Delivery
Order Detail
Item Description
Price
Quantity Total Price
GREAT Computer Package With Extra Goodies
$1,200.00 1 $1,200.00
Subtotal: $1,200.00
Shipping and Handling: $0.00
Tax Total: $1,200.00
Total:
$1,200.00
***IF WE DON'T RECEIVE THE SHIPMENT TRACKING NUMBER, YOUR MONEY ORDER DELIVERY WILL BE STOPPED***
Delivery Service **USPS Delivery Post-Man**
Due to the fact that United States Postal Service processes thousands of orders daily, United States Postal Service RECOMMENDS contacting the Customer Support Representative that has been assigned to this particular Order directly. This ensures speedy verification of shipment as well as prompt dispatch of Money OrderSM. Send shippment tracking details to our online customer care email at : (
unitedstatedespatchagent@representative.com)
MONEY ORDER CODE
***Approved***
BUYER SHIPPING OPTIONS:
FEDEX SHIPPING, USPS GLOBAL EXPRESS.
If we do not hear from you as soon as expected the payment will be returned back to the buyer. We will be awaiting you to ship the Merchandise and Email us the shipment tracking number so that we can send out your payment toyour contact home address for delivery .With this no buyer can stop payment with a false claim that there is no longer any transaction between the two of you after you might have shipped.We are your mediator,we stand between both the buyer and the seller because we have our reputation to protect.
Thank you for using United States Postal Service Money Order Payments® ExpressPaymentSM. We look forward serving your Online Money Order Payments® needs in future.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT OUR ONLINE CUSTOMER CARE SERVICE. THIS IS A VALID EMAIL THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO OUR ONLINE SERVICE ASSISTANT POWERED BY MAIL.COM, OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDER.
United States Postal Service Payments..
Signature Confirmation
Sincerely,
United States Postal Service.
So, yeah. Don't fall into the trap that we almost got suckered into. Thank God there are people out there looking out for everyone else, and thank you for having a great website! This is a really great idea.