Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is playing out to be the typical over-pay and return excess scam.

First email contact

01/19/2011
Hi , I want the to know if this advert is still available for sale and how much ?

Monica

Already sounds hinky to me, most buyers have questions and refer to what they're looking at specifically

Anyways, scammer dangling the bait....

01/19/2011
Hi Monica, yes I still have those four at $xxx each plus $xx for shipping.

Dave
prices x'd out to comply with TOS.

Her reply "scammer setting the hook"

01/29/2011
Hello ,
i realy appreciate your response to my earlier mail.like i said i am highly interested in the four, so pls do withdraw the advert from kingsnake. I will also like you to know that i will be paying via check due to the distance as i am located in Mass ,i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
Name one check , Your mailing address be it residential or postal address and Your cell phone number.

**I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for shipping i will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check I am hearing impaired and will hope that your intentions remains noble though out the duration of this transaction****

Monica

Sounds even hinkier - the whole mover coming over thing. Who would emply a "mover" for a small package? Now I'm going to play along and see where it goes.....

01/29/2011
I'd be happy to place them on tentative hold for you pending payment.

You can make the check out to:

Dave Colling
(my PO box)

I can ship them to you or your representative can meet with me to take delivery. My facility is not a retail store and I'm not allowed to have customers visit it. Once payment has cleared, we can work out a location to meet and transfer the boas.

Then nothing until today....
"Scammer reeling in the mark"

02/03/2011
Good day, how was your day ? I just receive the confirmation from the
Bank that the payment as been issued out and was mailed by the UPS
Express . It will be delivered to your address a day from now
according to the courier ,but to my greatest surprise the draft was
issued out for my monthly pay check $2959 instead of the actual
cost of my purchase .

The Bank claimed that i requested for my monthly pay check to be
issued out to you but am very sure i only made a request for the cost
of the sets to be made out to your name .This is a terrible mistake
and i was just informed about this so please once the check is
delivered please take it to your Bank and have it cashed as advised
by the accounting officer at the Bank.

You will then deduct the cost of my purchase plus an extra $100 to
offset the cost of your run around expenses.The rest of the fund
should be sent to my mover via western union the same day you do
receive the payment so that my mover can make the trip over for the
pick at once. **I will need your immediate response via email assuring
me that i can trust you to handle this with care and have the
remaining fund returned appropriately.I am hearing impaired and will
hope that your intentions remains noble though out the duration of
this transaction**

Thanks
Monica

LOL, so many things wrong here..... First off returning excess the same day via western union, once the money is collected it is GONE forever, no way to recover. Exactly what they want. "Cost of the sets" what was this transaction for again? LOL, she hopes my intentions remain noble? While she's attempting to scam me out of over $2000? My reply, I'm done playing along....

"Mark jumps off the hook - laughing cause he was nerve actually "on" the hook"

02/03/2011
Do I sound like I was born yesterday?

This sounds like the TYPICAL fake money order scam and I will NOT be caught by it!!

If this is in fact a real mistake, I can cash the money order THEN WAIT an appropriate amount of time for the money order to clear. IF and WHEN it clears, THEN and ONLY THEN would I return any excess.

My apologies if this truly was a mistake and not an attempt at scamming a seller.

p.s. since I had not heard back from you I took the babies off hold and since then one has been placed on hold by another buyer.

yeah I know, I had to keep alive the possibility this truly was a mistake - one side of me wants this to not be a scam. But then again, maybe keeping the door open will lead to more "fun", stay tuned!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count (02/01/2010):
42.61 BRB
27.40 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Now now, don't judge, you might also have wealthy relatives in Nigeria, you never know...
-----
~Cynthia

My email account is about to be closed (for the umpteenth time) due to "unusual activity". Guess I used the word "snake" to often? Maybe, just maybe, if I keep ignoring the "final notice" emails they will actually close my account?
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count (02/01/2010):
42.61 BRB
27.40 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Yeah definitely a scam. And all banks are more than capable and willing to cancel any bank draft/cashier's check etc they issue, and issue a new one...

That and the fact this person rarely used the word 'snake' in her responses. You probably could have responded the total amount in her check is actually $400 short of what she needs to buy the 4 rainbow colored father boas. (and see if she even realizes that wasn't the ad)...and if it turned out to be a real person (highly unlikely...) you can just claim the mistake.
-----
PHLdyPayne

Forum Princess