Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I remember a few weeks ago seeing posts about a scam. Well, I just received this e mail today for a add I have up. I hope people don't go for it. *I did not change anything in the e mail. Just cut and pasted it for you all to read.

Hello James,
Thanks for the mail back,I will like to pay the $350.00 for the
Biak GTP's Babies but it is quite unfortunate that i am not going
to be in town as from tomorrow cause i received a call yesternight
that i will be going on a business trip, so i will like to make everything
fast as possible cause i am buying it for my son as a birthday present.
and i want everything to be in place when i come back. the discription u
gave me it is okay. concerning payment i will instruct my business
representative whom we did business together and is owing me $2500 and he said
he will be paying me via cashiers check. i will instruct him to issue u the
certified cashiers check of the above amount($2500)to you,as soon as u receive
the check u will cash it then deduct the
cost of your Biak GTP's Babies and wire the remaining balance of $2100 to my
shipper via western union money transfer in inorder to make arrangement in
coming over to your location for the pick up of the Biak GTP's Babies . u will
make use of the extra $50 for the running around. my shipper will be coming over
to your location as soon as
funds is being sent to him and to make sure that Biak GTP's Babies is in good
condition.all receipt paper will be handled my shipper if this okay by u pls i
will need ur full name, address and phone number as it should be on the check.
thanks.
awaits your soonest reply.
williams...

I've heard of this scam. It's interesting to see how it is written.
Thanks for sharing.
John
-----
"To be the best..........You must lose your mind."

I have received 3 in the last few weeks
This is the neatest one:

[Original Message]
> From:
> To:
> Date: 5/6/2004 10:23:08 PM
> Subject: Message about: .1 Red Group line X het albino
>
> Hello ,
> I am strongly interested in the Snake you advertised.i am willing to make the purchase for my Father who is a warm lover of Boas and i plan to buy this for him as a gift on his B-day and will like you to know that am currently not in the States. My Dad is located in Canada so wouldn`t be able to view or inspect before purchase but believe business is based on trust. Actually once payment is been made i will be contacting a shipping company that will make the shipping on my behalf.Meanwhile i will like you to assure me that the Snake is in perfect health condition.Tell me how soon i can make the Purchase,I have decided to make payments with a Cashier`s Check or Money Order through my cousin in the State who would be issuing and making it payable to you on my behalf so kindly update me on your offer.
> Let me get a response from you soon.
> Ward....
> NB.i would like to get a phone number in which i could use
> to reach you,and really appreciate a pic as well.

When I emailed him back, he responded with more of the same story as above and then go into the $2500 MO business. I'd never seen them go to this much trouble before.

Here is another:

[Original Message]
> From:
> To:
> Date: 5/22/2004 6:43:10 AM
> Subject: Message about: .1 Red Group line X het albino $130
>
> hello
> i just mailed to let u know i saw the advert u placed over the web and couldn't help but be interested in it.
> pls mail me back with the last price and pictures for verification.
> thanks
> andy

[Original Message]
> From: andy smith
> To:
> Date: 5/24/2004 1:56:20 AM
> Subject: payment for ur 1 Red Group line X het albino
>
> hello
>
> i will like to pay the $130 for the 1 Red Group line X het albino but
> it is quite unfortunate that i am not going to be in town as from
> tomorrow cause i received a call yesternight that i will be going on a business trip,
> so i will like to make everything fast as possible . and i want everything to be in place when i come back. the discription
> u gave me it is okay. concerning payment i will instruct my business
> representative whom we did business together and is owing me $2500 and he said he will be paying me via cashiers check. i will instruct him to
> issue u the certified cashiers check of the above amount ($2500)to you,as soon
> as u receive the check u will cash it then deduct the cost of your
> 1 Red Group line X het albino and wire the remaining balance of $2320 to my shipper via
> western union money transfer in inorder to make arrangement in coming
> over to your location for the pick up of the 1 Red Group line X het albino . u will make use of the extra $50 for the running around.
> my shipper will be coming over to your location as soon as funds is being sent to him
> and to make sure that 1 Red Group line X het albino is in good condition.
> all receipt paper will be handled my shipper
> if this okay by u pls i will need ur full name, address and phone
> number as it should be on the check.
> thanks
> awaits your soonest reply
> andy
-----

[Original Message]
> From:
> To:
> Date: 5/28/2004 11:56:21 PM
> Subject: Message about: '03 Anery male
>
> hello
> i just mailed to let u know i saw the advert u placed over the web and couldn't help but be interested in it.
> pls mail me back with the last offering price and pictures for verification
> dustin

They didn't even try to deviate from another message they sent. It's nice to know they use a standard generic email...well, mostly anyway....there is still that weird Daddy one... )
-----

I don't understand it. Thanks

Someone will send you an email inquiring about your animal. They then want to send you an MO for more than the price of your animal, you keep your portion for the animal and you send them the rest of the money above what your animal costs.
Then, by the time the MO tries to clear, after they have the animal and their portion of the money, the bank tells you the MO was fake and you owe them the full amount for the MO.
Double whamie - they have your animals and money...you have a big debt.
That is the scam. Beware of it.
-----

NP

Wow,

I have received several of those emails from all over to my business email as well as my home emails...

Weird!

I just delete them...

Glad to see I'm not the only one receiving these...

Jay

This is fraud & since it's being done interstate, it's a federal crime (if they're out of country, that's harder, but still, turn them in). The FBI needs to be made aware of where these scammers are hitting, what methods they're using, etc, so they can track them down. Please turn them in. You can file an internet fraud complaint at www.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp
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0.1 Hog Island Boa Isaboa
1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

Its really to bad that people do this as a scam. Cause I had something happen out of the blue in Dec this year and I had made two deals with two different guys. I mean it as the weirdest off the wall true story you would ever hear, thankfully everything went ok. Can you trust anyone these days!