Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I received this email below, inquiring about herps I had for sale....beware if you receive one similar!!
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Hello Seller,
I'm Lyion gulter and live in US, I'm intrested in immediate purchase
of your particular reptile posted on kingsnake.com.But before i proceed
in this transaction.

I'm gonna pay you via money order.Okay?
The money order that will be issued will include the money for the
sales of your reptile + the shipping cost.Okay?I would like to restate
clearly that this reptile will be ship to my reserve in the UK and I have a
private shipping agent who would take very good care of the
shipment.Okay?

You are required to cash the money order same day you recieved
it.Okay?Thereafter deduct the sales of your reptile and wire the excess funds
to the shipper via western union money transfer in order to pick up the
reptile from your location.Okay?

Kindly get back to me with your Fullname,contact address and phone.And
payment will be issue without any further delay.

Moreso,the final asking price? and picture.Okay?
Pls get back to me ASAP via (lordlyion02@yahoo.com)
Thanks

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Click on (or cut and paste into you browser's
location window) the URL below to view the ad that
this message is in response to.

http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?de=338184&cat=40

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This message was sent by an unregistered or non logged in user.
This person may or may not be who they say they are.
The return address they provide may or may not be their correct
address.

Sent 12:45 PM, Aug 17th, 2005 from I.P. Address 192.116.79.145
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Sounds just like the ever growing eBay scams where they send fake money orders that look very real. I would stay far far away from that one.

as a huge eBay seller and buyer, you cash the money order in before shipping therefore knowing that the money order is fake or not ! The only thing that we have been alerted to on eBay is some postal and some certain convenience store money orders are classified as fake. Also you have a investigation team avenue to contact in Ebay cases that includes infraction of federal crime in several scenarios that normally includes Internet fraud, interstate fraud, commerce fraud, and all frauds of the money orders themselves and all of this is on the federal levels. The one safe money order that hasn't been in the fake zone has been the Wal-Mart money orders. Then we have the fraud of payment now dealing with Pay Pal that is on a scam situation by some but probably more of a hacker or identity thief list of activities. One can treat a money order as one treats a personal check these days which is clearance allowance time of 10 business/work days. With now approaching 3,000 sales on eBay, I have nor ANY problems with money orders, Pay Pal ( except someones/s are constantly trying to hack in on my Pay Pal but never has succeeded ), and or personal checks or Bid Pay. The problem that I have had on eBay is non-shipping of goods by sellers.
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

Hate to hear you are having the attempted hack problem with PayPal, but glad to know I am not the only one!
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids