Elaborate cheque scam?

bobblebob

I post on here now and again but mostly am a lurker. What gets me is why so many (not just this topic but general) always seem to doubt an OP story - whether that be a topic on fraud, having their account closed by the bank or whatever. Why are people always so sceptical ?


I don't get what anyone would get from making something like this up. The story told by the OP to me seems a genuine scam. It does seem unbelievable that he fell for it, but then loads fall for silly scams all the time

nick74

Many intelligent, highly educated people are not necessarily very worldy wise and can be prime targets for such scams. An example was my late stepfather, a PhD, biochemist in the pharmaceutical industry, and an expert in his field, who was very nearly taken in by an obvious (to me) scam.

After advertising his car for sale on a website he was contacted by a gentlemen caling himself 'Cole Kenneth', who would very much like to buy his car, but would only pay for it by cheque. After endless back and forth of emails it was decided that the cheque would be made out for more than the cost of the car with the excess funds to be forwarded to Mr Kenneth's 'shipping agent' by my stepfather......Fortunately I intervened before any money changed hands.

My stepdad was convinced that this person genuinely wanted to buy his car and just could not understand why anyone would have gone to so much trouble to try and scam him out of a few hundred pounds!

sal_III

Zanderman wrote: »

Ok... but the subsequent reports, particularly the last one, suggest the scam is real.

So the alert is useful, at least to those who might be taken in and it has, it seems, helped two people confirm it's a scam already. Possibly more, not everyone will actually post here.

Which suggests that anyone not reading beyond the mention of bitcoin etc because it seems like a troll post might well be misjudging it.

Those writing posts doubting it are doing others a mis--service as they are doubting the usefulness of something that has, it seems, been useful.

You misunderstood me, I agree that even troll posts are useful if some good advise come from them. And this one seems to be far from a troll post with 2 confirmations of similar experience.

I meant I would stop listening to the scammer if they were to mention bitcoin as only payment method if I were in OPs place. Not stop reading a post on MSE

Ben8282

sal_III wrote: »

And this one seems to be far from a troll post with 2 confirmations of similar experience.

It is exactly those confirmations which cause suspicion.

Robisere

Nick74 has the right of it. An intelligent person working as a tutor, in a field that has very low competition. (I imagine) Possibly naive and innocent, unable to comprehend that someone could appear so intelligent and genuine. Well, it's usually the intelligent fraudsters who are most successful.

Most of us nowadays are sceptical and hardened against scammery and fraud by experience. (hopefully from a distance) Op is not, but the money lost will teach him a valuable lesson that may protect him from another such encounter and even higher loss. Providing the passport details are reported.