Help... Scam or not.. advice please?

mountainwiccan · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 55 Location: not telling!!

Someone is wanting to buy some items from me... and after numerous emails it transpired they are in New Zealand.. no problem there.. but they want to send me a cheque. I have said no due to the possibility it may be bounced. They responded by saying:

"...i will like you to know payment will come to you by cheque and i will like you to know that my business partnar will mail out the payment to you so let me know where you want the payment tio mail out to becos am buying it on behelf of my son so i will be waiting to hear back from you asap"

Is this some sort of scam... aside from the bad English which had me on alert and the fact the person mentions a business partner and wanting the womens' item I am selling for her son?????? I told her that she could pay by Paypal but I would have to calcualate the postage costs to New Zealand from the UK..
what do you think.... is this some Nigerian scam... HELP!

motherof3 · Joined: 04 Jun 2006 Posts: 5 Location: Home

In my experience I would definatly say this was a scam and to avoid if poss...sorry and good luck x

kellypres · Joined: 03 Jun 2006 Posts: 8

to be honest, if they are sending you a cheque then let them send it, just do not under any circumstances send the items until the money is in your account, if at the end of the day you get the money who cares what they want the items for. Razz

Bubble · Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 2181 Location: SW London

Yeh I would let them send you the cheque, as long as its for the proper amount - not like when they send you one for more money and ask you for the cash back.
Also check with your bank before you send the clothes to make 100% sure it is clear.

mieke · Joined: 14 May 2006 Posts: 335 Location: here

It all sounds quite weird to me. But I too think that you must only send the stuff when you've received the money. Not earlier. When you receive nothing, you send nothing. That's the most honest way to go.

mountainwiccan · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 55 Location: not telling!!

[b]PART TWO OF THE SAGA....
Ok so I sent this buyer another email:[/b]

"... I have just contacted my bank in England and they have said that if they deal with foreign cheques they will charge me £60 UK to clear the cheque as it is not a British cheque.

I therefore cannot proceed as I would be left with very little money from the original sale price...

I can only suggest payment by Paypal or maybe Western Union unless you have a further suggestion. If you can think of any other viable alternatives let me know but as I said to receive a cheque would mean that my bank would take a substantial proportion of that cheque in bank charges just to clear it as it's from another country"

THIS WAS THE RESPONSE:

"Alright i will like you to know that am fine with the condition and the reason why you want to sell it also i will like you to know that as far for the payment will be a cheque and i will like you to know that am buying it and behalf of my son when you have the cheque clear in your account the shipping will come to you home and collect it for you and the cheque is from from the uk bank..."

errrrrrr???????????????????????????????????????

This constant insistence on paying by cheque despite the fact that I explained 3 times to her I could not accept one due to the bank charges I would incur ..... and she still wants to send me a cheque. Also I really don't understand much of what she is saying....

Bubble · Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 2181 Location: SW London

I think she is saying that she will send you a cheque from a UK bank account.
But her language is very like the Nigerian scammers!

ali_pali · Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Posts: 80

Tell him "I would like you to know that it is my item and I am entitiled to accept the payment method I prefer, I would like to know why your son likes to but womens items? I would like to know" Confused

ali_pali · Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Posts: 80

"I would like to know why you like to rip off inocent people!"

mountainwiccan · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 55 Location: not telling!!

thanks for the responses. She emailed again today to say she is a "business man and cannot send payment by Western Union"

once again...errrrrrrrrrrrrr???

Neither can she use Paypal...

So I'm going to tell her to forget it... she even said she would pay the bank charges... so twp pairs of boots worth £70 and £20 plus £35 airsure signed for international delivery, she was prepared to pay a total of £185 for. Yeah right!!!!!!!!

Sorry but what is it with Nigeria in particular and this propensity for fraud???