Recognizing scams
Most scams involve one or more of the following:
* inquiry from someone far away, often in another country * Western Union, Money Gram, cashier's check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a "guarantee" * inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before consumating transaction
Examples of Scams
1. Someone claims that JunkYardFind.com will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, OR claims that JunkYardFind.com will handle or provide protection for a payment.
* These claims are fraudulent, as JunkYardFind.com does not have any role in any transaction. * Scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from JunkYardFind.com, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services -- all such emails are fakes!
2. distant person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier's check
* you receive an email (examples below) offering to buy your item. * cashier's check is offered for your sale item. * value of cashier's check often far exceeds your item - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service * banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases! * scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc)
3. Someone requests wire service payment via Western Union or MoneyGram:
* Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is FALSE, once you've wired money, it is GONE. * Common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Netherlands - but could be anywhere * Deal often seems too good to be true, price is too low, etc.
4. distant person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money:
* this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience - the cashier's check is FAKE * sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not * scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check * deal often seems too good to be true
5. distant seller suggests use of an online escrow service.
* most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT, operated by scammers * for more info, do a google search on "fake escrow" or "escrow fraud"
6. distant seller asks for a partial payment upfront, after which he will ship goods
* he says he trusts you with the partial payment * he may say he has already shipped the goods * deal often sounds too good to be true
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