I had a client who got caught in a scam that is also pretty rampant. I forget what kind of car he had, but he got an offer to purchase it above his asking price. If I remember correctly, it was a pretty expensive car (around $20,000). The deal was that the buyer would send a cashier's check for $35,000, that the client could cash the check, but then had to deliver the car and a personal check for $15,000 to the buyer's "agent" for shipping to the buyer. The extra $15,000 was to cover shipping costs, the agent's costs, and money the buyer owed the agent. The poor client fell for it. The cashier's check, although it looked perfect and would probably fool anyone, turned out to be bogus. So, the client's bank dishonored the check (but not until like 2 weeks after the transaction) and debited his account the $35,000. Plus, the guy was out the $15,000 for the personal check he wrote. So, the scammers got $15,000 and the car. What a deal, huh?
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