December 31, 2008

Letters To The Editor For December 31st
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Is This a Scam?

In all likelihood, the situation the writer presented is a scam. Many people posting items for sale on the internet are being contacted by people allegedly located in foreign countries. The scam has 5 main stages:

1. The seller is contacted by someone from another country. This person offers to buy a large number of items.

2. After several email communiques, the buyer states he will send a check to cover the purchase.

3. The check arrives, but is for far more than the purchase cost. There is also a letter advising the seller to deposit the check in seller's bank account. The seller is to keep the enough money in the account to cover the purchase cost plus 10% service fee. Seller is then to withdraw the overpayment and send it to some third person. This third person will use the money to arrange and pay for shipping.

4. If the seller follows these instructions, seller will receive notice in about three weeks from his bank that the check bounced.

5. Seller is then obligated to pay the his bank back.

Scott