[Ax]

This happened to me last month. I advertised my boat in Boat Shopper. I got an email saying this person wanted the boat; he came in $200 under my offer, so I jumped at it. Then he said that his principal (he was an agent) had planned to buy a boat, and had already cut cashiers check for $21,800. I had agreed to $14,800. The guy said that when I got the cashiers check for $21,800, I'd write him a check for $7,000. Immediately the warning flags went up and I emailed him back saying that the deal was off and not to send me anything.

Ten days later, I got a cashiers check in the mail, sent from England. I opened the envelope and found a cashiers check for $38,000. I notified the USPS Fraud Department and my local police department. That was the last I heard from those weasels. The cashiers check is still sitting in my desk, unclaimed.

[Star Traveler]

Yeah, under no conditions ever give money back for some transaction, like a money order or cashier’s check. In fact, I don’t know how you can do that kind of transaction — short of going directly to the issuing bank with the buyer in tow (i.e., “his bank”) and getting it cashed right on the spot.

And make him cash it, not you. Then you take the cash and then you do the deal. That’s about the only foolproof way.

Regards,
Star Traveler

[cynwoody]

Then he said that his principal (he was an agent) had planned to buy a boat, and had already cut cashiers check for $21,800. I had agreed to $14,800.

Last August, in San Francisco, a victim of this sort of scam actually got arrested (and Bank of America got a nice batch of negative publicity). All he was trying to do was have the bank cash the $2000 check if it was valid. But B of A called the cops when they discovered it wasn't (by calling the business it was drawn on, after noticing the account had been flagged to watch for fraud).

Check from a scammer bounces victim into jail