Money Order Scam

[rayyeager]

<p>I received money orders for more that the selling cost (additional $2000). They requested I pay the shipping people the additional money. I now realize this is a scam. Thank goodness, I didn't deposit the money orders. If the idiots added $200 instead of $2000, I probably would have fell for it. Is reporting this to the Post Office a waste of time. Should I just drop this ... or maybe send an email and ask to be paid in diamonds and rubies. Thanks ... Ray.</p>

[ronald_moravec1]

<p>I think the Feds will take this very seriously.. Comes under mail fraud.</p>

[jack_welsh]

<p>Also,if the money order is counterfeit, many of them are, it would also be a Secret Service matter.</p>

[Matthew Brennan]

<p>Ray,</p>

<p>I had this 'happen' to me (I let it happen) when I was trying to sell a lens here on p.net. I'm in Australia and simply informed the perpetrator that he/she was able to collect the un-debited money orders from the state Police Fraud Squad. </p>

[tholte]

<p>The Feds won't take it seriously, it happens five thousand times a day three hundred and sixty five days a year.</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>The Feds won't take it seriously,</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That doesn't stop anyone here from claiming they will. I'd like to see some evidence that individual "Nigerian scams" get investigated from the person that says they will.</p>

[jack_welsh]

<p>Tim, I don't know about that. Whenever I got one of those 2 cent scams in the mail, the postal inspectors always wanted me to send it to them. And, My Attorney General seems to be interested in these Nigerian scams.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>I'd like to see some evidence that individual "Nigerian scams" get investigated from the person that says they will.</blockquote>

<p>This is the first evidence I've seen of an investigation, but I suspect it's because of the individual's notoriety - he made himself a target through the popularity of the song and video <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1nKR3gYRY8" target="_blank"><strong>"I Go Chop Your Dollar"</strong> </a> .<br>

<em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/02/419_singer_caught/" target="_blank">Nkem Owoh: 'I Go Chop Your Dollar' star arrested</a> </em></p>

<p>That was in 2007. Dunno if he was actually convicted or it was just for show.</p>

[tholte]

<p>I would bet all the money I lost in my 401K that 99% of all "Nigerian Scams" are not investigated. There are too many of them to investigate and most people are smart enough to just delete them. I would also bet that most postal inspectors and state attourney generals tell people to report the scams and then just throw them in the trash. Our government can't regulate the crooks on Wall Street much less a bunch of scammers sitting behind computors in Nigeria and Eastern Europe. </p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>What really is puzzling to the family tree software chaps and historians is how all these Nigerian princes have been dying off now for over 4 decades; all with no next of kin; all with alot of cash too. How would one create a family tree for this royalty? </p>

[john_macpherson]

<p>Bonsai...</p>

[matthew_newton]

<p>I doubt they'll throw it out the window. In most cases at best they'll likely archive the data or information in case they can use it later in a case or trial or for historical data for when they do trend reports to see if they can determine if there are any large sources of fraud as opposed to all of the many small ones. So I wouldn't consider it useless to report it, but I wouldn't exactly expect a phone call next week that they cracked the case. An actual money order they might take a bit more seriously.</p>

[john schroeder]

<p>I would ship them a can of spam and a picture of the money.</p>

[jack_welsh]

<p>The least we can do is if we get one of these fake money orders, to contact the local Attorney general. And, let them tell us if they are interested. Without assuming anything. People always assume too much. And you know what they say about ASSUME!</p>

[Ian Shalapata]

<p>Here's a sad story of a local guy who didn't just delete the email. Greedy, Greedy.<br>

<a href="http://www.windsorstar.com/Leamington+loses+Nigerian+scam/1173799/story.html">http://www.windsorstar.com/Leamington+loses+Nigerian+scam/1173799/story.html</a></p>

 

[Ian Shalapata]

<p>Here's a sad story of a local guy who didn't just delete the email. Greedy, Greedy.<br>

<a href="http://www.windsorstar.com/Leamington+loses+Nigerian+scam/1173799/story.html">http://www.windsorstar.com/Leamington+loses+Nigerian+scam/1173799/story.html</a></p>

 

[cabbiinc]

<p>I would contact your local sheriff or police station. They may not be interested either but I think I saw a local news story about the sheriff doing a little investigating. I don't know what a sheriff in the US could do to someone in Nigeria but there you go.</p>

<p>I think Jacks suggestion for the local attorney general is probably the best. Although still, what can they do to someone in a different country?</p>

<p>Actually now that I think about it, just because it's a Nigerian scam doesn't mean that only Nigerians are the scammers. Locals could try the same thing.</p>

[jack_welsh]

<p>the Nigerian officials are trying to stop the scammers. I saw that on dateline. Other countries that are big in scamming are Russia, and eastern Europe.</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>I simply assume all email is a scam unless I have some positive reason to think it's not.</p>

<p>Every single day I get scams. Some from banks, some from airlines, some from credit card companies, some from eBay, some from individuals. They all want me to "check into my account" to verify some transaction that I know I've never made or promise me some money I know I've never earned.</p>

<p>I just throw all of them in the trash. If anyone from any institution really wants to get hold of you, they'll use regular mail, and if it's really important they will use certified mail.</p>

<p>

BTW Today I won 1 million euros in a lottery I'd forgetten I'd bought a ticket for. I can't wait to get the cash...

[graham_thompson1]

<p>Congratulations Bob you've just won $100,000. Please email me your bank details including all passwords.<br>

I'll transfer the money ;-)</p>

[cooltpmd]

<p>I cannot waste my time with this conversation ... I have just won the English National Lottery.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>No US law enforcement entity has jurisdiction in Nigeria. They may be sympathetic, but they can't do anything.</p>

[tholte]

<p>"the Nigerian officials are trying to stop the scammers. I saw that on dateline." I always figured the Nigerian government would do the right thing. Sarah, the FBI could go to Nigeria and investigate if the Nigerian government allowed them to. The FBI has done investigations and made arrests in many countries around the world, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan being three recent examples. Being able to extradite the rascals back to the US is another matter. </p>

[nathan_tia]

<p>Are people really that gullible? Jeebus.</p>

[jack_welsh]

<p>What they do is give the information to the Nigerian government, so they can make the arrests.</p>