I've been scammed

sdflyer

sdflyer

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
434
Location
SoCal
Display Name
Display name:
sdflyer
Basically I've been contacted by someone with a name Michael Wong (who is obviously fictitious name used by bunch of scammers) who requested flight training and insisted on some kind of deposit . He claimed to be US citizen who works in Hong Kong.

Everything was played just like here:


"AOPA has received notification from flight instructors and the FBI that scammers are once again targeting flight schools and instructors.

In the scam AOPA has seen, a foreign individual contacts a school or instructor expressing interest in setting up daily training for one month during the summer for a group of foreign students who will be in the United States on vacation.

Once the school or CFI responds to the email, the scammer requests details of the training program and costs. After that, the person offers to send more money than the cost of the course and asks the business to return the balance of the overage."


I felt from the beginning that emails were written by different people. So I figured out scam fairly quickly and therefore no damage has been done.

Be aware of email wongmichael651@yahoo.com.hk

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I got something similar, a very well-played one from a person contending to be a rep of an Asian manufacturer; they said that they needed to sue a US company which (they said) had purchased a great deal of equipment form them and not paid for it.

Web site was slick, and communications appeared professional (unusual, in my experience), but I was suspicious when I was told the name of the prospective defendant, a large company but one which I did not believe would have purchased the quantities of this type of product which had allegedly been bought.

A quick check of the URL showed it had been up and running for about a month; the slick web site had been hijacked, almost intact, from a legit company.

So I played along, waiting for the hook.

I sent them a letter telling them that, given the size of the suit and the remoteness of the client, I'd need a $75,000.00 retainer. No surprise: they agreed to it, but said that they would send a cashier's check for $100,000.00, and the difference was to be disbursed to their US rep who would be their point of contact.

I told them that we accepted retainers only by wire transfer or check drawn on a local bank. They then evaporated.

Of course, had I agreed, the cashier's check would have been worthless, and the money I "refunded" would have been all mine.

What kind of rube do they take me for? Well, other law firms, some large and (presumably) successful, have been thus burned.
 
After all these years, It NEVER ceases to amaze me of the suckers who fall for the " I sent too much so refund me the difference" scam... :mad2::rolleyes:
 
N801BH said:
After all these years, It NEVER ceases to amaze me of the suckers who fall for the " I sent too much so refund me the difference" scam... :mad2::rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I'd tell them they could pick it up in person!
 
They do that scam whe. Your selling craigslist as well, 500 item they send you 2500 I had that once I called the persons name on the check I received I looked them online they said they never sent me anything, I told them well your checks and or name is being used and you want to take care of this ASAP..
 
I'm puzzled as to how this scam is supposed to work. Even if the target trusts the scammer, wouldn't they wait for the check to clear before sending a refund?
 
I got one like that for a vacation house rental. I told them as soon as I got the check from the lottery I just was told I won, I would be glad to accomodate them. ;)

Cheers
 
All due respect but you have not been scammed unless you were actually scammed.
 
acrophile said:
I'm puzzled as to how this scam is supposed to work. Even if the target trusts the scammer, wouldn't they wait for the check to clear before sending a refund?
Click to expand...

Since it appears to be a cashiers check some people trust it. Plus, it often takes an extended time before the check bounces, enough time for the rouse to work. Soon, no one will trust any cashiers check.
 
Cash is King or Wires other than that you wait at least 10 days to be sure. And agreed if you read this thread heading it says youve been scammed you were certainly not. You were the victim of attempted scam
 
acrophile said:
I'm puzzled as to how this scam is supposed to work. Even if the target trusts the scammer, wouldn't they wait for the check to clear before sending a refund?
Click to expand...

Scammers rely upon presumed reliability of Cashier's checks, and it can take quite a long time for the check to be dishonored.
 
SCCutler said:
Scammers rely upon presumed reliability of Cashier's checks, and it can take quite a long time for the check to be dishonored.
Click to expand...
Adding to this, in some circumstances your bank will give you access to the funds even though they have not cleared, but they will take them back (even if you've spent them) once the true value of that check is learned.
 
"I'm sorry, all of our international business and package payments require wire transfer of funds."
 
Back when I sold refurb laptops on eBay, I tried my hand once at scammer-baiting similar to the below:

http://www.419eater.com/

The idea is to string along the scammer and try to get a trophy from them of some sort. I got my trophy (a faked ID complete with picture of the scammer) and then never wasted my time with them again.
 
alfadog said:
Back when I sold refurb laptops on eBay, I tried my hand once at scammer-baiting similar to the below:

http://www.419eater.com/

The idea is to string along the scammer and try to get a trophy from them of some sort. I got my trophy (a faked ID complete with picture of the scammer) and then never wasted my time with them again.
Click to expand...

Did you turn that over to the Secret Service? I think they would appreciate that info.
 
I am pretty sure I spotted a scam on EBAY yesterday.

Was looking at a GNS-480 for sale. Burried in the product description the seller had a scanned comment that said he really only wanted $2500 for the item and gave an e-mail address to contact him so he could convert to a buy it now for the $2500. The price was too low (red Flag) and he had sold zero items (redder flag).

I emailed him about 1500 yesterday and said I was interested. At the time of my e-mail the bidding was up to $2000. I received his response at 0430 this morning with explicit details of how the transaction would take place. The problem was that he ws still willing to sell at $2500 and the bidding was up to $3500. Huge red flag when seller is willing to sell for $1000 less than his highest bid.

Anyway scanned around and found a GNS430 that a different seller had for sale. Similar scanned comment about selling it for $3000 and zero items sold.

I sent all of it to EBAY and hopefully they will shut his ads down before 10 people have purchased the unit for $2500
 
tmyers said:
I am pretty sure I spotted a scam on EBAY yesterday.

Was looking at a GNS-480 for sale. Burried in the product description the seller had a scanned comment that said he really only wanted $2500 for the item and gave an e-mail address to contact him so he could convert to a buy it now for the $2500. The price was too low (red Flag) and he had sold zero items (redder flag).
Click to expand...
I have seen the exact same listing posted regularly for a Garmin 430W. I report it eBay each time, they kill it, it pops back up again a day or two later. The hook is a scanned image because eBay won't post the listing if they put that kind of thing in the listing in text form.

I've seen the same thing with dozens of other high-dollar items as well. Sewing machines, machine tools, you name it, scammers will use it to lure in suckers. Since there is no requirement for positive ID to use eBay, and anyone in the world can post whatever they please for sale, it's not going to stop. All you can do is apply a little common sense... it's hard for me to imagine how people would fall for something so obviously bogus, but I guess they figure since it's on the Internet it must be true. Oh, here's my date -- she's a French model. :)
 
nddons said:
Did you turn that over to the Secret Service? I think they would appreciate that info.
Click to expand...

LOL. Just like the FCC is soooo interested in the complaints I have filed regarding violations of the DNC List.
 
acrophile said:
I'm puzzled as to how this scam is supposed to work. Even if the target trusts the scammer, wouldn't they wait for the check to clear before sending a refund?
Click to expand...

No. Because YOUR bank will report the check as cleared. Then it can take up to three weeks for it to turn out to be fraudulent. Guess who YOUR bank looks to to recover?
 
tmyers said:
I am pretty sure I spotted a scam on EBAY yesterday.

I sent all of it to EBAY and hopefully they will shut his ads down before 10 people have purchased the unit for $2500
Click to expand...

It's been running in some form for at least five years. I reported it numerous times back then but it never goes away.
 
Yep, all the time, 430s, 496, other high-value items.
 
alfadog said:
All due respect but you have not been scammed unless you were actually scammed.
Click to expand...

Depend how you look at it by the end result yes it was attempted. Basically I have exchanged about five or six emails in the process. In the beginning there was nothing suspicious just regular questions regarding flight training. They must have known already about TSA, so from the beginning they insisted that they have US citizenship and TSA would be no problem.

Then it seemed like each email was written by several different people. The writing style was inconsistent email to email , some of email would end with "thanks" some with "god bless" and etc.

Scammers obviously were made several serious mistakes which prompted red flags:
1. They have never specified exact location of flight training other then they will be in US between such and such dates!
2. They fail to answer /ignore simple questions.
3. They wrote that they are interested in learning to fly for fun but not in pilot license.
4. Finally in the last three emails they keep insisted on deposit while ignoring everything else.

So basically their scamming skills require some tuning :lol:
 
My Favorite Scam Baiter Story

This is one of my favorite story's about a successful scam baiter. Features Detective Sergeant's Michael Palin and Juan Trique Ponee.

It's a good read. Warning: Do not read while enjoying your coffee or other beverage. Otherwise I might owe a few of you some cleaning materials for your monitors and keyboards.

http://www.419eater.com/html/bigman.htm
 
Clearly, yes. Intent to defraud someone you think is a criminal is still intent to defraud. That you think someone is a criminal doesn't mean everyone else does. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.

But I'd expect the odds of being reported are a bit on the slim side.

If you're right, of course.
 
N801BH said:
This brings up the next question....

If you know you are getting scammed.. And the idiots actually send a person out to collect the "overpayment" of a fraudulant transaction....

Would it be illegal to write them a bad check too ??:dunno::dunno:
Click to expand...

I think it would funny to send the proceeds to your fiancé in Nigeria with a bogus cashiers check.
 
There used to be this great site where a guy described scamming one of the scammers. He had advertised a laptop for sale, and a scammer contacted him with the usual scammer tricks. The guy sent him a cardboard laptop for his fake cashier's cheque.

Where it got funny was the scammer was in the UK, so the "victim" listed the cardboard laptop has having real value. The scammer had to pay hundreds of dollars in customs for his fake laptop, thus the revenge.
 
I was scammed when I sold some avionics a few years ago. When the "Secretary cut the money order for more money" email arrived, I told them to stuff it. They still sent a phony money order. My bank (US Bank) sells the same brand money order. The bank manager could not tell it from a real money order. I had hoped for the bank getting into action since they were a dealer for the money order. It went nowhere though.
Paul
Salome, AZ
 
LDJones said:
Since it appears to be a cashiers check some people trust it. Plus, it often takes an extended time before the check bounces, enough time for the rouse to work. Soon, no one will trust any cashiers check.
Click to expand...

Since it appears to be a cashiers check the banks trust it. They give you the money and then a few weeks later, the check comes back, usually from a bank abroad somewhere, marked NSF. And according to the banking laws, you are on the hook. :redface: :hairraise::mad2: Yes, you pay for the bank's errors.

It is an old scam but if you haven't seen it before.... :yikes:

-Skip
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top