Part 3 Scammers!!

I got another message today from someone else interested in the computer I have for sale. But today, I got the jump on this one! The person asked first if I still had the computer for sale and how well it works, and asked me why I am getting rid of it. She also asked me to send her pics. I said I could do that if she is still interested, and yes the computer is still for sale. A few minutes later, she wrote me back about the computer. It was in this letter that she revealed to me again that she is a scammer. She showed all the classic signs of being a part of this PayPal scam. This was the letter she sent me:

Thanks for your reply and am glad to know that it is still available

for sale.However i have few questions on the item you are selling.
1,I would like to know the reason why you are selling it?
2,What is your firm price though am okay with the listing price ?
3,Do you have the original box with the accessories?
4,Do you mind if i pay you through paypal though i would be willing to
add an extra dollars to cover the shipping because am not local at the
moment i am out of town on a rig offshore and i would like to purchase
this item as a gift for someone very special to me at overseas.
If you do not have a PayPal account, you can do so by going to
www.PayPal.com and set up your account it is free,easy and guarantees
transaction safety.Once you send me your
paypal email account, I will send you the payment for your item as
well as US $120 to cover shipping via USPS Registered Mail.
I would be glad if my request is favorably considered.
Thanks

When I got this e-mail, I said to myself, "Ohhhh BROTHER!!! Here we go again!" This is the third scammer that has contacted me about this darned computer! Well, now that I have had a little more experience, I decided to get the jump on this person. I am getting very sick and tired of these damn spammers! Some of the things that identify this person as a scammer are these lines:

"I will send you the payment for your item as well as US $120 to cover shipping via USPS Registered Mail."

"am not local at the moment i am out of town"

Yeah, sure she's not local. She's probably also from Nigeria! Well, I am sick of this. So, this is what I wrote to her:

Hi. Thanks for your reply. Yes, the computer is still available. I am selling it because I am upgrading, and I'm getting a new desktop. The price is not firm, I will entertain offers. I do have the original packaging and all accessories. If you want it, I can give it to you in that. I don't mind PayPal, but you absolutely MUST pay me through PayPal's official site. So far, I have gotten 2 other people from Nigeria, ask me to ship this computer to them, claiming they put money in my account via PayPal. But on closer examination of the supposed e-mails from PayPal, they were discovered to be fraudulent e-mails. Thankfully I know what to look for, and I will NOT in any way, shape or form send this computer to you, unless I actually SEE the money in my PayPal account, which I will check once I get the supposed e-mail. NO EXCEPTIONS! And NO EXCUSES. And I know how to identify spammers right away. If you are truly willing to go ahead with this transaction, you can send the money to XXXXXX@XXXXXXXXXXX.com. Once I get that confirmation, and I see the actual money in my PayPal account, I will send your computer tomorrow. Thank you.
DDR
PS, I know all about the PayPal escrow scam, so please don't try to pull that one on me. :)

Yes, that was the e-mail I sent back to her! LOL! When I sent that e-mail, I did not expect to hear back from her at all! And I didn't. I know for sure she was trying to steal my computer, just like the last two did. But just like the last 2 individual scammers, she was not about to get this computer at all until I actually saw that money in my PayPal account. Don't these dipshits know that an intelligent individual is actually going to check their paypal account and see that the money is not there???? Of course they could also say what the last person said, thinking they could get away with it on a technicality by saying the money is in escrow. Not everyone would think to call PayPal and ask if there even is such a thing as escrow, which is why I am writing about this in this blog. Hopefully people who read this will learn from my experience. I'm a very jaded person! I trust NO ONE! And I pick up on things right away. Which is why I didn't really believe that first scammer when she said the money is in escrow. Though the e-mails did look official, if you know what to look for, you can avoid losing your items you are trying to sell.

Well, this time, I took off the old ad, and decided to edit it with a new ending. This is what my new ad reads on Craigslist:

I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop available for sale. It is a model P305D, with 4 Gigs of RAM. The screen is 15 inches wide, and in 64-bit HD. 250 GB memory. DVD drive (not a recordable). Built in webcam and microphone, and Wi-Fi. Comes with bonus software MS Office Professional 2007 installed. Ideal for students!! Asking $400, but will accept offers! Serious Inquiries ONLY please! Scammers are immediately identified and will not be considered. If you are a scammer, you should know that I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday!! I will not ship to Nigeria, and I will not accept PayPal. I will only accept cash.

This stops the scammers before they start. I hope! So far though I have gotten a couple of responses. Let's see how well it goes.