# Does anyone know what type of Kijiji scam this is?



## armstrong (Jul 9, 2013)

OK - so early yesterday I listed a bunch of bike-related auctions on Kijiji. I include my phone number that they can view if they click the appropriate button (know what I'm talking about)? 

Late afternoon, I get this text message on my phone:

*Hello, is your Bike still for Sale, if available for sale? pls email me at [email protected] don't text back cos am at work now Thank*

Now I'm confused cause I'm not actually selling a bike, but I am selling a BNIB bike trailer (for kids). I figure maybe that's what she wants but I don't know. So I email reply back:

*Hi

I received your text message today. I'm not sure what item you were interested in?*

She then replies:

*When last was it serviced, how long have you owned it?? and what's your lowest price for it. Let me know your price for it .I hope to hear from you soon,*

Now, I'm obviously still confused. I'm still don't know for sure what she wants. I reply:

*Hi

I still don't know what item you want. Is it the child bike carrier?* 

She replies with the one word answer:

*yes*

So now that I know she wants the carrier, it's still kinda confusing that she thinks its used (and who services those??). But I thought maybe she thought the carrier was used (even though I described it as BNIB). But in my ad I DID use an image I took from the web of the same trailer being used (so they know what it looks like, and not just the image of the box that I was selling), so I was thinking maybe she thought the used trailer in the image was the one I was selling (even though I specifically said in the ad that it was taken from the web), so I reply:

*The item is brand new. The main photo I took from the web to show what it looks like. The 2nd and third photo of the box is the item itself. The box itself has never been opened. So it is a brand new child carrier.

I'm willing to go down to $<price>.*

So after this exchange, I got what I believe will be the last and final exchange between us (unless she sends something else, in which I will share).

*Hello,

Thanks for getting back to me asap I Agree with price you are
letting and how I wish I could come and inspect it but I’m currently
working away from the State. I’m a marine engineer who’s on a ship
right now in California But am from St Johns,Newfoundland Canada. So
I’ll be buying without seeing it, also I’ll be paying through PayPal
and I’m more than happy to pay the PayPal transfer charges too. Due to
the distance as me being in the California Presently and if you don't
have a PayPal account yet, you can set one log on to www.paypal.com it
can't take you less than 3mins to do that, i will be expecting your
PayPal email so l can pay. I ‘ll arranged the pick-up with a Private
Courier Service as soon as you get your payment, I need you to Provide
the Following details so That I can proceed with the Payment …

Full Name:
PayPal Email:
Your Phone Number so that i can text you after i make the transfer:

As soon as I make the payment and you get the funds, the Courier
Service will come and pick up at your home at your convenient hours
also the courier Will help me sign the required papers.

Have a nice day*

So this is obviously some type of scam. Can anyone tell me what's going on?


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## Randy99CL (Mar 27, 2013)

Sure, it is a scam.
Whenever you get a "do you still have the item?" generic message it's a rip off. They send that same email/text to thousands of sellers, looking for a sucker.
Courier service or "friend will pick up item" is another red flag. 

You should go to ebay and CL just to read the scam warnings. They have examples of those same messages you've posted here.

Don't get anxious to sell your things. If something doesn't feel 100% right don't do it.


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## armstrong (Jul 9, 2013)

Yeah - just found this:

www.scamwarners.com ? View topic - Western Union/PayPal Scam

_Hi everyone

First time had problems with a 'scammer' when selling an item.

Advertised a bike for sale in local newspaper, had a reply by TEXT from someone called Jim wanting more information - gave me a gmail.com email address - said he was working offshore and couldn't view bike, wanted assurances about condition, why I was selling it etc. Didn't think anything of it at first as I sold I bike before to someone from out of my area who couldn't view it with no problems.

Said "yes" he wanted bike, he said could he pay by PayPal (I didn't have a PayPal account, I do now, grrrr!) as he wanted to pay securely? So I actually went ahead an opened a PayPal account that I didn't really want.

Took a few days for PayPal to activate account and 'Jim' still wanted the bike, he said he would pay money into my PayPal account and arrange to collect bike. Then very shortly another email from 'Jim' to say he was having problems paying shipper and if he paid me the necessary £500 and could I pay shipper! I then get 3 x 'iffy' emails supposedly from PayPal to say that money had been transferred to my PayPal account but it was on hold until I paid Western Union (out of my own money!) the £500 so they can pay the shipping agent. Checked my PayPal account - no sign of anything!?! The emails were poorly worded so I forwarded them to [email protected] - who confirmed they were scams.

The next morning had an email from 'Jim' reminding me to pay Western Union the £500.

I did reply and told him that I didn't have £500 to spare and that I thought emails were fake and had reported them to PayPal and that the bike sale was "off".

I am a bit concerned because I did at an early stage reveal my home address. Am I likely to have some stranger on the doorstep demanding a motorbike?_


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

Any time that they claim that they can't come buy to see it (for whatever reason--working far from your area is a common one), but are willing to pay your asking price, use some sort of remote payment, and have third party pick-up, it's a scam.


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## LeeAnn (Nov 27, 2013)

Thank you so much for posting this, through google search I got a hit on the email address [email protected], I got the same messages as you from this bot/person, If you had not posted to the forum here I would not have seen the scam this soon. I have my bike on Kijiji as well.

this is the fake certified check/money order scam, they will send a check for maybe $2000.00 for a $800 item and ask that you please cash the check and western union them the difference back + send the item.
In the end the victim is out the $2000 from the fake check + the item and shipping and maybe a hit on the credit score.
Thank you again for posting this email address, time for me to have some fun with the scammer.


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## armstrong (Jul 9, 2013)

LeeAnn said:


> Thank you so much for posting this, through google search I got a hit on the email address [email protected], I got the same messages as you from this bot/person, If you had not posted to the forum here I would not have seen the scam this soon. I have my bike on Kijiji as well.
> 
> this is the fake certified check/money order scam, they will send a check for maybe $2000.00 for a $800 item and ask that you please cash the check and western union them the difference back + send the item.
> In the end the victim is out the $2000 from the fake check + the item and shipping and maybe a hit on the credit score.
> Thank you again for posting this email address, time for me to have some fun with the scammer.


If the scammer were smart, they'd put their email into Google and see if it returns any types of hits like this, in which case, he/she'd be smart to use a new email (e.g. at the very least, kellymikky084) so as not to inform potential victims of these scams.


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## Newnan3 (Jul 8, 2011)

i had someone off of craigslist try to scam me with something similar. They offered to buy my black macbook which i was selling for $500 for $500 and they would pay $1,000 shipping if I would be willing to send it Nigeria. I told them I would sell it for $500 with $1,000,000 shipping. Never heard back.....

Then I had a woman call me and ask for my home address so she could see the laptop. I told her I'd meet her at the local starbucks. She said she was on the way. As soon as i got off the phone I started getting back to back to back calls from somewhere in Africa which i never answered. She gave me the run around while i sat up at starbucks for half an hour.

Finally sold it on ebay.....hate to pay the fees but at least you dont have to deal with scumbags _most_ of the time.


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