Fraud: Mark R. DeLong U.S Army Reserve (1SG E-8)

I placed an ad on Craiglist and within a few hours received a text message stating the following:

From: (717) 373-3656
"1966 Chevy Nova - $46900 (Etowah) Hi, I'm Chad! If this is still available for sale? Kindly shoot an email to Mark at <[email protected]> and tell him details about it, he's interested and his in the military so am just helping him search."

Here is the content of his emails to me.:

First of all. My name is Mark De Long, I'm in the U.S Army Reserve (1SG E-8) and a contractor on the civilian side, but i am not in town at the moment as i am currently in base and not allowed to make or receive calls frequently for security reasons but internet access and that is our major means of communication to the outside world. So let’s get back to business!

I'm purchasing this for my son as a birthday gift and he's not aware of this because am making it as a surprise for him. So can you assure me i won't be disappointed buying this from you ? Also, I do have a few questions i would love to ask about it.

Whats its condition, any damages?
Are you the original owner and why are you selling it ?
Does it has any mechanical issues ?
How many miles does it has?
Can you send me more pictures ?
Do you have the title in hand ?
Loan on the title?
Do you have a verified account with PayPal ?
Do you have any offer's yet ?

Looking forward to read back from you.

​Thanks for your understanding and swift response Al,

2nd email from him:

Pleased meeting you and I do appreciate the way you answered my questions!. I'm satisfied with its condition and i believe i wont be disappointed. I want you to know am serious in purchasing it and am sure his gonna love and enjoy it more than you did. Well it a very good idea to see what am buying myself but am a very busy type, I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment and sign all necessary documents, transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the hauler agent on my behalf. Also, i would love to assure you that the car wont leave your side until the money is being cleared into your PayPal account. I will be patient with you as am an honest man and a man of my word, so once everything is completed then we can both schedule the hauler arrival time and date for the pickup of the car. My mode of payment is PayPal because i don't have access to my bank account online, but i have it attached to my PayPal account.

I would have loved to send the pick up agent with the cash or cashier check but they don't deal with cash transaction between buyer and seller and i want you to know that PayPal is the best online payment and they protect their customer the both seller and buyer. Since I'm requesting this transaction to be done via PayPal, I will be responsible for all the PayPal fees/charges on this transaction, I hope we can make this transaction as fast as possible. I look forward hearing from you with your PayPal information as requested below.

Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
PayPal Account User Name:
Firm Price:
Home Address/ Pickup location Info:
Cell Phone#:

I am ready to purchase the car, so you can take the add off Craigslist.



I had a feeling it was a scam but sent an email anyway. Bottom line was that this Mark R. DeLong claimed to be overseas on a military base and could not use the phone but could send email and wanted to pay me by PayPal. The usual no negotiation over price and wanted my PayPal username, address, phone info and PayPal email address. I called PayPal fraud department who did verify that Mark R. DeLong had a PayPal account but waned me to not do business in this format but sell it through ebay for the buyer/seller protection program.

When I emailed the scammer telling him it would be listed on ebay in a private sale to him I never heard back. There is no doubt in my mind he was trying to scam me under the pretenses of being a US soldier.

Be aware of anyone claiming to be MARK R. DELONG or a text from (717)373-3656.

Hello Pyroparapig ,

Common scam where they try to get the seller to accept PayPal payments. In reality the emails will be spoofed to look like they came from paypal in an attempt to steal money from you.

Thanks for posting! The scammer is African by his writing.

i got the same kind of email from a guy who said he's working in army base 1SG E-8

Here is the email

Thanks for the mail, my name is Curtis Nesmith, I'm buying this for my first son as a birthday gift and I don't want him to know about it as I am not in the town at this moment, am in the Army base as I am 1SG (E-8) and have been in camp base for some time, we are not allow to make or receive calls frequently for security reasons but we have internet access and that is our major means of communication to the outside world. So can you assure me I will not be disappointed buying this from you ? I have a mover that will come for pickup once payment clears first..

Whats its condition and final price, any damages?
Are you the original owner and what is your reason for selling?
How can I trust you with my money ?
Do you have a verified account with PayPal ?

Hello joker30,
Please post the email address the scammer is currently using. This will help other possible victims to find this post and learn about the scam before losing any money to this criminal.

In reality the emails will be spoofed to look like they came from paypal in an attempt to steal money from you.

I've always been baffled by this scam method. Couldn't a victim easily verify the payment (or non-payment, in this case) by logging in to their PayPal account? It seems that would stop the scammer in their tracks, no independent/direct PayPal verification. Are they just hoping you don't check?

The scammer are betting the victim is not completely familiar with how PayPal works. The email will claim the funds are on hold until the victims shows proof the item has shipped or has been received an inspected. Experienced users will know that PayPal does not hold funds or act as an escrow service