Pretty sure this is a scam...

Hi, I have a second "nibble" on my available room for rent on Craigslist from another foreigner. With the first, I received a warning from a scam-warner and found my way to this site to confirm it was a real warning. I wanted to post the details of the second "nibble" here in case it could benefit anyone else.

What alerts me is that 1. A foreigner wants to secure the room before his/her arrival; 2. will be bringing car and/or furniture. The result would be that they send a fake check for an overage of the amount of the room so that the victim will pay for the car and/or furniture delivery; the check won't clear and the victim is responsible, and is out money now that they sent it to the "company delivering the car/furniture" who is really the scammer.

I know enough not to ever send money to someone I don't personally know, and to wait for a check to clear. (Although I was informed it can take up to six years for some of these checks to come back as a bad check). So, thankfully, the only thing I was out when the first scammer tried to scam me was time spent on holding the room instead of making it available to someone else.

In this case, the scammer posted a Craigslist add desiring a room for rent. I replied with my information. This is the scammer's reply to me:

From a Sharon Peter:
"Thanks so much for replying my add,I really do appreciate it,. I would have loved us to see before making any plan but i really have a lot of things to do right now,But will be okay if you can tell me more about the place and you,as my uncle is presently sick and i have to go see him,but really want to hold a place down...

"More about me :My name is Sharon Peter,am Nurse with humanitarian assistance,I will be 28 by the 25th of next month,i love to live with clean people,caring,responsible,neat type. I'm 5"7' straight,I like honest,responsible,trustworthy and hardworking people while I dislike lazy,messy,uncaring people and I love pets so much,am quiet and easy going person to live with. I don't keep late nights neither will i have overnight guest around, but i am okay if you do,I was born and bread in France as there was where i had my university education and stays with my uncle there,but i am presently in south Dakota(U.s)

"I lived all my life way in Paris before coming down to SD,I was in my final year when my mum died,i lost my dad before i was born,I grew up with my uncle after my mum died...I ve also wanted to be in the medical way since i was born,I served in the Paris Red Cross for 8 months,we have involved in projects that includes orphans,orphanages,heart related diseases in children between the ages of 4-10 yrs .

"Ambition and Work:

"I was looking to move over to your state because i understand that I'll be doing good over there as i ve been told by my uncle's friend who ones live over there..And i will be working with any hospital around as i am also making enquires about that now...

"Am sure You 'll really like the person that i am ,because i will also do the dishing if you like,I work when i am to and relax when i am to,I also like sharing my thoughts also....paying rent on time will not be a problem as i will also be making the rent fee before the month ends....
Right now. I ve the support of my uncle about my well being,so you shouldn't be bothered about if i am competent of paying the rent

"I must confess am comfortable with the price and I will want to secure the place down before my arrival so i will want you to tell me all about the place,as i can't see it before my arrival but the pictures...I also will want you to know that i have my car that i will be coming over with,and little of my furniture,please let me know if there will be room for them..

"With all that i ve said above,I have told you more about me...Let me also know how i can go about securing the place down before my arrival as i will also be busy from next week preparing to come over and let me know if you can take off the ad off the site as i am going to secure the place with a deposit

"Feel free to ask me any question and as i ve said,i am looking to move in by the first week in next month,but want to secured it now....

Thanks..
Sharon.."

Thank you for posting the scam script Enara73.

What email address did the scammer use.

He/She used this email: [email protected]

That is not the writing of anyone who grew up in France or the United States. It is the writing of a West African.

This particular scammer is quite notorious on old cl I'm sad to be saying. Has used many differing names over the years. One of the scam attempts using basically the same script you posted can be seen on viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6968 dated March of 2010. Thankyou for posting the new e-mail address the slippery trickster uses. Others doing an internet search upon becoming suspicious, will see your report and far less likely to have their fingers burnt.

I just wanna confirm that this is a scam. My idiotic self went through and replied to that add and got all of these exact emails. I got to the point where he/she sent the money and it is sitting in my account right now. Going this far I thought it was too good to be true and low and behold I talk to my bank and they advise to me to flag it.

The scam depends on the fact that banks, certainly in the UK and the USA, make funds available to customers before a cheque has cleared. There may be a short delay of a few days when the bank will tell you it is cleared, but that will be cleared for funds, which is very different from being cleared for fate.

Until a cheque is cleared for fate, it can be returned up to six years after it is paid in to an account, which is governed by the Statute of Limitations. It's very boring stuff, but if you don't know the difference you can lose a lot of money to scammers. In the normal course of events it doesn't matter, as most cheques you pay in to your account are from trustworthy and honest people.

The principle is that no bank can make a charge against a customer's account with an instrument bearing a counterfeit or forged signature, and how long the customer has to spot it is governed by the Statute of Limitations. If it's a good counterfeit from a large company or someone who doesn't check their statement regularly, it may be a while before they spot it.

Banks will normally be very reluctant to confirm when a cheque is cleared for fate, and sometimes even bank staff aren't clear on the distinction between being cleared for funds and cleared for fate. Even if they mislead you, when it comes to a dispute, the bank will normally win.

Effectively the scammer is getting you to a cash a cheque for a stranger which is basically a 'big 'NO NO', Never pay a cheque in to your account to pay someone else money, unless the person you get the cheque from is known to you and beyond doubt.

EngstTheLynx glad you were warned. However don't tell scammer anything. Now you know you have a worthless bit of paper you can sit tight on that information as far as the scammer goes. What is probably going to follow next is threats of almost divine proportions, and calculated to make you feel you are off to the Hague to be tried as a war criminal. However you can laugh at the antics. Of course it is not advisable to bait scammers if they know your details , but just ignoring it will prove as effective.

Being naturally evil, might I suggest that when you get the next nibble you request a payment via Western Union. Scammers like Western Union and MoneyGram because they get CASH.