[email protected] [email protected]

The exact same thing happened to me and caused a big fight between me and my husband! Yes, in hindsight, how could I have not seen it. This guy wanted me to respond to a personal email address like this lewis977558588585/yahoo/com, and he even offered to pay an extra $50 for me to hold the item and not sell to anyone else when I know he could have bought it new at the store with that extra $50 he was offering. He had me send him funds through Money Pak cards, and I couldn't get all of it to him in one day, and he got so impatient with it. I know my money is gone forever, and I've reported it to Craigslist, Internet Crime Complaint Center, and will be talking to local police soon. The only thing I can do now is to warn others and NEVER sell anything on Craigslist again!

I'm compiling the email chain to provide to the police and here is how it all went down -

From: "craigslist reply 3e4e" <[email protected]>
Date: July 8, 2013 11:58:21 AM EDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: "11:33AM EDT P"ottery Barn Entryway Mirror (NEW IN BOX) - $200 (my town)
lewis977558588585/yahoo/com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: my name <my email>
Date: July 8, 2013 12:02:42 PM EDT
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Fwd: "11:33AM EDT P"ottery Barn Entryway Mirror (NEW IN BOX) - $200 (My town)
Yes, it is still available.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Jul 10, 2013, at 12:59 PM, "Lewis Lewis Clark" <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello,
I am glad it is still available for sale.I am very much interested in buying your item and i am ok with the price. I am only able to make payment by money order at this time b/c i am away on assignment. Please provide me with your name , address and phone number for payment. It will take about 7days for payment to get to you. As per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment has been received by you. I don't mind adding fifty dollars so you can keep it in my favor.Please take the posting off craigslist today and consider it sold to me. Thanks
Expecting hear from you soon.
Regards
lewis clark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: my name <my email>
Date: July 10, 2013 1:46:51 PM EDT
To: Lewis Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: "11:33AM EDT P"ottery Barn Entryway Mirror (NEW IN BOX) - $200 (My town)
Lewis,

I'll sell it to you for $200, and I'll take it off of Craigslist today.

Here is my info:
My name
My address – I used my work address
My phone number – I used my work phone number

I'll let you know once I receive the payment.

Thanks!
My name


Sent from my iPhone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 07:56:47 -0700
From: [email protected]
Subject: UPDATE From lewis clark AND GET BACK TO ME ASAP
To: my email
Hello,

I hope you are fine and alright. I have been busy myself but doing great. There is something i think i must bring to your notice. After a reconciliation of my account, i discovered that somehow my assistant must have over paid you. The payment that was meant for another transaction was sent to you and the one meant for you was sent to another; however i want to believe i won’t have a problem with you.

Please once you receive your payment, i will like you to deduct your part and send the remaining money via money pak card to the manager of the shipping company that will help me with the pick-up. I will ask them to contact you as soon as possible, Let me know if this is ok with you. Please contact me as soon as you get your payment.

Warm regards.
lewis clark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: my name <my email>
Date: July 16, 2013 1:42:30 AM EDT
To: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: UPDATE From lewis clark AND GET BACK TO ME ASAP
Sorry for the late response. For some reason, your email went to my junk mail. I'm not sure how money pak work, but it sounds like your shipping manager will instruct me on that. I'll let you know when your payment arrives.

Regards,
My name
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Date: July 26, 2013 2:06:11 AM EDT
To: "my email" <my email>
Subject: Hello
Reply-To: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Hello,
I hope you have had a very good week so far,i want to find out if you have received any money order,,please update me as the payment is suppose to have reached you now,i will be hoping to hear from you soon.Thanks for your time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: my name <my email>
Date: July 26, 2013 10:17:05 AM EDT
To: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: UPDATE From lewis clark AND GET BACK TO ME ASAP
Hello,

I finally received the money order. Actually, I received two $945 money orders. What would you like me to do? Cash both and return $1,690? Or cash one and return the other as well as $745? I'm going to wait for your response and instructions before depositing any of the money orders.

Regards,
My name
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 13:05:17 -0700
From: [email protected]
Subject: INFORMATION
To: my email
Hello,
Thanks for your mail and update.
Please go ahead and take the money orders to your bank today and have
them deposited. The funds should be available to you same today or tomorrow.

You will deduct the amount we agreed on,but due to the fact the western union charges is far too costly,
i will like you to send the balance to me BY PURCHASING A MONEY PACK CARD worth the balance cash the charge is far lesser,
each MONEY PAK CARD can take up to $400,you will have to get more than one card,
i will appreciate if you can help me handle this,here is how you will handle it.

You can get a Money Pak Card from any of these stores,Walmart,CVS/pharmacy, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger and Meijer.
Just pick up a MoneyPak from the Prepaid Product Section or Green Dot display and take it to the register.
The cashier will collect the cash(which is the balance cash) and load it onto the MoneyPak.

After getting the card you will scratch the card and email the number behind the foil
and the exact amount sent after charge for purchasing the Card. I will be expecting to
hear from you as soon as you complete this transaction,so that pick up can be done ASAP.

I will like you to email me the most convenient date for pick up so i can alert that shippers
about that before hand.I am so sorry that all this had to be this stressful,
this is the only way i can get to pay the shippers directly and get pick doen asap,accept my apologies.
Hope to hear from you soon.
lewis clark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: my name <my email>
Date: July 26, 2013 11:00:21 PM EDT
To: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: INFORMATION
The CVS I went to only allowed me to purchase $1,000 worth of Money Pak cards, and I didn't have time to go to another store. Here are the numbers, and each of them has $500.
1. xxx xxx xxxx xxxx
2. xxx xxx xxxx xxxx

I don't think I'll be able to go to the store this weekend to put the rest in Money Pak cards. But I'll do it on Monday.

With regards to date for pick up, I can do it any day next week, except Thursday, between 10am and 3pm. The pick up address is the same as where you send the payment. Note that pick up address is at an office building, so please have your shipper call when they arrive, and I'll direct them to where I can transfer the mirror. I have never taken the mirror out of the box but I did open up the box to make sure the mirror isn't damaged during shipping, so the original packaging is still in tact.

Have a great weekend!
My name
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Date: July 26, 2013 11:44:31 PM EDT
To: My name <My email>
Subject: Re: INFORMATION
Reply-To: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>

thank for information, i have already pick the $1000 and booked with the shipper, but you have to try as much possible to get the remaining money pak form any another store today,because order customer booked the shipper as well, but i need to fully booked them on time, so you need get money pak card today so enable complete balance payment meant for the shipper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Jul 27, 2013, at 12:10 AM, "Lewis Clark" <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello
i am still waiting to hear from you , i need finalize every thing with shipper today, so please kindly update me with money pak information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: my name <my email>
Date: July 27, 2013 10:24:15 AM EDT
To: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: INFORMATION
I don't understand everything that you have to do with the shipper, but I had other commitment so I didn't have enough time to go to another store yesterday. I will try my best to do it today.

Sent from my iPhone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: my name <my email>
Date: July 27, 2013 6:54:30 PM EDT
To: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: INFORMATION
I put the rest of the amount to two Money Pak cards, which I had to go to 3 stores before finding any. Here are the numbers:

1. xxx xxx xxxx xxxx
2. xxx xxx xxxx xxxx

One of the cards has $500, and the other one has $170. Note that I got 4 cards in total, and each of them cost $4.95, so totaling $19.80. I kept the $0.20 change if you don't mind.

Now you should have all of the money you overpaid. Please write back to let you know that you have received it. Please also let me know which date and preferably the time too, when your shipper will come to pick the mirror.

Regards,
My name

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: my name <my email>
Date: July 29, 2013 11:03:17 AM EDT
To: Lewis Clark <[email protected]>
Subject: Fwd: INFORMATION
Hi, I have not heard back from you about whether you have received the rest of the funds, and on which date and time you shipper will come to pick up the mirror. I do need to know ahead of time so I can take it with me to work.

Thanks,
My name

This is end of the email chain.
Note that I was not able to find the initial email from this person for some reason, and my sent message somehow only had his email address but not the message. But his initial message was that he wanted to know if the item was still available, and he wanted me to respond to him to his personal email address: lewis977558588585/yahoo/com, and he also later used [email protected]. Like I said before the email address seemed strange, and he will not likely to use the same email addresses again, but from other posts I've seen, scams like this use similar plot and languages, I wish I had looked into it more before falling into his trap!

It's unfortunate that you were scammed by this piece of s***.

To advise you for the future endeavour - Craigslist is actually a good site, but you have to beware of scammers. If you wish to be 100% secure, I recommend you only deal locally and with cash. You may not get the best deals this way, but it's a lot safer than what you've experienced.

Also for the future if anyone tells you they overpaid you, and request that you send overpaid money to somebody else, drop the person immediately. He/she/it is a scammer, and will send you counterfeit checks, postal orders, whathaveyou.