Mrs. Gallen Foster??

Hi, I was getting a little suspicious of the quality of the email I got, so I did a small google search for Gallen Foster and found out I have some cause to be worried . Here's the email correspondence...

On Sat, Aug 29, 2009 at 9:31 AM, (removed) <(removed)> wrote:

Here's my information:

(removed)


On Sat, Aug 29, 2009 at 7:24 AM, Gallen Foster <[email protected]> wrote:

Yes we are ready to pay the price and shipping. We will introduce the
shipping company to you when the check clear so you can do the wire
transfer for them to come for the pick up. We are satisfied with all
you said and we need you to provide the Name and Address for the
payment to be mail out to you. Have a splendid weekend.

Thanks.
Mrs Gallen.



On 8/28/09, (removed) wrote:
> Hi!
>
> 1) Yes, but I'll need a few days for the check to clear.
> 2) The firm price of the item is $999.
> 3) Yes.
> 4) Do you want new angles / specific parts of the bike taken?
> 5) I haven't dealt with a wire transfer before, but I'm willing to help.
> 6) The item is in "Good" condition, it's been ridden for two years now, but
> with good upkeep.
>
>
> ...before I send you my contact information, are you planning to pay $999
> plus shipping?
>
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 4:22 AM, <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Scott Nitrous 20 2006
>>
>> Hello, during my search online today i came across your item advert.I'm
>> interested in immediate purchase of your item within USA. But before we
>> proceed i have some questions for you as follow: 1). Do you accept a (
>> American Bank Certified Check) as a mode of payment? 2.)What is the firm
>> price of the item without shipping? 3) Are you the first owner? 4) I want
>> you to email the current pictures for a better view. 5) I will need your
>> help to wire transfer the (shipping charges) to the shipping company for
>> them to pick up item at your place? 6) What is the present condition of
>> the
>> item? 7) If you agreed get back to me with your contact info where you
>> want
>> the payment to be mail to you directly:Name and Address and Phone#. Your
>> quick respond will be appreciate with the above requirements so we can
>> mail
>> out the payment to you this week and we proceed Asap. Have a great rest
>> of
>> the day.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> http://classifieds.mtbr.com/showproduct ... duct=39010
>>
>

and here's the header...

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To: (removed)
Subject: A message about your ad on MTBR.Com
From: [email protected]

We will introduce the shipping company to you when the check clear so you can do the wire
transfer for them to come for the pick up

That's all I need to know that this is a scammer. The check will be a fake, which he is betting you won't learn until you have wired the money to the "shipping company" - which is more than likely the same person. Scammers know that many people think the bank making funds available is the same thing as the check clearing, which it is not. It takes more than the legal time limit, and sometimes - if the check is drawn on a compromised bank account - it can take months for the account-holder to realize a fraudulent transaction has occurred. You would not only be out the money, you might be in legal trouble for trying to cash a fraudulent check.

Anytime a buyer wants to send you a check for more than the amount of the item and asks you to wire the overage to a shipping company, it's a scam. Real buyers let you negotiate with a shipping company of your choice - the payment will be for the price of the item plus whatever YOU tell them the shipping costs will be.

Holly is spot on. The offer is only to steal your money. The scammer isn't interested in the bike at all. He wants to exchange his counterfeit check for your money.

In any advert I'd feel inclined to state that you will always phone confirm the authenticity of any check offered with the issuer and issuing bank, and that you won't ever make any onward payments out of that cheque by Western Union or MoneyGram unless you receive the original payment in the same form.

Say it - and stick to it. Scammers will still contact you, because they don't read the ads, they just send out 100's of mails in the hope that a few will respond.

Never ever pay on funds out of a cheque you receive. The minute you are ever asked to do that - the alarm sirens are ringing.

Noticed this thread here http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3273