Ahhh, Help, I Dunno What To Do!

[atcphil]

Hi all,

Ok i have a problem, and need help, i have sold my huge satilite dish and receiver to some guy from cape town south africa (it receives worldwide TV)

And hes sent me a cheque via ups for £4000*** - WTF ? its only £2000*** and shipping i want!

Now he wont let me send it via my delivery company, he wants his shippers to pick it up and i pay them with the change? but i keep a big cut of the cheque?!

So when and if the cheque clears he will want me to pay western union to his shippers and then they will collect the stuff when i give them a date and time?!

Now this guy said he speaks to his friend regarding the cheque and his friend got it sent via ups couriour which i got the cheque today (he sent it friday)

Now the cheque has a UK buisness address and is with one of the local bank names HSBC,

Is this a scam? is this money laundering? or is it legit?

If the cheque bounces im gonna have a bill to pay which is £30***!

The cheque looks and seems legit, i put it with another cheque and it seems good, i can see through the paper in the light, as i said it looks a legit cheque!

Ive heard of scams and stuff like this, where they send you a cheque and they want you to send the cash as soon as you get the cheque, so you pay them then that cheque bounces, but he wants me to wait till it clears!!!

But WHY have i got a UK cheque and hes in south africa? and his mate sent it?

its a buisness address, and ive found out about them online and the bank address on the cheque matches, like i said its a good cheque and all seems legit on it!

whats going on, please help!



***
£4,000.00 = $7,766.72
£2,000.00 = $3,884.00
£30 = $58.25

[MTS]

sounds like a scam to me, rip up the check and tell the guy to go **** himself

[TheOlderFox]

This is an on-going SCAM. Stay clear and notify your local police to verify his identity. You see warnings like this everywhere when people get a check from somewhere in Africa (where the Gov't doesn't prosecute) saying that they are going to give to more than the amount and for you to cut a check to their shipper for the extra. This way you are out of your merchandise and your money and there is nothing you can do about it. You need to get this investigated. If it turns out this is legit, then you can make the arrangements. Tell the guy that it will just take a little longer to finish up the transaction because you want to cover your own butt when it comes to large sums of money and international business.

[TheOlderFox]

Here is one example I found. Check these out using Google
http://www.dropbears.com/bikelinks/africa_scam.htm

[atcphil]

damn, i got my hopes up so much for this cheque!

Could i try it. and wait a few weeks and see if the money gets taken out, ill just keep delaying him.....

As i said this cheque looks so legit, it cant be fake!

[4cylinders]

hey, take it to your bank, talk to a banker, have them check out the bank code. they should be able to trace it, if not, it's bad. we had one like that, no such bank, Interpol aught to bust these people.

[atcphil]

the bank exists!
and the company! i checked all the address out!

I have put it to another cheque and its perfect, it couldnt be stolen could it?

how would he get a UK cheque book? i dread to think, theres no goverment law in africa!

i can cash it, and the when it clears close my account straght away! then nothing can happen can it?

[OldSchoolin86]

Cash it and tell him you need 2 weeks for it to clear. After 2 weeks if both banks have cleared it then finish the deal. Just remember you need the extra time to make sure that the other bank clears too.

[atcphil]

yeh!

they say 10 days, but ill keep it there 2 weeks, to be safe, do i count weekends though, im not sure how US banks work and UK banks so there could be a difference!

it only seems suss as this is a UK cheque and hes in south africa!

Like i said, i should cash it, and close my savings account, they cant touch me then

[TheOlderFox]

It would be counted in business days Mon-fri without Holidays.

[Quickonstep]

tell him you need to wait 30 days, no if ands or buts about it... it sounds awfully close to the "algerian scam" and is quite popular with people on ebay... they send you a check but its a couple thousand over what the orignal deal was, you go cash it, send it off, check doesnt clear cuz its COUNTERFEIT, and your stuck with nothing, and heres the kicker, they can *get away* with it because they are international, feds cant do nothing, it has to get taken care of over there.. the reason they want to use there shipper is becuase the shipper will usually give a boink address and really throw you off.. a buddy of mine had this happen to him... 400 bux for jetski parts and recieves a cashiers check for 3000 bux... sure enough it was counterfeit...

deposit it, tell them you are suspicoius of it, if it clears then it wasnt counterfiet, if it doesnt, then it was, you tell the guy (mugu) to go blow his brains out... end of story

Jesse

[atcphil]

ok, ill cash it, and see what happens?

does the cheque actually clear into my account, and then days later the money is took back, or will it instanlty bounce?

as its a buisness address on the cheque, and its a WORLD-WIDE distrubtor, so they are going to have money in there accounts!

[Mobular]

DO NOT CASH IT!~ It's a twist on the Nigerian scam! Read about it here. Do the bad guys have your phone #, or address?. You will be harrassed if you attempt to cash it and do not follow through with the deal. Just report the sale and cheque to the local authorities.

http://www.scambusters.org/NigerianFee.html

[OldSchoolin86]

DO NOT CASH IT!~ It's a twist on the Nigerian scam! Read about it here. Do the bad guys have your phone #, or address?. You will be harrassed if you attempt to cash it and do not follow through with the deal. Just report the sale and cheque to the local authorities.

http://www.scambusters.org/NigerianFee.html

If it cashes and clears both banks way wouldn't you finish the deal?

[atcphil]

they have my address and mobile number thats all...

ive cashed the cheque, the bank said it will be cleared thursday, ive been told get it straght out, and close that account, so nothing more can happen!

whats the worst, i have $7,766.72!