Phony buyers and cashiers checks

[<tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Kate,

Yes, I thought about doing that, too.  Here is the e-mail I composed and was 
about to send:

"Dear Rev. Kingsley,

Thank you for your interest in my car.  I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find 
find a home for the old rustbucket.  To think that soon my car will be in 
England being driven around by a man of the cloth!  Amazing, how this internet 
thing brings us all together.

Hopefully, when your agent arrives he will be able to get the car started.  I 
know how heavy these old tubs can be to push up on a truck!  I didn't mention 
this in my auction since I thought it might discourage buyers, but I haven't 
been able to get my Imperial running ever since that flood back in '93.  Well, 
actually, it did run for a few weeks after we cleaned out all the mud.  It may 
have been the electrical fire in '94 that caused the problem.  But don't worry, 
the mildew smell is almost gone from the carpet (it's hard to smell it anymore, 
really, after the rat died) and I'm pretty sure I have all the wiring back the 
way it's supposed to be!  All we need is a battery and a brave soul to turn the 
key.

By the way, when your friend arrives to pick up the car I hope you don't mind 
if I pay him with cash.  I have some old $100 bills issued by our President 
Jeff Davis, and that would be the most convenient way for me to pay.

Thank you, Mark"

But then I realized they could retaliate by putting in phony bids on my 
auction.  Oh well . . .
> 
> From: "Kate Triplett" <ad_ablurr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 2004/08/13 Fri AM 11:53:07 EDT
> To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: IML: Phony buyers and cashiers checks
> 
> <<<I think the best way to deal with them is tell them "yes".  Let them mail 
>you
> the fake checks.  Let them spend their money and resources in printing the 
>fake
> checks, and in postage (the $1 or so of postage cost may be non-insignificant 
>in
> their currency).  You get hard evidence in the (extreme) case they get
> prosecuted, but you also get the satisfaction that you fooled them instead of
> them fooling you.  They will be waiting anxiously to get their refund back,
> which of course will never come.  When they e-mail you inquiring about it, you
> tell them, yes, the money was wired the day before yesterday, you should have
> it by now!
> 
> D^2 >>>
> 
> I did give it some thought!! Trust me, I'd love to nail a few of these people 
>- their ultimate motive is purely dishonest, they deserve to be hung out to 
>dry. Their offshore origins pretty much preclude justice, though.
> 
> As an aside, I have heard of at least one instance (a high end horse sale) 
>where the check was actually GOOD! The guy deposited it, telling his bank to 
>check it out before he did anything else. They told him the check was real, 
>the account valid and the funds were there. He went ahead and sent the 
>requested monies. The horse was actually picked up by a known shipper, who had 
>been paid up front. About a week later, his bank called - now suddenly the 
>buyers' account had been emptied of all funds. Poor guy, he was out thousands, 
>and his good horse was probably eaten by heathens. 
> 
> So, it can go any number of ways! I figure the offshore bank HAD to be in on 
>it, otherwise how would they know exactly when to jerk out their money? 
>