Is this an attempted fraud?

Easiest way to explain is to show the email I received;

Hello there.

Sorry to drop in like this but I have noticed you are interested in
the
item matching the auction #XXXXXXX. I was wondering if you would be
interested in a similar XXXXXXX bicycle that I am selling for
GBP 240.00. I am only selling this because of some personal problems. If
this offer seems appealing to you please e-mail me back and I will
provide
you with the rest of the information needed to complete the transaction.
My user name on eBay is XXXXXXX - over 130 positive feedback. If you
want
I could ask eBay to contact you and certify I am indeed serious and
trustworthy. This transaction will also be covered under eBay's Fraud
Protection Program! I will pay shipping & handling fees + any other fees
involved.
Once again, excuse me if I have bothered you with this message and
also
please accept all my best.

Respectfully yours,
XXXXXXXXXXXX

I am an ebay virgin, but the idea that ebay would contact me and certify
that someone is 'serious and trustworthy' seems laughable to me, no doubt I
would get a faked message, I'm sure there is no way of contacting ebay and
having them 'verify' a user, how could they do that? And he does say that
*he* will get ebay to contact me. It also seems just too good that he will
pay shipping and handling fees and "any other fees", bearing in mind the
price asked is significantly below what the actual item went for. Why not
just auction it, get 60% more and have the buyer pick up the fees?

Is this a scam (now I've written this it seems it must be) and if so how do
they get their money if I didnt pay until I received the item? Will he
likely be using a fake proxy service which will look like ebays so I'd pay
before receiving the item (maybe that would be his intention?)

I suppose he probably isnt the user to whom he refers on ebay either...and
just to add to the suspicious circumstances, as far as I can see this bike
make (Dawes) isnt sold in the US, which is where he is listed as being
based, though in a second email to me he says he's currently in Italy due to
'family problems' ..all this emphasis on personal problems also makes me
suspicious, maybe preying on people who think they are getting a bargain
because they are buying from a 'distressed' seller?

OK, I've convinced myself its a scam, how does it work? fake proxy service?
And is it common? I've only bid on a few items on ebay so if I've got one
chances are thousands have and this is very common but I've never heard of
it.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

Tumbleweed wrote:
Easiest way to explain is to show the email I received;

I tried pasting some of the text into Google:

http://phibr.homeip.net/ebay.htm

Yup, it's a scam and this guy fell for it.

On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 07:04:44 +0100, Tumbleweed wrote:
snip about scam mail.

Sorry to drop in like this but I have noticed you are interested in
the item matching the auction #XXXXXXX. I was wondering if you would be

All together now - 'its a scam, its always a scam'

OK, I've convinced myself its a scam, how does it work? fake proxy service?
And is it common?

It works because people are greedy and gullible.The items are usually at a
large discount to retail price,buyer thinks they are really getting a
bargain, so they are keen to pay before someone else buys it. They do no
checks on the buyer, and then go and send their money to someone who could
be anywhere in the world. It has been known for people to send more money
to the scammer when they havent received the goods - the scammer says
there are custom fees due, and it cannot be sent without these being paid
- the buyer then sends more money - how stupid do you have to be to do
that?
I've been done for £35 from someone who was 20 miles from me,and I never
got it back, so whoever sends hundreds of pounds around the world really
is being totally naive.
Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.
http://www.dvatc.co.uk - Off-road cycling in the North Midlands.

In article ,
"Tumbleweed" writes:
Easiest way to explain is to show the email I received;

Looks rather like 'Thornbury' (originally of Campervan fame), who
advertised suspiciously often on this and other newsgroups, with
stories like disposing of a dying friend's no-longer-needed things.
This one's different (unless you corrected his grammar and spelling
before posting) but the idea looks pretty similar.

--
Nick Kew

"Nick Kew" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Tumbleweed" writes:
Easiest way to explain is to show the email I received;

Looks rather like 'Thornbury' (originally of Campervan fame), who
advertised suspiciously often on this and other newsgroups, with
stories like disposing of a dying friend's no-longer-needed things.
This one's different (unless you corrected his grammar and spelling
before posting) but the idea looks pretty similar.

--
Nick Kew

Nope email was untouched but just a few messages above in this thread is a
URL for a story re what is probably the same scammer(s), [exact same
wording, and in Italy as well].

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

Looks rather like 'Thornbury' (originally of Campervan fame), who
advertised suspiciously often on this and other newsgroups, with
stories like disposing of a dying friend's no-longer-needed things.
This one's different (unless you corrected his grammar and spelling
before posting) but the idea looks pretty similar.

Oh, but I had the impression that campervanman has now an identity and
website with lots of Bromptons on it.Am I confused?If that is him he
looks bona fide on his site.

TerryJ

On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 10:41:40 -0700, Terry wrote:

Looks rather like 'Thornbury' (originally of Campervan fame), who
advertised suspiciously often on this and other newsgroups, with
stories like disposing of a dying friend's no-longer-needed things.
This one's different (unless you corrected his grammar and spelling
before posting) but the idea looks pretty similar.

Oh, but I had the impression that campervanman has now an identity and
website with lots of Bromptons on it.Am I confused?If that is him he
looks bona fide on his site.

No, he wasnt a fraudster, it was just comical with him posting about the
campervan for sale every couple of days in a cycling group, when
complained about, he went potty and said it was the ideal van for cycling!
He then posted a while later with a load of stuff which he said he was
selling for a widow of a friend, someone(could have been me!) said "I hope
this isnt going to be posted everyday like the campervan", and he totally
lost it, saying he wasnt reading the group any more, we were all idiots
etc.
He posted again a few weeks later!
Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.
http://www.dvatc.co.uk - Off-road cycling in the North Midlands.

On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 19:07:29 +0100, in
, "A.Lee"
wrote:

On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 10:41:40 -0700, Terry wrote:

Looks rather like 'Thornbury' (originally of Campervan fame), who
advertised suspiciously often on this and other newsgroups, with
stories like disposing of a dying friend's no-longer-needed things.
This one's different (unless you corrected his grammar and spelling
before posting) but the idea looks pretty similar.

Oh, but I had the impression that campervanman has now an identity and
website with lots of Bromptons on it.Am I confused?If that is him he
looks bona fide on his site.

No, he wasnt a fraudster, it was just comical with him posting about the
campervan for sale every couple of days in a cycling group, when
complained about, he went potty and said it was the ideal van for cycling!
He then posted a while later with a load of stuff which he said he was
selling for a widow of a friend, someone(could have been me!) said "I hope
this isnt going to be posted everyday like the campervan", and he totally
lost it, saying he wasnt reading the group any more, we were all idiots
etc.
He posted again a few weeks later!
Alan.

I'm selling flame-proof suits on ebay if anybody is interested ;-)

--
Boredband: High speed internet access with uninteresting content.

Zog The Undeniable wrote:
Tumbleweed wrote:

Easiest way to explain is to show the email I received;


I tried pasting some of the text into Google:

http://phibr.homeip.net/ebay.htm

Yup, it's a scam and this guy fell for it.

Interesting link. The x-ip info, fwiw, is for TELEMOBIL S.A. in Romania.
not Rwanda as the guy thought. Anyways thats $400 gone.

Tumbleweed raved thus:

Never buy from an unsolicited email, regardless of how good their
credentials appear. Only buy from an actual auction.

--

Abo: spotter for #9 truck Pete 'Wilky' Wilkinson

www.pickuptruckracing.com
www.daysofthunder.co.uk