Used car scammers should all get malaria (long, long post)
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Registered User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,361
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From: Long Island/C'ville, VA
Well, a friend of mine is looking to sell his used Land Rover Discovery on Autotrader. He was contacted by someone with an offer to buy the car. . . at more than he was asking. Jackpot, right? Not exactly. . .
He forwarded me the first e-mail he'd received from the potential buyer, asking if everything looked legit. Right away, I realized it was a scam (thanks to some links I'd read on this forum). We figured we'd have a little fun with the scammer, so here's what went down:
After they agreed on a sale price of the car, $19,500, my friend got this:
bill ken wrote:
Good day,
i have spoken to our customer and concluded arrangement on the payment. He has instructed us to inform you that payment will get to you in a cashier check of $25,500 which is a refund payment of a cancelled order
earlier made by him. Due to company policy this check has to be made out in
this amount to you ,because company policy only allows a refund
payment on one cashier check,so you are required to deduct cost of
the car $19,500 when payment gets to you and refund balance [$6,000] to my customer via western union money transfer for him to be able to
upset shipping charges
After payment has reached you and balance sent back
to him,our agent
will come pick up title and drive to a prepaid
shipper to be shipped to my customer,while title papers and other
necessary documets will be sent by you via fedex courier to my customer.
Confirm this and provide name, address and phonenumber for check
payment to be delivered to you via fedex courier.
Thanks,
KEN.
MANAGEMENT.
Ok, notice the name of the sender, "Ken Bill" who is supposedly in Canada.
My friend responded with:
Please call to finalize this deal (xxx) xxx-xxxx. I'm available anytime.
To which he received this:
GOOD DAY,
> am sorry my phone is not working for now am working on it and i belive that will not make our
deal work out cos my customer needs that your car very much,we can start the transation as i work
on the phone he is waiting for the car all you have to do if we can work beforei get my phone
fixed up you inform me when payment gets to you.
> THANKS,
> KEN.
Hmm, so his phone is broken, ok. . .
Hi Ken,
Sorry to hear your phone is out of commission - I thought all parties
involved would feel more comfortable speaking to each other. Also, with
all due respect, I'm getting the impression that English is not your
first language, so I want to make sure we all understand exactly what
the deal is.
I'm not comfortable with the transaction the way you described it in
your previous email. Why can't you issue a refund check to your
customer that he can take to his bank (or any currency exchange) and get
two cashiers checks or money orders, one made out to me for $19,500 and
one made out to him/her for $6,000. Also, I need some assurance that
your agent who picks up the truck will sign for the truck in the as-is
condition - any damage that occurs during transport will not be my
responsibility.
Please keep in mind, I'm continuing to show the vehicle to other people
while trying to close this deal with you and your customer. Until the
cashier's check arrives and clears, I will keep the vehicle on the
market.
If you could borrow someone else's phone to call me, I'd appreciate that
so we can finalize this deal asap. If that's not possible, please
respond to this email soon - I think we're both eager to make this
transaction.
I look forward to your response. Have a great day... fmtpo
Regards,
John
Note: "fmtop" = For Me To Poop On
At this point, Ken (in Management) leaves the negotiating table. His "client" steps in to convey how badly he wants the car. Notice the "client's" name
Subject: get back to me asap
Kenneth Williams wrote:
> As soon as i conclude payment moderlities
> i will get back to you soon for onward
> prequisition.Confirm you get this mail.
> God bless you.
If anyone can translate the above, please let me know, because I'm still
Anyway, since the subject says "ASAP," we quickly responded with:
> > Receipt confirmed - what's your method of payment? Please use my business info attached to
this email (address and phone).
> >
> > Regards,
> > John
Kenneth Williams' response (by the way, wasn't his agent's name "Ken Bill"???):
Kenneth Williams wrote:
> Good day John,
> Thank you for the information,my method
> of payment is going to be on cashier check of an
> order made with my other car dealer whom i refusses
> his offer after payment made by me.If this might
> interest you,mail me back for more details or you
> call me on this p#.803 470 2644.Confirm you get my
> mail.
> God bless you.
> Kenneth.
A Canadian has a South Carolina phone #? Anywho.com reverse lookup couldn't find anything. . . so I called it. Disconnected. No surprises here.
Anyway, here's our answer:
Kenneth,
To complete this transaction, please FedEx (priority overnight, so it arrives tomorrow) a cashier's check in the
amount of $19,500 - no more and no less, please. Upon receipt of the cashier's check, I will stop showing the
vehicle to other people. Once the check is certified by my attorney and accountant and the funds are available to
me, we can proceed with making arrangements to transport the vehicle to you. I hope you find this amenable - I
look forward to completing this transaction.
If you would like me to stop showing the vehicle today, you can send me an electronic image (scan and email a
picture) of the cashiers check - this way we can move forward with the certification process immediately. I hope this
email finds you well.
Kind regards,
John
This seems reasonable, right? A scanned image of the check is definitely proof enough for me! Hehehe. Oh, and we also noticed the liberal use of "God Bless You's" in his e-mail. I know I feel more comfortable giving away my money when someone says that to me. Anyway, it continues:
Subject: Re: Owner 54363796: Payment information required.
Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 19:02:56 +0800
From: "Kenneth Williams" <rkm_keny@fastermail.com>
To: "(name removed) John" <(name removed)_john@xxx.com>
Good morning John,
Happy to tell you that i have concluded payment with
my client,i am ok with the vehicle and has
agreed to settle for that price of $19,500.
However, i should inform you that payment
will get to you from a company that is owing me some
money for a cancelled order i placed with them, so i
wants to use this money and pay for this vehicle i
wants to buy from you, but the little problem now is
that the amount the company is owing me is more than
what you are supposed to be paid.
And the company policy demands debt payment only on
cashier check.
Finally, we resolved that payment should be made payable
to you in that whole amount,You are expected to help
me in returning my balance via western union
money transfer for me to be able to offset other bills
thus: shipping, pick up and neccessary charges..when
you must have confirmed payment.
The company will be sending a payment of $28,000. and
you are required to deduct the cost of the vehicle $19,500.
and help me in returning the sum of $8,500. minus the
western union charges of sending it.Please confirm
this and provide your name, address and phone# for
payment to be issued on your name and be delivered by
fedex courier timely..,my agent will be taking care of the
shipping the moment every necessary transactions has
being made.
Hint: pls. endeavour to remove your advert from the web.Pls
confirm you get this mail.I am waithing for you aprove the
issuance of the cashier check to you.As soon as you confirm
this, the check will be send to you right away.
God bless you.
Kenneth.
OK, now he's getting greedy. The original deal called for an initial check for $25,500, with a Western Union return of $6,000. Now he wants $8,500!!! Greed is consuming the scammer once he thinks the mark is in for the scam.
Also note that Kenneth is now giving us "hints" so that my friend will "endeavour" to remove the ad from the web.
Anyway, we were beginning to tire of this whole exchange. After conferring with some other friends, we decided to ask for some assurance as to the identity of this individual, along with the validity of the $28,000 check. What better way to validate someone's identity than a LIBRARY CARD????
So the scammer gets this:
John Blackburn wrote:
> Hello Kenneth,
>
> I'm glad to hear you've concluded making the necessary payment arrangements and I look forward
to receiving the check. However, I must apologize, but I will not return any money to you.
Please send me a check in the amount of $19,500 NO MORE AND NO LESS. If you send me a check for
$28,000, I will keep the full amount of $28,000 - I will not send you any money for any reason
whatsoever.
>
> Also, I will not 'endeavor' to remove my advertisement as I have no good faith deposit from you
and no proof that you are a serious buyer. I will remove the ad when you send me a scanned image
of the check and a copy of your library card or other form of official identification. I'm
growing increasingly impatient as this has been dragging on for several days now.
>
> You seem like a kind Christian fellow and I'd like you to enjoy this nice vehicle, please make
payment soon and provide the check and library card so I can remove the ad from the internet.
Have a blessed day... fmtpo.
>
> Kind regards,
> John
So now we wait for his response. I have a feeling we won't be hearing from either Ken Bill or Kenneth Williams anymore. I'd love to see a copy of his Nigerian public library card, though. I'll post any more e-mails if they come in.
These scammers are pretty funny. I wonder how many people they actually take for their hard-earned money? Actually, I don't care. I just think they should all get malaria.
edited for spelling errors (mine, not Ken's)
He forwarded me the first e-mail he'd received from the potential buyer, asking if everything looked legit. Right away, I realized it was a scam (thanks to some links I'd read on this forum). We figured we'd have a little fun with the scammer, so here's what went down:
After they agreed on a sale price of the car, $19,500, my friend got this:
bill ken wrote:
Good day,
i have spoken to our customer and concluded arrangement on the payment. He has instructed us to inform you that payment will get to you in a cashier check of $25,500 which is a refund payment of a cancelled order
earlier made by him. Due to company policy this check has to be made out in
this amount to you ,because company policy only allows a refund
payment on one cashier check,so you are required to deduct cost of
the car $19,500 when payment gets to you and refund balance [$6,000] to my customer via western union money transfer for him to be able to
upset shipping charges
After payment has reached you and balance sent back
to him,our agent
will come pick up title and drive to a prepaid
shipper to be shipped to my customer,while title papers and other
necessary documets will be sent by you via fedex courier to my customer.
Confirm this and provide name, address and phonenumber for check
payment to be delivered to you via fedex courier.
Thanks,
KEN.
MANAGEMENT.
Ok, notice the name of the sender, "Ken Bill" who is supposedly in Canada.
My friend responded with:
Please call to finalize this deal (xxx) xxx-xxxx. I'm available anytime.
To which he received this:
GOOD DAY,
> am sorry my phone is not working for now am working on it and i belive that will not make our
deal work out cos my customer needs that your car very much,we can start the transation as i work
on the phone he is waiting for the car all you have to do if we can work beforei get my phone
fixed up you inform me when payment gets to you.
> THANKS,
> KEN.
Hmm, so his phone is broken, ok. . .
Hi Ken,
Sorry to hear your phone is out of commission - I thought all parties
involved would feel more comfortable speaking to each other. Also, with
all due respect, I'm getting the impression that English is not your
first language, so I want to make sure we all understand exactly what
the deal is.
I'm not comfortable with the transaction the way you described it in
your previous email. Why can't you issue a refund check to your
customer that he can take to his bank (or any currency exchange) and get
two cashiers checks or money orders, one made out to me for $19,500 and
one made out to him/her for $6,000. Also, I need some assurance that
your agent who picks up the truck will sign for the truck in the as-is
condition - any damage that occurs during transport will not be my
responsibility.
Please keep in mind, I'm continuing to show the vehicle to other people
while trying to close this deal with you and your customer. Until the
cashier's check arrives and clears, I will keep the vehicle on the
market.
If you could borrow someone else's phone to call me, I'd appreciate that
so we can finalize this deal asap. If that's not possible, please
respond to this email soon - I think we're both eager to make this
transaction.
I look forward to your response. Have a great day... fmtpo
Regards,
John
Note: "fmtop" = For Me To Poop On
At this point, Ken (in Management) leaves the negotiating table. His "client" steps in to convey how badly he wants the car. Notice the "client's" name
Subject: get back to me asap
Kenneth Williams wrote:
> As soon as i conclude payment moderlities
> i will get back to you soon for onward
> prequisition.Confirm you get this mail.
> God bless you.
If anyone can translate the above, please let me know, because I'm still
Anyway, since the subject says "ASAP," we quickly responded with:> > Receipt confirmed - what's your method of payment? Please use my business info attached to
this email (address and phone).
> >
> > Regards,
> > John
Kenneth Williams' response (by the way, wasn't his agent's name "Ken Bill"???):
Kenneth Williams wrote:
> Good day John,
> Thank you for the information,my method
> of payment is going to be on cashier check of an
> order made with my other car dealer whom i refusses
> his offer after payment made by me.If this might
> interest you,mail me back for more details or you
> call me on this p#.803 470 2644.Confirm you get my
> mail.
> God bless you.
> Kenneth.
A Canadian has a South Carolina phone #? Anywho.com reverse lookup couldn't find anything. . . so I called it. Disconnected. No surprises here.
Anyway, here's our answer:
Kenneth,
To complete this transaction, please FedEx (priority overnight, so it arrives tomorrow) a cashier's check in the
amount of $19,500 - no more and no less, please. Upon receipt of the cashier's check, I will stop showing the
vehicle to other people. Once the check is certified by my attorney and accountant and the funds are available to
me, we can proceed with making arrangements to transport the vehicle to you. I hope you find this amenable - I
look forward to completing this transaction.
If you would like me to stop showing the vehicle today, you can send me an electronic image (scan and email a
picture) of the cashiers check - this way we can move forward with the certification process immediately. I hope this
email finds you well.
Kind regards,
John
This seems reasonable, right? A scanned image of the check is definitely proof enough for me! Hehehe. Oh, and we also noticed the liberal use of "God Bless You's" in his e-mail. I know I feel more comfortable giving away my money when someone says that to me. Anyway, it continues:
Subject: Re: Owner 54363796: Payment information required.
Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 19:02:56 +0800
From: "Kenneth Williams" <rkm_keny@fastermail.com>
To: "(name removed) John" <(name removed)_john@xxx.com>
Good morning John,
Happy to tell you that i have concluded payment with
my client,i am ok with the vehicle and has
agreed to settle for that price of $19,500.
However, i should inform you that payment
will get to you from a company that is owing me some
money for a cancelled order i placed with them, so i
wants to use this money and pay for this vehicle i
wants to buy from you, but the little problem now is
that the amount the company is owing me is more than
what you are supposed to be paid.
And the company policy demands debt payment only on
cashier check.
Finally, we resolved that payment should be made payable
to you in that whole amount,You are expected to help
me in returning my balance via western union
money transfer for me to be able to offset other bills
thus: shipping, pick up and neccessary charges..when
you must have confirmed payment.
The company will be sending a payment of $28,000. and
you are required to deduct the cost of the vehicle $19,500.
and help me in returning the sum of $8,500. minus the
western union charges of sending it.Please confirm
this and provide your name, address and phone# for
payment to be issued on your name and be delivered by
fedex courier timely..,my agent will be taking care of the
shipping the moment every necessary transactions has
being made.
Hint: pls. endeavour to remove your advert from the web.Pls
confirm you get this mail.I am waithing for you aprove the
issuance of the cashier check to you.As soon as you confirm
this, the check will be send to you right away.
God bless you.
Kenneth.
OK, now he's getting greedy. The original deal called for an initial check for $25,500, with a Western Union return of $6,000. Now he wants $8,500!!! Greed is consuming the scammer once he thinks the mark is in for the scam.
Also note that Kenneth is now giving us "hints" so that my friend will "endeavour" to remove the ad from the web.
Anyway, we were beginning to tire of this whole exchange. After conferring with some other friends, we decided to ask for some assurance as to the identity of this individual, along with the validity of the $28,000 check. What better way to validate someone's identity than a LIBRARY CARD????
So the scammer gets this:John Blackburn wrote:
> Hello Kenneth,
>
> I'm glad to hear you've concluded making the necessary payment arrangements and I look forward
to receiving the check. However, I must apologize, but I will not return any money to you.
Please send me a check in the amount of $19,500 NO MORE AND NO LESS. If you send me a check for
$28,000, I will keep the full amount of $28,000 - I will not send you any money for any reason
whatsoever.
>
> Also, I will not 'endeavor' to remove my advertisement as I have no good faith deposit from you
and no proof that you are a serious buyer. I will remove the ad when you send me a scanned image
of the check and a copy of your library card or other form of official identification. I'm
growing increasingly impatient as this has been dragging on for several days now.
>
> You seem like a kind Christian fellow and I'd like you to enjoy this nice vehicle, please make
payment soon and provide the check and library card so I can remove the ad from the internet.
Have a blessed day... fmtpo.
>
> Kind regards,
> John
So now we wait for his response. I have a feeling we won't be hearing from either Ken Bill or Kenneth Williams anymore. I'd love to see a copy of his Nigerian public library card, though. I'll post any more e-mails if they come in.
These scammers are pretty funny. I wonder how many people they actually take for their hard-earned money? Actually, I don't care. I just think they should all get malaria.
edited for spelling errors (mine, not Ken's)
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 374
Likes: 0
From: Roswell
hahahha, nice post. You know where he mighta gotten the name Kenneth Williams?? Ever read the "Left Behind" series, its one of the characters (the newborn son really) whos part of a "Tribulation Force" (aka Christian) Hence he might be using "Bless You" The clues are beginning to emerge!!
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Former Moderator
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 18,852
Likes: 1
From: New York
OK....this has the ability to be better than the apple laptop thread.
We should get the whole forum involved in this.
First....try to find the guy..
IP adresses...
emails...etc
then, try to scam HIM of as much money as possible...I dont really know how to do this.....but it sure would makes everyones week. Cant wait for the reply!
We should get the whole forum involved in this.
First....try to find the guy..
IP adresses...
emails...etc
then, try to scam HIM of as much money as possible...I dont really know how to do this.....but it sure would makes everyones week. Cant wait for the reply!
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,361
Likes: 0
From: Long Island/C'ville, VA
Sure, any help is much appreciated. I don't know how to trace an e-mail account or IP address, so some IT people could really help out.
I'm afraid the library card demand may have scared our scammer off, but you never know how greed will affect the mind of a criminal. Hopefully he'll respond. . .
Library cards as forms of identification are always acceptable. . . fmtpo
I'm afraid the library card demand may have scared our scammer off, but you never know how greed will affect the mind of a criminal. Hopefully he'll respond. . .
Library cards as forms of identification are always acceptable. . . fmtpo