Its awfully risky to buy items from a stranger (and not an established shop) on the internet.

On 12/8/07, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX> wrote:
> This is in regards to a craigslist post throughout at least 8 major cities
> in the US for a way below value Ford Escape.  It was posted all at the same
> date Dec 6 at about 6:30 PM PST.  I wondered if it was scam, but now I
> confirmed my suspicions with his response.  His next step will be to ask for
> funds to be mailed or wired to him.
>
> 
>
> This is a brand new scam, I hope you post it fast to help others.
>
> 
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> 
>
> From: ritterjonny@aol.com [mailto:ritterjonny@aol.com]
> Sent: Friday, December 07, 2007 8:48 PM
> Subject: Re: 2003 Ford Escape Limited
>
> 
>
> Hello,
>
> Sorry for the delayed response, but I'm in Glasgow (Scotland) right now and
> I have been very busy.Anyway,thank you for your interest in buying the car.
> The car is located in US right now and has US papers.Why is the price so
> low? I am here in Scotland with my new work and I cannot register the car
> here, as it is made for USA, according to USA standards. So all that I want
> to do now is to sell the car at this price, because I need to sell it fast(I
> already made a deposit here to buy me another).The title is clean and you
> will have absolutely no problems to register the car in the States.I will
> tell you a few words about the car..
>
> My 2003 Ford Escape Limited with automatic transmission it is in immaculate
> condition with 33,500 miles and have the VIN number: 1FMCU94143KC85329 ,
> rust free , no scratch and hasn't been involved in any accident. The motor
> runs very well(6 Cylinders).The interior looks great(NO SMOKING).This car
> needs nothing,the title is clear ,it is not a salvage one. I want this
> transaction to go smoothly enough as I am caught in the middle of some very
> important events and have little time at my disposal. I already have tons of
> emails so I hope you understand that I need to sort them out.Here are all
> the photos of my car.
>
> The price is $2,940. THIS IS MY LAST PRICE.I will not negotiate the price.I
> will take in consideration only those buyers who are really interested in
> buying the car ,to be sure that I don't waste my time with endless
> discussions.This way,I shall be assured of the serious intentions .
>
> For more pictures click in the link below:
>
> http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh233/johnritter1974/
>
> 
>
> So if you are interested please email me back for next step.
>
> Regards !!
>
> John Ritter

Check out this video clip from CNN.

Nigerian Scammer was caught while collecting US$15,000 fees from a victim!

The news report that, "Nigeria was the first nation to report a full economic collapse from the internet crash, 99% of its gross national product (GDP) comes from internet ventures".

Wow, I hope that we are not one of the culprits :-D

Great news articles from Colorado Springs Gazette, with more numbers and stats of scams and comments from the Sheriff's office. There are many news confirming that many have fallen into various "too-good-to-be-true" scam deals. This is another great one from the authorities - so be convinced.

" A long-lost relative from a foreign country has left you a million-dollar inheritance.
A broker calls offering you a mortgage with guaranteed low monthly payments.
An investment opportunity arrives in the mail, promising large returns and zero risk.

Sound tempting? Authorities say don’t fall for it; it’s most likely a scam.
Thousands of people nationwide fall victim to fraud, scams and identity theft every year. In 2006, 674,354 people reported complaints to the Federal Trade Commission, with 12,052 originating from Colorado. In Colorado Springs, 591 reports were made, but authorities believe the number should be higher because many cases go unreported."

We have mentioned millions and billions lost in scams and phishing activities on the web. Another survey showed that 1-in-5 US surfers have been victims of at least one internet scam, which includes opening email with attachments and clicking on unsafe links.

Union County (NJ, US) wrote an article with the opinion that "Summer is the time for Scams", and warned about lottery and credit card frauds. The history of scam reports and articles have shown that any season (and 365/24/7) is a great time for email scams.

Periodic scam warnings serve as a reminder for readers are highly recommended for high traffic site. However, it should not give the impression that scams are based on seasons. We could not think of a bad time for scammers to make fast money.

Beware of scams during summer, but do not let your guards down anywhere, anytime.

Beats me, we are still investigating and will update this page when we have any information.

In the meantime, checkout the blog entry regarding the experience with the company.

Opportunist exists in every situation (and so does scams), including a country like Iraq where bombings and violence are common news. The last thing that we can imagine is for the people to speculate real estate property when the situation remains tense and life-threatening.

In fact, we are getting so dissensitized with bombings that news on scams are "fresh".

Apart from the technicalities of who-what-how the scams happened, the news reminds me of those movies where the "greedy guys" would rather die than let the treasures be blown up by some time-bombs. Have you seen the ending scene in the movie "Dead of Alive" DOA? What is the value of money when there is no life?

Extract:

"Illegal vendors are using fake documents and forged signatures to sell houses that belong to displaced Iraqis who have been forced to leave their homes as a result of sectarian violence. Some of them, according to Ministry of Construction officials, produce documents in English which say the US authorities’ in Iraq have authorised the sale of such properties, thus making unsuspecting buyers confident that the transaction is legal.

"Usually they look for illiterate people or those who do not understand English properly so that their documents can have a veneer of legality. Buyers only discover that they have been duped when they move to the house and are alerted by neighbours, or when the original owner returns to check on his property," Saleh Abdel-Rahman, mayor of Baghdad’s Dora district, said."

Not a glorious day for a former soldier, who was arrested in San Diego, California for several crimes.

Extract:
"Jaton Aguon, 26, who is a former US Marine, has been accused of using several scams to commit at least fifty crimes over the last few months. He was booked on April 20 on two counts of vehicle theft, credit card fraud, and obtaining money under false pretenses."

Hot Scams! Hot News!

2 guys by the name of Muhammad and McBride, were caught dealing in a series of Craigslist scams where they sold replica items and boxes of rubbish designed to look like expensive electronics. The report states that the scam occurs in Fremont(US), but are investigating if they are linked to similar scams elsewhere.

What I would call is that it is a "cheap skate" replica or fake product scam. Most replica sellers are selling expensive-item look-alike, but at least they work. They are cheaper because the design has been copied and produced elsewhere cheaper. The only concern is the quality.

What makes this pair interesting is that they are selling fake and replicas that do not work at all. They built flat-screen TV set using bricks and woods decorated with black film, silver foil tape and Best Buy literature. That is what we call a "backyard home factory". What a joke.

Hey, that reminds me of those household electronics model which we find in the furniture stores. They simply paste a picture of the LCD screen, video players, etc. on pieces of cardboard so that the Prop can be used to enhance their furniture showroom. But they ain't selling those props, so you cannot buy from them (in case u are wondering).

News report about 'housing scams' in Islamabad (Pakistan) where the project was cancelled and money returned to the buyers were slow. Effectively, we think that the buyers should be paid both for their lost of bank interest and time as well.

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There are many ways in which the scams take place. Sometimes, the housing society informs the buyer that the project is being disbanded and that the money will be returned. The only problem with this is that it takes some time before the money is returned and when it is, a certain percentage is deducted under the head of 'processing and administrative costs'. This is nothing but outright robbery since there is no logic why the purchaser should be punished on account of the project not going ahead as planned. In reality, this is just a nifty way to make some money; the allotments are cancelled and then re-sold at higher prices. Of course, scams can happen even in societies that do eventually provide homes to their clients. Here, the difference between the facilities and quality as promised in glitzy infomercials aired on various TV channels and what is really given is substantial. But the poor purchaser has no forum to turn to, except to file a legal suit. However, since this option means several years of wrangling in court and expensive legal fees, most homeowners end up doing nothing....

Read this news and think twice about giving away personal information and ID to strangers. If people you knew can scam you by identity theft, so could total strangers. 

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SAN FRANCISCO — LAWFUEL - US Law Newswire - United States Attorney Scott N. Schools announced that Christina Kyeonghee Kim pleaded guilty today to 48 counts of fraud in connection with an identity-theft scheme that caused more than $1 million in losses, which the defendant admitted she spent on luxury items.

"This crime involved exploiting the Social Security numbers and other very personal information of people who trusted the defendant, including her relatives and college students who worked at her restaurant," USA Schools said. "Abusing other people’s identities is a very serious offense, as is the defrauding of financial institutions. This Office will prosecute these crimes—and all other white-collar offenses—to the fullest extent of the law."

Attackers are increasingly using greeting card scams to foist trojans on the unsuspecting. Fortunately, there are some tell-tale signs and tips to follow that can help you avoid becoming a victim.

Be extra suspicious if (a) the greeting card doesn't address you by name; (b) the card sender's name isn't included in the body of the email or the name isn't familiar; and (c) it's not a holiday, a birthday, or any other occasion that might warrant a card. If the card requires that you install a special viewer or tries to download a file to your system, treat it like a trojan. Cancel the download and scan your system with up to date antivirus software.

Students subletting apartments fall prey to scheme

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA

A new twist on an old scam is targeting students trying to sublet their apartments as the school year winds up.

Officials with Libro Financial Group, southwestern Ontario's largest credit union, say they have warned about six to eight members in recent weeks and stopped them from falling prey to the money-order scheme.

"It's troubling because it's a plausible scheme and it's going after a vulnerable population," said Harry Joosten, Libro's vice-president of member relations.