Got this today, thankfully I read alot here at the PBB and have seen this a few times. Not sure if it's a scam but I'm not taking any chances.
Anybody know where or who I can report this to? I'd love to make sure these fawks are taken out of the public.
Here's the letter;
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 03:15:09 -0700
- Good morning,
Hope things are going well for you and that your labor day was relaxing. Now regarding your craigslist automotive, we've arranged financing, and our bank will allocate 73% of the asking price for the specific model with the history, miles as noted on your craigslist ad. We trust you that the car looks and performs as described, therefore, a money order can be brought on Monday to make the exchange, to any location you see fit. Also if you would like to speak over the phone that will be quickly arranged to accommodate your schedule. Thank you for your time.
- Regards,
Robert
From: "Robert Peters" <rpeters@pinesport.com>

So you have a vehicle advertised somewhere and this "company" is offering to buy it?:confused:

Yep but with all the money order scams going on, it seems suspicious to me. The ad was in Craigslist several weeks ago.

Notice, there is no reference to the make or model and there is no reference to asking price.
It may just be some BS place that buys "Cars for Cash" type thing. It's all just too vague of an ad reply.

The way its worded sounds kind of fishy but if the guy is willing to meet you face to face for the deal then hes a local, take the money order to wherever it was drawn and check it out, if its good you sold whatever your selling.

If you are selling the car, and they want to give you a money order for it . . . How is that a scam?
:confused:
Now, if they wanted you to give them a money order . . .

If you are interested, go ahead and meet with them. Just don't agree to anything unless you are 100% comfortable with it. Sometimes, used car lots will send out high powered negotiators to meet with you, and before you know it they will have talked you out of your car.
Just know what your high and low prices for the car are before hand, and stick with them. All will be well.

This is a variation of one that has been going around for quite some time:

Dear Sir,
I am Chief Egobike Madu,Executive Director with Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC).Please accept my apology for using this medium to convey a transaction of this magnitude, but this is due to the confidentiality and prompt access reposed on this medium.Be informed that a member of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council who was a member of government delegation to your country gave your enviable credentials/particulars to me.I have decided to seek your co-operation in the execution this deal described hereunder, for the benefit of all parties and hoping you will keep it as TOP SECRET because of the nature of the business.

Within the NNPC (where I work as a director),and with the cooperation of four other top officials, we have in our possession as overdue payment bills US18.50million which we want to transfer abroad with the assistance and cooperation of a company/ or an individual to receive the said funds, via a reliable bank account.Quite frankly,we are handicapped as the Nigeria civil service laws strongly prohibits us from owning/or operating a foreign account hence your importance in this whole transaction.

This amount (US18.50m) represents the the balance of the total value of a contract on behalf of my corporation by a foreign contracting firm which we the officials involved deliberately over-invoiced. Though the actual cost have been paid to the original contractor leaving the balace in the tune of the said amount which we have in principle got approval to remit by Key Tested Telegraphic transfer to any foreign account you will provide by filing an application through the justice minstry here in Nigeria for the transfer of rights and privelages of the former contractor to you.

I have the authority of my partners to propose that should you be willing to assist us in this transaction by way of providing the required account to receive this fund, your share or the entire sum will be 30% amounting to US$5.55m, 60% amounting to US$11.1m for us and 10% amounting to US$1.85m will be used to settle taxation and other miscellaneous expences in the course of transfering the money to your account. The business itself is 100% foolproof and safe, as long as you mantain utmost secrecy and confidentiality.Furthermore your area of specialisation will not be a hindrance to the successful completion of this transaction. I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint me. Should you be willing to assist positively with a common goal, endeavour to contact me immediately .If you are not interested, please also indicate so that it will enable me to contact other foreign partner with recommendation to carry out this deal.

I want to assure you that my colleagues and I are in a position to make the payment of this claim possible provided that you can give us a very concrete assurace of the safety of our share. Please, always treat this matter with utmost confidentiality, because we will not comprehend any form of exposure as we are still in active service. Time is of essence in this business, so kindly act fast.

Note: I advise that your contact with me should always be via this medium for secuirity purposes and successful achievement of our our primary motive(i.e. successful realisation of our aim of this transaction without hitches).
I await in anticipation of your fullest cooperation.
Chief Egobike Madu.

Originally posted by Jeremy Johnson
This is a variation of one that has been going around for quite some time:

Dear Sir,
I am Chief Egobike Madu,Executive Director with Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC).Please accept my apology for using this medium to convey a transaction of this magnitude, but this is due to the confidentiality and prompt access reposed on this medium.Be informed that a member of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council who was a member of government delegation to your country gave your enviable credentials/particulars to me.I have decided to seek your co-operation in the execution this deal described hereunder, for the benefit of all parties and hoping you will keep it as TOP SECRET because of the nature of the business.

Within the NNPC (where I work as a director),and with the cooperation of four other top officials, we have in our possession as overdue payment bills US18.50million which we want to transfer abroad with the assistance and cooperation of a company/ or an individual to receive the said funds, via a reliable bank account.Quite frankly,we are handicapped as the Nigeria civil service laws strongly prohibits us from owning/or operating a foreign account hence your importance in this whole transaction.

This amount (US18.50m) represents the the balance of the total value of a contract on behalf of my corporation by a foreign contracting firm which we the officials involved deliberately over-invoiced. Though the actual cost have been paid to the original contractor leaving the balace in the tune of the said amount which we have in principle got approval to remit by Key Tested Telegraphic transfer to any foreign account you will provide by filing an application through the justice minstry here in Nigeria for the transfer of rights and privelages of the former contractor to you.

I have the authority of my partners to propose that should you be willing to assist us in this transaction by way of providing the required account to receive this fund, your share or the entire sum will be 30% amounting to US$5.55m, 60% amounting to US$11.1m for us and 10% amounting to US$1.85m will be used to settle taxation and other miscellaneous expences in the course of transfering the money to your account. The business itself is 100% foolproof and safe, as long as you mantain utmost secrecy and confidentiality.Furthermore your area of specialisation will not be a hindrance to the successful completion of this transaction. I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint me. Should you be willing to assist positively with a common goal, endeavour to contact me immediately .If you are not interested, please also indicate so that it will enable me to contact other foreign partner with recommendation to carry out this deal.

I want to assure you that my colleagues and I are in a position to make the payment of this claim possible provided that you can give us a very concrete assurace of the safety of our share. Please, always treat this matter with utmost confidentiality, because we will not comprehend any form of exposure as we are still in active service. Time is of essence in this business, so kindly act fast.

Note: I advise that your contact with me should always be via this medium for secuirity purposes and successful achievement of our our primary motive(i.e. successful realisation of our aim of this transaction without hitches).
I await in anticipation of your fullest cooperation.
Chief Egobike Madu.

Yeah, THAT one is a scam, but I doubt the car one is.

Yeah, I've seen those before. "My name is Jahid Somanabich, son and rightful ere to the throne of Ganbefy, I am stuck in exile and need your help." BS
Lately, there has been a rash of counterfiet money orders and cashier's checks getting passed around. Seems the only safe way is cash.
These guys will meet you in person, strike a deal and hand you a m/o or cashrs check and they drive away with the vehicle. The counterfieters are good at coping checks and (or) they work at banks. My buddy has his GSXR ripped of by a guy who worked at a bank and cut a bogus check, they caught the guy a year later but never got the bike or the money.
If this one is not a scam then it's some kind of BS. Any person will any real interest will respond with some kind of detail or question.
The car for sale is a 88 YJ, what company would be interested in it?, except for resale. Even then it would be too much for a used car lot to deal with all the extras and storing them.
I'm not interested in the guy's proposal, 73% of asking price is not good enough. I'm am interested in knowing where to turn this guy in to.
I have not but would love to respond to his letter prompting him to the next step. Because there were no details, I would like to tell him I'll entertain the offer of 75% of the asking price and see what he says.

Originally posted by JeepinDoug
Yeah, I've seen those before. "My name is Jahid Somanabich,...

Do whatever you think is right.

Have you thought about the possibility that the bank will only give him 73% of your asking price and the remaining 27% he will have to come up with in cash as a "down payment"? It very well could be a scam, but I would ask more questions. Ask him to pay in cash only. Or you could tell him you will meet him at the bank the MO was written and as soon as you have cash in hand, you'll sign the vehicle over to him.

Ask them where the money order is issued from, and if it is a bank tell them that you will meet them at the bank so that you may verify funds.
Glad that you are being careful with this though.

I strung on of those nigerians jigaboos along for able 20 emails once...I kept telling him to send me a MO for the 30million US and I would go open an account with it, then he could meet me in person and I would give him the account number and we would go to the bank together and get the cash...he kept asking for MY bank acct # to Xfer the funds to...(do I LOOK that stupid?)..

Finally I told him that I had opened a new acct with a current balance of $5US and gave him the acct #( I really did this, but I also told the bank that NO outgoing Xfers were to be allowed)...within 24hrs, someone tried 5 times to Xfer the $5 out, I told the bank what I was doing and they got the info from the people that were trying to get the $5 and turned it over to the FBI...I emailled him several times after they tried to get the $$ and asked when he was going to Xfer the $30mil, but he quit answering me...the mails weren't getting bounced back, but just deleted after being read...I guess I wasted about 3 weeks of his time...LOL

I love fawking with turds like that...

Originally posted by 4runner
I strung on of those nigerians jigaboos along for able 20 emails once...I kept telling him to send me a MO for the 30million US and I would go open an account with it, then he could meet me in person and I would give him the account number and we would go to the bank together and get the cash...he kept asking for MY bank acct # to Xfer the funds to...(do I LOOK that stupid?)..

Finally I told him that I had opened a new acct with a current balance of $5US and gave him the acct #( I really did this, but I also told the bank that NO outgoing Xfers were to be allowed)...within 24hrs, someone tried 5 times to Xfer the $5 out, I told the bank what I was doing and they got the info from the people that were trying to get the $5 and turned it over to the FBI...I emailled him several times after they tried to get the $$ and asked when he was going to Xfer the $30mil, but he quit answering me...the mails weren't getting bounced back, but just deleted after being read...I guess I wasted about 3 weeks of his time...LOL

I love fawking with turds like that...

Those are some of the best comedy I get all day long but the sad thing is some really dumb people fall for it.

you at least have to email those guys back just to waste their time...if everyone that recieved the mail sent back a message of "Fuck Off", those guys would have a ton of crap to sift through to find a sucker.

I just emailed the guy back. I don't want to waste too much time with playing games with the guy so here's what I wrote;

Hi Robert,
Sorry but 73% is unacceptable. The asking price is
negotiable. The automobile is priced well below Blue
Book value.
Regards,
Doug

I figured I'd slightly dangle the bait and see if he responds. If it's BS I would expect a counter since it doesn't cost him anything. We'll see.