I was contacted by [email protected] about an online ad I placed on motorcycletrader.com. To simplify for the sake of time - he sent me a cashier's check for several thousand dollars over the asking price to "cover shipping costs". Enclosed with the check was an unsigned, type-written, undated letter asking me to wire transfer the extra money to a [email protected] located in Paris. He provided me with a Paris address but no phone number.By this time I was suspicious.
While the bank put a hold on the check (I'm still waiting to see if it clears as of writing this) I googled "martins shipping" which brought me to this site and to two seperate complaints filed involving a Richard Martin and Oscar Brown Shipping. They were both similar scenarios to what I was experiencing. So much so that I thought it may be the same person trying to scam me. He over paid or wanted to over pay the asking price of a vehicle and then wanted shipping charges wired to a "shipper" before the his check cleared.
And so I emailed him back and told him he must have thought I was stupid if he thought I was going to send him money before his check cleared. I also mentioned that I had turned over all materials to the FBI and that they knew he had done this before and already had a suspect. I told him he better run. I also included in my email to him a cartoon picture of a hand flipping him "the bird". I haven't heard from him since. Thanks to the other two people who took the time to file their reports.
Some clues: *English is his 2nd language (I don't know if this is faked) *French based (wiring money to Paris, the envelope I received had a French postmark) *checks are coming from Florida (the one I got was from an actual bank who I'll be notifying shortly) *the name "Martin"
Marissa
O Brien, Oregon
U.S.A.
0 comments