Soon parted

[snopes]

Comment: I was scammed this week. My daughter went out on line for a
loan. They accepted her on a 8,000.00 dollar loan but she had to put the
first 6 mths down first. It added up to 1200.00. They said we would get
it back in a year if she paid the loan on time. The guy sounded really
professional! It was Liberty Financial. Well it was a scam and they got
1200.00 of my money and no loan. Tell everyone about this. There is
other companies doing this also.

[snopes]

Comment: I answered and ad on "Craig's List", San Diego, tickets, to purchase 6th
row tickets to "Dancing with the Stars". If you are not aware of them, it
is based on the very popular TV show. They are now going on tour and San
Diego was the first stop. The ad stated the tickets were $150 for the
pair.
I wrote to the receipent and he said that he was planning on coming to San
Diego on a business trip, his boss had given him the tickets, and he had
cancelled his trip. I asked him how he was able to obtain 6th row tickets
and he said his boss was head of an oil company. His address was in
Alberta, Canada.
He only requested a Moneygram or Western Union because he said it would
take 30 days for a money order or bank check to clear (I later found out
this was incorrect). I asked for visual proof he had the tickets and he
said he didn't have a webcam or scanner (all I was asking for was a Xerox
and to fax it to me).
Needless to say, unless my better judgement, I sent him via MoneyGram, the
$150, with a $12 service fee, and he never sent me the tickets. He has
not returned my phone calls or emails. I'm sure if he is scamming me
about these tickets, he is scamming others.
Some things I learned from this mistake: if they only request a Money
Gram or Western Union, it is probably a scam. Money Gram uses a reference
number for the recipent so I'm sure they don't have to show any form of
identification from their end. The price of the tickets were too
reasonable since the seats in the back cost more than these and usually
the first 10 - 20 rows are reserved for radio station giveaways and other
promotional and advertising personnel. If they can't show you visual proof
they have tickets, they probably don't.
I am college educated, hardworking and should have seen the red flags
ahead of time. I am just such a die-hard fan of the show, I couldn't
resist the possibility of seeing it with such great seats. I feel foolish
and used.
Don't let your readers be suckered like I was.

[TrishDaDish]

My daughter went out on line for a loan. They accepted her on a 8,000.00 dollar loan but she had to put the first 6 mths down first. It added up to 1200.00.

I'm sorry, but whenever I hear this sort of thing, my head implodes. If you're so broke that you need to take out a loan, where is this money coming from that you're paying the scammers? Why aren't you just saving it instead, like a normal person?

[snopes]

Comment: My husbands cousin I believe is being scammed. She met this guy
on a dating service. He says he loves her, and went to Africa to get oil
to sell in U.S.

He has been beaten up and can not get back because he has 48,000 in a suit
case (it was to buy oil).

Whole thing sounds like a scam. She has already sent him money (to get
home). WAIT (me) he has $48,000 in as suit case - he needs money? Ok,
pretend he bought the oil. He must have records to show police so he can
leave Africa to get home.

Not a US citizen to our state dept. will not help.

I can send you the stuff she's sent me. She's older, maybe 70... lonely.
I think he has hooked a fish.

[Eve MG]

I didn't think that what the Nigerian scammers did could get any worse, but this is the lowest - to pretend to have a relationship with an older woman.

Although wouldn't the "going to Africa to buy oil" sound suspicious? What's he going to do, carry it back in his suitcase?

[MidgardDragon]

Comment: I answered and ad on "Craig's List"

Has anything good ever started this way? o.O

[lynnejanet]

I embarrassed to admit that we were scammed by a phony loan company years ago. At the time, the company had a heavy ad campaign on local radio and TV stations. They had an address on Yonge Street in Toronto, and looked very legit. We were just married, and looking for money for furniture for our first apartment. We applied for the loan, were told that we were preliminarily approved, and then asked to come into the office to sign the papers. The scam was that the company professed to have a private lender interested in loaning the money, but that we had to pony up $400 to finish the application. Foolishly, we gave them the cash, and of course, they told us that the lender backed out.

It was a hard lesson to learn, but I'm thankful it was only $400. What astonished me at the time, was that they offered to find us another lender, for only $600 more, because we were now "high risk" borrowers. Still with no guarantees, of course. NFBSKers.

[hambubba]

Originally Posted by TrishDaDish

I'm sorry, but whenever I hear this sort of thing, my head implodes. If you're so broke that you need to take out a loan, where is this money coming from that you're paying the scammers? Why aren't you just saving it instead, like a normal person?

Mama ponied up the $1200. Daughter is no worse off, but that's 2 suckers for the price of one.

ham "lasts all day" bubba

[hambubba]

Originally Posted by lynnejanet

They had an address on Yonge Street in Toronto, and looked very legit.

Several of our young male employees answered an ad for "models". They would place you, but there was a $300 listing fee. This group was working out of a hotel room. I think one of them fell for it.

[KathyB]

Beware of Advance Fee Loan Scam

[snopes]

Comment: You did an article on gift card fraud/theft that we need. We
were victims of a total of $4,000.00 gift card theft from Babies R Us at
24-30 Union Square West, NY, NY recently and they are very uncooperative
and evasive. At one point, we were told we would not be reimbursed for
our loss. Depending on who we speak to, we get varying answers. NYC
Police Dept. refused to take a report on this theft. When our gift
holders tried to use the cards, they were told there was a zero ($0)
balance), to our embarassment. The police consider this a civil matter
and would not help us. We are hoping that you have information to help
us.

[TrishDaDish]

Undeniable proof the snopes is above the law!

Can't get the police to listen? Take it to snopes!

Originally Posted by TrishDaDish

I'm sorry, but whenever I hear this sort of thing, my head implodes. If you're so broke that you need to take out a loan, where is this money coming from that you're paying the scammers? Why aren't you just saving it instead, like a normal person?

HAHA you read my mind on that one!!

[snopes]

Comment: I RECENTLY WAS SCAMMED FROM SOMEBODY FROM NIGERIA I WAS CONTACTED
BY THIS PERSON CLAIMING TO BE A WOMAN WHO TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD
SELLING GOODS TO DIFFRETN COUNTRYS AND HAD A PROFILE AND EVERYTHING. WE
STARED JUST CHATTING AND THATS WHEN THE REAL DANGER CAME INTO PLAY I ENDED
UP SENDING MONEY TO THIS PERSON AND FINIALLY I DECIDED THAT I WASN'T GOING
TO SEND ANYMORE MORE TO HIM OR HER. THE NAME OF THE PERSON WAS SERIKI
ABIODUN I WONDER IF THAT IS A REAL NAME? BUT I STILL CHATTED WITH HER AND
IT NEARLY BANKRUPTED MY FINIANCES AND PUT ME THROUGH A REALLY ROUGH MONTH
WITH MONEY AND NOT BEING ABLE TO PAY BILLS OR DO ANYTHING. MY EMOTIONS
WERE PLAYED WITH AND IT REALLY ANGERED ME WHEN IT ESCALATED INTO A REAL
PROBLEM. I NO LONGER TALK TO THAT PERSON AND IAM BACK ON TRACK WITH MY
FINIACES IAM WRITNIG THIS BECAUSE I HOPE THAT NOBODY ELSE EVER FALLS FOR
THIS SCAM FROM THIS PERSON AND THE CRIMINAL IS CAUGHT RED HANDED.

[damian]

Are there any people in the world that haven't heard of the Nigerian scam?

I'd say that the people who are pulling the scam are banking on the fact that there are indeed people (and plenty of them) who haven't heard of the Nigerian Scam. I'd think that they'd be targeting people with limited knowledge of the internet and lower skepticism than the average internet user. The first people who come to my mind with that description are people like grandparents, who might have a computer and have a limited understanding of it and only use it for e-mailing their grandkids so they wouldn't be aware of things like the Nigerian Scam, phishing, etc.

[One-Fang]

Although when you say 'targeting' you just mean 'hoping for', right? I don't think they choose their recipients, just send out hundreds/thousands of fish emails and hope a couple of suitably niaive people respond.

[snopes]

Comment: I have just been scammed about a timeshare that I have advertised
by a company on the web. Another company called me to say that they had a
buyer. There were going to buy another timeshare but they couldn't get a
clear title to the unit and they knew that my unit was being sold. They
said that they had a cashier check which they would send out to me by
FedEx in the next 2 days. All I had to do was wire money by Western Union
to a man named Rolphe N. Newman who would do the title search to make sure
that my title was free and clear. Mr. Newman's title company was in
Wheelersburg, Ohio but I was to send the money order to him in Ft.
Lauderdale, Fl. where J&J Timeshare Properties was located because Mr.
Newman was in Fl. at the time right now. I had to pay over $300 for this
title search today so that he could do the search tomorrow and then they
could send out my check right away. The total was over $400 since there
was a fee to pay to send the money. The check was picked up within 30
minutes to one hour after I wired the money. The man that contacted me
was named Bill Harris, or so he said, and he worked for J&J Timeshare
Properties which he said was located at 7164 N. Ocen Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale,
Fl. Boy, was I stupid because I wanted to pay with my credit card and he
said that it had to be a money order since Mr. Newman was not in his
office to receive a payment by a credit card. The reason for that is
because you can contest a credit card charge but not a money order wired
through Western Union especially after it has already been picked up by
the thief!!!! This is a case of seller beware..do not send money through
Western Union ever!!!!!!
This has been an expensive lesson about selling a timeshare.

An expensive lesson indeed, but looking on the bright side at least it entertained us.

[snopes]

Comment: I think that I've been taken for $249.00 in a scam on line.
I accessed the internet for a divorce on line and found the following
website: http://www.washingtondivorceonline.c...stionnaire.asp
After filling out their questionair they charge my VISA card and then sent
me 7 files in PDF format to fill out and take to the court house for
filling. The Clallam county court house told me that in order to fill any
divorce papers I had to pay them $250.00. And that there are no on line
web sites that can issue a divorce with out appering in person before a
judge. This websit can never be accessed because the e-mail says its
under construction, their phone number doesn't alow anything
other than voice messageing only.