Not sure if this is the place to post this, so please bear with me.
I have a BBC listed for sale and received a suspicious email. (I received a few, but this one was different)
Anyways, the wording, expressions etc, of the 1st email set off a "West Africa" alarm. (I worked the oilfields of W. Africa for a few years)Last night I got the confirming email. Name on email is Toran Smith. Attached is what I got:
The 71 model 402 BBC engine would be pick up by my shipping company immediately there is a confirmation of payment,they would also attest to every necessary document on my behalf. Ive immediately contacted my patner over there thats going to make the payment to you on my behalf.However there are few things i want to explain to you in this mail,which actually made the mail important and i would want you to handle everything with all honesty and sincerity as we have started.

My client is going to make a payment of $5,000 to you, which is over the amount for your 71 model 402 BBC engine .But ive already told him he money cover sum for 71 model 402 BBC engine and the shipping arrangement.Therefore he has promised to raise the check and get it across to you ASAP.

Why im explaining this to you now is the need to let to you know after colllecting the payment and get it cashed that you will need to send the balance of the money to my shipper after you must have deducted the money for your 71 model 402 BBC engine of it after you do that you can contact him also through is email:coscoshipping@marchmail.com


You will send the remaining balance to my shipper thru Western union Money Transfer so as to facilitate easy pick-up of the 71 model 402 BBC engine at your location.Pls let me know if i can entrust you with my balance and you can act as i have rightly said,if truely you do so i will ready compeciate you with $100 .I would like to hear from you and pls l want you to remove the advert from the intenet. Thanks.
Yours Obident,
toran........

haha if you do that ...your screwed and a half ...by the time they get the engine youll get the check and guess what ...it bounces or there is no transaction to complete and you just got scammed out of 5 grand and an engine ...request payments before shipping with stuff like that ...refuse to ship until money is recieved and paid in full because they will and have scammed before

This is a scam.
Add his email to the http://www.scamchecker.com database, if it's not already in there.

Almost every transaction were they request western Union is a scam. its to easy to rip people off with them.

It is a BIG SCAM - They give you a certified check, you deposit it, they decided not to take the product and ask for their money back, usually minus some for your troubles. You then get YOUR money, give it Western Union and then 25 days later you find out that the certified check is no good so you are out the money you gave to Western Union. I had a guy wanting to buy my 96 Corvette but couldn't tell what kind of car it was or where he saw it for sale because it never was. I played along with the FBI watching, received the check ($28K), then he decided not to take the car and wanted $25 back. When I got the check I told I had deposited it and everything was cool. I told him to then respond with what kind of car he bought from me and where else I was going would not give him the Western Union authorization number. He got mad that I wouldn't give him the number and told me that I was not treating him fairly. He really wined and corresponded every day. He also said he would call before the check arrived but the FBI had the line tapped just in case. He never called. After two weeks of holding his money I told him all about the FBI sting and wished him luck.

Another scam is that a person comes to your house and fives you a certified check and takes your product then you find the check is bad. YOU CANT GET YOUR MONEY BACK FROM WESTERN UNION AND THEY DONT CARE NOR DO THEY VERIFY ANYTHING. IF YOU HAVE THE AUTHORIZATION NUMBER YOUR GET THE MONEY.

Got the same scammer using the name Collins Smith he used the same MO

I have had the same situation twice this week. I have some American Racing 20" rims for sale and both emails say that they dont want to negotiate the price and that they will send a cashiers check and that their shipping agent will pick up the rims ASAP. Something that I found funny in both is that neither of these people could put together a sentence. Seems to me that english is probably a second language. I cant beleive that there are that many stupid people out there. Anyway, I wrote back and said I only deal and cash...that scared them off because I havent heard from either of them.

Bob