It isn't that hard to avoid stuff like this. Use some common sense people!

Rich, white, stands like a cowboy? Oh god I bet he's a republican!
Why didn't this end in gunfire?!?!?!

Once again Florida illustrates why it is the flim-flam capitol of the Nation. You wanna build a phony insurance company or a investment house, fleece milllions of dollars and then bail out with the cash, you set up in Florida. Hell, most of it is legal there. They don't prosecute if you've made the right political connections. Thats why Jeb Bush ran for Governor there. He was the right political connection.

Nice HOWTO article.

Deathfrogg: Once again Florida illustrates why it is the flim-flam capitol of the Nation. You wanna build a phony insurance company or a investment house, fleece milllions of dollars and then bail out with the cash, you set up in Florida. Hell, most of it is legal there. They don't prosecute if you've made the right political connections. Thats why Jeb Bush ran for Governor there. He was the right political connection.

Oh of course its all the repubs fault.

I had a supervisor who fell for a stunt like this except that the address she was given was nothing more than a pile of sand. That was her first mistake - the bigger mistake was telling us about it when she returned to work.

/knows their pain

What do they say about a fool and his money? I love how someone in the article is already blaming the website! Yeaa, it's the web site's fault that you sent a personal check to "Interweb Floriduh Rentals Inc." after looking at a picture of someone's house online.

Wait, they came from Suriname...



to visit Ft Lauderdale?

No sympathy here.

Too easy to check an address on the Innertunes, takes 5 minutes tops.

Also, pay by check, that way there is a record and it is only a 5-minute job to fix if anything goes wrong.

Smoking gun here is, a crook won't accept a check, he knows he has to show ID to cash it. An honest man will be glad to take your money any way convenient.

olddinosaur: No sympathy here.

Too easy to check an address on the Innertunes, takes 5 minutes tops.

Also, pay by check, that way there is a record and it is only a 5-minute job to fix if anything goes wrong.

Smoking gun here is, a crook won't accept a check, he knows he has to show ID to cash it. An honest man will be glad to take your money any way convenient.

Do you know how I know you know nothing about check fraud?

Just cash the check that Nigerian prince sent you, and pay for it that way. Don't forget to wire the difference back to Africa.

The only way the international community will get over it being "an Internet-based fraud that crossed international borders, making investigation and prosecution difficult" and do something about this, is if the wrong Photogenic Upper Class Couple gets killed in their own home because the wrong Ticked Off Scam Victim is pissed.

Chameleon:

Writing a check isn't going to help a damned bit since it's cashed and gone by the time you go on vacation.

/pay by check...you sound old

Not old, just smart. A $2700 cashier's check or certified money order would cost about $8-$12 at my bank, pretty cheap insurance against the loss in question. It takes 60 days to clear the bank, something every scammer knows. At any rate, one phone call stops payment, bear that in mind.

If you give money to a stranger with no recourse, you are a fool and you deserve to be swindled.

What are these things called checks everyone keeps talking about.

olddinosaur: No sympathy here.

Too easy to check an address on the Innertunes, takes 5 minutes tops.

Also, pay by check, that way there is a record and it is only a 5-minute job to fix if anything goes wrong.

Smoking gun here is, a crook won't accept a check, he knows he has to show ID to cash it. An honest man will be glad to take your money any way convenient.

Quotes from the article (as written now, it may have been edited):

- Scammers list the address of an unsuspecting homeowner and persuade unwary vacationers to wire rent money or send a check to the scammer's post office box
- Never wire money or send a check.


And anyway, ID don't mean shiat. I know someone who was the victim of tax fraud. Someone stole her info and made up a false 1040 in order to get a refund, then went to a check cashing place with false ID in hand, didn't bat an eyelash when their picture was taken. Walked out with the cash. She had to do her own investigating to find out what happened.

Like the article says, bottom line:

"Our problem is that the victims are from Canada and other countries," said Sgt. Steve Scelfo, head of the Fort Lauderdale police's Economic Crimes Unit. "The money's not actually coming through Fort Lauderdale. We don't have standing jurisdictionally to investigate it." To add further complication, homeowners such as Chase, though discomfited, are not the ones who are victimized. "He's not out financially or really the victim of the crime," Scelfo said. He said such cases are the province of the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a federal Department of Justice clearinghouse that analyzes online fraud. Jeff Lanza, a retired FBI agent turned consultant, said that even then it would be hard to pique a prosecutor's interest.

"It's a relatively small amount for law enforcement," he said of the fraud's take. "At the federal level, they're not even going to look at a case where you've got a $2,700 loss."


Meanwhile, some dude is sent to jail for 18 months because he has a sad little Charlie Brown Christmas tree weed. How much was that plant worth, in that thread, a buck fifty? And the worst part is that, in Suriname, 2700 is *NOT* chump change. It's like an lower middle class family being told their 100,000 loss in an investment scam is chump change, because the feds are only interested in the multi-million and billion dollar losses of the superrich.

Article reads like a press release for the NAR

"It's unbelievable," said the banker, Michael McKenna of Pine Beach, N.J., who backed out of the deal and now works only with real estate agents. "They're definitely more trustworthy than going off those Internet sites."

Because when i think of realtors the first thing i think of is 'trustworthy' and not "scummy high school dropout in a cheap suit trying to rip me off"

myinternetname: Rich, white, stands like a cowboy? Oh god I bet he's a republican!

two posts in and you start this shiat?

Business opportunity!

olddinosaur: Chameleon:

Writing a check isn't going to help a damned bit since it's cashed and gone by the time you go on vacation.

/pay by check...you sound old

Not old, just smart. A $2700 cashier's check or certified money order would cost about $8-$12 at my bank, pretty cheap insurance against the loss in question. It takes 60 days to clear the bank, something every scammer knows. At any rate, one phone call stops payment, bear that in mind.

If you give money to a stranger with no recourse, you are a fool and you deserve to be swindled.

Sorry dude, things have changed. That '60 days to clear the bank' will still fark you up. Just because something clears does not mean it won't be reversed in the future. A lot of people have been burnt over 'but it cleared the bank!' Just trust.

And even wire transfers come with refunds. Good luck with that.

Besides, according to this:

Definition of 'Stop Payment'
A request made to a financial institution to cancel a check or payment that has not been processed yet. A stop payment order is issued by the account holder, and can only be enacted if the check or payment has not already been processed by the recipient.

Investopedia explains 'Stop Payment'
Issuing a stop payment order often costs the bank account holder a fee, which is levied by the financial institution. There are several reasons that a stop payment order may be requested. For example, the account holder may have sent a check for the wrong amount, or may have canceled a purchase after having put the check in the mail.

Again, good luck with this, just like with the wire refund. Cashier's checks and regular checks are not the answer, and are not a protection. Especially as you're out that cash money while the investigation is happening (minus associated fees).

The article is right. Use a credit card. Not a debit card. Not a debit card with a VISA logo. A bonafide credit card.

How many people saying they were scammed are actually the scammers? It wouldn't be too difficult to show up at a house saying you rented it and then wait for some kind people to open up their wallets to help out someone in need.

Old is old, and stupid is stupid. Happens in the Keys daily.

The Angry Hand of God: It isn't that hard to avoid stuff like this. Use some common sense people!

No shiat. I've been looking for a place to rent. I saw a couple of ads on Craigslist for a nice place for a decent monthly rent. I emailed them both and got responses relatively quick. Both had the same basic message. The owner was in Africa for a relief program/I forget the other reason and they wanted someone to watch the place for a few months while they're gone. But, they wanted me to fill out a questionnaire that asked for personal information. And, if the personal info was acceptable they would mail me the keys after I send the security deposit overseas.

it's not that hard to spot a scam.

myinternetname: Rich, white, stands like a cowboy? Oh god I bet he's a republican!

two posts in and you start this shiat?
this.... had me rolling ....... :{)

CtrlAltDestroy: The Angry Hand of God: It isn't that hard to avoid stuff like this. Use some common sense people!

No shiat. I've been looking for a place to rent. I saw a couple of ads on Craigslist for a nice place for a decent monthly rent. I emailed them both and got responses relatively quick. Both had the same basic message. The owner was in Africa for a relief program/I forget the other reason and they wanted someone to watch the place for a few months while they're gone. But, they wanted me to fill out a questionnaire that asked for personal information. And, if the personal info was acceptable they would mail me the keys after I send the security deposit overseas.

it's not that hard to spot a scam.

No it's not. The main problem with a lot of people is they never read the RoE. And that right there is how we get their money.

/they, I meant they...
//riiiiight.

Just trust.

ko_kyi: myinternetname: Rich, white, stands like a cowboy? Oh god I bet he's a republican!

two posts in and you start this shiat?



I tried being the Boobies but someone else posted some bullshiat about the actual article, I mean, who cares about that?

Richers problems.

If my bank issues a certified cashier's check at my order, I will tell them the specifics, one of which is to stop payment IMMEDIATELY in case anything is fishy.

They know damn good and well, my attorney will have a word with them if they do not obey, and no guarantee the Police will not also have something to say about it.

In addition, you have to go to a bank to cash a certified check; your local Money Box store is not sufficient. That makes it a bank-to-bank matter, you have to show up in person and ID yourself, sonst no cash.

Never give money to ANYONE without recourse. No recourse---no deal; no exceptions.

I have a CSB for this one though.


I was looking for a place a few years ago, short notice so I was looking at all possibilities. Started looking on Craig's List, found a few honest people renting houses or trailers.

I found a place that had inside pictures that looked out of place in my city, the rent didn't jive with the looks or amenities, neither did the location. Shady response to me requesting a phone #, they wanted to run the credit check up front.

I knew it was fake, but kept digging and got a phone # from the address, talked with someone there that confirmed it was not their ad.

The con artist had nothing on me except a throw away email address, so I sent them a good cussing. They didn't waste their time in responding.

I put an ad in craigslist some time back, looking for some motorcycle tires, and a bunch of scammers replied back wanting to "buy" a motorcycle I had never listed.

I led them on, and eventually grabbed several phony checks for large amounts of money, which they had to ship FedEx overnight at a cost of $40 or so, plus the cost to make the phony check.

Glad to be of sevice.

olddinosaur: I put an ad in craigslist some time back, looking for some motorcycle tires, and a bunch of scammers replied back wanting to "buy" a motorcycle I had never listed.

I led them on, and eventually grabbed several phony checks for large amounts of money, which they had to ship FedEx overnight at a cost of $40 or so, plus the cost to make the phony check.

Glad to be of sevice.

Heart in the right place, but the scammers had their willing-dupe dating site girlfriends send the checks out for them, using other people's stolen money to pay for the overnight shipping. :( so a real person is still out money

Internet scammers need to hunted down by crowds with torches and pitchforks.

Small point of clarification, but, wouldn't that *million-dollar beach home*, have been about a *billion-dollar beach home* as recently as 2008? That asked, why not do like I do, and just stay home. That way, I never have to go to all the bother of repacking my bags, and all the bullsh*t and agro associated with getting my ass back home again.

Farkengruven: Internet scammers need to hunted down by crowds with torches and pitchforks.

Internet scammers are providing a valuable service to society by parting fools from their money. Money is power and you don't want in the hands of people who are extremely naive, incapable of sceptical analysis or suffering from entitlement complexes.

Loki-L: Farkengruven: Internet scammers need to hunted down by crowds with torches and pitchforks.

Internet scammers are providing a valuable service to society by parting fools from their money. Money is power and you don't want in the hands of people who are extremely naive, incapable of sceptical analysis or suffering from entitlement complexes.

I'll agree to that, but only if we also provide the "valuable service" of beating the ever-loving shiat out of the scammers to within an inch of their lives, then forcefully injecting a bullet in their heads.

The Southern Dandy: Richers problems.

Cash chuckers.

Looks like quite a house for a $2700 ten day stay.

CSB time:

The place I used to work at had a manager who was totally a bargain hunter. He moved into an apartment at some point and the 'landlord' said he'd get a discount if he paid in cash at the first of the month. So he does. Twice in a row he gets the bill in the mail and the guy tells him its just the automated billing system not to worry about it. A week later he and a bunc of other people get kicked out. Apparently this was a big scam there..

wichitaleaf: What are these things called checks everyone keeps talking about.

Oh, HAHAHAHAHA! You are so modern and progressive and hip! Yeah, you must be one of themthere hipsters!

I own rental property so I get a kick out of someone stupid enough to send money before signing a rental agreement - which is when you hand over the money, only once its signed by both parties.

Hrist: CSB time:

The place I used to work at had a manager who was totally a bargain hunter. He moved into an apartment at some point and the 'landlord' said he'd get a discount if he paid in cash at the first of the month. So he does. Twice in a row he gets the bill in the mail and the guy tells him its just the automated billing system not to worry about it. A week later he and a bunc of other people get kicked out. Apparently this was a big scam there..

what happened to the scammer?