BE CAREFUL! Scammers are getting wiser!

[Mona]

Usually the scammers are in my opinion, easy enough to spot a mile away, just by the way they word their letters, don't ask questions etc. I think they have become wise to that, and are now changing their style!

I received an email a few days ago on a horse I have for sale, and even though my first thoughts were scammer, and I was just going to delete it, it did ask questions etc. and that was a first for any that I had received, and I did not want to look rude in not replying, IF it had been legitimate. This was the original email I received...

----- Original Message -----

From: Gary Connery

To: [email protected]

Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 8:30 PM

Subject: Ravenwood Medalions Royalty

Hi, I just browsed through your beautiful horse detail and am interested in purchasing him for my son's birthday surprise present. However, We reside in London, England where he will be finding comfort and care in our home so i would like to know more and ask some important questions about him. I'm aware some of the questions are already answered on the website but i would feel more assurred having the answers from you directly.

Firstly, whats your asking price in case different from the one listed on your ad ?

Whats his age, height and weight ?

Is he registered with all paperworks complete ?

How many previous owners does he have ?

Does he have any experience or training ?

Illness and Injury history ?

Please email me pics to view and save

Hope to read from you soon.

Best Regards,

Gary Connery.

As I said, I was feeling pretty confident with it being a scam email due to the broken English and certain ways he used words, but I wanted to be sure, so I replied...

Mona Stone - Last Chance Miniatures <[email protected]> wrote:

Thank you for your inquiry. I will try to answer all of your questions. My price on him is $xxxx. He is 2 years, and close to 34". Weight, I have no idea on. Yes, all paperwork is in order, and I bought him directly from the farm he was born at. No, he has no training other than being halter broke. He has no history of illness or injury. Mona

I thought it was direct, answering the questions, but nothing more. I sent it, wondering if and what type of email I would receive in return. This is what I got...

Mona, I'm so glad to read from you. Thanks for the prompt and detailed response on your beautiful horse. He's going to make a wonderful present to Bob (My Son) as he's the perfect type of horse for his 21st birthday present. Bob has been riding since he was 10 so he isnt a beginner with horses. We sold his horse due to injury last year which is why i want to purchase another horse as his birthday gift, I'm sure he would love and take very good care of him and they'll both have a great time spending with each other. I'm very much satisfied with his details and history, also happy his paperwork is in order. The asking price is reasonable and worth it for such a beauty. I'm very much glad things are taking shape as i cant wait to have him here to unveil the surprise for Bob. I can assure you that he will have the best of care and affection he could ever get from us and especially Bob, He's being welcomed into comfort with love and undivided attention.

I'm aware of him having to go through quarantine and vaccination processes before he's being transported down here to England which i've confirmed arrangements with a horse shipping company who will be vetting him at their facility and also handling the shipping to England.

As regards payment, I'll pay you with a Canadian Bank Cheque. It'll be drawn on a Canadian Bank for your easy access to cleared funds. Once the cheque has cleared your bank then we can start making shipping arrangements. To proceed, i'll need you to email me your Fullname, Address and Phone # to issue and mail you the cheque.

Best Regards,

Gary Connery.

Well this one here really was NOT what I was expecting, and I wondered now what I could do to find out more for certain, so I wrote back with...

Before I sell a horse to anyone, I do require references. I will need a reference from a Veterinarian, Farrier, and at least one past person you have bought a horse from in the past. Thank you. Mona

Needless to say, I never heard a peep back! Looks like poor old Bob won't be getting his horse for his 21st Birthday afterall!

 

[AppyLover2]

Mona I agree that it was almost screaming "scam". I think someone posted a few weeks ago about someone looking at one for a birthday present for their child.....just don't think he was 21.

BTW I really like the way you handled things!

 

[Marty]

I think you should let him send you that check

 

[Minimor]

Mona, that guy wrote me that exact same letter a few days ago, on a broodmare that I advertised several weeks ago. The guy is digging deep to come up with an ad as old as that one of mine!

I didn't reply, but I was impressed that the scammers have improved their English so much, plus have worked so hard to make themselves sound real. They are almost there, almost but not quite--I didn't even question whether it might be "real".

We laughed here about how the mare I had advertised was so NOT a pet, and really not a candidate for a suitable gift for sonny boy, unless the kid enjoyed chasing his beloved pet around the paddock trying to catch her.

On top of that, I don't think this mare would particularly enjoy living in their home, no matter how much comfort & care they might offer her.

This mare really enjoys her pasture.

 

[Riverdance]

Mona,

You should ask them if their 21 year old son is under 55lbs. Otherwise he may be too big to ride this horse.

It still screams scam. The English is still too broken, especially for a Brit. But they are getting better!! If you followed through all the way to recieving the check, they would still have to pay you more than the horse price and ask you to send the rest to their transporter. Thats when they would always get caught, no matter how good their English gets.

The sad thing is, there are so many dumb A___ out there that still fall for this. I see them on the judge shows all of the time. (yeaI know, I must have too much time on my hands, which I do in the Winter months.)

 

[Equuisize]

Ohhhhhhh, poor Bob, his old horse is gone and he's

NOT getting a pony for his birthday......

So sad, to bad

The letters are 'kind' of entertaining.

I got one for a saddle I had for sale.....

Broke my heart not to be able to cash that

big check for many times it's price LOL

 

[sedeh]

What's scarey is that they are getting closer to sounding legitimate! I'm afraid someone that hasn't been exposed and isn't wary might think they were for real. Of course, they have to be fooling some people or they wouldn't continue.

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

I'm thinking Bob would've been real surprised, especially trying to figure out how he was going to ride his new 34" horse.

 

[Hunter]

BUMP

 

[muffntuf]

I don't think that is decent english at all! So even though they have gotten a little more sophisticated with their questions - their english and use of it still screamed scammer the first email I read.

You would think that they would get wise to the fact we are on to them?!

You handled it very well!

 

[gatorbait4sure]

Mona,

I have a friend who is a policewoman, who scams the scammers!

If she knows it's a scam at first, she changes things around and sends the reply.....She advertised a horse for $2500.00 and her reply was about a donkey with a price that was WAY higher than the original price.....he replied again, paying no attention to the changes, asking for all her info ( she lists her home address as the police station she works out of ). She gives her police cell #, ( never answering it ) and after he sends her the check ( which they are trying to track during all this) she tells them she's had a snow storm and cannot get out of her driveway. It progresses to her being too busy to get to the bank because her husband was shot by a burgler in their home, and she's been at the hospital all day, to she was waiting for a hay delivery and the truck was hit by a tractor trailer just at her driveway so she's stuck inside again..... Then the donkey has broken it's leg but the vet has fixed it does he still want it? "Yes he does! Just cash the check!!!" ON and on it goes.....She sends it to her friends and we just die laughing!

I've tried it too and it really is fun! Just don't ever try to cash the checks, and use a P.O. box and fake phone number. Most of the checks are just printed out off a computer anyway. You can also try calling the bank it's drawn on asking them if it's real.

Recently someone sent me an EM with a "million and a half", that was just waiting for me to fwd to "Their accountant", my address and phone.

This is a fun way to kill time while staring at the foal camera.................

 

[Davie]

Girlfriend of mine was selling a cart, got an inquiry supposedly from the UK. She let them play it out all the way but had set up a dummy account w/bank and they sent the check for 3400.00 more than the asking price. The check bounced "OF COURSE" so she has taken it all to the District Attorney -- whoever this is will also be hit with federal charges probably as the check was sent through the US mail from a state in the US with a US postmark on the envelope. She kept it all and has give the DA a free hand.

Will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[appymini]

I had the same email also the other day. I replyed which one was he interested in.I needed a name. Never heard back.

 

[Sue S]

I had an email a couple months ago about my horses, he seen me on the forum, he wanted to buy one of my horses for a pet for his children didn't say what horse, He hasn't even seen my horses, I have only posted a couple horses on here and thats been awhile except for my palomino mare and her baby last May and my stallion which i posted in the post Boones little Andy post the other day. The guy was going by John Perry.

 

[Sunny]

I received the very same email on Thursday, although I just found it today because it landed in my junk folder. That in itself struck me as odd, yet it has happened with legitimate emails in the past, too. The subject line contained the name and registration number of a yearling colt I have for sale (I included the number in the ad just to indicate that he is in fact registered already), and it all sounded good at first. I didn't notice the English, really, because it was no worse than a lot of other emails and such that I've read before. It all sounded good, but then I got thinking that they "reside in London, England". Last time I was there, you weren't allowed to keep a horse in the city..... Also, the colt in question has already been marked as "Sale Pending", so I thought that was odd, too, that he asked about him specifically. I finally decided it must be a scammer, so I just wrote back and said I was sorry, but the colt was already sold. Sure could use a nice big cheque like he might have offered, though.

 

[rosaroca]

Has anyone seen this one? A lady in England, who was supposedlya native Texan but wrote in very poor English, emailed me about driving lessons for her son, who was "coming to Oklahoma to stay with his aunt for the summer."

Assuming it to be a scam but wanting to be certain, I wrote back with the information and prices she requested. Her reply was that she'd be sending a large check to me to pay in advance for two lessons a week and could I please pay the rest to the aunt for her gas and time driving the kid back and forth.

That was a new one to me!

Pat

 

[joylee123]

[SIZE=12pt]They are getting smarter. They read what we post and adjust their methods accordingly. What Gatorbait wrote is a hoot. What's kinda cool about that is they usually overnight it to you so you know that costs them bucks

maybe if enough folks played their game and allowed them to go so far as paying for and sending the check overnight they'd back off a bit

[/SIZE]

The last one I got, I wrote back and threatened him with eternal darnation

(although it wasn't put quite that nicely) It just seemed appropriate at the time

Joy