flute sale

[Unregistered]

Hello i do like to buy this musical instrument for
> my
> band.I will issue out cashiers check as the mode of
> payment for this merchandise.I want you to provide
> me
> with the following informations:
> 1.Is the instrument in good working condition?
> 2.How much is it going for?
> 3.Is the instrument still available for sale?
> 4.Name,address and phone number to mail the cashiers
> check to you.
> Will be waiting to hear from you ASAP.
> My regards.

[joewein]

This looks like a check overpayment scam. A check larger than the requested price will be mailed and the sender then asks for it to be deposited and the excess amount wired somehwhere by Western Union or Moneygram. The check is fake and any money wired will be lost.

[Nyla]

One of the big red flags in that email is the fact that the prospective buyer keeps referring to it as "the instrument", not a specific instrument name. That's a hallmark of a copy/paste script. That, and they just assume you will accept a cashier's check without even bothering to ask, first. Those sort of things are quite typical in overpayment scams.

As Joe said, beware anyone who wants to pay you more than you're asking. There is no legitimate reason for someone to pay you more than a selling price on anything you have for sale, and they certainly shouldn't be asking you to wire money elsewhere for them. And I bet that request is coming soon. Usually with the excuse that you need to pay their "shipper", they made a mistake when making out the check, or they'll claim they're owed the money by someone who gave them the check but can't cash the check where they live.

[Frazzle]

See if he even knows what it is he is buying...

Answer him that the musical instrument is in perfect working condition, except that one of the strings is broken.