Craigslist Fraud Seller

I replied to a posting on Craigslist KNOWING it was a scam just so I could post the reply here for you guys to see. First of all you cannot buy a Macbook Pro that has nothing wrong with it for $495!! Second, this crook is not in the US which is one of the first things that should tell you it's a scam. Third they're always so generous and want to pay for the shipping themselves. Here it is:

Hello

I still have the laptop.
I have attached some pics with the laptop to this e-mail. I am now in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
Since I can't meet you and make the exchange, I would like to use a service that will help us with that:

www.tnt.com/tnt.express.wolverhampton.depot.overseas.transactions/details.html

TNT is a worldwide delivery company (like Fedex, DHL or UPS). You can see from their procedure that you will be able to check the laptop before I receive the payment. If you are in a hurry, I will use 2 day delivery (shipping is on me).

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Susan

Craigslist Fraud Round 1

Craigslist Fraud Round 2

Craigslist Fraud Round 3

Make Money Blogging Part 3

The Part 3 to making money blogging involves writing blogs for money. There are several different places you can sign up to start making money and I'll share a few with you. How these work is advertisers will ask the blogger community to write about their products or services and will pay the blogger(s) they choose.

I find it a little difficult to find opportunities because my blog is so new and I have a low traffic count. If you have a high traffic count, you'll do well with these. I'll post some links to the ones I'm signed up with and you can check them out yourself.

Again they're all free to join so sign up and give it a go.

This is one of my personal favorites:






Here you go, good luck!

Make Money Blogging Part 2
Make Money Blogging Part 1

Another Example of Fake Craigslist Email

Hello,
Thanks for posting the Advert on CL...I'll like to by this from you if you really wanna sell it.So get back to me with the last price and the condition.I anticipate that Cashier's Check will be issued out to you by my bank and my secretary would have it sent out via ( FedEx or Ups Next Day Air ) .i would have love to come down for the pickup but am not chanced to do that now but am satisfied with your description of the Advert,ill instruct my client to issue out the payment to you as soon as i get the necessary details for the payment making and I would have love to come down and look at the Advert myself and pick it up but i'm a very busy individual with work and other obligations so in order words i have a mover that handles my shipment,they will be the one to pick up the Advert from your location once the payment has been confirmed and it would be in an overdraft that will include the shipping fees that would be needed to have the Advert picked up from your location by a prepaid local mover so ill like you to get back at me with the details below: Full Name:..........Address:.........City...........,State & Zip code :............Valid Phone Numbers(Both Home and Cell)........Last Asking Price :..........Accept my offer: .......... Once you get back to me with all the above, the check will be issued out immediately and it will be sent to you Hope to hear from you immediately.Looking forward to your swift response.i will also be offering you extra $20 for keeping the Advert for me till the shipper comes for the pick up.
Regards

Make Money Blogging Part 2

So I hope you have already set up your Adsense account and if you have some traffic coming into your site, you should have already made some money. For the second portion of this I want to focus on affiliate programs. What are affiliate programs? With these programs you're partnered with online retailers and you promote their products on your blog or website. They provide you with text or image links to put on your blog and when someone clicks on those links and makes a purchase, you get a commission from that purchase.

The affiliate program is a little time consuming because they're constantly running promotions so you have to change you links or banners to stay up to date on the latest ads. If you can keep up with the updates, the commissions can be very rewarding especially on the big ticket items. I will post links to several affiliate programs that I'm associated with and you can check them out. They're free to join, but you have to be approved.

Connect Commerce is a Google Affiliate Network

Commission Junction

Linkshare

These are the top 3 in my opinion so check them out. Once you're approved, you have to apply to individual partners to see if your blog/website is fit for their products. Hope you make some money!

Make Money Blogging Part 3
Make Money Blogging Part 1

Internet Scam

Some of us think who in the world could fall for these online scams? Check out this video.

Make Money Blogging Part 1

This is the first of several parts to making money blogging, please subscribe to my posts as I will show you how to make easy money just writing about things you enjoy. Think of it like having an online diary, but people pay you to read your diary. Cool!

So you have a blog and you want to make money? Well the good news is you can! Bad news? There are millions of others who are trying to make money blogging as well. First thing first, don't pay anybody to help you to make money blogging! Though they may provide useful information, if you do your research you can find those information for free. So a couple of months ago I ventured into the world of blogging because I felt like I could help others with my own experiences in life.

Onto the moneymaking! The first account you want to open up is an Adsense account through Google. Adsense is free and rather easy to make money with. They put ads on your blog for you that is relevant to your blog and when somebody clicks on those ads you get paid! How easy is that? Well, honestly it's not that easy unless if you have high traffic that comes through your blog. Nevertheless I made $0.01 my first month blogging(you're allowed to laugh). I'm on track to making $10 this month(only my second month blogging...you can still laugh). What you earn is up to how much time and/or money you spend bringing traffic to your blog.

So go sign up and spend some time looking over the legal stuff and getting used to Adsense and how to use it and I'll keep adding on to this post to help you guys make a little bit of side money.



Make Money Blogging Part 2

PayPal Scams

Have you ever received an email from "PayPal" saying you need to update your PayPal account? Here's an example(this is just the text version):

PayPal® Payment Alert : Restore Your Account‏

From: "PayPal® Security Team"

Sent: Sat 11/15/08 8:14 AM

To:

Dear valued PayPal® member:

It has come to our attention that your PayPal® account information needs to be updated as part of our continuing commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance of fraud on our website. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and update your personal records you will not run into any future problems with the online service.

However, failure to update your records will result in account suspension.

Once you have updated your account records, your PayPal® session will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

To update your PayPal® records click on the following link:

http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_login-run

Thank You.

PayPal® UPDATE TEAM

Accounts Management As outlined in our User Agreement, PayPal® will periodically send you information about site changes and enhancements.

PayPal points out that the first thing you should notice is that PayPal will never say "Dear PayPal member" or "Dear valued PayPal member." Also if you click on the link they provide, it redirects you to a totally different URL that does not contain the word PayPal anywhere in the URL. Once you're at the site, it looks like an authentic PayPal site, but again look at the URL and more than likely it won't have anything to do with PayPal.

Stack and Tilt Golf Swing Trainer

Are you a golfer or want to learn the game, but don't want to embarrass yourself on the golf course? There's a DVD set you can get called Stack and Tilt.

The instructions are taught by pros Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett. They teach you how to make contact with the ball every time and how to get that ball to travel like you've never seen before.

If you've been thinking about getting lessons, but don't want to fork over hundreds of dollars for them, these DVD's are for you. Stack and Tilt can be purchased for only $19.95 and they'll even throw in a BONUS DVD to help improve your short game.

Go get your Stack and Tilt DVD's today and improve your game!

Bad Drivers

Taking a break from online fraud until another good one comes along. I hope the emails were helpful and I'm sure some of you got a good laugh as well.

I was driving over to a friend's house last night and while driving on an interstate I noticed a car was hitting the breaks and in front of it was a big diesel truck stopped. I thought it was a traffic jam. When I got close enough I noticed the right lane was completely open and the big truck had its right turn signal on and was trying to get off the exit that he/she had already passed up! First of all when you enter these interstates, there's a sign that reads "No Stopping" just before you hit the ramp. If you miss that sign, you should keep in mind that cars and trucks(semi's) are traveling at 70-80mph. You're not just putting yourself in danger, but the people behind you as well. I started honking at this truck and fortunately he had an opening and cut across and onto exit ramp.

I honestly believe some people should have never received their licenses sometimes. Got a good story of your own?

Craig's List Fraud Round 3!

I am interested in buying your item‏

From:	Kinnie Jones (joneskinnie@yahoo.com)
	You may not know this sender
Sent:	Thu 11/13/08 9:38 AM

Hello I am interested in immediate purchase of your ITEM .After several consideration over the advert placed on the website, my client has really shown interest in it and would really want to buy the ITEM. I will however like to see the pictures; showing the parts, full body and most importantly the condition before finalizing the buying process. I wont be chanced to come down to inspect the ITEM so kindly provide me with necessary details regarding the said ITEM .I will as well appreciate if you can reduce the price cos I'm highly interested in buying it Hoping to hear from you Thanks. This is a funny one. You see where it says "ITEM" this person is supposed to change that to the actual ITEM which in this case would be the "GUITAR." This one must be a rookie. Craigslist Fraud Seller

Craig's List Fraud Round 2!

I received another email from another fraudulent buyer the other day. Like I said the first time, if you just look a little closely it's easy to see that they're sending out the same email to everybody.

Hello,
How are you doing.?I'm really interested in buying your musical
instruments  posted on Craigslist,would love to make an outright
purchase.I'm okay with the  amount you intend to sell the musical
instruments  to me and the condition of the musical instruments  is
okay hence would love to buy the musical instruments  from you.I
anticipate that to make payment for the Vehicle i'll get in touch with
my Client  for a Cashier's check or certified check,which would be
issued out in your name as soon as i get the necessary details from
you.I will like you to know that i would be making arrangement with a
local shipper that would be coming from the pick-up of the musical
instruments  at your location or where the musical instruments  is
locate once the payment has been confirmed so you don't have to worry
as regards the pick-up and delivery of the musical instruments  to me
all you gotta do is to let show them where it's for them to pick it
up.They would be the one to have the musical instruments picked up
from your location on my behalf since i wouldn't be available to do
that cos i'm a very busy man  individual with tight work schedule and
other obligations.I will like you to know that the  payment would be
in overdraft which means it would include the actual amount for the
musical instruments  plus the shipping fees and expenses that would be
incurred by the local shipper that would be picking up the musical
instruments  from your location.So i'll like you to get back to me
with your full contact details contacts details that would be needed
by my client to have the payment issued out to you,as soon as that is
done and the payment has been issued out to you by my client,it would
be sent out to you by my secretary via Courier Service  mail which
might be either through FedEx Express,Ups or Dhl.I will like you to
get back to  me with the requested details in this form below so that
the payment can be issued out to you right away...
Your Full Name to be on Check:.....
Address:...........NO....P.O..BOX
City:...........
State:.................
Zip Code:.................
Phone(Both Home and Cell):..............
Final asking price.............................
I will be looking  forward to hearing from you as soon as possible
,Have a blessed andpleasant day!.
Sincerely,

Dj Prince

I changed the color of the font to blue in 3 places. The first one is "musical instruments," they never mention the guitar specifically. They know that my listing was placed in the musical instruments category so they simply put "musical instruments." The second one says, "make payment for the Vehicle," this person forgot to put "musical instruments" here instead of "Vehicle." This shows that they're sending out the same email for all listings, but simply changing out the category of the items. The third one is simple, his name. I don't know about you, but if I think an email is from a fraudulent buyer, but wasn't sure. The name at the bottom would tell me that this one is a crook. Come on, DJ Prince??? At least take a few minutes to come up with a legitimate American name.

One last thing you can usually always count on is their grammar. Because these crooks are usually from outside of the US, their spelling and grammar is horrible. I honestly believe a 4th grader would do a better job at writing this email than these guys. I hope this will be helpful to you guys and leave and tips or advice that you might have or your own experiences with online fraud.

Craig's List Fraud

Have you ever been a victim of fraud on Craig's List? I know there are some "smart" crooks out there, but sometimes if you just take the time to look a little closer you'll find out that the person you're dealing with is out to get you.

Recently I posted my Martin guitar up for sale on Craig's List and was delighted to receive an email a couple of days later from a "Mary Williams." Here is what she said,

Hello, I'm Mary Williams I saw your posted ads for sale at the CRAIGSLIST SITE and am highly intrested in it,So i will really appreciate if you can get back to me with the present condition,more pics if available and your firm asking price on it.Moreso i will like to talk to you on phone if you dont mind. Thanks Bill

Ok so the first thing I notice is she never mentions anything about the guitar. Second I already posted the condition of the guitar on Craig's List and the price. Third if you haven't already noticed, her name starts with "Mary Williams" and ends with "Bill."

So now I just want to see what they'll say so I reply to the message and explain my conditions. No shipping, cash only, and I list my cell number. Their reply:

Hello, Thanks for the mail,and am so sorry for the late response.I'm okay with the price and the condition.Once again i resides at 8411 Lexington Place#10 Pleasant Prairie,Wisconsin ,53158 ,But i will be leaving my home town state tomorrow to another home town state in Sacramento California for a speculative purpose with my company board of directors,but never the less As per the payment i will have to instruct my wife to send out a certified check to you,via ups or fed ex courier service which will take only 2-3 days to get to you. course this is the only means of payment I can offer you now due to my present departing schedule. besides you don't need to worry about the shipping,I've my reputable shipping company that will be coming over to your house for the pickup as soon as the deal is up So to make payment out to you, you'll have to email me your details as follows: Name To Be Written On The check, Full Home Address(Including zip code) Cell Phone & Home Phone #, I look forward to your prompt response so that we can proceed. Best wishes

Again they mention nothing about the guitar itself and this time it's the "husband" not "Mary Williams." What's scary about this situation is they're going to send a "reputable shipping company" over to my house to pick it up! Talk about freaky, go watch the movie "Strangers." So next time you buy or sell online, be careful to read carefully. Like I said there are some "smart" crooks out there, but this one wasn't one of them. Please share your experience and any tips you might have.

Craigslist Fraud Round 2
Craigslist Fraud Round 3

MSN Messenger Hacked?

Are your friends telling you that you're sending them a message with a link when you never did? Well your account has been hacked into and a simple way to fix it is change your password. If you don't do this you may get blocked by some of your friends just because they're tired of receiving spam messages from you several times a day.

Martin 000C-16RGTE Premium Review

I am parting with my Martin 000c-16RGTE after a couple of years and thought I would share my experience and memories with it. I purchased it on Ebay for an incredibly low price and of course it had its own share of scratches and small dings here and there. When I first pulled the guitar out I was a little disappointed because it just look like a "regular guitar." I tuned it up and started playing it and was blown away by the sound and the playability. This was my first high end guitar so I had no idea what to expect. The sound very warm and just pleasing to the ears.

That Sunday I took it to church and played around on it through the church PA system and WOW! Another huge difference compared to the cheap no name guitar I had. The sound was amazing and the best part of it was I had full control of the sound. The Fishman Premium Blender allowed me to use both an internal mic and an under the saddle pick-up which was a bonus. I have received many compliments on this guitar throughout the two years I've had it.

So why am I parting with it you ask? I am currently attached to my Taylor 314CE which I will have to write about in the future, but besides that I'm ready for bigger and "badder" Martin. I would like to keep the one I have, but I have no interest in collecting guitars. Here's the full spec report: BillsMusicOnline

Blog Review - The Lousy Poet

Here's an interesting blog to check out. It's titled "The Lousy Poet." The blogger describes herself as a "Wannabe Author, Artist and Web Designer. Or in other words, overall hack."

"The Lousypoet is an eclectic place full of different ideas and points of interest from around the net. From links to survey sites, web comics, blogs of interest and entertainment sites, the Lousypoet generally reflects the chaotic mind of its creator."

You'll find interesting "words" that you probably have never heard of unless you were in a spelling bee. One such word is "chiropteran" which you can find the definition to on her blog.

The writer is also a web designer and you can check out some of her work in the "gallery" section. Go check out her blog at the lousy poet

Phone Call Scams

I have fallen prey to one of these companies during my first couple years of running my business. They call and ask you how your credit card machine is working and if you have any questions just call the number on that machine and they sound very nice and courteous. Soon after they tell you that they have credit card receipt rolls and ribbons ready to be shipped out next week making you think that somebody had ordered those and once you say ok they send it and charge you about 3 or 4 times what you would normally pay through a legit supplier.

Fortunately for me this company got caught by the attorney general and I got my money back and I got to keep the supplies. Unfortunately that didn't deter these crooks from doing it again and I'm sure there are more than a few companies out there that are preying on small businesses that are not very well managed.

If this little post could help just one person or business out there, then it is well worth my time to share this information with you. I had just received another call from one of these companies about 5 minutes ago as well as yesterday. Yesterday I simply told them not to call me which was being way too nice of me because I knew they would call back. Sure enough I get another call today. Here's what I did and what you should do as well.

Caller: Hi this is Retail Supply Services can I speak with the manager?
Me: This is him

Caller: Oh hello sir how's your credit card terminal is everything working ok?
Me: Yeah everything is working fine, who did you say you were?

Caller: Like I said my name is "Ray" (he never mentioned it)
Me: Who are you with?

Caller: Retail Supply Services and we just wanted to tell you we have your next shipment ready to ship out to you.
Me: Oh yeah?(sarcastically) What's your phone number there?

Caller: Excuse me?
Me: What's your phone number there?
CLICK!!

He hangs up and probably won't call back for a while.

Now some of you are asking what if you already got shipment from these guys and they won't take it back? Call your state attorney general, they'll be more than happy to assist you. Hope this was helpful.

Telemarketing fraud: Putting phone scams on hold : hearing before the Committee on Small Business, House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, ... session, Washington, DC, September 28, 1994

Election Racist?

Yeah I know you're all tired and ready for the election to be over and I am too. I wouldn't even bothering posting anything about the election if it wasn't for a text message I received this past Sunday from a number I did not know. This is exactly what it said:

"WE BLACK PPL SHALL NOT ATTEND SCHOOL NOVEMBER 5 IF JOHN MCCAIN IS ELECTED. PASS THIS ON IF U SUPPORT OBAMA. REAL TALK!! [[STR(8)IEGIT]]"

I don't know if this person accidentally put in the wrong number and sent this message to me or if he/she is just sending the message out to random numbers. The sad thing is I'm not black and not in school. What does this prove and what does it say about the person sending out the message?