craigslist. money order. scam?

[bobaganoosh]

I recently had list my old lift kit off my truck for sale on craigslist. After a week or 2 I had a guy call me who was interested in it from oklahoma (I'm in ny). We talked on the phone a few times and he ended up purchasing it. He sent me a money order cause he didn't use paypal. I got it the other day it was a moneygram. I had heard quite a bit about scams with these so when I deposited it the bank put a 2 day hold on it. I'm waiting on that now. I'm waiting on the bank now before I ship it. Just wondering if anyone has encontered anything like this. I have taked to the guy several times on the phone and he asked me several technical questions about the kit which makes me think it isn't a scam

 

[2004xb12s]

[confused] No Idea. Usually if it is a scam it is pretty obvious. But as long as it clears in the bank you should be good to go.

 

[WALLSXB]

the bank put a 2 day hold on it. I'm waiting on that now. I'm waiting on the bank now before I ship it. Just wondering if anyone has encontered anything like this.

Yes. I received a money order awhile back for a purchase and my bank (Chase) also did a 2 day hold to verify it was real, it was. [up]
I'd say as long as you don't ship until the funds are verified your golden.

 

[Timeless]

As long as the funds clear, you should be good to go.

Just make sure the buyer knows you're holding onto the parts until the money order clears so there are no unnecessary aggravations.

 

[bobaganoosh]

Ok thanks guys. I will hopefully ship it today and I already let him know

 

[firefighter1c57]

I just bought airbox covers thru a guy in Wisconsin that would only do a money order through the mail. Some people just aren't that fond of computers... I'm one of them, but I'll use paypal...

On jeepforum I've sent a paypal to someone else in the same state, they paid that guy the cash and he shipped me the parts. Bought a transfer case from Arizona like that. Just a thought.

 

[theoctopus]

Money orders are a sketchy premise. They are easy to counterfeit, and are indeed part of the all-too-common scams on the internet. Usually, though, if someone scams you with a money order, they send you an excess of the purchase price, then ask you to refund them some quantity of the money. This way, you cash the money order thinking it is legit, send them some cash AND the item, then the money order bounces and you're out the item, the sale price, and the bounce fee. If he sent you a money order that only covers the cost of the item, it's probably legitimate.

When I had a buyer bring me a money order/bank check for the 510 that I sold a month and some change ago, I called the bank with the check number to verify that it was good, so I could send him home with it immediately. You can call Moneygram and make sure it's a valid money order to speed up the process.

 

[bobaganoosh]

Today is the second day so I just got to check my account and see if it went through. I never thought to call moneygram that probley would have been the best thing to do.

I have heard that sometimes with these they will clear the bank at first and the in a few days all the money in your account will be gone. This I why I was sceptical. I think with the bank putting a hold on it they should catch it though.

 

[Buellysses]

I've successfully payed and been payed via money order, and I've also been scammed by one when I was a bit younger (and arguably dumber).

Now I treat them exactly as I would a personal check from someone I don't know. You can generally call the issuing institution to verify authenticity/available funds. And certainly don't ship until the note has been paid, most people that pay via check/money order will understand.

What sucks though, is even business checks and cashiers checks are being forged. Hell, I've got the equipment to do it at work if I got a wild hair up my ass to try.

 

[winnetka]

Find out from the bank if it's possible for the check to come back as a fraud after the 2-day hold. The funds might be "verified" for your use, but that doesn't necessarily mean a charge-back can't happen later if the check is fake.

It happend to me 5 years ago. The fake check I deposited was verified in my account after 2 days, but 8 additional days later it all got charged back to me. Ask the bank if this can happen to you because banks may have changed the way they handle checks in the last 5 years.

To me it doesn't sound unusual that a guy in Oklahoma would send you a moneygram for the exact amount and talk with you over the phone to verify it. A scammer would not do it like that.

 

[vtech007]

You should be OK.

I deal with money orders a lot. If you have the opportunity, ask for a postal money order. The newest ones have a number of features that make them difficult to counterfeit. And always - ALWAYS - wait until the funds clear before you ship what they are buying. And, yeah, don't even talk to anyone who wants to send you more money than what your item costs and then asks you to send them the difference.

 

[bobaganoosh]

Well the money went through and I shipped it. Thanks everybody for the advice

 

[djohnk]

I have heard of cashiers checks bouncing up to two weeks after you put them through your bank. If they bounce the money comes out of your account so be careful. I don't know too much about the money orders.

 

[bobaganoosh]

Yea let's hope that doesn't happen

 

[Alfatango1]

Well the money went through and I shipped it. Thanks everybody for the advice

I've had my bank clear money orders just to have the issuer return them a few weeks later as counterfeit. Hope this does not happen to you.

 

[FIDOSOL]

PAYPAL FTW!