Ben Shark Inquiry

I'm a bit new to selling reptiles and I recently got an email like this one in regards to my ad:

Greeting To You,
Thanks for your swift response toward the inquiry.I'll offer you $300 to keep all other buyers off and delete the advert off the site.

I have about five of my clients who are interested making immediate payments. Two of them had responded very positively and they are ready to make payment.But one of the two is ready to make payment to you next week.

He has a friend who works in a shipping company he will come to your door to do the pick up. That is my condition of sales between you (SELLER) and my client (BUYER).

I want you to know that the mode of payment is Cashiers Cheque.If this is okay by you,i'd like you to get back to me with your contact information so the payment could be send to you.
PAYMENT INFORMATION:
(1).Name On Payment....?
(2). Full Address,City,State,Zipcode....?
(3). Mobile,Home and Office Phone#.....?

As soon as i recieve this details, i will ensure that you recieve payment by next week tuesday.
For more information here is my contact information under.

I look forward to hear from you.

Best regards

Ben Shark
216 Banbury Rd,
Oxford, OX2 7DL
+447031908951
ben_s02@yahoo.co.uk

Anybody have any prior experiences with this guy? Should I quit worrying or is this some sort of scam?

LOL, I just got the same thing. Word for word except for the price! I would say it is a scam.

This screams of a Nigerian scammer....

Originally Posted by norsmis

This screams of a Nigerian scammer....

I agree.

Any time I get an email that mentions "Clients "Cashier checks" and "we have our own shipper" screams scammer to me.

Personally I would be deleting their emails and not doing business with them.

He has a friend who works in a shipping company he will come to your door to do the pick up. That is my condition of sales between you (SELLER) and my client (BUYER).

I want you to know that the mode of payment is Cashiers Cheque.If this is okay by you,i'd like you to get back to me with your contact information so the payment could be send to you.
PAYMENT INFORMATION:
(1).Name On Payment....?
(2). Full Address,City,State,Zipcode....?
(3). Mobile,Home and Office Phone#.....?

As soon as i recieve this details, i will ensure that you recieve payment by next week tuesday.
For more information here is my contact information under.

I look forward to hear from you.

Best regards

Ben Shark
216 Banbury Rd,
Oxford, OX2 7DL
+447031908951
ben_s02@yahoo.co.uk


Ben Shark
216 Banbury Rd,
Oxford, OX2 7DL
07031908951
ben_s02@yahoo.co.uk

It positively screams of scam! "Cashiers Cheque"... a "buyer" overseas not only wants to buy from you in Illinois but come right to your door? Please don't be lured.

That address appears to belong to a business (hotel?), Hamptons International, in Oxford, England. Oxford England phone numbers being with 0 -1865, not 4-4703.

I appreciate it guys, I knew something was sketchy about this.

Mmmm....uh oh.
I got took....well not really...someone got took.

I just strung this guy along for the last week and he just sent me an email confirming he was sending money to me. He couldn't even tell me what he was "buying" by the end of the week because he had forgoten with all the emails he/she/ they send out. But he didn't send it to me. He made the payment out to Ryan Seacrest and it was mailed to my local FBI branch. Should be good times!

-Yasser

Also, if you have the time, take a look at a site dedicated to messing with these scammers! He's been doing it for years and folks share baiting tips, share fake letters (just like the ones they send you!) and makes them humiliate themselves with goofy pictures they must take to "prove themselves" and many other things!
http://www.419eater.com/
It is a great site!

-Yasser