updated september 20 2011
"Fu Li Rong", is the nom de scam of a computer equipment vendor doing business out of an East Asian country. His experiences (and advice) will be especially instructive to anyone selling items long distance.
CINDY JAMES, or, THE DELL INSPIRON 1464 / i5 / 4G / 512Gfx 320GB / BT/WiFi
-- along with ADVICE TO VENDORS
DR. SUSAN LOPEZ 3 Laptops, Dell, HP and Lenovo
ANDREW COKE or, THEFT OF AUCTION ACCOUNTS by SMS
DAMOLA ABIOSE (DELL INSPIRON again)
WALEX JOHN (yup, the DELL INSPIRON)
Hello ! ... I submit this to you because I find it interesting that the scammer actually sent me a processed WU form with the same name on it.
I didn't send them the laptop, but what caught my attention was the fact that these guys tried 11 times to get it from me, using 3 different kinds of scam, the first was the paypal scam, in which they sent me a fake paypal email telling me to release the shipment to them, the second was the fake bank transfer, same MO, but the one that really caught my eye was the last one, in which they sent me a valid MTCN number which worked for 24 hours (counted as valid) on the WU site, then appeared as invalid after that.
...The IPaddresses were all different, from different cities in Nigeria, I doubt that in all 11 times the scam came from the same person, I got emails from guys in Ibadan, Kano, Benin, Lagos, Abuja... I think they must be sharing information somehow.
Yes, I sell electronics to people in Nigeria all the time. A legitimate nigerian buyer will recognise the reputation of their country and will offer you a transaction through your bank, I among other things have sold a shipment of MP3 players to a guy in Lagos with my own bank presiding over the deal, it went off without a hitch.
Things to watch out for...hmmm, that's a big one, no one will buy for another, ever. Particularly a used item like a laptop or MP3 player, africans place too much prestige and face value on deals like this.
Clearly, watch out for the obvious, someone emailing you with an email address that does not match their name is the first red flag, the second is their using phones or names that are not local to the shipment destination (does it make sense to you that an american would buy a 1500 USD laptop from China to ship to Nigeria using remote payment options when they have newegg.com right next to them, then tell you to call a UK number to validate shipment ?) Thirdly, if all DOES appear well, and they do manage to get you to ship an item out via DHL, or similar, ALWAYS place a 7 day delay on delivery. This way you CAN recall it if something goes wrong. NEVER overnight it. Once someone has received it, that's it, it's gone. Another thing is, always assume that WU employees in these countries, even employees of companies like DHL, are related to the scammer, so if the shipment does get to the country, it's just as easy and likely you will loose it if you have not been paid. Western Union has a worldwide service which allows you to validate incoming payments. If a payment appears valid the first time, WAIT 48 hours and try again. Someone who WANTS to buy from you will understand that cross country transactions take time !
Last but not least, don't scrimp, as a final backup, take out insurance. This way if the shipment "disappears" you can safely assume it fell into the hands of the scammer, at least the shipping company will be liable to paying you if nothing else.
Good luck !... Kind regards, Fu Li Rong.
cindy.james99@yahoo.com
From: Cindy James <cindy.james99@yahoo.com>
Subject: Dell Inspiron 1464 / i5 / 4G / 512Gfx 320GB / BT/WiFi...etc - 1 month - CNY8000
To: sale-xxxxx-xxxxxxxxx@craigslist.org
** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
Hi
Thanks for the reply its nice hearing from you, i would have love to come and check before the payment, but am always busy at work all times, so on these i want to believe we are having a deal, because i would n't want a situation whereby i will send you the money and the item will be sold to someone else and my money will be return to me.
hope am having a deal with you?
i have to tell you am buying this item for my boyfriend in africa, and i will like you to help me and find the shipping cost to africa.
am sorry to tell you to do this for me, its because of my work and at the same time i want to present this for him as a birthday gift.....i will be very happy if you can assist me in these.
waiting to read from you soon.
Hi,
Thanks for reading from you, i want you to help me with the shipping to my boyfriend place in Africa, because i don't know how much the shipping would cost, all you need to do is to take the laptop to the post office, so that they can know the weight and the actual amount of the shipping, i promise to pay you all expenses incurred both the transportation to the post office, i will be very happy if you can do this for me.
Here is the address of my boyfriend in Africa.....
NAME.......Adefisayo Lawal .S
ADDRESS.....51 Jubrilla Street Ijeshatedo
CITY...........Surulere Lagos
ZIP CODE.....23401
COUNTRY........Nigeria
am sorry for that, i think i will send you the money through western union transfer, because this one is very close to were i am now.......send this details to me please.
Name......Fu Li Rong
address.........
city.............
zip code.........
country.......China
am sorry for the inconvenience,
waiting to read from you soon.
Fu Li Rong, Shanghai, China,
It's all you need.
Yes it's with DHL already, they're waiting on the WU MTCN number, once WU sends them the MTCN number they will reply with the AB.
That's WHY.
hello,
i don't understand you, i have made the payment already and i believe western union should have sent you my payment receipt, and on the payment receipt the MTCN number is on it, so why are you delaying my shipment.
Well no, Western Union didn't send me any payment slip which was validated. The MTCN number on that form does not validate.
Please rectify the situation and I'll be happy to instruct DHL to release the shipment to you in Nigeria.
but do you that....i have made the payment already and i contacted the western union about your payment...i was told that, they have problem with there server, that is the reason why they sent you the western union receipt. and also want to confirm your payment on the item.
so what i will have to tell you is to get back to them with the tracking number of the item. after they clear your payment, then you can now send the number to me, in other to send it to the receiver of the item in Africa.
Bullshit, I have already paid to have the item shipped to you, it is in Nigeria waiting for you, and it was sent to the address you asked.
I'm not going to release the shipment number to you until your friends fix the "problem" with their server.
Either get the payment to me in full or go to hell. I have paid the shipping amount in advance to DHL to ship the laptop to you because I believed you, and now you're telling me to release the shipping number because of a fake "server" problem ???????
I will ask them to recall the shipment to Shanghai if I do not receive the full payment in 24 hours.
Stop playing games and validate the Western Union transaction. It's all you need to do.
hi
you just stressing me on this issue, am also wasting my call card, because i contacted western union. they should released the fund to you and they said, they have send you the receipt for my payment and now they are expecting your own confirmation on the shipment, if you are really sure that you have shipped the laptop through DHL, why can't you get back to them with the shipment number,
because me want the tracking number for my boyfriend, so as he can go to the DHL office for the arrival of the item.
to all these mails, you are sending to me, i want to believe is not a scam mails......if i find out that this is a scam.
let me tell you,i know the next step to talk.
bye.
The only scam in here is you. I just called Western Union and they said there is no money released to me as this WU MTCN number is invalid.
I am going to recall the laptop and consider the amount I paid on shipping a waste on a scammer.
Thank you for your time.
PS. By the way, you needn't pretend to be your boyfriend in Nigeria. I sell electronics to honest people in Nigeria all the time, who present themselves as who they are, and they actually pay for the items they buy.
Dear Scamorama Postmaster,
Here is another example of the lads trying to scam me out of a set of laptops for sale from my office.
susan.lopez007@gmail.com
From: susan.lopez007@gmail.com
Subject: Re:3 Laptops, Dell, HP and Lenovo
To: Fu Li Rong
Expatriates.com has forwarded you the following response to your ad.
WARNING : NEVER SEND MONEY WITH WESTERN UNION!
Please read our scam alert page
http://www.expatriates.com/html/scams.html.
If you consider the message below to be spam, a scam or otherwise objectionable, please report it by forwarding this email message to contact@expatriates.com.
hello,
Do you still have this item for sell? if yes contact me via my
e-mail.
susan.
hello, i am buying the item for my parent, who have been in West African for over six years doing work, there names are Rev. Peter Lopez and Mrs. Josephine Lopez, and i buying the item for there wedding anniversary. Please let me know the total selling price of the item including the shipment charges. and let me no how the payment should be made either by Western Union Transfer or the money should pay into your account. so that my i or my husband can made the payment tomorrow.
this is my parent details:
Name: PETER LOPEZ
Address: NEW LAGOS ROAD
CITY: BENIN
Country: NIGERIA
CODE: 234
STATE: EDO
Mobile number: +2347062297717
Please provide your account details for the payment and by which form you want the money to be pay.
Bank Name:
ACCOUNT NUMBER::
ACCOUNT HOLDERS NAME::
SWIFT or IBAN CODE::
TOTAL + postage VIA local post office:
hello,
i am buying the item for my parent, who have been in West African
for over six years doing work, there names are Rev. Peter Lopez and
Mrs. Josephine Lopez, and i buying the item for there wedding
anniversary. Please let me know the total selling price of the item
including the shipment charges. and let me no how the payment should
be made either by Western Union Transfer or the money should pay into
your account. so that my i or my husband can made the payment
tomorrow.
this is my parent details:
Name: PETER LOPEZ
Address: NEW LAGOS ROAD
CITY: BENIN
Country: NIGERIA
CODE: 234
STATE: EDO
Mobile number: +2347062297717
Please provide your account details for the payment and by which form you want the money to be pay.
Bank Name::
ACCOUNT NUMBER::
ACCOUNT HOLDERS NAME::
SWIFT or IBAN CODE::
TOTAL + postage VIA local post office:
[It's not your imagination, it's the same email sent twice.]
["Susan" apparently wasn't in it for the long haul.]
Hello Postmaster !
As you can see, wonders never cease....
That's right, this is theft of auction accounts. What they do is try to get you to receive SMS's which will be charged to your account. When the site finds out the accounts have been compromised, guess who they will blame... When they bid for the items by phone using that code, guess whose phone bill gets charged...
The plot thickens.
Kind Regards, Fu Li Rong.
andrewcoke17 is Available
andrewcoke17 : <ding>
Me: yes ?
andrewcoke17 : what up
Me: what do you want
andrewcoke17 : need u helppls
Me: what
andrewcoke17 : need u to help me get my account pls
Me: what account
andrewcoke17 : OKazii.ro
Me: huh ?
andrewcoke17 : they will send u a code to ur phoneand pls send it to me
Me: ummm, let me give you a better suggestion
andrewcoke17 : ok
Me: let them send it to your phone.
andrewcoke17 : myu phone is bad
Me: I'm sure it is, let them send it to you anywayit will become better
andrewcoke17 : pls just try and help me out ok
Me: sure I will. Which country are you in ?
andrewcoke17 : usa
Me: hahahhaha oh god you're funnycolumbia, kyright ?
andrewcoke17 : ye
Me: Sure, ok.Let me look here....ahhh
andrewcoke17 : oktx
Me: it looks like you're not in columbia, kybut in lagos, ky....now why don't you tell me what you really want ?
andrewcoke17 : nopewhat do u mean pls
Me: You know what I meanwhat do you want ?you've tried to scam me 3 times so far, and you're starting to get boring.
dammyboyz@gmail.com
From: Damola Abiose <dammyboyz@gmail.com>
Subject: Dell Inspiron 1464 and Thinkpad X200 - CNY14000 (Downtown Area)
To: sale-xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@craigslist.org
CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
I want to ask if the item is still available for sale as i want to buy it for my son who is in school in West Africa
Hello Postmaster.
How about this ? A genuine "ID" for one of these folks working for "paypal company"
Running your kind of business must take nerve of steel. Or something very springy. Not sure which.
It sure does !
But it has its laughs too :)
Want to see some of the funnier ones I've received ? like the guy threatening to call the eff bee eye on me ? :)
Why yes we did!
walexbj@gmail.com
Subject: Dell Inspiron 1464 and Thinkpad X200 - CNY14000 (Downtown Area)
Date: 2010-09-28, 1:17AM CST
To: sale-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@craigslist.org
Date: Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 2:29 AM
hello,
am interested in this item ,get back to me if it is still available...........with your phone number
best regards.
CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
Hello,
Sounds Good. Thanks for the sweet reply. I would have love to come in person for the inspection of it but due to the nature of my health i wont be able to come, Well am buying the item for my son in abroad,and i will be paying you through paypal.i will give you $100usd for thedDHL,post office express mail by (EMS) so you simply get back tome asap with your paypal email address or you can easily send me an invoice through paypal.so that i can send the payment to you paypal account asap.I look forward to hear from you soon.Many thanks and God bless.
Hello Francisco,
i have make the payment 15000.00 CNY*, with the shipping money,so get it
ship out today,here is my son address, where you will be ship it to immidiately.
Name:-Okeyale Oladipupo
Address:- %Swa/211a Akako sreet,Odo Ona
City:-ibadan
State:-Oyo State
Zipcode:-23402
Country:-Nigeria.
i have added 100CNY, for shipping,via usps/DHL,post office,get back to me
immidiately you ship it out, asap today when you get it shippy out.
*CNY = Chinese yuan
yes i have make the payment this is my address philippines if you like to send it there.
NAME:James M. Velasco
STATE: Blk 19 lot 1 Manila st, cairo Cor. MEtro clark Subdivison, mabalacat
ZIP CODE: 2010
COUNTRY: philippines
hello what are you saying, i have make your payment so you have to get it ship out
#23480522355558On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 9:05 AM:
thanks for your responds,Walex is my name and i have made the payment and i do not see any comfiremation from paypal to my account, please kindly shipped out the item immidiately you received the comfiremation. Regards,
Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 11:26 AM
I WE ALERT F B I YOU WANT TO SCAM MESent: Wed, October 6, 2010 2:43:11 PM
Go right ahead, scammer.
Their address is 419@fbi.gov
Oh, and as soon as they contact me, I will provide them with your address, your IP address, phone number, the phone number of ALL your contacts in Malaysia and the Philippines.
Then, I'm going to send this off to all the anti-419 websites with your information so that they can laugh at what a fool you are.
Have fun.
But wait! Don't touch that checkbook. Because you also get scams aimed at
The Inn Keeper
people looking for roommates, and
people who need jobs