Depends on the price. You can't go get large amounts of cash without a weeks notice. Pretty sure they don't need your address or phone number to make a bank draft out to you though
That would be correct. Name only to make it out to. Address to maybe pick up the item unless it’s being delivered. If I were OP I wouldn’t except a cheque, I’d either move on to the next person or wait while this person lines up the cash with their bank.
While you are correct that this is almost certainly a scam, you have to take out an absolute MOUNTAIN of cash before that becomes a problem. I just called my account manager and BMO typically will dispense $300,000 without an appointment, provided you have the cash in the account and are willing to sign the FINTRAC report.
I don't think the average branch has $300k on hand that they can give out without notice. I saw someone get denied $20K at a BMO branch in north Calgary
Having worked at banks for nearly 10 years we will absolutely not give out that much cash. We strongly advise getting a draft to customers due to liability and $300,000 is above what most branches carry in total. So idk who told you that but they are full of shit.
Maybe it’s because it is the BMO central branch here in Calgary and we are a fairly large customer. Not that I’d ever have any reason to pull out that much cash.
Check out r/Scams
They're communicating with you on-line, but can't buy things on-line because marinate on that.
They could be trying a lot of things, none of them good for you. Find a different buyer
This, exactly. It's a bog-standard transaction. You have a good, they have the money, you exchange, done. The moment someone starts to try and emotionally manipulate you, end the conversation and walk away.
I used to work for one of the big 5 banks. Certified cheques, money orders and drafts can be fraudulent, especially if you don’t know what to look for to verify if it is legit. They don’t need your address or phone number for it. If it is a large dollar value, offer to meet at the bank so that you can witness the transaction for the draft. This is what I did with the seller for a camping trailer we recently purchased privately. Once they are withdrawn from the account, it is fairly difficult for a customer to recall/cancel a draft.
Be aware that any draft/certified cheque/money order can still be held by your financial institution, so don’t have plans to use it immediately.
Any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
For all my sales - cash is king - and it has to be in person.
If the buyer is not in Calgary and we have do it online - I require full payment in advance and a confirmed deposit in my account before sending or handing over anything.
If they do not like those terms - I move to the next guy.
Never been burned yet and have been selling for 10+ years.
What are you selling?
But yeah, this is a scam.
They are going to make it out for more than you are asking. Let's say $1000 too much. They will then say "Oh just send me $800 back and keep $200 for your troubles.".
Then in a week or so the money is gone from your bank account because the cheque was a fraud.
I use Kijiji professionally for work (and pay a lot for it lol...)
Anything with
* certified cheques
* movers to be arranged
* "fine with condition"
* insisting on one obscure method of payment
is a guaranteed scam. Block and move on. Do not engage further.
Blatant scam. Trying to tug at your heart strings, convoluted payment process. Let me guess, they offered you extra? As someone who lost an elderly family member with ALS, I can assure you someone with that condition wouldn’t be in the mood for buying your used couch or whatever on kijiji. If they can’t meet you in person with cash, it’s likely a scam.
This is a scam, commonly known as a fake check scam. The gist of it is, it’s a fake check that they cut for more than the amount amount you’re asking. They then ask you to refund them the excess. Once that’s done, you will eventually learn that the check has bounced, and you will be out the money you paid them already.
If you want to learn more about this post on r/scams they can give you all the pertinent details.
This is a total scam. Anything to do with bank drafts, certified cheques and a major illness/disability is likely a scam. Report and block the buyer.
In fact, screenshot your messages with them and make a post on Kijiji to warn others.
What I don't understand is that they can do with my name, address and phone number - this is all info they would have if they were a legit buyer bringing cash...
It’s a scam.
How it works is the draft is sent and you cash it and then immediately send the product. That draft is not immediately, and never is, cleared by your bank. You send the product but days later the draft bounces because it’s fraudulent or cancelled and the bank reverses or cancels the deposit. Then you are out the money and product. Someone tried to do this while I was selling my mountain bike.
Moral of the story: E-transfer only
>Moral of the story: E-transfer only
You still have to be careful with that, there's been stories where they've cancelled the transfer before the deposit has actually been processed.
They did say, "Thanks once again for the reply, Jane has sent me the details and I'm fine with the condition, I don't just know how to get things online and I'm also dealing with ALS. That is why my Son helped me to inquire first. So, For the shipping i have arrange for my movers coming to get it for me at your convenient place and period as soon as payment has been made to you,Can you accept certified cashier cheque payment as it is the only medium i can get you paid, so sorry about that,once the cheque is cleared and you receive your money, the pick up will be scheduled. If you agree do get back to me with the details below so that my account officer can facilitate the sending of the cheque right away:
\*Full Name:
\*Address or Postal Code:
\*Cell Phone Number
\*Asking price
I would be gladden to read from you soon"
This is a very typical scam script. They will send you a cashiers cheque to cover the cost of your item and to pay the ‘movers.’ You cash the cheque and they will ask you to send the money owed to the movers. The movers are fake. They probably won’t even bother getting the item. The cheque will bounce, but it may take weeks or months for the bank to catch that. However, the transaction you made to the fake movers will be real and you will be out that money.
If they have people assisting them with speaking to you online and arranging for moving, they have people who can assist them with something as basic as an e-transfer of the funds.
Your call in the end, but it doesn't really add up.
They have an account officer !!!
Honestly, the way it was written, They don’t even try to hide it’s a scam - and that’s by design - they want to see if you’re gullible enough to fall for this.
Former bank worker here again: Your bank holds funds for max a week, bounced or fraudulent items can take 30+, even as long as 90 days (and more!) to be charged back. Unsuspecting people assume once the hold comes off, they’re good. But that’s not the case.
For a used play structure, I’d walk away from this buyer 100%. Where are they shipping it to that they can’t get something local to them?
> That is why my Son helped me to inquire first.
Among all the other red flags others have mentioned, this also stands out.
This person is too confused to handle things, but they allegedly have an able bodied and capable adult child who can handle everything else *except* payment?
As I said up thread: the moment someone tries to bring emotion into a simple cash transaction, end the conversation and move on.
Everyone is saying scam but if they're willing to send you a cheque and then let you wait for it to clear I don't see how you lose anything here except maybe a NSF fee?
Maybe they plan to show up and steal it once they know where it's located so you could maybe use a po box for your address until it clears or go meet them to get the cheque in person?
Just deposit the cheque and wait three weeks, if it clears then give them the stuff. This seems like a bigger risk for the buyer imo.
Yeah, marketplace scammers aren't the brightest. They typically copy/paste their scripts. I was able to locate the above by simply searching their initial inquiry on Google.
usually the banks will take several days to "clear a check" and can take upwards of 10 days. BUT the money will be made available right away. i believe this is where the scam is most effective, people see the money in their account, assume the check has cleared etc. and then in 5-8 business days get it all withdrawn as the check didnt clear.
this is my understanding anyways, i always pay and only take cash.
i mean the real easiest counter to this scam is to not reply and waste your time with a scammer? i just explained why it works. not everyone knows about how long it takes checks to clear obviously.
Sure that's one option. But it's possible the person is legit. People are strange.
Worst case scenario it costs you an NSF fee plus you waste the scammers time and energy. It also gives you something you can possibly report to the police. There's a special anti-fraud task force with the RCMP who I'm sure would enjoy learning of the experience.
well hey its a free world, waste your time on obvious scams and NSF fees and useless police reports all you want. I'm sure the RCMP will be writing case files on the great swing set sales scam on kijiji for years to come.
> But it's possible the person is legit. People are strange.
No. The odds of this being real are less than being struck by lightning.
Everything about it is from a common scammer script. The movers, the illness, the "certified cashier's cheque" (which doesn't even make sense as a term - cashier's checks are a US thing, we call them bank drafts, and it makes no sense to certify one, that's not a thing.)
While I agree that scam is likely I will note that many people still refer to bank drafts as certified cheques so it wouldn't be too surprising that some elderly person, ignorant of the difference might use a mash up term like that.
The thing is though, we don't actually know what the goal of the scammer is, all we know is that they have sent a message with the obvious hallmarks of a scam because they are looking for someone who is willing to overlook those signs.
Misdirection is absolutely a thing. Plus, if you engage with a scammer even a little bit, they can sell your info to other scammers as someone worth targeting, so you end up getting a ton more scammer spam.
Last time I looked into this, a bank draft was free while a certified cheque was $10, or something, so I got a bank draft. I’m pretty sure that only the recipient’s name is required. Ask for a bank draft instead.
I will gladly stand corrected.
Edit:
Actually, the safest and easiest thing to do is get an e-transfer, and double check that the email and url really comes from the bank to ensure you haven't been sent a spear-phishing email. No need for an ALS senior to go talk to a bank teller and get a piece of paper.
There’s only two things a buyer needs to do: come pick up the item and bring cash. If that’s too complicated then I don’t even respond to their inquiries,
"Movers" = scam, every time. You'll be asked to pay "from part of the cheque" but it's just your own money you'll be sending to the scammers, the cheque will bounce and the deposit will be reversed.
Also, we don't have "cashier's cheques" in Canada. We call them "bank drafts". (And what the US calls "bank drafts" is something slightly different which we don't really use here.) This scammer has just adjusted their US script by mentioning "cheque" instead of "check" but didn't bother to change anything else.
Edit: Forgot to mention, it doesn't even make any sense to "certify" a bank draft. That's not even a thing. It's just a word intended to make you feel more secure.
Certified cheques are a scam!
I once got one from a big bank and tried to cash it at THE VERY SAME BANK and they STILL held it for a week!
What a waste of money that was....
No, they didn't ask when I would be away from my house, just my name, address and phone number. All of this information would be available to them if they were bringing cash so I'm not sure of the risk here.
When and where are they planning to meet you for this transaction?
Chances are after you send all the info, they'll ask to meet up somewhere that isn't your house. That gives them the information on when you're not going to be home.
If they insist then just meet at the bank parking lot, go in, get them to draft the cheque with you and then exchange the items. Most elderly folk are friendly and shouldn't care about having someone to wait in the bank line with. Scammers will find any excuse to avoid it.
Certified checks in Canada mean absolutely nothing at all, they do in the United States.
This is a common scam question on r/scams r/kijiji or r/Facebookmarketplace
Report, and block. Checks only need a name on them anyway if you were going to take one.
Also, I bet they send a fake one and have you do mobile deposit, this shows you the money in your account, but most people don’t understand there is a 7 (or more) day hold on that money where you can’t spend it, and there’s a longer window where the bank can reverse it due to it being fake (have heard up to 6 months with out a fraud investigation happening, longer if one does happen)
When I do local sales, I do cash up to $15k. I mostly buy/sell watches but the few times I've sold cars, I would go to the bank with the buyer and have the teller give me the bank draft directly.
They're going to over-pay, and ask for a refund of the difference. But a few days after you deposit their cheque, your bank will tell you it's fake, but you'll be out the wire-transfer.
Just because I don't see it mentioned, another way to determine if it's a scammer, is to only agree to meet at a police station parking lot (they have designated area for this purpose)
Be careful, the cheque itself could be legit but used fraudulently. Recently heard of a one used by the town of Cowichan, when contacted, town and bank said it was theirs but not authorized for said transaction. It had been stolen. Talking sum of 250k, so legit funds, legit cheque, legit business/person. Illegal usage. Check with RCMP/CPS
With how easy EMT is now
No one should be needing to do cashier cheques or anything else
And we don’t need sob stories *red flag*
Do you want the item
Yes
Send EMT
Done
Here’s address for pick up
Great
Byyeeeee
Otherwise move on to the next person
So much effing scams now
Uh. Everyone saying it's a scam?
I just bought a car with a certified cheque. I didn't really wanna show up somewhere I wasn't familiar with where I didn't know anyone with thousands of dollars in my hand; I didn't want to also send an EFT to a stranger because it's easy for them to take the money and then split. (Also, the amount of the vehicle was way over my daily send limit.)
As for someone forging a cert cheque... What? Like, really? The amount you're selling kids equipment for can't be enough to make it worthwhile... Cuz those cheques aren't that easy to forge. They're listed as one of the safest ways to buy vehicles in Canada because of that, second only to cash.
Sounds like you have an older person afraid of getting scammed more than a person looking to scam. They even said they won't even arrange pickup until after the cheque is cleared, and getting the cheque means you'd have to meet in person. They're probably trying to do that to see if you flake out, too.
These were my thoughts too, especially as the info they want is all available to them if they were a legit buyer - it's not like they asked for my SIN or bank account number or something. However, apparently this exact email is widely used in scams so it seems cut and dry now.
Don't waste your time with anyone who insists on paying with sketchy methods. Internet safety 101 - fuck 'em and sell to someone else. It's your stuff.
How can they make it to the bank to get the draft but are unable to make it to the bank to get cash. That makes no sense.
Depends on the price. You can't go get large amounts of cash without a weeks notice. Pretty sure they don't need your address or phone number to make a bank draft out to you though
That would be correct. Name only to make it out to. Address to maybe pick up the item unless it’s being delivered. If I were OP I wouldn’t except a cheque, I’d either move on to the next person or wait while this person lines up the cash with their bank.
While you are correct that this is almost certainly a scam, you have to take out an absolute MOUNTAIN of cash before that becomes a problem. I just called my account manager and BMO typically will dispense $300,000 without an appointment, provided you have the cash in the account and are willing to sign the FINTRAC report.
I don't think the average branch has $300k on hand that they can give out without notice. I saw someone get denied $20K at a BMO branch in north Calgary
Having worked at banks for nearly 10 years we will absolutely not give out that much cash. We strongly advise getting a draft to customers due to liability and $300,000 is above what most branches carry in total. So idk who told you that but they are full of shit.
Maybe it’s because it is the BMO central branch here in Calgary and we are a fairly large customer. Not that I’d ever have any reason to pull out that much cash.
I'm gonna need your name, address and phone number.
Sure thing. Transit and account number too?
Only to direct deposit you those funds I owe you in that currency.
Sounds like a scam.
Check out r/Scams They're communicating with you on-line, but can't buy things on-line because marinate on that.
They could be trying a lot of things, none of them good for you. Find a different buyer
This, exactly. It's a bog-standard transaction. You have a good, they have the money, you exchange, done. The moment someone starts to try and emotionally manipulate you, end the conversation and walk away.
I used to work for one of the big 5 banks. Certified cheques, money orders and drafts can be fraudulent, especially if you don’t know what to look for to verify if it is legit. They don’t need your address or phone number for it. If it is a large dollar value, offer to meet at the bank so that you can witness the transaction for the draft. This is what I did with the seller for a camping trailer we recently purchased privately. Once they are withdrawn from the account, it is fairly difficult for a customer to recall/cancel a draft. Be aware that any draft/certified cheque/money order can still be held by your financial institution, so don’t have plans to use it immediately. Any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
For all my sales - cash is king - and it has to be in person. If the buyer is not in Calgary and we have do it online - I require full payment in advance and a confirmed deposit in my account before sending or handing over anything. If they do not like those terms - I move to the next guy. Never been burned yet and have been selling for 10+ years.
What are you selling? But yeah, this is a scam. They are going to make it out for more than you are asking. Let's say $1000 too much. They will then say "Oh just send me $800 back and keep $200 for your troubles.". Then in a week or so the money is gone from your bank account because the cheque was a fraud.
It's a piece of children's play equipment, swing set type of thing. They haven't said they'd send it for more than the asking price.
Then it's a hell to then no! Who goes through the effort of getting a certified check for some used kids toys? 100% a scam.
They're also elderly and have ALS. Even if they're buying it for their grandkids, how do they expect to pick it up and set it up in their yard?
Right? So many red flags.
Google " overpayment scam "
Yeah that's a Scam. Cashiers cheques are usually for larger amounts like when buying a used car.
They can still be fraudulent - proceed with caution. Might make you feel more comfortable by having all of that information but cash is still safest.
If they can go to the bank for a certified check, why can’t the do EFT?
Scam.
I use Kijiji professionally for work (and pay a lot for it lol...) Anything with * certified cheques * movers to be arranged * "fine with condition" * insisting on one obscure method of payment is a guaranteed scam. Block and move on. Do not engage further.
Blatant scam. Trying to tug at your heart strings, convoluted payment process. Let me guess, they offered you extra? As someone who lost an elderly family member with ALS, I can assure you someone with that condition wouldn’t be in the mood for buying your used couch or whatever on kijiji. If they can’t meet you in person with cash, it’s likely a scam.
This is a scam, commonly known as a fake check scam. The gist of it is, it’s a fake check that they cut for more than the amount amount you’re asking. They then ask you to refund them the excess. Once that’s done, you will eventually learn that the check has bounced, and you will be out the money you paid them already. If you want to learn more about this post on r/scams they can give you all the pertinent details.
Scam. Why can't the buyer pay cash or etransfer?
“ … have ALS and are elderly …” = Cheques are what old people use. Feel sorry for us.
"Sounds great. We can meet at the bank so I can just give my info to the teller"
This is a total scam. Anything to do with bank drafts, certified cheques and a major illness/disability is likely a scam. Report and block the buyer. In fact, screenshot your messages with them and make a post on Kijiji to warn others.
Scam - phishing you for identify theft and/or to rip you off with a phony cheque
What I don't understand is that they can do with my name, address and phone number - this is all info they would have if they were a legit buyer bringing cash...
Never give your phone number. Keep all messages through the app.
Do they actually need your address and phone number to cut a certified cheque? I never have. 🚩
Scam scam scam scam scammmmmm (to the tune of thong song) Why can’t they etransfer then?
It’s a scam. How it works is the draft is sent and you cash it and then immediately send the product. That draft is not immediately, and never is, cleared by your bank. You send the product but days later the draft bounces because it’s fraudulent or cancelled and the bank reverses or cancels the deposit. Then you are out the money and product. Someone tried to do this while I was selling my mountain bike. Moral of the story: E-transfer only
>Moral of the story: E-transfer only You still have to be careful with that, there's been stories where they've cancelled the transfer before the deposit has actually been processed.
Ugh. That probably has to do with automatic deposits. I haven’t looked to far into that realm
Except you can make forged certified cheques and the banks don’t recommend taking them as payment.
They did say, "Thanks once again for the reply, Jane has sent me the details and I'm fine with the condition, I don't just know how to get things online and I'm also dealing with ALS. That is why my Son helped me to inquire first. So, For the shipping i have arrange for my movers coming to get it for me at your convenient place and period as soon as payment has been made to you,Can you accept certified cashier cheque payment as it is the only medium i can get you paid, so sorry about that,once the cheque is cleared and you receive your money, the pick up will be scheduled. If you agree do get back to me with the details below so that my account officer can facilitate the sending of the cheque right away: \*Full Name: \*Address or Postal Code: \*Cell Phone Number \*Asking price I would be gladden to read from you soon"
Clearly a scam.
Sounds scammy to me
This is a very typical scam script. They will send you a cashiers cheque to cover the cost of your item and to pay the ‘movers.’ You cash the cheque and they will ask you to send the money owed to the movers. The movers are fake. They probably won’t even bother getting the item. The cheque will bounce, but it may take weeks or months for the bank to catch that. However, the transaction you made to the fake movers will be real and you will be out that money.
Good info, thank you for this
If they have people assisting them with speaking to you online and arranging for moving, they have people who can assist them with something as basic as an e-transfer of the funds. Your call in the end, but it doesn't really add up.
They have an account officer !!! Honestly, the way it was written, They don’t even try to hide it’s a scam - and that’s by design - they want to see if you’re gullible enough to fall for this.
Gladden.
I got this exact message, word for word, when I was selling an exercise bike. 100% a scam.
Lots of red flags. I wouldn't do it. You'll end up with a massive headache trying to go forward with a sale.
Former bank worker here again: Your bank holds funds for max a week, bounced or fraudulent items can take 30+, even as long as 90 days (and more!) to be charged back. Unsuspecting people assume once the hold comes off, they’re good. But that’s not the case. For a used play structure, I’d walk away from this buyer 100%. Where are they shipping it to that they can’t get something local to them?
Good info - this is clearly a scam. Thank you for the info.
> That is why my Son helped me to inquire first. Among all the other red flags others have mentioned, this also stands out. This person is too confused to handle things, but they allegedly have an able bodied and capable adult child who can handle everything else *except* payment? As I said up thread: the moment someone tries to bring emotion into a simple cash transaction, end the conversation and move on.
Everyone is saying scam but if they're willing to send you a cheque and then let you wait for it to clear I don't see how you lose anything here except maybe a NSF fee? Maybe they plan to show up and steal it once they know where it's located so you could maybe use a po box for your address until it clears or go meet them to get the cheque in person? Just deposit the cheque and wait three weeks, if it clears then give them the stuff. This seems like a bigger risk for the buyer imo.
It's a scam. RE: [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/kijiji/s/pmyJaeUM8h) from 7 months ago with the same inquiry as above.
wow. that's the exact same text. :O
Yeah, marketplace scammers aren't the brightest. They typically copy/paste their scripts. I was able to locate the above by simply searching their initial inquiry on Google.
usually the banks will take several days to "clear a check" and can take upwards of 10 days. BUT the money will be made available right away. i believe this is where the scam is most effective, people see the money in their account, assume the check has cleared etc. and then in 5-8 business days get it all withdrawn as the check didnt clear. this is my understanding anyways, i always pay and only take cash.
The easiest counter to this scam then is wait for the check to clear and don't be stupid? I operate a trust account. I'm well aware of the scam.
i mean the real easiest counter to this scam is to not reply and waste your time with a scammer? i just explained why it works. not everyone knows about how long it takes checks to clear obviously.
Sure that's one option. But it's possible the person is legit. People are strange. Worst case scenario it costs you an NSF fee plus you waste the scammers time and energy. It also gives you something you can possibly report to the police. There's a special anti-fraud task force with the RCMP who I'm sure would enjoy learning of the experience.
well hey its a free world, waste your time on obvious scams and NSF fees and useless police reports all you want. I'm sure the RCMP will be writing case files on the great swing set sales scam on kijiji for years to come.
Yup nothing serious about cheque fraud. To each their own. Have a nice day!
> But it's possible the person is legit. People are strange. No. The odds of this being real are less than being struck by lightning. Everything about it is from a common scammer script. The movers, the illness, the "certified cashier's cheque" (which doesn't even make sense as a term - cashier's checks are a US thing, we call them bank drafts, and it makes no sense to certify one, that's not a thing.)
While I agree that scam is likely I will note that many people still refer to bank drafts as certified cheques so it wouldn't be too surprising that some elderly person, ignorant of the difference might use a mash up term like that.
The thing is though, we don't actually know what the goal of the scammer is, all we know is that they have sent a message with the obvious hallmarks of a scam because they are looking for someone who is willing to overlook those signs. Misdirection is absolutely a thing. Plus, if you engage with a scammer even a little bit, they can sell your info to other scammers as someone worth targeting, so you end up getting a ton more scammer spam.
Last time I looked into this, a bank draft was free while a certified cheque was $10, or something, so I got a bank draft. I’m pretty sure that only the recipient’s name is required. Ask for a bank draft instead. I will gladly stand corrected. Edit: Actually, the safest and easiest thing to do is get an e-transfer, and double check that the email and url really comes from the bank to ensure you haven't been sent a spear-phishing email. No need for an ALS senior to go talk to a bank teller and get a piece of paper.
They both have fees depending on the bank plan you have. My bank plan doesn’t include drafts, so I have to pay $9.50 each time.
There’s only two things a buyer needs to do: come pick up the item and bring cash. If that’s too complicated then I don’t even respond to their inquiries,
Just stay away from anyone doing anything weird like that. 99% of the time anything weird is a scam, especially when they want personal details.
Scam, those checks are not really “certified” as I understand. If they dont clear, you are out of luck.
Scaaaaam!
Sounds iffy. Cash is always best in these circumstances.
It’s a scam.
Scam
100% scam lol [Link](https://www.reddit.com/r/kijiji/s/pmyJaeUM8h) - Same initial inquiry, but different names.
Bingo. Thank you
A good friend of mine lost $400 with this exact same scam ? Probably the same ass hole.
Sorry to hear that. This guy's clearly a scammer. I won't use him.
SCAM I pretty much exclusively do etransfer or rarely cash and always meet at a police station for an exchange.
"If their son was helping", he could drive his vehicle to the meeting location and pay in cash.
"Movers" = scam, every time. You'll be asked to pay "from part of the cheque" but it's just your own money you'll be sending to the scammers, the cheque will bounce and the deposit will be reversed. Also, we don't have "cashier's cheques" in Canada. We call them "bank drafts". (And what the US calls "bank drafts" is something slightly different which we don't really use here.) This scammer has just adjusted their US script by mentioning "cheque" instead of "check" but didn't bother to change anything else. Edit: Forgot to mention, it doesn't even make any sense to "certify" a bank draft. That's not even a thing. It's just a word intended to make you feel more secure.
Certified cheques are a scam! I once got one from a big bank and tried to cash it at THE VERY SAME BANK and they STILL held it for a week! What a waste of money that was....
I would explain my concern and phone his bank. It does sound fishy,
[удалено]
Ain't that the truth! Thanks man.
🚩🚩🚩🚩
So a person on the internet wants to know your name, address, phone number, and a time that you will be away from your house?
No, they didn't ask when I would be away from my house, just my name, address and phone number. All of this information would be available to them if they were bringing cash so I'm not sure of the risk here.
When and where are they planning to meet you for this transaction? Chances are after you send all the info, they'll ask to meet up somewhere that isn't your house. That gives them the information on when you're not going to be home.
If they insist then just meet at the bank parking lot, go in, get them to draft the cheque with you and then exchange the items. Most elderly folk are friendly and shouldn't care about having someone to wait in the bank line with. Scammers will find any excuse to avoid it.
Scam, you have to pay for a certified cheque (iirc).
Certified checks in Canada mean absolutely nothing at all, they do in the United States. This is a common scam question on r/scams r/kijiji or r/Facebookmarketplace Report, and block. Checks only need a name on them anyway if you were going to take one. Also, I bet they send a fake one and have you do mobile deposit, this shows you the money in your account, but most people don’t understand there is a 7 (or more) day hold on that money where you can’t spend it, and there’s a longer window where the bank can reverse it due to it being fake (have heard up to 6 months with out a fraud investigation happening, longer if one does happen)
As soon as they mention condition and movers block and move on. SCAM
When I do local sales, I do cash up to $15k. I mostly buy/sell watches but the few times I've sold cars, I would go to the bank with the buyer and have the teller give me the bank draft directly.
Certified eh?
They're going to over-pay, and ask for a refund of the difference. But a few days after you deposit their cheque, your bank will tell you it's fake, but you'll be out the wire-transfer.
Just because I don't see it mentioned, another way to determine if it's a scammer, is to only agree to meet at a police station parking lot (they have designated area for this purpose)
Have them come with you to the bank to cash the check yourself before giving them the item.
>They say they have ALS and are elderly And I say I'm 25, looks like Ryan Reynolds and the King of Canada.
Be careful, the cheque itself could be legit but used fraudulently. Recently heard of a one used by the town of Cowichan, when contacted, town and bank said it was theirs but not authorized for said transaction. It had been stolen. Talking sum of 250k, so legit funds, legit cheque, legit business/person. Illegal usage. Check with RCMP/CPS
They don’t need that info
Banks won’t even honour bank drafts. Cash only
With how easy EMT is now No one should be needing to do cashier cheques or anything else And we don’t need sob stories *red flag* Do you want the item Yes Send EMT Done Here’s address for pick up Great Byyeeeee Otherwise move on to the next person So much effing scams now
Run. This is an overpayment scam.
100% scam.
Overpayment scam. Large piece of play equipment and person with ALS wants it? Seems... odd.
Uh. Everyone saying it's a scam? I just bought a car with a certified cheque. I didn't really wanna show up somewhere I wasn't familiar with where I didn't know anyone with thousands of dollars in my hand; I didn't want to also send an EFT to a stranger because it's easy for them to take the money and then split. (Also, the amount of the vehicle was way over my daily send limit.) As for someone forging a cert cheque... What? Like, really? The amount you're selling kids equipment for can't be enough to make it worthwhile... Cuz those cheques aren't that easy to forge. They're listed as one of the safest ways to buy vehicles in Canada because of that, second only to cash. Sounds like you have an older person afraid of getting scammed more than a person looking to scam. They even said they won't even arrange pickup until after the cheque is cleared, and getting the cheque means you'd have to meet in person. They're probably trying to do that to see if you flake out, too.
These were my thoughts too, especially as the info they want is all available to them if they were a legit buyer - it's not like they asked for my SIN or bank account number or something. However, apparently this exact email is widely used in scams so it seems cut and dry now.
Don't waste your time with anyone who insists on paying with sketchy methods. Internet safety 101 - fuck 'em and sell to someone else. It's your stuff.
You are the seller, you can just simply say "No I only accept cash".
Just meet them at the bank and have them receive the check in front of you.
Cash or in bank draft for larger amounts or let it go.
Scam. 100%