Is this a scam?

knowledge

knowledge

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Selling my bike on Kijiji and this guy asks for my number to contact me. That's cool.

But then he goes:
"Hello, I really appreciate yourresponse to my previous mail, I'm buying the item form you and i will be theone responsible for the pick up and delivery stuff. Kindly get back to me with your full name and address so that I can forward it to the pick up agent to
calculate the pick up cost for me. Thanks"

Also, general scam/shady reply thread!
 
It's not a scam. I've sold a few bikes to people whose first language wasn't English.

Their first language was Nigerian and once their multi million dollar cheque clears, I'll retire.
 
They can calculate the shipping with your postal code. They don't need your full address.

Or give him the address of the nearest gas station.
 
matthew said:
It's not a scam. I've sold a few bikes to people whose first language wasn't English.

Their first language was Nigerian and once their multi million dollar cheque clears, I'll retire.
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lol, beauty

knowledge, you're totally above this thread :)
 
While selling my car so dude insist I send him a text. I told him to call me
 
-Not a scam at all.

This is just like when people get divorced and start selling each other's stuff cause they can't use it themselves..
 
matthew said:
It's not a scam. I've sold a few bikes to people whose first language wasn't English.
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Haha well that was my first thought. I buy and sell a lot on Kijiji and more than half of the people that I meet up with aren't native English speakers.

I usually give people the address of a house down the street so I can scope them out. I also almost always creep them on fb to see if they're normal-looking. If they're a member of Toronto's black market on fb, they'll almost always try to lowball you.
 
Seems legit. Also those buyer aren't good in writing cheques and they always put over the amount required. Usually they want $ back when they get the item.
 
tell him you would like your bike picked up from your work address:

RCMP Divisional Headquarters
30 Dufferin Avenue, 5th Floor
P.O. Box 3240, Station "B"
London, Ontario N6A 4K3
 
sounds legit.
 
Could be fishing for your personal info.

Could just have replied to the wrong email, if he's buying several things on Kijiji.

As a rule, your name and address are fairly easy info to get - they're everywhere. He's not asking for credit information (the real meaty stuff for scammers), bank account numbers, or money, so it's possible may just be a mistake. That talk of a pick-up agent sounds kind of dodgy though. I certainly don't trust that reply.

Even if it's "just a mistake". I wouldn't just reply and give him that information. It may be easy to get, but no reason to make it easier for someone you don't have any reason to trust.

It's also possible that his email account was busted into after you sent the first email but before he sent that shady reply.

You can ignore it and look for other buyers, or if for some reason you really want to sell the bike bad and don't want to pass up any sale opportunities, you can answer that you think he may have replied to the wrong email and that if he's still interested in your bike he should call you at the phone number you emailed previously (don't give it again). He already has your email address and a previous reply from you, so there's no real danger in sending another email with no personal info in it.

As for the sale itself, well that's a different kettle of fish entirely, but yeah, you want cash, or a certified payment (e.g. a certfied bank draft that you can verify with the issuing bank, probably with the guy present).
 
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^ are you that dumb?

The buyer is scam artist. There's only counterfeit, stolen cheques, etc. They want the $ from the typical overpayment and the bike will be long gone in a sea container marked 'household goods' going to Africa to be sold off.
 
I will never understand why kijiji buyers send text msgs asking the seller to call/text them.

lol
 
OP, not sure if you are a noob. People are being sarcastic and pulling your chain. It IS a SCAM. A very common one. Every time you list a used motorcycle/car you will get a couple of these scam artists looking for fools.


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acernec said:
Can they get personal info from you with a text vs. a phone call?

It's a scam. I received the same message a while back.
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No, its legit people who are too lazy to call or think they have the "upper hand" when you call them.

Not the brightest people out there.
 
starboy869 said:
^ are you that dumb?

The buyer is scam artist. There's only counterfeit, stolen cheques, etc. They want the $ from the typical overpayment and the bike will be long gone in a sea container marked 'household goods' going to Africa to be sold off.
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I was only looking at the identity theft/email phishing aspect of it. Theft of the bike itself is different animal (but still important to consider).

I never sell bikes, so if this matches a common email (the Kijiji equal of the Nigerian letters that everyone knows so well) that goes out to buyers, then sure, don't even bother replying. And for ANY offer - even well-written ones - if the guy wants to buy the bike sight unseen then that is extreeeemley sketchy and almost certainly a scam.

In any case, I did say right in my post that cash is king and not to give out any further information of any kind, as they could just be straight up thieves trying to find out where the bike is (never put your address in a sales listing!).

Anyone could be a scammer. There are some rules that can keep you safer, but they're not perfect. Everyone has to use their own brain there and be careful when selling big stuff like bikes, cars, houses, etc. and sometimes you have to call them feel the person out. Scams scams, everywhere. In all the flavours of the rainbow.
 
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A few good rules:

- Cash or certified payments only - check with the issuing bank when in doubt!
- Don't give out your personal info.
- Make the sale in a neutral location and don't give your address out if at all possible.
- Don't let 'em ride the bike. There's a lot of argument here about holding people's car keys or their driver's license or other things, but me I'd say there are just too many risks in letting another person ride the bike.
- If they starting getting pissy about any of those things, walk away.

There are other things, but those are the big ones.
 
Mongrel said:
- Cash or certified payments only - check with the issuing bank when in doubt!
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When they are scamming the issuing bank will always be far away, and the issuing bank won't confirm anything over the phone. Even if it's a big bank like CIBC the local branch won't verify the cheque/money order for you :(
 
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