I was trying to sell some wheels and tires on a local free classified website (craigslist) and somebody contacted me about them. I have been dealing with this person for a couple of months now and they finally sent payment. I was asking $1500 for the wheels and tires and they sent me a cashiers check for $3500 and wanted the remainder of the money sent back to them.....in Nigeria via Western Union. Now I'm dealing with 2 idiots. They both said that they sent me $4500 and they want $4000 back, not by bank wiring, but by Western Union. I called the bank that the cashiers check was ssued from to verify the account # and to verify funds. I was sent to the crimes dept. of the bank and I left a message. The cashiers check is fake. I'm just really pissed that somebody is trying to take my hard earned money. Sorry, I had to vent.

No worries about getting it of your chest mate, but yea i can understand how you feel about some **** trying to take ya hard earned cash They should bet shot

My boyfriend put up his PS3 on craigs list within the last month. He got scammers, too. When the guy wouldn't even talk about meeting and actually getting the PS3 that he would have paid for, we realized they were the Nigerian scammers. They said they would have sent us a cashiers check for about the same amount over cost as your scammer. My boyfriend ended it. You can't avoid those scum.

I take it that this is a big problem in the USA ?

They target everyone and everything that sells stuff on the internet, newspaper, etc. It is a huge problem in America. I saw a 20/20 special on this. Pathetic.

I guess its a problem in the UK too.

It could well be but i have not come accross it thank god

there are a lot of scams related to banking in Nigeria.

simple rule of thumb ... 'there is no such thing as a free lunch' ... always be suspicious of something for nothing.

i can understand the anger though and atleast u didnt lose any money at the end of the day (i'm guessing/hoping)

No money lost. I turned them into the Federal Trade Commission.

If had a few of those e-mails from a person claiming to be Bank staff, in some foreign country wanting to split a million bucks, recently deposited by some businessman who was sadly run-over by a truck even more recently. blah blah blah...