Hi ALL ,I think I have just uncovered a scam that could effect us all .It involves a buyer from abroad .I told him I didn`t take deposits as I prefer not to.Next thing was a cheque arriving for £----, alarm bells started ringing.I took cheque to bank yesterday and asked them to check it ,not much good they thought it was Ok told me to put it in my account and we would soon find out. I have been checking his name on Internet regularly did so again today and found damning comments (NEW SCAMMER). If comments are true this has to stop here.
Any advice welcome

What were you going to do if the cheque cleared?  I think people are generally aware that enquiries from abroad should always be dealt with extremely carefully preferable through personal contacts.

I have been suspicious of this and went to the bank for help .I still don`t think I would have touched it as I was not happy about it.He was refered onto me by someone I know .Unluckily for me they`re on holiday.

i had something like this, i was selling some single beds and had an email from some bloke saying he wanted them and would send me a chque for £2000 more than i was selling the beds for and i would then have to pay for shipment with the extra, straight away i recognised it as a scam so sent back saying they were sold, never heard from him again

tanya

He was saying all the right things but I was still suspicius that is why I don`t take depositS.If he was possibly a scammer I wanted him caught so I went to bank for help,no help as it turns out.

Perhaps contact the Police...they should have a fraud section
or be able to put you in contact with a fraud squad..

I have already contacted fraud squad and I will release name when it`s checked.

Please don't release the name here ;)

I didn`t intend to .

You are proberbly 100% correct and this is a scam, most buyers from abroad who go onto websites are, buyers from abroad would go direct to a reputable breeder or a breed club, sellers would be well known and sort out the same way for a pup they wish to buy from abroad.

This is why we are all warned over and over again, not to touch these people with a barge pole, if no-one replies, they will eventually go away.

By all means report them most websites have the proper means to do so and contact fraud squads but............. I would not have done what you have done, you have cashed their cheque and are entering into a contract with them, you are in effect selling your pups to someone you have not cheked out at all, have never met, know nothing about! It can take a few weeks for the cheque to finally be found as no good and by then they want their goods, this is how it works.

I hope for your sake that it is found to be a dud quickly as you have just sold your pup/s, not a chance I would take, I hope for your pups sake everything is ok. :-(

I would never have given him a pup as I was suspicious from the start. Contact didn`t come from a website

Have you deposited the person's cheque into your bank account? Also, was the cheque for a larger amount than would be neccessary to cover the price of the puppy?

Dawn R.

On the instuction of the teller as she thought it was ok even although I questioned it.

No no, the point I'm making is that by depositing the cheque you have led the 'scammer'' to believe you are willing to sell him a puppy. If I was suspicious I'd just return the cheque and say I'm not interested in dealing with him full stop.

Dawn R.

I would not even have given my address to send a cheque to.  I'm curious as to what he was saying in the email that was "all the right things" as in my knowledge of these scams they barely look like they are aware it is a puppy they are buying as oppose to any other commodity.  They certainly don't, generally, show a knowledge and interest in the breed for instance.  Whatever they said, though, I would not consider them vetted sufficiently to consider cashing a deposit cheque.

Curiosity killed the cat comes to mind ,

So why post this information if you don't want people to enquire and consider if what happened is at likely to happen to them?

What you on about Isabel, I was giving myself into trouble `cos I feel stupid,I posted this and I knew I would get told off by you all I`ll answer all questions that I can. and i`ll take all the smacked wrists you all want to give me.

Appologies, I thought you were referring to others being curious about your actions :)

Thats ok ,I am ex forces and I wore a certain colour of cap and this caused curiosity and makes me feel even more stupid.I certainly won`t be telling my ex forces friends  i`ll never live it down as i`m considered the sensible one.

I'd cancel your bank first thing Monday morning and ask them to cancel the processing of the cheque (although it's unlikely that you will get any money anyway as that's the point of the scam)

Daisy

Bank is already sorted .OK i`m an idiot to have taken it this far he was good knowledgable about breed knew everything to ask me about pedigree health scheme and care of puppy.I have a waiting list for my pups, no deposits and I have got to know the people .Some of them have become friends.My only defence is I have been a bit distracted over the last few weeks.I am very careful who gets my puppies and keep in contact with the ones I can.I will go staight to bed without any dinner.:rolleyes:

trekkiemo it is concern not slapped wrists. :-) Your person does not sound like the other scammers as they have no interest in the breed at all, and he came recommended???  The point I was trying to make to you, is that if you have cashed the cheque, you have entered a binding legal contract,  a deposit alone can cause an awful lot of wriggling to get out of and is still legally binding.  Unfortunately you have allowed him to pay for your pup in full. (Even worse) If this cheque is cleared the person has bought your pup,  legally you are up the swany.

You can not cancel the cheque only the sender can do that!  It is in the banking process now. (By the way your bank can say everything is ok and even show the money there, and then in a few weeks time it isn't, as it has bounced all over the place before it's return being held up, this is how it works)

Money launderers will give you a cheque of a larger denomination and ask for the balance with the goods. (Is this what he did?)

If he has just paid for the value of the pup, he may be a puppy farmer or trying to defraud you of a pup with a bad cheque.

Or he may be a genuine buyer...........

Only you know what he is doing as you say I have been checking his name on Internet regularly did so again today and found damning comments (NEW SCAMMER). If comments are true this has to stop here

Why if he has bad feedback, and if you had a bad feeling would you cash his cheque?

Honestly I am not having a go, (well not in a nasty way) I am worried about your pup, if the cheque clears and you know you do not want him to have it, you are going to have to think quickly of a way out of this, that will not offend or cause legal action.

So yes, slap your hands good and proper............ but you can still have your dinner. :-)