First of all, I'm happy to say that I did not get ripped off. However, I'm filing this report to warn others that it is not only buyers who can get ripped off on the internet--sellers can be victims as well! Here's the story...

My husband (K) had listed a bass guitar for sale on Craig's list. Very shortly after the listing appeared, K received an e-mail from 'Allen Coker' indicating that he was interested in buying the bass for $275. Since K had to leave for work, he gave 'Allen' my e-mail address so we could arrange the transaction.

The first thing I noticed about 'Allen's' e-mails is that they seemed to be written by someone with very poor English skills, but that was certainly not a dealbreaker by any means. 'Allen' indicated that he would use Bidpay, a Western Union company, to send a money order for the bass. However, he also indicated that he would have FedEx come and pick up the bass. I presumed that would be after I received the money order.

The next day, Monday, I received an e-mail that looked as though it were from Bidpay. It had their logo at the top and looked legit....up until I started reading the actual message, which made it laughably obvious this was a fake:

Western Union ® Auction Payments hereby congratulate you and at the same time informing you that the ® Money OrderSM sent to you from Allen Coker has been Approved.® Money OrderSM : $275.00 USD
Auction Item :Charvel bass
Auction Site: Craigslist

Please verify that the following address (as entered by the buyer) is correct once again.

Name :K
Address :
City :
State :
Zip Code :
Country : USA
This order has been approved, and we will send the above address payment in 3-7 business day.You CAN NOW send the item [s ] to the buyer. ®Money OrderSM, And if you have any question, feel free to contact our customer service{ bidpay_acct@financier.com }

Thank you for using Western Union ® Auction Payments. We look forward serving your online auction payment needs in the future.

Sincerely,
Western Union Auction Payments.
(end)

Shortly after that I received an actual FedEx e-mail with a confirmation number for pickup that morning at our home!! I immediately called FedEx and cancelled the order--this guy was going to steal our bass guitar and then bill us for shipment to NIGERIA!

Luckily, he didn't get away with it. However, I wanted to post this to warn others that this scam can work both ways in that both buyers and sellers can be victims. Sellers, never, never ship anything until the payment has actually cleared your bank account. Couldn't believe the nerve of this guy!

Liz
Sacramento, California
U.S.A.