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Is this a scam or not?


Fil
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Hi,

We are selling our house, and moving somewhere within France eventually, not sure where yet, but definitely not back to the UK.  We're moving due to my husband's arthritis and wanting to retire early before it gets much worse so he can enjoy his retirement.  Enough said.

We have it on sale with several websites, and we have received a call from a gentleman speaking good french, claiming to be in London but to be Swiss and domiciled in Switzerland, but with a UK mobile number.  He supposedly is interested in our property for his uncle's property investments, but his uncle cannot come and view.  Instead, he wants US to go to Brussels and meet his uncle!  Needless to say, we have not gone.  His uncle is supposedly flying back to Israel to see his wife in a coma after a car crash.  When I explained that we couldn't go that far just to discuss a house the uncle had not even seen, he suggested Spain of all places!

Now, my antenna were wiggling as soon as he rang, as he had our phone numbers, a price which he didn't want to haggle over, and has never told me where he got them.  And no immobilier puts contact numbers of clients online, in case they lose the commission!  Do they! And then the spiel about the uncle, the aunt in a coma and the trips miles from home.  Either he has no idea of geography or has an ulterior motive!  However, hope springs eternal, so I have not told him where to go yet, just in case he is an eccentric and genuine buyer!  You never know!  But I fear he is a scammer.

The thing is, what is the scam?  He has mentioned that his uncle would like to pay some of the price 'under the table'.  Now, we would not do this (but I have not told him this) as we know it is illegal and that if you do it you have no guarantee to ever get the under the table sum anyway.  So we know we would be stupid to do this.  Is this the scam?  Or is it something else?  And why the long proposed trips?  What could they be for?  Could they be psychological?  ie - you go so far you think it would be silly not to agree with his proposals?

Has he called anyone else about this?

I can tell you his name if you PM me.  He sounds educated but surprisingly claims not to be able to speak english.  Says his uncle who I have not yet spoken to speaks english.  I have suggested speaking to the uncle, but not got that far.  I think he might not exist.

Ideas welcome.

Fil

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I vaguely remember reading something about this scam, hopefully someone will post with better details. But he will give you a cheque for a fairly large amount of money and then in turn will ask you to give him cash for a lower amount. He has a good explanation for you to do this but I can't remember what it was.  He then has your cash and a few weeks later you discover his cheque is worthless. Apparently many have been taken in with this scam.
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Hi,

there is so much publicity about scammers now, I wonder at people being taken in still by them.  But I guess they ARE scammers because they can sound plausible.  I am certainly not going to give him any money!  I am just curious that's all!

Fil

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I've seen a report on this sort of scam, on TV a few years ago.  I can't remember much about it, but I think it is another "overpayment" type scam, like the b & b bookings one.  He'll probably want to pay you a huge refundable deposit, in a foreign currency (as these take longer to clear) and by bouncy cheque.  Very soon afterwards his ailing relative in Israel or wherever will take a turn for the worse and he'll back out of the deal, and demand a full refund.  His cheque won't have cleared, but you'll feel sorry for him, and he'll be rubbing his hands with glee.

Try doing a Google search on his name.

EDIT, I found this and it's ticking all the boxes, 3rd party buyer, buying site unseen, investment property, bit of a sob story involved, wants to meet up in another country, even mentions Belgium"

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Hi,

 

Yes, it is a scam. The same scam is applied to everything from houses, to holiday bookings, to the purchase of second hand equipment via small ads on the Internet.

Even if you asked for €5000 cheque up front it would be no proof of any genuine interest, as any form of payment you would be given would not be the genuine article.

As always in these scams the vendor is offered a sum usually over the asking price, with the explanation that the purchaser owes a third party a sum of say £3000. The scammer offers to pay you say, £10,000 over the odds on the condition that you then send the fictitious third party a cheque for the £3000. Thus you may be tempted thinking that you will make £7000. The cheque for £10,000 will even appear as cleared on your bank statement, that is the "sting and explains how this particular scam works so well because once the funds appear to have cleared most victims feel secure in sending off the £3000 (usually asked for as a Western Union money transfer - think about it - not traceable!).

Many, many weeks later (sometimes months) your bank advises you that the cheque for £10,000 was conterfeit and removes the credit from your bank account, leaving you £3000 worse off. The "third" party, of course, never existed at all.

Most scammers select their targets from internet sites - always be particularly wary of leaving your email address in anyone's guest book, these are rich fodder for the scammers and they leave each other messages (look for "Mugu, mugu" written in a guest book - it is their way of book-marking a site and also of telling other scammers to keep away).

If you want to test out your potential scammer ask for €5000 up front in the form of a Western Union money transfer. However, I really woud advise against getting into any commnication with a scammer using your real contact details or normal email address.

As someone else has said, go to www.419eaters.com, they are constantly explaining and exposing new scams plus fighting back by taking the scammers for a ride themselves!

Hope this helps

 

 

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Hi,

thanks for the info.  I was 100% or near as possible, sure it was a scam, but rather dissappointingly I think I might have put him off as he has not rung back!  I just said we were in no hurry whatsoever to sell, and could wait as long as necessary for a viewing by him or his so called uncle.  And nothing since.  I still have his email address though.  Any suggestions?  And his mobile telephone number.  Wouldn't it be lovely to scam him back!  As suggested on the link to 419!

Fil

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