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I have just advertised our elderly Sony HD ready TV yesterday on 'le bon coin' and within a few minutes though my luck was in! I had a buyer. Yesterday evening I had a second e-mail from the same person and I have put it below. At first I was a bit confused, but not any more.

" Bonsoir,

Ayant visualisé votre annonce et c'est d'un accord commun que mon

époux et moi avons décidés de vous l'acheter. Concernant le règlement nous

vous effectuerons un mandat postal sécurisé de sorte que vous nous

réserviez le bien pour 2 semaines vu que nous sommes actuellement hors

métropole pour des raisons professionnelles.

Et si cela vous convient veuillez donc me faire parvenir votre PRIX FERME

;NOM complet ; ADRESSE d'habitation ainsi que vos CONTACTS téléphonique

afin de vous tenir informer une fois le mandat effectué . Nous comptons

donc sur votre bonne foi tout en espérant qu'il nous soit réservé.

Pour la récupération nous conviendrons d'une date à votre adresse une fois

que vous m'aurez confirmé la bonne réception des fonds.

je vous vous laisse également mes coordonnés

Bxxx DXXXXD- XX quai du docteur cadet - 26600 Tain l'hermitage

En attente d'une suite favorable Meilleures Salutations

Mr et Mme DEPOND

TEL:00225 XX XX 02 60"

I put the XXXXs in to protect the innocent [Www][Www]  SWMBO remembered a similay thing happening several years back when we were flogging our 3 bit suite on there.

Who in their right mind would want to come over to Carcassonne from near-ish Grenoble to buy a second have tele [:-))]

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When I saw an all-in-one Windows 7 computer advertised on LBC I thought it would be just the thing for my OH so I rang the mobile number to ask if it was still available. As it was only 6 km from us I thought it would be easy to pop by and check it out and pay by cash if it suited.

But, too late, the poor guy was shell-shocked as he had been well and truly scammed.

He had received a call from someone who was interested but lived a long way off, but who knew the model well so didn't need to see it before buying. He would send a cheque and asked if the guy could courrier the computer to him upon receipt of the money.

So, the trusting guy did just that, it cost him 50€ for the courier and the cheque bounced (or was stolen - the guy was a bit incoherent).

I suggested he went to the police and contacted LBC re the scam, it probably wouldn't get the machine back but it might just help prevent someone else falling foul of a scammer.

Sue
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My friends here were  nearly taken in by the same scam, but buying on Leboncoin. They were looking for a van, found a bargain and contacted the seller. They had to send the money by ? Western Union and when he received it the seller would drive over with the van.

How friends were taken in I don't know - they went with the cash to La Poste, where the person there said on no account do this!

We're currently looking for a car on Leboncoin, but must go and see it first, make the deal face to face.

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When I went to the Post Office to send 1000 euros by mandat postale they were very alarmed. It was for a genuine reason (wasnt even my money) but they were very unwilling to do it for me. Apparently this is a very common thing as so many people fall for this sort of scam.

But then when I paid with two 500 euro notes, they became unsure of who was scamming who! Surprised they accepted them to be honest as even my own bank had refused them "just in case".
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Surely the mere mention of Western Union must be enough to warn anybody with just two brain cells bouncing about in an otherwise vacant cranium that it's almost guaranteed to be a scam !

I can't help having some empathy with the police chief who's suggesting that the banks and credit card companies need to start taking a stronger line with 'victims' of online fraud who essentially have just been stupid and nieve and currently have little or nothing to lose by it.

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Alas, I can't claim to be other than a bit simple!

But, I HAVE learnt through my own error.  Mind you, as I have bought all manner of things from leboncoin, including handkerchiefs, boots and shoes, china, furniture, clothes, coats, jackets and as I am always looking on the site, it's a wonder that I have escaped unscathed so far.

There WAS one occasion a couple of years ago, when I sent someone by virement money for a computer.  Of course, the computer never appeared.  However, with help from 2 or 3 members on this forum who advised me what to do, I got all of my money back![:D]

I had to go to the gendarmerie to deposer une porte plainte and they were superb.  I didn't even have an address but I had the bloke's bank details, including the branch where his account was held.  The gendarme rang the man whilst I was in the police station and he immediately refunded part of the money.

Well, if he thought that that would be the end of the matter, he had another think coming.  When the rest of the money wasn't repaid, I went back to the gendarmerie and the blighter paid up the rest though not without trying hard to get away scott free.

There IS a superb ending to this story.  The man got in a panic after repaying me in case the police visited him at his home.  I even agreed to tell the police he'd repaid me and in fact I did go back and told the police I had had all my money back in full.

However, the scammer was so distressed that he rang me at home.  OH answered the phone and told him that his file had already left our local gendarmerie and was in his town.  He begged and exclaimed and said he would have a black mark against his name if we didn't go back once again to explain to the police.  OH said tough on you, you shouldn't have told my wife lies in the first place.

So, there it is.  But I still am not put off leboncoin.  For all the genuine bargains I have had, I am willing to take a chance on the occasional bad apple.

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It's not foolproof but, if it's an electronic item like a computer, speakers, tv, etc, do not go near the annonces where they just show a picture of the item from a seller's website.

Look for context, any table that it's put on, is it in a room that is furnished, if it's left in a garage or outhouse, ask if it's damaged in any way by damp, etc, how long it's been kept in the garage?

If it's, say, walking boots and the advert claims they are new or better still pas servies, do they show the box, labels still on the box or boots, do they show the soles, the insides, etc.

As I say, not foolproof but at least there is a fair chance that they do have the item to sell!  Also, if there is a phone number, ring up if it's something expensive or, if no phone is shown (unusual) email and ask for a number to ring or for them to ring you.  The ringing seems to go either way.  I have often been rung, I presume, to check that I am a real person, to gauge the type of person I am, etc.

And if looking for houses, I always ask for exterior photos if they are not on the advert.  If the gate, shutters, garden, rainwater goods etc look the worse for wear, I will generally skip the property.  If the inside is all in a muddle, everything dirty or even just untidy, I won't visit because my reasoning is that if they can't even keep the place tidy, what are the chances that they will bother to maintain it properly?

Again not foolproof but could save a wasted journey to go and look.

So I have tips aplenty and, mostly, my experience of leboncoin has been entirely happy, especially when I sold my house in 36 days.

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One other bit of help, if you are looking for say a car in the small ads etc, and you phone them up just say do you still have the car for sale, or words to that effect. Lots of one man bands will try and sell cars via the small ads, if they say "which car" you can then decide if they are genuine people trying to sell their car or a business.

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Now that is to me a curious statement mint. I know of plenty of very tatty looking houses and appartment buildings in France that are wonderful inside. I often wondered if it was a way of not advertising that one had some money and subsequently some things that may be worthy nicking...........

.........as if that 'ever' happens in LBF[Www]

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No, id, not for me if the garden is full of rabbit hutches and the paint is peeling off the shutters and the front door needs to be propped shut!

I really, really do not want to spend the first 6 months in a house just clearing out the rubbish and making the place hygienic enough to move my own things into![:-))]

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