Scam Alert
Who doesn’t want to receive a fat check in this expensive holiday period? Well, that’s exactly what just happened to me! Today, UPS delivered a cashier’s check in the amount of $2,650.00. The remitter was Karen S Bower. It came from:
The Timken CO
PO Box 8826
Canton, OH 44711
Timken is one of the world’s leading producers of highly engineered antifriction bearings, related products and services, and alloy steel and components. Timken has operations in 26 countries on six continents.
So far, so good. But hold on… There’s one tiny problem: I have never worked for Timken. Five seconds and one internet search later, I uncovered the following message:
“The Better Business Bureau serving Southeast, Central & Western Kansas, learned about a scam using the Timken Company’s UPS account to ship fraudulent checks to businesses Nationwide in exchange for services not rendered.
The scam artists are contacting businesses found on Craigslist, newspaper, and online advertisements about hiring the company to perform services. The scam artist then sends the company a fraudulent check before services are performed and tells the company accounts payable has made a mistake and instructs the business to cash the check, keep $500 for the inconvenience, and Western Union or Money Gram the rest to a UPS box. The UPS account is registered under the Timken Company’s name. The checks display a variety of legitimate business names with a PO Box 8826, Canton, OH 44711-8826 address, which is The Timken Company’s UPS address. The checks are not legitimate and if cashed, the individual is responsible for the full amount.
A local spokesperson for the Timken Company says they have been made aware their UPS address is being used in the scam and are working with UPS to investigate the matter.
The Better Business Bureau offers the following advice to businesses that advertise on Craigslist, in newspapers, and online:
- Get as many details from the consumer as possible before you begin work.
- Investigate checks that appear to come from someone other than the person that hired you to do the job.
- Never cash a check from anyone that tells you to keep some of the money for your inconvenience and wire the rest back.
- Check with your local Better Business Bureau if something just doesn’t seem right.”
With that information in hand, I contacted the local FBI office, as well as the Better Business Bureau in my area, alerting them about the suspicious Timken check.
So, should a UPS truck bring some holiday cheer to your home this season, double-check the check, and make sure you know the difference between a Steel company and a company that’s trying to Steal!
SECOND SCAM
Recently, I was contacted by Andrew Lancaster from the UK. He wanted to buy my like-new Sennheiser MD21U mic, that I had put up for sale on Sweetwater’s Trading Post.
When I told Andrew the mic was his, he couldn’t be more thrilled. He wrote back:
“the payment will be deliver to you this week or next week…So please as soon as you receive the payment, get it cashed immediately, deduct the money for the item and send the remaining balance to the shipping agent that handles the shipment via Western union money transfer. Moreso, I’ll be giving you an extra $50 for keeping this item for me till the shipper’s come for the pick up and to know you’re selling this to me.”
Wow… an extra $50 just to hold the item! This was better than Andrew’s spelling and grammar! But as someone who grew up with the notion that one should always give a person the benefit of the doubt, I decided to find out what would happen next. Sure enough, Andrew wrote back that a considerable amount of money was on the way:
“So i will like to assure your mind to accept it and cash it because its going to ternish the plan which i’ve layed out already for my new home, i just want everything to be set up well and ready to live asap. Thats why i asked my finance house to issue such amount to you on trust.”
At that point I pulled the plug and told him I was only going to accept the money for the mic, and it had to be via PayPal. What followed was a desperate appeal to accept the deal, but after that, Andrew rapidly disappeared from the event horizon.
Sweetwater warns:
* To avoid scams, deal locally or pay with PayPal.
* Never pay with Western Union, Moneygram, or any other anonymous payment service.
* Don’t buy or sell outside of your country. Don’t accept cashier checks from anyone outside your country.
* Sweetwater Trading Post is never involved in any transaction and does not handle payments, shipping, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer “buyer protection” or “seller certification.”
* If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
And Sweetwater has more tips for safe shopping. You may access them by clicking on this link.
Meanwhile, I have two questions for you:
1. If you have any scam alerts, please pass them on!
2. Are you interested in a like-new Sennheiser MD21U mic?
Paul Strikwerda © 2009
No related posts.
While I’ve not had the pleasure of actually receiving a check in the mail from someone for whom I have never worked, the second scam continually haunts me as manager of the family business – a small vacation rental property.
Just recently, someone purporting to be an officer in the USAF contacted me to rent the cabin for their nieces upcoming honeymoon, and just as indicated in your version, wanted me to forward additional cash to some travel agent who was handling other details.
Typically I ignore these the minute they hit my inbox (they usually show up within 48 hours of posting a craigslist ad) but in this case, I was rather offended that they would attempt to impersonate an active duty military officer. I thought about taking it to the next level; attempting to get as much information on their identity as I could and sending it all off in a pretty package to the proper authorities, but since I was swamped with work (unfortunately, not of the voice over variety) I ended up severing the connection with an email explaining back to them my understanding of the whole scam. And off they went.
It’s amazing that this continues and that people do fall for it.
And sadly, I cannot use a new mic at this time.
AW MAN! I was really hoping this check in my hand now was for real! It is in the amount of 2,850, I was supposed to keep 200 of it for the TV I was going to sell to a Aimee that lived in Hawaii and send the rest through Western Union to a Maurice (her shipping agent.) She kept on saying that the shipping was taken care of and then spilled ‘the beans’ I thought about sending me so much in cash!
The UPS Next Day Air Envelope, though, says it is from the same Timken Co. PO Box address. Not only that but the check’s remitter is a Karen S Bower on a Cashier’s check from Chase (Chase being the company name on the check.)
Also, these are some of the things this supposed “Aimee” wrote to me through email just to confirm the scam with anyone who doesn’t know already:
“Hello Seller ,
I saw this Electronics Advert on craiglist site which really interest me,so i’ll like to know if the item is in good condition to buy because i think it’s an opportunity for me to purchase the item from you,and i’ll be glad if you reply my message to know if you are selling the item to me.. And finally ,i’ll want you to reply me back with your full name,address & telephone number if your your’e interested in selling the item………………….Hope to hear from you”
“Thanks for the reply, i’ll really love to come over and pay you in cash but i’m physically handicapped thats why i won’t be able to come and pay you in cash but only through check i’m very much interested in buying your tv as a gift which i’m willing to offer you an addition of $100 for the item just to show how serious and urgently im in need of the item ,so kindly reply me back with the total cost of the item your’e selling including your name and address inorder for the payment to commence if your’e still interested in selling the item thanks”
“Thanks for the reply, i stay in Hawaii which will be difficult for me to come over and pay you in cash thats why i’ve decided to make the payment through Check which i do have a shipping agent which will be used for the shipping of the Item from you,so you don’t have to bother for the shipment ,i’ll handle and take care of the shipping ,so kindly reply me back with your name and address inorder to know if i should go ahead with the transaction so i can send out the check to you tomorow morning then you receive it latest by tuesday morning thanks and reply me back”
“Thanks for the reply, i’ll be sending you a cashiers Check which will be cashable in your bank and you can also hold your item until the Check has been cashed just for you to be rest assured, and i do have a shipping agent which will be used for the shipping of the Item from you,and i’ll be sending you an excess funds on the Check which the rest balance on the Check will be sent to my shipping agent through the WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OUTLET after the money has been cashed for the shipping of the item wihch i do have other items with the shipping agent while i was just waiting this transaction to be made,so you don’t have to bother for the shipment ,i’ll handle and take care of the shipping ,so kindly reply me back with your name and address inorder to confirm finally if i should go ahead with the transaction so i can send out the Check to you tomorow morning then you receive it latest by tuesday morning thanks and reply me back”
“kindly take the check to your bank and cash the funds and.do deduct your own payment for the item am buying from you and have the balance on the check sent immediately to my shipping agent through any WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OUTLET near your home to shipping agent information below :
Name : Maurice Lyons
Address : 3191 WAKEFIELD DR , Decatur, GA 30034″
I’m going to take all this information to the police tomorrow..I guess I’m happy to just catch this scam RIGHT in the nick of time!! I was planning on cashing the check tomorrow! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR POSTING A SCAM ALERT!
I’ve been using Craigslist for a long time and never has someone tried this on me, so it’s safe to say that I was ignorant enough to think this could be true
I am very angry that I won’t be seeing be seeing 200 bucks for the crap TV I paid 200 for in 1998!
Thanks Again for the information!
-Dolphin ^.^
Well It didn’t work because I was scamed by this same person. Just today. may-22-2010 I’m getting info together to take to the police
Thank you for sharing the details of this scam with us. I am so glad you didn’t cash that check!
The FBI keeps track of these scams:
http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/internetschemes.htm
Be sure to locate your regional FBI office and send them an email about the Timken fraud.
Best of luck to you!
Paul Strikwerda