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
