Scammers - what are they after?

[Millie-Holly]

Hi all

Ok, so I’ve read various Scam booking threads on this forum but I am still not totally clear on the intention of scammers.

A normal email scam if fairly self explanatory (“please send me some cash so I can deposit 10 million in your account� etc).

So what are the scammer after and what should I avoid doing before I am 100% certain of the integrity of the enquirer?

Do they want a holiday for free?
Do they want us to part with keys etc before payment?
Do they want the address of the property so they can pay it a visit?

Or do they just want to waist our time?

Advice appreciated.

[Mountain Goat]

Hi M-H

Time-honoured classic West African scam is to (heavily) overpay home owner for holiday rental with dud credit card / bank draft / bank transfer.

They then ask you to pay their fictitious car hire company / travel agent / lawyer / side-kick the difference, which you do innocently, quickly and efficiently.

In the meantime their original dud payment bounces.

You're left planning your next trip to Lagos / Nigerian embassy to retrieve your loot. No chance.

Well, that's how I understand it. There are enough of us out there who fall for it to make it lucrative for them.

There are many websites devoted to this scam and baiting the initiators (which can be fun), and, of course, it's not just holiday rentals they try. However, keep in mind, as I didn't initially, is that they are hardened criminals and could turn nasty. Shopping them into Yahoo (99% of mine) is the most humane way of dealing with this pest, and can be satisfying.

MG

[Alan Knighting]

There are enough of us out there who fall for it to make it lucrative for them.

I'm sorry but when you say there are enough of us I have to totally and utterly disagree with you.

Some people are taken in by these frauds because they are either naïve or stupid. Others are taken in by these frauds because they are plain greedy.

For me, us means those who aren’t taken in at all. For me, those who are taken in are just another version of them.

PS I'm not talking about credit fraud or identity theft, I'm simply talking about scamming.

Alan

[Paul Carmel]

http://www.419eater.com/html/419faq.htm

The above will explain.........................Have fun!