Sellers Be Ware Possible Scam
I have be contacted several times by advertisers
from this site receiving what we believe to be fraudulent inquirers
to buy their horses. I have been reluctant to make an official
posting as I do not actually have any proof that it is any kind
of scam. I am going to share some information I have collected
from other sites similar in nature to ReinersWorld to help you
in making an assessment of whether the request to purchase are
legitimate.
Most of the suspected fraudulent emails
are similar in content. Listed below are some of the warning
signs.
- The inquiries are from a third party regarding
the purchase of a horse from a potential buyer, usually from
an other country.The email is of poor grammar and often appears
to me to have had horse substituted as if the same form is used
for other purchases.
This inquiry commonly attempts to arrange the purchase of the
horse with a cashiers check. The check covers the price of the
horse and shipping plus an addition amount to be given to a third
party. From the research I have done it appears the cashiers
check that is counterfeit and this was verified by one ReinersWorld
customer's bank.
The best way to protect yourselves against
fraudulent activity is to try and obtain as much information
about the buyer as possible. When I, myself was contacted I replied
and asked for more information and references from the buyer.
I did not receive a reply back, end of problem. If you suspect
the buyer may be involved in a scam you can contact the following
organization:
- The Federal Trade Commission Consumer Complaint
Form.
Or visit the Federal Trade Commission web site for more
information.
Here are some things to consider when trying
to decide whether to deal with an individual on a horse you are
selling. Just remember to always use caution, teamed with common
sense.
- No Questions About The Horse
An offer to buy a without an initial conversation regarding the
horse. Most legitimate buyers are going to have many questions
about the horse, is it sound, bad habits, size, show record,
etc. I have never sold a horse site unseen everyone I have sold
the buyer wanted a photos and or a video.
- High Pressure Tactics
Be wary of individuals are in a big hurry to get the purchase
completed. Most of these horse have such a price tag that a legitimate
buyer is going to take his/her time in making the decision as
whether to purchase the horse. Most are willing to wait for the
horse to be veted and the check to clear.
- The offer of more money
Be careful of any individual who wants to send you more money
than you are asking for., especially if they are asking you to
cash a check and send the extra money back to them. That is a
red flag if I ever saw one. (See more on this posted below)
- Requests for financial information.
Always use caution before giving out any bank information to
a buyer or seller. Once they have that information they have
full access to your bank account.
- Use Western Union
If you have questions about the payment being good ask that the
money be wired to you using Western Union. They require the money
cash up front, and you provide them with your personal information
not the buyer. Here is a link to their site
- Always get something in writing.
You should never complete a transaction without first writing
down the terms of the deal and have each party sign it. If you
can't afford a lawyer to do the contract, you still should write
down the terms of the deal have all parties involved sign it.
Any buyer or seller that is hesitant or resists is usually a
sure sign of a potential problem.
- Wait to transfer the papers
Always wait to transfer the papers or to ship the horse until
you are confident that you have received your money and you know
the check has cleared.
These are my opinions and by no means legal
advice. If you have any questions or concerns please contact
legal representation to protect yourself .
"If it sounds to
good to be true, it probably is."
Examples:
Subject: payment......
Greetings,
Thanks for the information. I am sure the horse is in good health
condition.This is all the requirements needed at this time. The
shipper will handle every other thing necessary when he arrives
your location. The price is okay by me. I will like to pay the
full amount of $6500 for the horse plus an extra $100 for you
to keep other buyers off till it is picked up by the shipper.
So please get back to me, and also keep other buyers off. My
banker in US will send you a bank check of $11000 Can I trust
you to have it cashed, take $6600 and send the balance to the
shipper, so that the horse I bought for my wife can be picked
up? If yes, kindly reply with the following payment details.
1]names and address you want on the bank check
2]phone numbers
Do Send the details to me now for the bank check to be send you
earlier and all the websites you paste the horse for sale.
wrote:
Price is $6500 or best offer. He is a stallion now. Certified
check would be acceptable.
-----Original Message-----
Subject: Request for information on Yearing Advertised on ReinersWorld
Hello, I am interest in your horse and mode of payment will be
by moneyorder or certified check,so give me the price and the
picture of the horse. Get back to me as soon as possible .
Cyndee
Just a note to let you know that there is a scam for real happening.
We recieved a Cashiers cheque drawn on Partners Federal Credit
Union (Anaheim, CA) which I felt was a scam. With the help of
our bank we were able to determine that Partners had a Cashiers
cheque stolen and several duplicated that are no good. You may
want to pass this info on to others, letting people know the
bank name to watch out for.
Sincerely
Subject: HORSE PURCHASE
Goodday,
We are an agency that specialise in the purchase of horse for
clients. Our numerous customer are spread across the Middle East,
Europe,and US and we get paid in commission,after payment has
been confirmed by the seller to the buyer. Presently we have
a client interested in a horse and we will arrange for the pick
up of the horse once payment is confirmed cleared by you. To
this end therefore, I would like you to please furnish us with
your last price offer.
Please acknowledge the
offer and we will inform the buyer of your confirmation of acceptance
to sell and have the funds remitted to you as soon as possible.
NOTE: Our office is located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
You are to contact the
sales department via Tel:00 or alternatively through email for
further briefing.
Best regards,
CEO/ DIRECTOR
Cyndee I thought I would
let you know that I have had a person emailing me about my horse
that seems like a scam. He first of all offered me more money
than I wanted and tells me he is sending a check, i need to cash
it and pay his inspector like $3800. Anyway I am not buying it
but I thought you might want to give other sellers a heads up.
Talk to you later
Hello,
I am a horse dealer based in nigeria. I saw your advert placement
at reinerworld.com and am interested in buying your reiner. Please
forward me your final asking price only as my client who is based
in the US. would handle the shipping and pick-up. Also indicate
if you would accept a cashiers cheque drawn from a US. bank for
payment. I look forward to readingfrom you. Thank
What
Happens:
This information was provided
by a friend of mine that works for a bank:
We are warned about these
scams all the time. They want to send you a cashiers check for
too much money (like someone owes the buyer more than they owe
you and they have that person write the check to you instead
of the buyer) and they want you to send them the rest back in
a cashiers check or cash. The problem is their money is no good
and it comes back on you. |
