This is an interesting thread, I didn't have a clue scams could go so far.
I of course know the standard "I'm from Nigeria, can you send me your bank information, blablabla" - scams, or the "Hi, I have a XL1s PAL on sale, can you... blablabla" - scams, but this is the first time I hear of a scam in which they first send (or suppose to) send you money.
Damn, how do they all come up with this stuff, really...

"WATSON GORDON" Ha!

If someone wants to pay you IN ADVNCE, be afraid. Be very afraid!

Dateline did an undercover operation on this and showed how trusting some people can be, mostly the elderly. Now, these idiots overseas do it because it's too risky to try it locally and it's hard to catch them thousands of miles away. I think this was a real big problem locally and used to be done face to face at banks and ATMs. A person would approach someone at a bank or ATM and talk about a huge check or whatever they couldn't cash either because they were not a citizen or whatever. Then they would offer a percentage of the check for that person depositing it in their account. Of course the check was no good but the depositor found that out too late after the scammer was long gone with the cash. The other way was to give the person a check for the same reasons above and get the victim to get them cash at the ATM. Then the same thing would happen when the victim deposited the check.

Too Trusting
 

The real crime in this is that someone is taking advantage of the good will of others.

But as I tried to mention above, but misstyped.... why couldn't a person that wants to be a 419-eater just say "Hang on..... I'll get you a refund once I have the money in my bank account and it is cleared" Then just wait for the entire thing to clear (or not as is likely the case). Isn't that the safe approach (well besides not baiting them in at all)? Or are there ways to cancel payment once everything has cleared on both ends?

jason

You would think they would be more creative. The scammers seem to always be interested in the transaction far more than than the exchange of services/ product.

How many of your "real" clients talk more about how to pay you rather than disccusing deatils of your product? I have puppies that I occasionally sell and I see these scams A LOT.

Payment methods
 

That seems to be any easy top off right there. :-) Hopefully word is getting out to venders and the public at large not to trust people using those methods.

jason

Ok, enough of the holier than thou stereotypical people-bashing, which has been removed. It has no place on DVinfo. Apologies to a couple of others whose posts responded with a more kind mindset and got removed en bloc with the rude ones.