Is this is a scam?

[freckafree]

This might belong in IMHO. If mods think so, please move.

A friend of mine is selling a car through a web site devoted to this particular make. He was contacted by someone who says he is buying a car on behalf of a client. They agree on a price. Here's where it gets weird.

The next e-mail from the buyer says that his client is in London on business and gave a $10,000 cashier's check (more than twice the agreed price) to the buyer before he left. The buyer tells my friend that he will mail him the cashier's check. Since it's a cashier's check, funds will be available immediately. He is to deposit the check, keep the agreed upon price, and return the balance to the buyer via cashier's check. The buyer will make all the arrangements to have the car shipped.

The buyer provided his client's name and address for the title: supposedly a general who has a position with some oil and gas ministry in Canada.

The e-mail would appear to have been written by someone who has modeled his writing style after the Nigerian scam composers. The language is oddly stilted, weird punctuation, etc.

It just feels scammy, but if the guy is really sending a cashier's check, my friend will get his money. My theory is that the buyer has told his "client" that the car cost $10,000, not $4,500, and when he receives the balance, he'll keep it for himself.

Is there something here I'm missing?

[Q.E.D.]

Yep, scam. It's a fraudulent cashier's check, but the bank of deposit won't know or even have any way to know that until it's ultimately processed at the originating bank. At that point, several days later, the bank of deposit will yoink the money out of your friend's account and he'll be screwed.

[Jurph]

Yes, it's a scam. The check will be a very very convincing forgery. Your friend will cash the cashier's check, it will "appear" to clear the bank (i.e. the money will be deposited by an ambivalent / not very vigilant / just-doing-his job bank employee). Your friend will pass along the $5,500. The bank will bounce the cashier's check a week or a month later, when they actually get around to verifying its authenticity with the issuing bank. Your friend is left holding the bag.

Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html) warning about this scam and other common scams.

[racer72]

It's a scam. I have a $12,500 cashier's check tacked to my wall, I received it from a scammer. Have your friend tell the buyer he is going to hold the funds from the cashier's check for 30 days and he will never hear from him again.

[Annie-Xmas]

Don't do anything with the check. Tell the buyer you deposited it and sent the refund check. See how long you can string him along with it.

[freckafree]

Thank you all! I forwarded the Craig's list link on to my friend.

[MrFloppy]

This scam is very popular on Craigslist.

I listed some furniture on there. I was looking for about $5K.

Within 24hours, I had four separate emails asking if my 'item' was still for sale. This is usually a giveaway since they use form letters.

I responded in the affirmative to them all and I got four emails all offering to send me a check for more than I was looking for. I was supposed to send the difference to the 'shipping company' via Western Union.

I strung them all along for a couple of weeks. :p