Was browsing Craiglist this morning and came across this ad:
Subject: Kohls sholping dicount
"Anyone planning on shopping or buying items ain cash at kohls today only. I can meet you there and offer you a great discount on your item or items. Email me if your interested. No scam just need cash to get home and willing to use charge card in exchange and willing to give u discounted price.
Thanks?
What’s the probable scam here? Stolen credit card? Set-up for a mugging?
Could be he has a gift card and will let you use it and then you pay him a discounted amount. I actually did this once. I was buying a bunch of expensive tile at Home Depot when a guy asked if I was going to pay cash, and offered to sell his $200 gift card for $100. I shooed him away, but he came back and this time said, “We can do the transaction first, to show the card is real, then you pay me back”. I hemmed and hawed and finally he said, “OK, $75 for the whole $200 card”.
I bought the items, he swiped the card and paid the $200, I paid what was left and gave him $75 and he thanked me profusely and hustled off.
Dennis
Stolen gift card.
My initial thought was stolen credit card. But I suppose it could be that the person wants cash, and the credit card charges up the wazoo for cash advances, so they figure they can do better taking cash and giving people a few percent off of purchases.
I would still bet on stolen card.
Or got the card as a gift and wants cash.
Some years ago we had some people selling stereo equipment out the back of their van in dark deserted alleys … turns out it was a completely lawful operation … it just appeared to be blackmarket and appeared to be much cheaper … it was neither … I thought that was a clever scam …
Stolen gift cards is likely, especially this time of year.
Also likely this time of year is people being broke and getting gift cards as gifts but needing the cash (or not needing/wanting anything for sale at that store) more than they need the stated value of the ‘store credit’ of the cards. Not everyone can use the internet to trade them and so they try in person or on Craigslist instead.
This is why I give Visa cards or cash as monetary gifts rather than cards earmarked for a particular store. If I’m willing to give them money instead of a particular gift, then i shouldn’t care what they use that money on.
Sadly I don’t know a way to tell the difference between the scammers and the honest.
Sometimes the heavy “stereo equipment” in original boxes turns out to be shrinkwrapped telephone books.
Even if you see the equipment, it’s still likely a scam.
Had a buddy fall for this once. Guy in a van was selling “last years model” of Klipsch stereo speakers out of the back of a van. There were copies of speakers that retailed for over $1000 for a pair. He insisted on seeing them outside the box. Yep, they were speakers. He paid $500, got home, hooked them up, ready to rock out. No sound. Inside the cabinet there were no crossovers or wiring at all. And the drivers themselves had no voice coils or magnets on them, just a piece of pig iron glued on to simulate the weight. I figure the fake drivers, the cabinet and the grills all cost about $30 to put together.
Or it could be speakers (or whatever merchandise) that really does work, but is just really low quality.
Known as the White Van Speaker Scam. EEVblog did a great teardown of one of those speakers.
Not necessarily stolen. I dont like Kohls, if someone gave me a $200 card, I’d try to turn it into cash. Of course you can sell it online but that takes time.
I know American people mostly use credit cards, but don’t you have debit cards with delayed payment?
I’m asking because I did with friends what the woman is proposing (except without discount) when having run out of money: I’d pay for them with my card, and they would give me the cash.
I would rather expect this or an uneeded gift card than some scam if I was reading this ad. Occam razor and all that. She says she has a card but need cash, which is a pretty believable explanation, so no need to assume a scam.
It came across as scammy to me because they specifically said “charge card”. not “gift card”. Which suggested to me that either they have a stolen credit card, or just planned to charge up a bunch of stuff on their own card and skip out on the payment. Either way, sounds fishy, IMHO.
In addition to the person saying “charge card” instead of “gift card”, the bit about “need cash to get home” sounds typical of the type of claim made by panhandlers. At least around here, the majority of homeless claim that they are “stranded” and and are panhandling because they “need gas money to get home”. Oddly, they never leave and I see them around town for months or years…
I used my Food Stamps (back when the really were paper stamps) to buy cigarettes and beer - neither of which is allowed by Dept. of Agriculture (originator of Food Stamps).
The going rate at the flea bit shady store was 5:1 - $5 of stamps for $1 of merchandise.
It is probably a great subject for a Sociologist to determine why the immediate assumption is “SCAM!” when encountering such offers.
Esp shortly after the biggest (compulsory) gift-given event in Christianity.
I’ll bet there are about a million unwanted “Gift Cards” floating around now - all owned legally.
The “White Truck” scam has a corollary: the guy with “stolen” high-end watches offering to sell you one for $100.
If/when the cop asks, he produces the invoice and receipt for watches which cost him $10.
The assumption of “this must be stolen, but where else can I get a Rolex for $100?” makes life real easy for grifters.
This is where the “You can’t cheat an honest man” line originates - an honest man would never buy the watch/VCR/Speakers/iPhone/whatever.
Why wouldn’t they just sell the gift card at a discount? It’s not uncommon to find folks on eBay and the such selling gift cards at like 85-90% of face value.
Heck, there’s websites that will buy your card off of you for ~85% of the value and you don’t even have to worry about dealing with people on eBay or Craigslist.
But it takes time and the funds dont come in cash form.
People who need cash this badly may not be the same people who are aware of the other options, and can easily visualize a “they pay me; I pay for their stuff” scenario.
Yes, I was approached in Home Depot with such an offer.
I was also approached by an unmarked “Delivery Truck” about quitting time with “My buddy and I deliver stereo equipment - today they loaded an extra pair of speakers”.
I do appreciate the classics.