Watch Out For This Internet "Tractor Scam"

Watch Out For This Internet "Tractor Scam" COMPUTERS Computers 28-6-5 According to a recent story by Sam Moore in the Farm And Dairy newspaper, last April he placed an ad at an internet website called www.YesterdaysTractor.com. He was asking $3,200 for two Graham-Bradley tractors. Email responses started to come in almost immediately. One of them said, "Good day. My name is Paul Roundy. I help in the procurement of tractors on behalf of my numerous customers. I have a customer who is interested in purchasing your two Graham-Bradley tractors, for the amount of $3,200. The payment for the tractors will be remitted by a cashiers check. Pickup will be arranged after you confirm payment. Kindly reply to confirm your interest in selling the tractors to my client." Moore replied and then received another message: "My client will be sending you a check for $6,000. You will deduct $3,200 for the tractors and send the balance to the shipping company that will arrange for shipment of the tractors." Moore stopped responding at this point because he had received two other similar emails from people who also didn't seem to be too interested in the condition of the tractors. They both suggested the same method of payment. He did some more research and found out that this is a common scam running on the internet. The idea is that they send you a check for more than the amount of whatever is for sale, and then ask you to send the difference to their shipper. That makes you feel like they trust you. What they actually do is send you a counterfeit cashier's check, which you deposit in your account. Then you send a check to them, via the supposed shipper. By the time your bank discovers the check is counterfeit, your own check has reached the scammer and, in the case above, you would be out $3,700. So if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Moore eventually sold his tractor to a bona fide collector and got his money.

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