(TAGS: Fraud Scam, Email, Phishing, Selling, Questions, Identity Theft.)

NEW SCAM: Phishing Through "Questions"

I have recently been a target of a new type of scamming, which is when people send seemingly legitimate questions for an item I am selling and they will ask for my full name and address so that they can send the payment.  I have received four of these now and they are all very similar, please read the following set up.

(WILL SMITH)  Hello seller,i am willing to buy ur item for my daughter in Arizona,i will like to know the toal amount u are willing to see it to me pulus the shipping cost to here in Arizona via FEDEX and will also like to know how many unit u have for sell,and i will be paying u via BIDPAY Money Order,if u are willing to sell to me,kindly get back to me with ur full name and contact address with ur EMAIL ADDRESS for the immediate payment of the item via BIDPAY Money Order,Hope to hear from y soonest.

(ME)  I will sell you the item for $275 including shipping anywhere in the US.

(WILL SMITH)  Hello Thanks for the mail,if that is the case,i will be paying u $300 for the item plus shipping cost to here in arizona,if u are willing to sell it to me,kindly end the auction for me on ebay and get back to me with ur full name and contact address for the immediate payment of the item,Hope to hear froum you soonest.

(ME)  I basically told him to give me HIS full contact info and pay me with PayPal then I would send it, but I got no response.

I was about to not write this guide because I did not receive any response and I thought he was legitimate, but then I got these emails:

(GREG CENA) When did you purchase this item? And what are the accessories that is coming with it?

(ME) I told him the accessories included)

(GREG CENA) Thanks for the mail,  I will like to buy the item from you and am ready to pay the amound of $250 for the item and am making the payment through an E-check via online check... So i believe you will need some explanation on it so that y can know exactly what i am talking about.  About electronic check is the form of payment thatwill be sent to your email address from my company secured server and you will need to get a versa check paper which you can get from a walmart store a office depot near you and then print out the check on it and wither take the check to the bank or any cashing point neares to your for instant cashment.  So if you are okay with my explanation i will need your full name and address so get back to me now so that we can proceed on the payment.  And note that shippment will not occur until you have the money in your hand.  Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.  Greg.

I know that both of these emails are totally fake, and this guy is trying to get personal information from me to steal my identity.  How do I know that you ask?  First, Will Smith stopped emailing me after he thought I was getting suspicious of him, then immediately after I was getting emails from Greg Cena.  Second, when I put my cursor over Greg Cena I see the address is Gregg Cane, not Cena.  It would be easy to accidentally type Cane instead of Cena, making me think this is a bogus email address.  Third, it is clear that the emails were written by the same person, they both start with "Thanks for the mail.", he doesn't capitalize "I", and the emails end with "hope to hear from you soon(est)"

Things to Watch For:

1. The potential buyer says they are buying a gift for a friend or relative in a different state so they want you to end the auction.
2. These emails are generally sent when there are no bid, and the auction is for a high ticket item (Over $80 or so)
3. The potential buyer may make up some reason to circumvent eBay's auction.
4. The emails do not come through eBay's mail service, but straight to your account.
5. The emails may be poorly written.
6. The person has a generic or suspicious email address.
7. I always have somebody offer more than what we agreed upon.  "Too good to be true"

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