When it is your turn to lose.
Over at Buzzle.com, Craig Ritsema has written an interesting piece on the counterfeit cheque scam. Several people have reported being scammed by counterfeit cheque scam when it deployed with the fake lottery winning. Another account can be read here. Of course www.webnetpresence.com, which I wrote about before, is still trying alert consumers to this fraud.
But Craig Ritsema's piece add something extra to the analysis of when it is your turn to lose. Sense of entitlement.
Here is what he has to say:
"My own personal experience with an online scam happened a number of years ago. I had a used car for sale and a friend recommended purchasing an online ad. This sounded like a good idea and did not cost much so I did it.Response to the ad was not immediate but over time it did generate some interest with a few calls and some emails. Nothing real serious though until one gentleman sent me an email explaining he was real interested and wanted to know a few more details. I was pretty interested because it seemed like price was not an issue.
We began an email dialogue and after several exchanges came the "pitch": He was interested in purchasing the car but was unable to pick it up. Since he traveled considerably and was currently in the UK he would send a bank check for the full amount plus the cost to ship it. When the check arrived, I would then immediately deposit the check and write another to a shipping broker who would call to pickup the vehicle.
My initial reaction was that I'd sold the vehicle. At the time, my understanding of bank checks was that it was similar to a money order and was as good as gold. I didn't really see how I could lose." (my emphasis)
Of course the proposed transaction is a fraud, but how did Ritsema figure out the pitch and how to avoid it?
Technorati Tags: email, counterfeit, cheque, buzzle, car for sale, personal experience, entitlement
He realized that the transaction made no sense. Weren't there cars for sale in the UK? Why would someone pay full price for a car sight unseen?
"My story ended turned out ok because I stopped before I parted with the money. However, there are many stories of people who parted with their money before realizing it was wrong.Did I have any special insight which kept me from losing the money? Probably not, except for the fact that it just did not feel right. I compare this online scenario to walking down a dark alley at night. If it does not look right and does not feel right then don't do it - at least not without some investigation or insight from someone else.
In many cases scammers "get away with it" since people are not aware of their methods. At the time I was not aware bank checks could be bad. But they can also take advantage of emotions such as "Entitlement". I felt I deserved full price for the car, and he was the only one offering it".
Now a feeling of entitlement may not be one of the seven deadly sins, but it is one of the seven deadly due diligence traps. The world owes you, your family, and friends nothing. Remember the Cambodian Scam, the pitch was "It is our turn now". A very potent mix of social proof, fairness, and justice. Avoid at all costs.
Technorati Tags: email, counterfeit, cheque, buzzle, car for sale, personal experience, entitlement
