A number of our advertisers have been approached by potential 'buyers' offering to purchase the equipment for sale, but who have no intention of so doing.
A number of scams are in operation, but the most common is the "Classified Ad" scam. The perpetrator expresses an interest in an item, but says that he lives abroad, and would like to send a cheque for the cost of the item plus the cost of shipping. The vendor clears the cheque into their account, and is then asked to contact the shipping agent to arrange payment of their fees, usually by Western Union, which he does since the cheque has cleared. He may then be told that the buyer no longer wants the equipment and is asked to return the balance of the funds, again by Western Union. It is only days or weeks later that the vendor's bank is informed that the cheque was a forgery...
For more details of this and other scams, see the scambuster419.co.uk web site (419
relates to the section of the Nigerian penal code that prohibits such "Advance Fee" activities).
To quote:
In summary, you should be extremely suspicious if:
Someone responds to a classified advertisement you have placed and wants you to ship the item abroad, without even having seen the item
They offer to pay you the amount of the item, plus the shipping costs, and ask you to arrange the shipping and pay the shipping agent yourself.
Do not be reassured if you receive a cheque or a banker's draft and your bank clears it as soon as you pay it into your account; it may still be a forgery, and if so, you will lose out.