eBay scams
Everything began with this scam, which I received several times. I kept copies just for the sake of observing what would follow. Since you know, once s(c|p)ammers get your e-mail address, the rubbish stream won't stop flowing:
The missing 'Sony Vaio PCG-VGX Brand New'
Hi again, i have no laptop from you by now if i don`t get an answer in 24 hours i will report you to eBay , PayPal and Police.
The user name was 361jaraldo, obviously totally automated. It surprised me at first since I had never received any fake eBay email like this before, but it was easy to spot it was false. Not only because I hadn't sold any Sony Vaio that I don't own, but also because real eBay emails include your name on them. This one didn't.
What made me laugh was the menacing writing style: he would report to eBay, PayPal and Police!! Yeah, I'm truly frightened!!
Gold lock and key pendant necklace
This one deals with something that I would never ever own or try to buy, it just sounds so blingy-blingy that if it wasn't because I'm sitting on a window inundated by the Mediterranean sun at its best, I would be already shivering.
findingaldo has opened an Unpaid Item case for GOLD EP LOCK AND KEY PENDANT NECKLACE 16-18 SNAKE CHAIN(#250319773021).Please pay for the item or respond to the seller before Nov-29-2008. If you do not take any action, the seller can choose to give you an an Unpaid Item strike and your account may be suspended as a result.
Ohhh yes I'm sooooo scared! And look at the name: findingaldo. It reminds me to that Waldo Geraldo Falko which used to show up at Bel Air's Prince series.
Plasma TV
This is the latest I got, and it is specially funny considering I don't own a TV and the last thing I would do if I wanted to get rid of one would be selling it in Ebay. The packaging and shipping costs to make sure it arrived without damage would be astronomical!
Please get me back to me as soon as you can with further information about the shipping of the plasma tv that i have bought from you. I am looking forward to get your reply. Thanks in advance !!
But... what for?
I wonder what's the purpose of these e-mails. I mean, the Nigerian-style scams make sense in a way, the Viagra, levitra and tramadol spam emails also make sense in a way, but getting urged to contact someone regarding an item that you don't own and consequently can't sell, or its shipping costs, doesn't make any sense to me. Unless they want to harvest e-mail addresses of ingenuous people, which in that case it does make totally sense.