Hello everyone! I am trying to sell some american bulldogs. The first day that i posted the ad i recieved this email from Aahrabie ******. his email is **********. Has anyone else heard from this guy or something similar to it. I am pretty sure it is a scam.

........this is the first email

Hello,
I'm Mrs A.*****, I actually wanted a American Bulldog Puppies basically to breed up and eventually figured your ads on terrificpets.com and you have exactly what we wanted,we have an 8 year old Bulldog puppy with good temperament and want a young breed. I tried calling your posted mobile number but disconnecting. I will be willing to know its health conditions, availability and present price. If available, attached to my email the picture of the pup so that my kids can view it ahead time. I intend effecting your payment as soon as i know its availability. Hope to hear from you immediately you get this mail.
Regards
Mrs A.******

Country: UNITED STATES

State: DELAWARE


............this is the second email

Hello,
How are you doing? How is your entire family? Thank for the mail, website and details on the Bulldog Puppy, I have been trying to contact this same number (**********), but its giving a busy network signal. my kids are indeed happy to hear that i have gotten a vet checked and of good health. I'm originally from New Jersey but basically in England. I should have made my journey down to check it and pay directly, but business takes much of my time, i think you will understand.
That price tag seems so affordable and convenient , I'll arrange for an Agent who to come for the pickup soon, but main while, I'll like to secure the pup with you prior to my Agents pickup, i will be adding $150 security deposit which you will receive along with your payment soon. I will speak with my Personal Assistant tomorrow on this issue and he will be effecting your payment to you immediately either by Post or Bank Transfer which will you prefer? and if my Personal Assistant has much time he will come around to check puppy, so i want you to sum up the deposit and the price of the Bulldog together, so that he can sum it up with the payment. We have been familiar with Dogs and will care for them much better. Please mail me back in which payment you will prefer either through post or bank transfer. If you require any specific information, please let me know.

My due regards



................this is the 3rd email

Hello,
How are you doing? How was you day? Thank for the mail and details on puppies, i thought you will call me since i didn't get thought you phone. well i will prefer the Female puppy. My Personal Assistant told me he is very busy and cant come to check the puppy but will make the payment when i instructed him. I will like you to know that the puppy will be shipped down to me here in England but main while, I'll quickly arrange for a cargo Agent who to come for the pickup.
With this arrangement i think we have a good deal on the Dog, so you can close the advert if you feel honest to me, i think you can be trusted. If really serious on selling the puppy to me, it will take a few days before you receive the payment, so you have to be a bit patient till it get to you. If all request settle by you, Respectfully and respectively send your Full name, Street, State, City, Postal Code, Country, Cell phone. So that i can forward them to my Personal Assistant for payment. I'll notify you as soon as he will be making the payment. Hope to hear from you.
If you require any specific information, please let me know.
*********
My due regards

***Edited By: lpn169 on 5/20/2008 11:45:25 PM***
Reason: remove personal info

Any time anyone mentions an 'agent' coming to look at or pick up the puppy, it's a scam, IMHO.

I agree with Minn....smells of scam to me.

Absolutely a scam. You can tell by the grammar, use of words and all the nicety nice about "how was your day". This reeks of the Nigerian scammers. I get emails almost every day telling me I have inherited money from a long lost relative and the language is identical. I think these are the ones that will send you a check for more than the puppy costs, then it will bounce but they somehow get access to your bank account that you deposit it in. Check the "scam alert" page. It's full of this kind of stuff.

I mentioned it another topic but go to www.phonebusters.com and notify them. Its a website dedicated by online/telephone/other scams. There is already a puppy scam that they are aware of that goes like this:

Puppy Scam

There seems to be an increasing number of Classifieds Scams targeting dog lovers.

Much like other advance fee scams this involves the promise of a puppy when all the necessary fees are paid. Adverts are placed in newspapers and the Internet and usually involves someone that has moved or is moving or resides in another country.

Some scam artists use stolen photos in their
ads, claiming they are pictures of puppies for sale. Actually, the seller does not have the puppy that he/she is trying to sell. The seller will ask for money in advance and refer them to a money wiring service such as Western Union or Money Gram. The advance fee in this case, being for the purchase of the puppy, shipping and customs charges. The buyer waits for few days and when they do not receive the puppy attempts to contact the
seller, but with no answer.

In order to avoid these types of scams, remember the following general words of advice:

- Know whom you are dealing with - independently confirm your seller's name,
street, address, and telephone number.


- Resist pressure to “act now.” If an offer sounds to good to be true it usually is.


- If the buyer wants to use a service you have not heard of, be sure to check it out to be sure it is reliable - check its Web site, call its
customer service hotline, and read its terms of agreement and privacy policy. If you do not feel comfortable with the service, do not use it.


- Contact your local office of the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and Phonebusters - The Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501.


The scam you recieved seems to be the reverse are you are selling the puppy

Thank you to TP posters over the last 2 years for educating me.Here's the one I got today. First I got a message on my answering machine from a TTY message center asking me to email info about my puppies. Understand in any of my adds I put that I do not ship puppies and I also put it in the email I sent. Here is the return message (I have deleted the email address and his name):

Thanks for getting back to me,i will like to inform you that am purchasing the puppy as a birthday present for my son,i will be very much happy if you consider the puppy* sold to me.

The reason I am sending you this email is to make final reconfirmation of puppy *which is ok by me,and also to let you know that payment will be by certified cashier's check or money order. In view of this I need you to email me any information that may be required to send the payment as I do not want to send the check or money order to a wrong location lest they get into the wrong hands.

Regarding the shipping, I have a company that takes care of the pickup of my consignments for me and ship to my destination in new jersey anywhere in the U.S.A, you do not worry about shipping, the company will send down a representative to arrange the sales documentation and the pick up from your end for onward transfer to my destinat ion.

I also want to alert you on the fact that you will be receiving an overdraft check, which will cover the money for the pickup (pickup and shipping to the final destination) as well as the money to be paid to the company that will take care of the pickup and the documentation with you. So please, as soon as you receive the payment, go and cash it immediately, deduct the money that accrues to you, and send the balance to the Head Office of the company that handles the shipment via Western union.The check will be in your name to make it easier for you to receive payment, please reconfirm your details one more time.I will give you the details of the company that will be shipping the puppy * as soon as we seal this deal.Once the money is received by the agent , the shipping agent will contact you immediately to arrange the documentation as well as the pick up immediately. So in view of the above, here are some of the details I will need for final issuance of the check or money order to you.

(1) Full Name
(2) Mailing address, no p.o.box please
(3) your direct telephone number both home and cell.?
{4} Acceptance of my offer
(5} Final asking price

Once you get back to me with all the above, the check or money order will be issued out immediately and it will be sent to you ..Hope to hear from you immediately.Looking forward to your swift response i will also be offering you extra $50 for keeping puppy. for me till the shipper comes for the pick up..NB, I will be looking forward to your swift response
..

It surely is a scam. As someone already mentioned it sounds like the Nigerian scam. The wording in the email is exactly what they use. You notice they attempt to be gracious, and endear you to them by asking about your family. How do they know you have a family? They don't!

I've recently exercised "flexibility" in my policy toward scammers. I list a business address in my web site, and refuse to give any personal info to anyone. I recently refused to accept money order or certified check, only paypal, wire transfer, or cash (Western Union). My bank has offered to open a deposit only account for wire transfers and immediately transfer any deposit to my egular account. The money can only go one way to one place. When a scammer wants an address from which to view or receive a puppy, I give them my vets address. All my personal deliveries happen there for my protection. The vet issues a health certificate and the transfer happens immediately. There is no lapse time from issuance of the certificate to receipt by the buyer for the puppy to become ill. I never give my home address or phone. I allow visits to view dogs by appointment only and some of those happen at the vet. I don't send pics. they can see pics at my site updated regularly. Please protect yourself from the scammers. Don't think they would make good boat anchors but I believe it is what they are best suited for. God luck to all of you in dealing with the scammers.