[dkaufnelson]

FYI I recently had a reply for a rug I had for sale in TOTV classifieds. The respondent claimed he was in the U.S. Military on a base and didn't have access to online banking, so wanted to send me a cashier's check for my rug. He said he was buying the rug for his father and needed my name, address and phone number to send the check and have his "agent" come pick up the rug, after the check had cleared in my bank. In the middle of his email was a form he wanted me to fill out giving my name, address, phone number etc.
I gave him my name and address, but refused to give phone number and told him I would not pay any money to "receive" his check. I didn't fill out his "form" requesting name, etc and next day he wrote back saying he still needed my name, address etc. I knew he was a scammer for several reasons: He didn't spell his name correctly he said Micheal instead of Michael. He didn't use English words correctly as a native English speaker would do " my father will be "much" happy... Anyone in the U.S. military would generally be a native born American and speak correct English. Anyone in the U.S. military would generally have online access to a bank. A regular person who wanted to buy a rug wouldn't be including a "form" in the middle of his email asking for my name, address, phone number etc. A regular person wouldn't be sending me a certified check or have an "agent" pick up the rug.
Yes, I know there could be exceptions to one or two of the "mistakes" in his email, but when you add them all up, you can pretty much surmise he's a scammer.
I'm aware of how often scammers try to steal identity, money etc and just wanted to WARN innocent people listing items for sale in Talk of The Villages to be very careful if/when you get any replies that might seem a bit suspicious. Show the reply to a friend/family member and trust you gut. It's better to be safe than sorry! Scammers are everywhere and love to target the unsuspicious and/or elderly!