Thoughts on an email I received...

[Mrs MIA]

I have placed ads in our local Craigslist with my business email and website. I received this business email this morning, subject title "HOST FAMILY", just like that in all caps... here's the email (I just cut and pasted it, as sent to me):

Hello Seller,
i will like to know if you still have chicken/chicken eggs for sale and how much is the final asking prize and i will be paying you via CHECK OR CREDIT CARD and also if credit card what kind of credit card do you accept.I have a shipper that will be coming to your store to pick up the item for me so you do not need to worry about shipping just give me the costs after tax and without shipping

Till i hear from you again with the prizes Larry Smith

Now, to me, this is very reminiscent of the spam emails I first got from people responding to my CL ads... so I sent it to my junk mail and blocked the sender. It was not sent through CL; they used my email address, but the "to" field is not my address, it's someone elses. That, and the "prize" instead of "price" and the fact that I don't actually have a "store" and anyone actually looking at my website would know that, just sent red flags flying all over the playing field.

Has anyone received an email like this? What are your thoughts?
I don't want to piss anyone off, if it's legit, but it just screams of scamming. It's an odd way to do it, though, because eggs and chickens aren't big-ticket items.

Just curious... I'd like your 2 cents...

Thanks.

 

[lockedhearts]

SCAM!!!!!!

Spelling has gotten better in these emails, but it still reaks of scam.

 

[Mrs MIA]

That's what I thought...

 

[klf73]

Quote:
I agree!!!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Either way, it's not someone you want as a customer.

My instinct says "scam", because the person who wrote it doesn't seem to have a clue whether what you are offering is what they want, and that a "shipper" is not normal business for chickens/eggs. They seemed to launch into the money transaction part of it pretty fast...

 

[debilorrah]

It is one of those, I'll send you a check and you cash it and give me the money minus a fee - then the check comes across as bogus. At least that's what it sounds like.

REMEMBER - always trust your gut.

 

[Picky Chicky]

Me three - I agree as well!

 

[porteryork]

I agree, this is a scam. They get better as we get wise to the game.

 

[the1much]

keep it in your junk emails, TRUST me,, it is a total scam,, after you reply,, then they get ya with all they have, look at the path it took to get to your email,,if you have that option.

 

[Mrs MIA]

There's always that little part of me that wants to be trusting, and not naive'.

You'd think after 45 years I'd have figured people out, but there's always someone willing to try. My gut was telling me scam, because I junked it as soon as I read it.