I saw a posting on craigslist for a Super Balanced Action Pre Mark VI tenor sax. When I inquired about the price and some photos, Petter Stenson responded quickly with the information. After expressing interest, he told me that he uses a website called Moneybookers (it is legitimate) because he is in the UK. He wanted me to send money to Moneybookers through Western Union. The address is below. The email from Moneybookers looked very official - nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary EXCEPT that it involved Western Union. Why would a company that is similar to Paypal need you to send money to it via Western Union? Mr. Stenson claimed that was his "contract" with them to avoid taxes. Sure. Below is the email chain below. At one point his "Moneybookers Confirmation Email" even listed the wrong address. Some poor guy in Houston who is apparently also trying to buy this horn. Thank God because that really set off the alarms. Anyway, since we last emailed him telling him we will go directly to the horn to inspect it instead of sending money via Western Union, we haven't heard a thing. I wonder why...
Maybe it was because we attached an email from Moneybookers that stated very explicitly that they DO NOT work with Western Union, paypal, or any other company like that and anyone who requests this is likely a scammer. We also added a copy of a ripoff report that was selling a bike to a guy in Houston. It was to the same address as Mr. Stenson.
Fortunately, I didn't send him a dime. I hope you are as lucky and read this before he gets you!
RE: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
From: Petter Stenson (
[email protected])
Sent: Sun 3/02/08 3:06 PM
To:
My contract with MoneyBookers is trough Western Union, this way I won't pay additional taxes.MoneyBookers will not pick up the money, until you receive and accept the horn. You will have the chance to inspect properly.If you won't take it, and it can't be, because it's in great condition, you may get a full refund from Western, without having MoneyBookers to transfer funds back into your account. So you see, it is a good contract.MoneyBookers will take care of title transfer, bill of sale, everything that needs to be done.I look forward to complete the transaction. It was not easy for me and I did my best to make it safe and cheap.
Keep me informed.
-----------------------------------------
From:
To:
[email protected]Subject: RE: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 15:01:56 -0600
i have received the information. i will not be able to have cash until monday when the banks are open. i do have a moneybookers account and can pay by credit card if you want a quicker transaction.
thanks, luis
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From:
[email protected]To:
Subject: RE: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 15:32:38 -0500
Have you received the information from Moneybookers?
------------------------------------------
From:
To:
[email protected]Subject: RE: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 12:01:51 -0600
it seems there is a glitch with the shipping address. my address is
xxxxxxx
money bookers has a different one listed
hope we can correct it.
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From:
[email protected]To:
Subject: RE: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 12:10:52 -0500
I have just sent your info to MoneyBookers.You will receive from them all you need to know about payment and shipping, including my Verified member profile.You should receive the information in a few hours, let me know if you don't.See what it is all about and if we agree we can have a deal.Let me know.
----------------------------------------
From:
To:
[email protected]Subject: RE: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 10:43:08 -0600
hello again, here's my info
lxxxxx
waiting for instructions......
thanks
-------------------------------------
From:
[email protected]To:
Subject: RE: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 08:57:02 -0500
First of all ,I'll offer in this price delivery 's fees and it 's insurance for the shipping, to make it accessible to you. I want a fast deal , and the horn is ready to go and insured. As soon as I forward to MoneyBookers your full name and delivery details, they will start the transaction and notify you with all you need to know about payment , delivery, my account status etc. You will have a return policy, so you will have the chance to inspect the horn and inform them if you keep it or not. If you decide to keep it, they will release me the funds, if not, you will have a complete refund within 3 days. So, I am waiting your name and address if you want to do it.
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From:
To:
[email protected]Subject: RE: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2008 23:55:35 -0600
hello, don't worry about grammar. I hope all is well with you. I think the pictures got lost on the way - the attachment was missing. I would like to purchase the horn (of course depending on seeing it). Could you please re-send the pictures? Moneybookers is not a problem. Looking forward to doing business with you.
thanks,
luis
------------------------------------------
From:
[email protected]To:
Subject: Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone Sax pre VI -$2460
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2008 15:22:16 -0500
$2460. See more pictures attached .Look, I 'm now in Birmingham UK, and will be moving here permanently soon, but I am using MoneyBookers services so I can sell the horn from this far away. They have it in a storage place in Amarillo since I left . They will take care of the shipping , paperwork, and everything else. Also, there's a return policy included. So if you want to buy it, please let me know and I will explain you how MoneyBookers works and how we can proceed. Please excuse me for my grammar use, I had a stroke six moths ago and I'm recovering.
The fake email from "Moneybookers". On second thought - it does look phony when you read it... hindsight I guess.
Dear Luis,
Our customer Petter Stenson require the payment to be done through Western Union money transfer service.
If you are not familiarized with the Western Union money transfer services please visit: www.westernunion.com. If you want to locate the nearest Western Union Office in your area please click here. You have to pay with cash at any
Western Union Office.
Important notice
The payment details are confidential and will not be released under any circumstances. Our customer chose this payment method in order to speed up the transaction.
MoneyBookers security measures are constantly reviewed and modified given evolving circumstances globally, drawing on both internal assessments and the support of government agencies. Our constant priority is for the safety of our people, our customers, and the general public. MoneyBookers always tries to fulfill its customers' needs.
I, "Petter Stenson", agree to sell one "Selmer Super Balanced Action Saxophone" to you, buyer "Luis" ,according to the following conditions :
Clear title without lien ,that the "Selmer Super Balanced Action Saxophone" is my personal property or at my pleasure to legally sell or trade, That I will release all rights of ownership of said "Selmer Super Balanced Action Saxophone" to you,
That the title is readily available and immediately transferred to you along with the actual item itself upon purchase,
That the "Selmer Super Balanced Action Saxophone" will be immediately shipped without any additional expense to you, to your choosen address at "xxx", upon verification of deposit of funds to the stated agent as noted below,
That you can inspect the item for damage and verification of stated description prior to accepting ownership of it, and that any funds sent via Western Union and placed in escrow with MoneyBookers will be refunded to you, buyer "Luis" , in case of any default on "Petter Stenson's part.
I, "Petter Stenson", agree to sell one "Selmer Super Balanced Action Saxophone" to you, buyer "Luis" ,for a total purchase price of $2,460.00.
The following item(s) are clear for MoneyBookers's item insurance policy :
Transaction Date Item # Product Description Purchase price
Mar 02 2008
15643649 Selmer Super Balanced Action Saxophone US $2,460.00
Transaction Details:
Buyer: Luis
Subject: Selmer Super Balanced Action Saxophone
Amount: US $2,460.00
Down Payment: US $0.00
Shipping: US $0.00
Total: US $2,460.00
Delivery Information:
Address:
Seller Details:
First Name: Petter
Last Name: Stenson
Street: 106 Colmore Row
City: Birmingham
Zip code: B3 3AG
Country: United Kingdom
MoneyBookers Agent Details:
You have to send the payment to:
First Name: Hampton
Last Name: Burkholder
Street: 47 Broad
City: Birmingham
Zip code: B1 2HQ
Country: United Kingdom
How to make payment?
1. Locate the nearest Western Union Office
2. Make the payment with cash using the above MoneyBookers agent details
3. When the payment is made, email us the following information:
-10 digit MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number)
-Exact sender's name on file with Western Union
-Your street address on file with Western Union
-City and country where you sent the money from
-Amount sent
As soon as the the payment is confirmed, we will start the shipping process. We will hold the payment until you confirm that you are satisfied with the product you received. As soon as we receive your confirmation we will transfer the payment to the seller.
Returns are permitted and must be initiated by the customer within 3 calendar days!
If you agree to the above stated conditions as well as the policies and procedures of Moneybookers, please notify us of such via email at our email address -
[email protected]Thank you for your patience and understanding, thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerly,
MoneyBookers Financial Department
Finally, the REAL email from Moneybookers:
********************************************************************************THIS EMAIL WAS SENT FROM THE MONEYBOOKERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT. TO REPLY YOU MUST LOGIN TO YOUR MONEYBOOKERS ACCOUNT AND SEND US A MESSAGEVIA THE ACCOUNT/SECURITY SECTION OF OUR MESSAGING CENTRE.******************************************************************************** Dear Mr. xxx, Thank you for contacting the Moneybookers Customer Service! Please be informed that Moneybookers is a licensed payments provider and as such neither has warehouses or online stores, nor provides or delivers any goods. Additionally, we do not use agents or have any offices. All transactions that our customers instruct are exclusively made by the Moneybookers account holder. Moreover, we do not work with Western Union. Therefore, we have reasonable grounds to believe that you have received a scam e-mail. Additionally, please keep in mind that a real e-mail from Moneybookers would address you by name and would never contain any links, so if you receive any e-mails that do not follow the described pattern and claim to be coming from our company, please disregard them and on no account provide the senders with any personal information, passwords or send them money. Scam e-mails, on the other hand, would not address you by name and this is usually the best indication that a mail is not coming from our company. We hope you will find this information useful and should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Best regards,Stanila,The Moneybookers team -----------------------
Moneybookers Ltd., London, Registered in England and Wales no 4260907. Registered office: Welken House, 10-11 Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6EH, United Kingdom. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority of the United Kingdom (FSA). This email message is confidential and may contain legally privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient you should not read, copy, distribute, disclose or otherwise use the information in this email. Please also telephone (+44 870 3830232) or fax (+44 709 2042001) us immediately and delete the message from your system. Email may be susceptible to data corruption, interception and unauthorised amendment, and we do not accept liability for any such corruption, interception or amendment or the consequences thereof or your reliance on any information contained therein if you are not the intended recipient.-----------------------------------------------------
So there you have it. Avoid this guy - he is bad news. He goes by different names. Search his addresses on this website to see what I mean. Also, he has more postings in craigslist around the USA.
Good luck.
Luis
San Antonio, Texas
U.S.A.