I have an add for a Nechville Vintage on the BHO site. It is not listed anywhere else. I got contacted by email and went back and forth with pictures, etc, but something started to seem "not right". (They were not a BHO member.)
I declined to negotiate the price, so they offered full price and to send me a check, and when it cleared, they would send a "moving company" to pick up the banjo. But they needed my full name and address.
Then it hit me that if I deposited the check (which probably would have been worthless), they would have my bank account number and all my personal information. I declined the transaction.
Edited by - gcpicken on 02/20/2026 12:54:52
Good call.
Your account number is useless to them.
The trick is to pay you including the “shipping fee” then have you pay the “shipper” before the check bounces.
Very standard, textbook, and boring “advanced payment”scam.
If this is new to you then I recommend that you read the FBI and FTC websites regarding internet fraud. They cover every scam (there is really only a few that are packaged various ways).
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksYour account number is useless to them.
The trick is to pay you including the “shipping fee” then have you pay the “shipper” before the check bounces.
Very standard, textbook, and boring “advanced payment”scam.
If this is new to you then I recommend that you read the FBI and FTC websites regarding internet fraud. They cover every scam (there is really only a few that are packaged various ways).
Hi Joel - thanks for your response, but I'm confused - they were paying the shipping via a "moving company". I was not involved in shipping at all.
quote:
Originally posted by gcpickenquote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksYour account number is useless to them.
The trick is to pay you including the “shipping fee” then have you pay the “shipper” before the check bounces.
Very standard, textbook, and boring “advanced payment”scam.
If this is new to you then I recommend that you read the FBI and FTC websites regarding internet fraud. They cover every scam (there is really only a few that are packaged various ways).Hi Joel - thanks for your response, but I'm confused - they were paying the shipping via a "moving company". I was not involved in shipping at all.
Nope, the "shipping company" is them.
The scammmwr will have you send the "shipper" weights and dims for a quote. Then they will send you a check that includes the shipping. You will then "arrange" the shipping with the shipper by paying them.
This scam takes advantage of a law that forces banks to make money available before a check clears.
Or... their "assistant" (or whatever made up nonsense) will make a mistake and make the check out for too much. They will ask for a refund.
Either way, it is all fiction. There is no shipper, no real check, and the banjo (or "item") is a prop to build confidence (the con) to trick you into sending money.
Don't believe me? Let it continue until FedEx delivers a check to you. The check will be fake, and for more than what it is supposed to be.
quote:
Originally posted by Joel Hooksquote:
Originally posted by gcpickenquote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksYour account number is useless to them.
The trick is to pay you including the “shipping fee” then have you pay the “shipper” before the check bounces.
Very standard, textbook, and boring “advanced payment”scam.
If this is new to you then I recommend that you read the FBI and FTC websites regarding internet fraud. They cover every scam (there is really only a few that are packaged various ways).Hi Joel - thanks for your response, but I'm confused - they were paying the shipping via a "moving company". I was not involved in shipping at all.
Nope, the "shipping company" is them.
The scammmwr will have you send the "shipper" weights and dims for a quote. Then they will send you a check that includes the shipping. You will then "arrange" the shipping with the shipper by paying them.
This scam takes advantage of a law that forces banks to make money available before a check clears.
Or... their "assistant" (or whatever made up nonsense) will make a mistake and make the check out for too much. They will ask for a refund.
Either way, it is all fiction. There is no shipper, no real check, and the banjo (or "item") is a prop to build confidence (the con) to trick you into sending money.
Don't believe me? Let it continue until FedEx delivers a check to you. The check will be fake, and for more than what it is supposed to be.
Thanks, Joel.
Sounds like that was Richardadams001 or 002. He's been very busy trying to get some unsuspecting member to take a bite of his spam so he could have more money.
It's a good idea to check my sticky here on the Swap Shop "Spammers Locked Out Each Day" and see if the person you're dealing with has been locked out. It's also a good idea to check his/her home page or ask a moderator if they have any information.
Doing business online should include a phone number . I like to talk personally when money is changing hands.
Edited by - stanleytone on 02/21/2026 04:34:40
quote:
Originally posted by TexasbanjoSounds like that was Richardadams001 or 002. He's been very busy trying to get some unsuspecting member to take a bite of his spam so he could have more money.
It's a good idea to check my sticky here on the Swap Shop "Spammers Locked Out Each Day" and see if the person you're dealing with has been locked out. It's also a good idea to check his/her home page or ask a moderator if they have any information.
Thank you Sherry for taking this dude down. He tried the exact script as described in the original post with me. He was asking me for my mailing address to send the check and a little bit more personal information. So I said that we could have a phone call or video call so that he could hear the banjo before committing. I told him I would expect him to play me a song on his banjo so I could appreciate his musical Journey. That's when he told me that he was deaf and didn't play the banjo despite his profile saying otherwise. He tried changing the story to the idea that he was buying it for his grandson so I said that he and his grandson could have the phone call instead. That's when he stopped answering.
Unfortunately, we've had a rash of spammers lately trying to find people they could fleece of their money. We try to catch them before they can cause any problems and lock them out. They seem to sign on early in the morning and grab as many member names as they can before they're locked out. Once they have the names, we can't stop them from contacting our members.
quote:
Originally posted by TexasbanjoSounds like that was Richardadams001 or 002. He's been very busy trying to get some unsuspecting member to take a bite of his spam so he could have more money.
It's a good idea to check my sticky here on the Swap Shop "Spammers Locked Out Each Day" and see if the person you're dealing with has been locked out. It's also a good idea to check his/her home page or ask a moderator if they have any information.
WOW! Sherry - you nailed th name! I didn't want to post it because I wasn't 100% sure he a scammer, but clearly you have had experience with him. It was the 002
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