Good day dear Seller ,
My name is Jacob Westjohn. Its my pleasure emailing you in respect of your XXXXXX, concert grand, walnut  rated $ XX,XXX  which i saw your advert on the internet which i have so much interest in buying it if its still available for sale , and i would like to make urgent plan in buying it . Here is some details i want to know about it.
Its present condition ....................
The last selling price if negotiable .................
The recent pictures taking on it ..........................
Weight of it as its involve Shipping ..........................
And the Shipping Cost for it , hence it will be shipping to Austria ...............
Did it have any paperwork in case in need to be sign before it can be shipped ..............
All this information i need to know so that we can go from there I Look forward hearing from you as soon as possible and i would like to know if a cheque is acceptable by you as payment .
my regards ... Jacob Westjohn

— Seller wrote:

Dear Mr. Westjohn:
Thank you for your inquiry about the XXXXXX harp.  I will try to respond to your various questions as follows: The harp is in excellent condition overall.  It is well played in and it has a beautiful, rich sound quality.  It has occasionally been transported locally for various performances, but does not have any significant blemishes.  The harp has been well maintained and regulated each year by a technician who is certified by the XXXXXX factory. The price I have set is, I believe, already the lowest you will find for an instrument of such high quality.  In addition, the harp will be sold with a harp cover, folding bench, and an amplifier cable.  You can find the retail price on the XXXXXX website, and advertisements for other used XXXXXX harps with similar age.  This is truly a wonderful bargain for a serious buyer, I will gladly provide you with the serial number and recent pictures of the harp if you are interested in pursuing the transaction. The weight of the harp itself is about XX pounds.  I will calculate the weight of a rigid harp shipping case and include that in the shipping quote. I would ship the harp via United Parcel Ser ices (UPS).  I will obtain a detailed price from them.  In order to do this I must know the airport or freight estimation in Austria where customs officials have jurisdiction over receipt of the shipment.  UPS will also require your final shipment address and contact telephone number.  I would also insure the harp with UPS. Paperwork would include a written contract describing terms of the sale.  I will have this prepared and sent to you for signature in advance of shipment.  The contract can either be written in English or German, whichever language you would prefer.  Also, you are most welcome to contact me at my telephone number to discuss the terms of the transaction in detail (in either language). Payment must be made by wire transfer or funds to my bank.  Shipment of the harp will occur when my bank notifies me that the transfer of all the funds is complete.   Please be assured that I can provide you with sufficient personal and professional references to document (a) my ownership this harp and (b) my good standing in the community

— Buyer wrote:

Hello ........  ,
Thanks for your email , i really appreciate your response towards my request . I need you to know that am well prepared in buying the XXXXXX, concert grand, walnut,   from you, I am pleased with the one you are to sell as am very interested in purchasing it. In respect of payment all i will do is to instruct my P.A in the UK to send the Cheque  of sum of $XX.XXX EURO on my behalf and when you have gotten the Cheque you will deduct my offer of $XX,XXX  from the amount and wire the remaining balance via western union money transfer to my international Shipper's so as for them to come for the pick up at your location and also to pick some other goods along as soon as payment is received by you and they also.
 
My shipper's who i have talked things over with on the phone about the pick up says they would want you to make thing's snappy and to make sure that you make all the important papers in place to avoid shipping delay. My shipper's will email you as soon as you recieve the payment so that they can give you their contact address were you will be wiring the remaining balance to, So that they can come for the pick up at your location as soon possible.
I will like to know if i can trust you to send my balance to the shipper. I am doing this to make the payment easier and faster for you. Furnish me with your full contact details bellow:
 
Full name to be on the Cheque ..............
Your contact Mailing Address  where to receive the Cheque ...........
The City ............. , State ........... , and Postal Zip code if any ............ ?
Get back to me with the information so that payment can be made which should get to you as soon as possible.
My regards
Jacob

— Seller wrote:

Dear Mr. “Westjohn”:
Your proposal is not acceptable.  The method of payment you suggest is suspiciously similar to fraudulent activities being perpetrated over the internet.  Please be advised that I have reported your communications to federal law enforcement authorities.
 

Hello,
My name is Don Best. I am an American business man based in United Kingdom. I will like to purchase your for sale which you listed for sale on the posted adds. Do let me know as soon a possible if it is still available and if payment with a Cashier's check or Money order is fine. Concerning the shipping, I have a reputable shipping company that will be coming over directly to your place for the pick up. I await your response. you can contact me here on my email address donbest006@yahoo.co.uk and get back to me with the asking price and also including your full name, full address and contact phone number on where the payment will be send to. Many thanks and God bless.
Best Regard

— Seller wrote:

Thank you for your E-mail.  Regrettably, I have received a similar E-mail within the last week.  In this E-mail, the individual suggested purchase with a check to be drafted over a higher amount than the harp’s value and my transfer of the difference to a 3^rd party (shipper) to cover shipment for the harp and other items.   Given the prevalence of this kind of fraudulent activity, I have alerted Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to this potential scam, and I am providing them with copies of all of these E-mail communications.

Don Hello there, is this still available for sale?...what is your final  price? i am an American citizen based in Europe and i would be glad if you can get in touch with me as soon as possible because i would like to make a purchase soonest.
In regards payment, i can have my partner send you a certified check to cover your fees. He owes me some money for an order i cancelled with him not too long ago. My money is a bit more than your fees and i would be glad if cashed the check after you receive it and send the balance of the funds to my nephew via western union so he can come down to your place for the pickup afterwards.
I do not mean to inconvenience you and i would be glad to spare some extra change for your assistance If this arrangement is fine by you, pls send down the necessary details (name, address, phone number...etc) for the check to be sent to you by next week latest. I have to make a buisness trip before the end of this week and i would appreciate it if you got in touch with me soonest.
     Thank you and hope to hear from you soon,
     Regards,
     Timothy.

Geez, that's the oldest scam in the book, and I saw it coming from a mile away.

NO.  No Way.  No how.

If you would truly like to buy my harp (and at this point I'm not convinced that you do...), you can arrange for "P.a", when he gets back to this country,  to come to my house and hand me good old CASH in US dollars.  Then I will hand over my harp.

That's the deal.  Take it or leave it.

I'm also going to alert the Harp Mall that you are using their listings in an attempt to perpetrate this fraud.

Seller


On Friday, November 12, 2004, at 11:56  PM, Buyer wrote:

 Thanx for the mail, I am currently based in Bronx. My P.a is now out of the country but am sure he will be back for the pick ups as soon as you recieve payment, I will making an offer of $2,500 for the harp ....

 Due to a depth i need to settle with my P.a, I will  inform my bank to make a cheque of $5,500 out to you which you are to deduct $2,500 and get the excess  transfered to my P.a which will enable him come over to your residence and do the pick ups on my own behalf
 ..

 To complete payment, I will need the name and address  you want the cheque to be sent to with a valid phone number so as payment can be done Asap ..

 I will be looking forward to your quick reply ...

 Cheers

 — Seller wrote:
 Hi,

 The asking price was listed in the advertisement.

  Again I ask, "Where are you located ?"  Where will  your "P.a" be coming  from when he comes to my residence to pick up the harp?  I'll take some pictures tomorrow, but naturally it would be better if you could come to hear/play the harp to make sure that it is what you want.

 Do you have a high speed internet connection ?  I'm not sure what resolution to use to send the photos.  Larger files might take some time to download if you don't have a fast enough connection.

 Seller


 On Friday, November 12, 2004, at 11:11  AM, Buyer wrote:

 Thanx for the mail, I realy have enough interest in buying the harp but will first like to know the asking prise for it and also try and send me some pics if you only have them available ...

 For the payment, I will inform my bank to make a cheque out to you so as soon as you recieve the funds in your account i can send my P.a to your residence for him to do the pick ups on my own behalf ...

 I will be looking forward to your mail...

 Cheers


  — Seller wrote:
 Hi,

 I do have the harp available (I've just purchased a new instrument so it is a "spare" harp for me) and I will sell it as advertised.  Where are you, and how do you proposed to arrange payment and arrange shipping ?

 Thanks

 Seller


 On Friday, November 12, 2004, at 05:33  AM, Buyer wrote:

 Good day,

 I am interested in the purchase of the described harp for my personal use.

 I have been directed to contact you on the purchase of the Harp by harpmall.com

 Kindly let me hear from you affirming the deal and cost of the harp so that i can arrange for payment.

 All shipping expenses will be handled after payment.. kindly let me hear from you in earnest.

 Thank you