Craigslist – Page 15

I was selling a couch on craigslist when Cartiar Moore contacted me to purchase the item for full price. As soon as they started talking about a paypal id, shipping company and Western Union bank transfer my instinct told me to not do business with them. Sure enough when I googled the name your many complaints appeared. I truly am thankful for people that take the time to share scam experiences with others to avoid it happening again. How do we stop them from continuing? I find it mind boggling that they are able to keep the same name and scam over and over again. What is craigslist doing about this? If anyone knows what we can do to put an end to their foolish escapades, count me in!

I used to sell all kinds of items that I had around the house or that I obtained elsewhere on my local Craigslist. Well, about a month ago I went on there too and one listing and repost it again and I could not access my account. I tried the password numerous times and it would not let me in. After a while I sent an e-mail to Craigslist asking why my account wouldn’t function or if there was something wrong with it. They would not and never did respond to the e-mail.

So I took a friend of mine device and tried to start another account. It said that I couldn’t because that e-mail and the phone number were registered to another account. I went online and searched around and found a couple of forums that deal solely with Craigslist and I found a section on banned accounts and blacklisted phone numbers. According to the people in this forum and several others there were similar I had received the typical ban from Craigslist and that meant that that account would not be usable ever again and that my phone number would be blacklisted.

I don’t know why they do this as I didn’t do anything wrong. I wasn’t selling fake items like some people do – especially the ones peddling bootleg copies of DVDs and stuff. All I was doing was selling items that I had found at flea markets or other areas and reselling them or items that I hadn’t find in my attic in other places that I no longer needed or had any use for. Craigslist was a great place to get rid of these things and make some extra cash at the same time.

Maybe Craigslist has become like Amazon.com and too big for its own good. I see they are trying to police the ads that people post for free there and apparently they’re not doing a very good job of it. As I can go to any major city to the services section and find tons of spam and scams. Now I was not a spammer nor a scammer. I was selling items locally to people and all the people I sold these items to were thankful and appreciative.

They were getting items that they wanted pedigree discount because they were used and so I was fulfilling a need and a service. I was providing a good benefit. When I was also told at this forum was to not get too worried about it and just go and switch my phone number, get a new e-mail and start up a new account. According to them it was just that easy. Some of these characters so they had hundreds of accounts so they could basically spam or advertise their websites and products all over Craigslist to millions of people.

Craigslist is being swamped with tons of fake employment ads offering unusually high pay. Most of these ads are posted by someone with a gmail, gmx, live, in or even yahoo addresses, but now they get smarter by just using craigslist auto response addresses. The jobs sound very generic, usually Receptionist, Administrative Assistants. By responding you will notice you get almost an instant response where they prompt you to fill out an application – DO NOT DO THIS – IT IS BOGUS. I am unsure of what the scam is and how they profit, I can only imagine they fish for information, hence you email gets clogged with spam. Legit job ads follow general pay scales and tend to elaborate about the company, with company website info, phone number, etc.

It's a scam. Run away from this site. Don't loose time and money.

There is someone out there using my name to scam people on Craigslist. They contact people that are selling stuff and telling them they want to buy their stuff. They send them Money Orders, Cashier Checks or bank checks to buy the stuff but it is always way more than the asking price. They tell them to cash the checks and take their part out and send the rest to Ina Johnson, which is my name but it is not me. They have stolen my Idenity. So I need people to know if this happens to them, not to cash the checks, money orders or bank checks, otherwise they will bounced back in their face and they will lose out completely.

They should contact the police with email info and anything they receive from this buyer. I have reported it to my local police, FBI, western union & Craigslist, but it is still happening.

Please be aware of this and remember if it sounds too good to be true it usually is.

Fraudsters operating at Craigslist are trying to con those who are seeking a dwelling on rent. In a recent incident, a lady seeking rented accommodation in Juneau, Alaska was almost duped by scammers who pretended to be owners of a property there.
When she responded to an ad on Craigslist, fraudsters asked her to make a deposit and for some personal information to be sent via email. Keys to the home, they promised, would be sent to her as soon as she did as told.
The lady was saved from being conned when she decided to physically verify the offer made by the fraudsters. She was surprised to find the listed property happily occupied by owners who had no clue that someone had put ads offering their house for rent.
Craigs list Rental Scam now spreading wide
These scams should now be seen as a common ploy adopted by fraudsters. They take down particulars of homes listed for sale at online auction sites and use it to offer the same place for rent elsewhere.
Correspondence with prospects are often done entirely via emails. The email will claim they moved recently from their homes to wherever-they-are-now on missionary work. It will use flowery words and will tug at your heartstrings to cover the scam.
The scams have their origins usually in Nigeria. As is expected, they rarely ever mention their postal address. An early warning sign, in such a case, is a contact number posted in the ad carrying the Nigerian country code.
Apart from pouching the deposit, fraudsters also use information given away by victims to steal their money. If you handover your bank account info, they are capable of transferring money from this account into one of theirs. If you divulge your driving license or social security information, they use these to open credit accounts against your name and make purchases against the same. Ditto for credit card details.
A good rule against falling prey to scams at online auction sites is to only deal with local buyers and sellers. When renting homes, especially, it is a good idea to pay a visit to the offered space. This enables you to verify independently whether the offers are genuine or not.

As most people of sufficient education know, who have used craig's list (That is craigslist.org) - the power-management craigslist site tools have been entrusted to poorly educated, rude people who are able to prevent those whom they have taken a dislike to from even being able to get an ad to post on craigslist.org.

I assume that this is done from having allowed these low iq weasels to have a site tool that can read and bar any individual permanent computer id from the site.

If that prevention to post tool is not the one these types are using on you - then they use an ad deletion tool to delete your ad from the site 'claiming' that 'others' have 'flagged you off for violation of the tou (terms of use) -
Or sometimes they will 'speculate' that some people "just didn't like your ad" for one reason or another and 'flagged ' you off.

After changing and reposting your ad 5 to 6 times, one begins to realize that this is a lie. No one is actually "flagging" your ad - it's just that some hooligan-level mind with craigslist deletion tools has been deleting your ad.

Have you noticed that all criticism of flaggers on craig's list is always deleted? Does that make sense? No. They are simply lying and are terrified to allow other people who have not been deleted yet - to see them accurately criticized..

Craig himself - either no longer cares or just doesn't have the time to insure that his "list" - (which at one time was the best thing on the net) is continuing to benefit people and treating all posters fairly.

So I am starting another list - *an alternative to craigslist* - that will begin from parts of states in the united states - until each state is mostly covered and then will have each state connect to the other 49 states.

You can help me do this by 'friending' me on facebook on the mark gordon facebook page - from where I am beginning a southern new hampshire page. So search for the 'mark gordon' from manchester, nh on facebook and join me in creating a new and friendly alternative to craigslist. Thanks, mark

Craigslist is terrible. Over and over, every few weeks, they demand phone "verification:" on my existing account just to post ads. I never post more than a few at a time, each for a single household item for sale. After the latest "phone verification, " it wouldn't let me post ANY ads, just resulting in a canned message screen saying it was "blocked" for violating unspecified "terms of service." It advises to read the (extremely lengthy) terms of service to try and figure out for myself the reason! Same thing for anything I tried to post. I haven't had any conflicts with anyone I've sold to. so it beats me. And they're impossible to communicate with, since whatever you do, you only get the same mindless automated messages to your email.
I've had lots of other trouble with it. Guess it's a case of you get what you pay for. It's free- which equals worthless, in this case.

Re: Re: swish rods or mendota rigs - $20 (new berlin, wi)
...
From:
Herman Fischer [Chat now]
...
Add to Contacts
To: Dorothy Hilgendorf
Attention Craigslist User,

My name is Herman Fischer, Chief executive officer of Craigslist. We have recently partnered up with Apple company for a one-time promotional event today, we are giving away complimentary Apple iPads to randomly selected individuals who have posted an advert on Craig's list. You have been chosen as one of our newest winners for today. We randomly select numbers to match up with ads on C-list and your advertisement matched with our latest drawing.

We have partnered up with Apple to advertise their most popular product yet, the Apple iPad. Once again, we are operating this promotion for one-day only. All you need to do is CLICK HERE http://tiny834.com/vLRjU89s4y to visit our web site made for this promotion and key in your email to get yours for free. Simply make sure you enter your email so we can locate our records to make certain that we have reserved one for you. That's it!

Congrats on winning a free Apple iPad (valued at $800). If you have any query or concerns, feel free to email me back. However, you need to claim your free iPad first to ensure one will be reserved for you before the deadline ends. We do understand that you may not receive this e-mail until after the deadline, but, we advise you check the web site and enter your email to see if we still have yours on hold, which we often-times do because others have not claimed theirs in time.

Herman Fischer
CEO, C-list

Fraudsters operating at Craigslist are trying to con those who are seeking a dwelling on rent. In a recent incident, a lady seeking rented accommodation in Juneau, Alaska was almost duped by scammers who pretended to be owners of a property there.
When she responded to an ad on Craigslist, fraudsters asked her to make a deposit and for some personal information to be sent via email. Keys to the home, they promised, would be sent to her as soon as she did as told.
The lady was saved from being conned when she decided to physically verify the offer made by the fraudsters. She was surprised to find the listed property happily occupied by owners who had no clue that someone had put ads offering their house for rent.
Craigslist Rental Scam Now Spreading Wide
These scams should now be seen as a common ploy adopted by fraudsters. They take down particulars of homes listed for sale at online auction sites and use it to offer the same place for rent elsewhere.
Correspondences with prospects are often done entirely via emails. The email will claim they moved recently from their homes to wherever-they-are-now on missionary work. It will use flowery words and will tug at your heartstrings to cover the scam.
The scams have their origins usually in Nigeria. As is expected, they rarely ever mention their postal address. An early warning sign, in such a case, is a contact number posted in the ad carrying the Nigerian country code.
Apart from pouching the deposit, fraudsters also use information given away by victims to steal their money. If you handover your bank account info, they are capable of transferring money from this account into one of theirs. If you divulge your driving license or social security information, they use these to open credit accounts against your name and make purchases against the same. Ditto for credit card details.
A good rule against falling prey to scams at online auction sites is to only deal with local buyers and sellers. When renting homes, especially, it is a good idea to pay a visit to the offered space. This enables you to verify independently whether the offers are genuine or not.

On, Craiglist this guy said he wanted to buy my bed. I said it was $600. So he sent me a chekc in the mail for 1, 999 and said to money gram the rest back to him. I did this and I think it was a scam b/c he never picked up the bed. He has the money and I'm afraid that the bank is going to find it a fraud and charge me the 2, 000 dollars out of my savings. I am a minor and only have like 2, 375. My mom went w/ me to cash the cashier's check. We asked the lady to make sure it was real and showed her the letter from the man. The check was from a Kentucky bank, not someplace like Nigeria. So she looked at it and made the other ladies look art it and said it was real. My mom asked her if we could wait for the check to be cleared, but the lady said that it was already cleared under a certain amount. I am sooooooooooooo worried and need advise on what actions to take so I can catch this bad guy and get my money back.
Thanks

Also, he said to send the extra money via money gram to the movers to pick up the bed. That was his reason for paying extra.

OK, i just got the fed ex box that the scam artist sent the check in. It has his name and address. His name is Philip Andreula from richmond, NY. When he was e-mailing me he said his name was Henry Barrie. I think that his name might really be philip Andreula. I googled his name and I found the name was real and the guy was selling a motorbike on Domestic Sale in 2007. What should my next steps be in this investigation?

I tried to place an ad on Craigslist on Monday Nov 15 and again on Tuesday Nov 16 for a portable dishwasher, a five drawer dresser, a two drawer file cabinet and a carpet shampooer but neither ad showed up on the web site and when I emailed them all I got back in return was a canned email that you can get in the help tab. I wanted answers to why my ad was not posted but they would not respond. I think Craigslist is nothing more than a fake and a rip off and anybody that uses it is in for a horrible experience.

Be aware of an Arianna Mercer trying to sell a Sony 46" Bravia TV on craigslist. I fell for the same scam. I sent 370.00 to Italy to find out it was a scam. She promised to pay the shipping through a company called TNT Express and it all sounded legite...and come to find out, it was a scam and I am now out 370.00. I will do all I can to make sure it doesn't happen to someone else. BE AWARE!

Beware of this craigslist/ebay scammer. The person posted NFL tickets for sale on craigslist and then says he can only do the transaction through ebay... but first he needs my name, address and ebay id. I gave him a fake ebay name and address to see where it would lead. Then, I receive an email that is supposed to look like it is from ebay saying that the ebay transaction is confirmed (which is impossible since I provided a fake ebay name). The email said the sellers PayPay account is currently not working so I will need to wire cash to the seller via Western Union. The email instructed me to wire the money to the name Martin Pratt 809 Romford Road London, UK. The original email communications listed the name Julia Barton in the email address but it was @googlemail.com (which means it is from a country where the gmail domain is not available) and now I am supposed to wire money to a man named MARTIN PRATT in a different country and then the tickets will be mailed to me. Yup, that sounds pretty legit.

Right now I am in the process of exchanging emails with the scammer because I gave him a fake Western Union MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number). I made sure to give him a 10 digit number so it looked legit... but guess what, he is unable to find the money with Western Union. Tomorrow, I will email him again to say that I transposed one of the MTCN numbers and he should call Western Union again.

Anybody can make up an email address to use for scams, but I assume it is difficult to create a name with a matching picture ID to use at Western Union... So if I can help people beware of Western Union transfers that involve MARTIN PRATT we may be able to make this guy go through the trouble of creating another fake identity... as I am sure he will not quit trying to scam people.

I thought this Craigslist ad sounded a bit too good, but I inquired about it, keeping my postal address off the resume. I awoke today to a response that set of my scam radar. Checked it out and saw many others like him, using various names. Not sure what they expect to get from this, and I hate that I sent all that info on my resume, but am glad at least they don't have my address. I wonder what's going on? Here's the email I received this morning, for the record:

Hello,

Hope you're having a pleasant day today You contacted me applying for the Job position which I advertised on Craigslist. Please take time and read this introductory mail and feel free to pass any questions on.

My profile briefly:
I'm Matthew J Davis, 52, and a father of 2 wonderful kids, a successful entrepreneur and investor, a member of the Angel Investment Network. I'm also a research journalist and I travel every now and then within and outside the US working on various independent projects, this is why I need someone who can help keep up to date with all of my activities especially when I'm away and amidst my busy schedule.

I have had a previous PA who has been very commendable in her activities and who has been part of my life for the past 6 months, she has to moved on with her personal life and this have affected me in a way. I found her previously on the craigslist website and I sincerely hope I will be able to find someone again who will be as efficient as she has been. Please note that you are being hired only on a personal level. All correspondences would be made and promptly reported to me personally. The position is part time and home-based meaning you can work direct from your Home office as long as you have a regular internet access.

Most of your activities will be carried out locally and most official packages will be delivered via posts. You will be actively involved in my personal, business and financial life. In summary, your activities as my assistant amongst other things will include;

* Acting as an alternative telephone correspondence;
* Running personal errands, supervisions and monitoring;
* Organizing and maintaining diaries, memos and making appointments;
* Dealing with incoming email, faxes and post;
* Carrying out background research and presenting findings;
* A personal reminder for Schedules, programs, flights and keeping me up to date with them as they come up;
* Arranging travel and accommodation
* Carrying out specific projects and research;
* Taking on some of the my responsibilities and working more closely with management and other staff related to me;
* Making regular contacts and drop-offs on my behalf.
* Handling and monitoring financial activities.
* Processing and taking charge of weekly payments and purchases.
* You will also be a part of my household and a helping hand to issues as they arise.
* General clerical activities.
* No expenses from you ( I'll pay all taxes & charges for any expenses )

But note : You will be hired on a trial basis for now until we are able to see how well we fit in, however does not affect your weekly wage. Your Basic wage is $550 a week.

Any extra personal expenses (transport, gas, etc) incurred by you while on an errand or otherwise will also be reimbursed by me at the end of each working week.

This position is very flexible and it is difficult judging the exact number of hours you will be doing, just bear it in mind that there will be busier weeks than others with a steady pay. Working with me is basically about instructions and following them, my only fear is that I may come at you impromptu sometimes, so I need someone who can be able to meet up with my irregular timings. There is also a very sensitive issue on trust, dedication and accountability which I believe will resolve itself as time goes on.

This is only an introductory e-mail, as time goes on we should be able to arrange a proper meeting to get things started officially. I'm currently in Thailand now for a project, however, I do have a number of things you could help me with immediately, prior to my arrival.

Due to the excessive number of responses to my Ad, do provide the following details about yourself for my personal record update and to filter applicants;

Full Names
Full Contact Address
City
State
Zip Code
Home Phone Number
Cell Phone Number
Occupation (if any)
Age

I hope you can be available for me immediately before I arrive, it certainly can act as a stable foundation to our impending working relationship.

Hope to hear from you again.

Regards
Matthew J Davis

On September 9, 2010 started receiving numerous phone calls and emails about jobs posted on craigslist.org. I advised the callers I don't post jobs on craigslist too many scams there. I went to take a look in the state of NY where the caller was calling from and found under the position of Theatre Box Office a job posting. When you click to apply it jumps you to another page that had my company name, company logo, company slogan, company pictures and color scheme, but it wasn't my company. The domain name was www.ikulich.com instead. And, the jobs were posted in Phoenix for Airport Valet, San Diego for Restaurant Dishwashers, New York for Theatre Box Office and Washington DC for Salon Receptionist-Guest Service Coordinator under 3 different categories.

I notified everyone that the jobs were not posted by The Fair Recruitment Agency LLC and that they were check cashing scams. The second web page with the same set up lists the above jobs as well as Classifieds Advertiser. You click on the jobs you want to apply for and it says to mail your resume to [protected]@amesris.com or [protected]@usset.net. To see what the jobs were about I applied for the Classifieds Advertiser for $500-$700/week. Sent my information in and received an email that my employment was confirmed.

I then got another email stating they would send me a check for $2410.55 to cash immediately at my own bank the same day I received it. Then, to send an email stating I got the check and they will send me the information where to post the ads. Well, a week later I got the check from postmarked from Canada, sent the email I received it and they replied to me. They said to buy three money orders from the US Postal Service and send them overnight to an address in Canada. But send them overnight from UPS. But the money orders at the Post Office but send them from UPS so they get them the next day.

This was obviously a scam. And, it's rampant on craigslist. So, Consumers beware of who you send your information to when applying for jobs!

I found the job on: orangecounty.craigslist.org/ofc/[protected].html, then e mailed it to: job-qhnvb-[protected]@craigslist.org

Dear Applicant,

This is to update you that we received your email in regards to my posting for Personal Assistant Wanted For Weekend Job in California ( CA) . I am looking for someone who can act as my Personal Assistant, Someone who can handle my personal and business errands at his/her spare time. This duties required of you will be needed basically during the weekends and this will give you free time to go on with your regular job .Below are details of what you expected from this job position.

Someone who can offer me these services:
***********************************************
Mail services: Receive my mails and drop them off at FedEx (nothing illegal) Shop for Gifts, Bill payment (pay my bills on my behalf), Sit for delivery of gallery (at your home) or pick items up at nearby post office at your convenience. Let me know if you will be able to offer me any/all of these services
I would love to meet up with you to talk about this job but I am currently away still on vacation with my little daughter in London till this weekend and starting from next week, Friday 17th of Sept 2010, I would be leaving London to Germany for a 20 working days business summit / trip .

MORE DETAILS :
**************
I own a new art gallery in Australia which just started operations and sales and i am sourcing to buy more art works from professional painters and artist within united state. This is where you come in, I am willing to pay you in advance to do my artworks and paintings shopping’s for me, make payments for them and have them delivered to you. I will also have my mails and packages forwarded to your address, If you will be unable to stay at your house to get my mails, I can have it shipped to a post office near you and then you can pick it up at your convenience. When you get my mails/packages, you are required to mail them to where I want them mailed to. You don't have to put money out of your pocket, all you have to do is have packages shipped to your house and do my shopping. You are allowed to open the packages to reveal its content. The content of the packages are art works, paintings, computer and electronics, clothing’s business and personal letters. All expenses and taxes will be covered by me. You will work only 3 days a week. I am willing to pay $500.00 in a week. That is not a bad offer is it?

I need your service instantly because as you know already i am constantly out of town. I will return to State at the end of July 2010 so process will be on going till then. If you don't mind, I will meet up with you when I return and then we can talk about the possibility of making this long term though i will still get in touch with you via phone soon as we have an agreement and you can start work. Well, let me know if you are able to handle the position. Hope to hear from you soon, i will email you the list and pictures of what to shop for when I am ready. No heavy packages are involved! You can do the shopping at any nearest stores. You will be shopping for this festive season for some gifts, Electronics and clothing’s.

I will provide you my personal FedEx account number for Shipping. All you have to do is provide my account number to FedEx and shipping charges will be applied into the account. I will provide clear set of instructions for each task I need done as well the funds to cover them. If I were to mail you money in form of cashiers check or money orders to do my shopping plus upfront payment for your service, where would you want it mailed to? How should your name appear on your payment?

Provide me with the following details below :-

Full Name:
Gender:
Age:
Resident Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Home Phone:
Cell Phone Number:
Email:

I will be expecting your responds towards my request. Hope to read from you as soon as possible. Thanks for your co-operation and understanding.

Best Regards,

Morris A.Scott
101 Wigmore street
London
W1U 1QU
Tel:+[protected]

Then i sent him one back saying i would take the position then he sent me another e mail and it said:

Dear Kristen Hammer,

Thanks for the details. The Job will be assigned to you as my Personal assistant and you will resume work with helping me on errands, sorting out my delivers and packages and doing my shopping. You will be properly briefed in order to carry out every task appropriately. I believe we can start the purchase with trust, honesty and sound mind...! Please assure me of your trust, honesty and commitment.

It’s great to know you are willing and you have the panache to work for me. I will make arrangement to send payment to you in form of cashiers check for your first salary and also to carry out your first assignment which will be purchasing my next set of paintings and having it delivered to you Asap. You will be informed once the payment has been sent and what you are to do with the remaining money after deducting your salary. I would like you to confirm your correct details below, I should be able to give you a call next week.

Note: Verification of your details below will confirm your full interest. Once you have confirmed your details, Payment for your first assignment and your first week*s pay will be sent to you in form of Cashiers check in other for you to start work instantly and further instruction on how to carry out your first assignment will be emailed to you, The salary is $500 Weekly.

VERIFY YOUR DETAILS BELOW:

Resident Address: 7 Jourdain
City: Aliso Viejo
State: CA
Zip Code: 92656
Home Phone: [protected]
Cell Phone Number: [protected]
Email: [protected]@cox.net

Will be expecting to read from you Asap with verification that i have your correct details to make out the first payment for your first purchase of my Art work.

Thanks for your time and keeping in touch.

Regards,

Morris A.Scott.

Then I got a check in the mail from an address of 7795 West Flagler St., Suite 35, Miami, FL 33144 but the comany name on it was Click Sales, Inc. I then did some resarch and saw this was a fraud/ scam before going thru with it.

Then i got a check in the mail from that address but from Click Sales, Inc for $3, 750.00 They then contacted me with some tex and an e mail saying:

Dear Kristen,

This short note is to bring to your notice that the amount on the check is $3750 and not $2750.so you are to send the sum of $3000 to the Benjamin Hawkins.We are sorry for the inconveniences.

Thanks,

Morris A.Scott.

With so many Floridians out of work how can craiglist continue to let SCAM ads for employment contiue. There are people looking for legit jobs, and the scammers have taken over. It states if you can find and ID to report it, well guess what there are non to be found, and the scammers know it. Each time you fill something out for a position on line, thinking you are sending a resume to someone, then you receive junk mail and no real job interview. Can't anyone do anything?

This craigslist posting seemed legit at first, "cash deal only, meet and exchange".
but of course the pricing for a brand new macbook was just too good of a deal to be true.
When I got a reply email it was from a Laura Owen, (laura.[protected]@hotmail) stating she is from the UK. (red flag right there). She sent pictures of the macbook and although they look intially legit as well they were small thumbnail versions like something you'd get from taking the pics from another website.
I googled her email address to find multiple complaints about her postings being fake. dont fall for it.

She says she is Boston but she has posted in a bunch of other states trying to scam people.

There is a job posted on craigslist.com that advertises for a clerk which pays 17.42 hour. It says you must have reliable transportation. It turns out that they want to hire you and offer all kinds of benefits after two months of employment. So you have an interview online and then they e-mail with some questions, and then tell you that you have the job. You must use Yahoo messenger and ad Tom Alpha so that you can receive the training online. I believe he is there to try and convince you that you have a real job. So then he or they give you a list of the equipment or "tools" that you will need. Computers, printer, fax, desk, file cabinet and software. They say they will mail you a check for training and to purchase the equipment. Suddenly a check in the amount of abour $ 2, 000.00 arrives in your name in the form of a cashiers check. Mr. Alpha wants you to deposit this check, which he says clears in 24 hours, and then you are suppose to Western Union all but $200.00 to a place up state where the Vendor is located so that you can purchase the equipment from them - they call this person the companies vendor.
It is a scam and please be very, very careful. I feel they want to use you to get cash sent fast and then you will find out the check is no good. It will be your responsiblity then to make it right with the bank.