Selling My Horse - Not an Ad.

[LCQH]

This is the first time I've really sold a horse.

I posted my horse on several horse classifieds and got a few replies. One reply I am unsure about. The person is out of the country and said a friend, representing him, will pick up the horse. To me, it sounds like a scam, plus I insist on test riding the horse.

I honestly do not trust this e-mail, but what if it is valid? Would it be acceptable for me to simply reply saying I don't think it will work out because I'd like to keep him in state and have several other offers who are in the state? I do know of a few people who seem to be interested around here. Would it be better if I replied saying the horse was sold and just delete the ad off the one site? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Yeah, I'm only 16 and have never taken a business class, but something just doesn't seem right.

Thanks.

[Grace O'Malley]

I think you should trust your instincts here. This doesn't sound right. I'm not sure you need to respond at all--sometimes opening up a dialog is not a good idea. But if you do, I think either of the answers you've suggested would suffice. Just remember, you're under no obligation to sell if you have a bad feeling about the situation...

You'll find a good home for your horse!

[CMR]

Can you post the message that the person sent you? I can tell if it is a scam or not by reading the e-mail(almost 100% of the time). Usually there are simple grammar errors, and a star or other sign inbetween the words. S@rt *f l%ke thees, hehe:D I put an ad up for my puppies, and in two days recieved about four scam e-mails. Here is one that I got: good day, COLLINS JAMES is my name and i reside in ALASKA, i actualy saw the advert of your pet for adoption on the net , i am highly keen interested in giving the pet a good home of her life, i will love to view the pics of the pet if available and more so i will like to know the last asking price of the pet. more so i will arrange a shipping company that are capable in shipping pets across the coast ,be it a day old pets or over age pet Their will be a proper vet check will be carried out before shipping the pet by the shipping company vet doctor's inorder to ensure that the pet is in good health when they get to where they will pick the pet. . and then my mode of payment will be in a money order check or a cashier check, feel free to contact the shipping company concerning the shipping at globalfrei ghtmerchant010@yahoo.com. hope to here from you soonest. thanks and GOD bless

[BeachRiding]

Sounds like a big scam to me!

[LCQH]

E-mail 1. I thought the grammar was a bit strange.
Below is an inquiry about your classified ad

Hi,
Am Stephen,I will really appreciate your response towards your
advertise Gunsmokes Ace of Hearts ..Cause am highly interested in buying.Get
back to me with the present condition and least price you are letting
it go for.
You can reach at .....scole_01@yahoo.co.uk

E-mail 2. Convinced me this was probably a scam.

Goodday ,
Am quite impressed with your swift response towards making this transaction a successful one..Thanks for the required information concerning the Ace heart $1500..Am satisfied with condition and the price...Never bother about any other buyer.

Concerning the shipment,have make every neccessary arrangement for the pickup of the Ace heart so as soon as we do conclude on terms. I will forward you the neccessary information about the shipper and when he's ready to come over.He will be representing me at your destination so make sure you get intouch with me immediately you recieve the payment in order to be given neccessary information needed for the shipping processing.

A Multiple Business Associate of mine who is a Movie Director..Who need this Ace heart has accepted to issue a certified cheque of $5,500 including the shipping firm pickup fees.The excess funds on the payment will be forwarded to the shipping firm for the pickup fees of the Ace heart along with some goods i bought in state.
For sending you the payment following information will be needed:
Name...
Address...
State....
City.....
Zip-Code...
Country...
Phone(Mobile,Home and Office)

Quicker response to this will be favourably appreciated.
Cheers,
Stephen.

[Grace O'Malley]

Have a look at:

http://www.bayequest.info/scams.htm

Hope this helps!

[Morwenstow Stud]

I've had so many emails from people 'out of the country' that you wouldn't believe.It's a scam.You can usually go by the theory 'if it seems dodgy you can be 99.9% sure it is dodgy.'

[GarnetFox]

Email 2 is definitely a scam, Email one sounds like it may well be. The scammers tend to say they'll send you a money check for a lot more than the horse is worth, then you give them the change and cash the cheque. Unfortunately their c heques are fake and you end up paying out thousands of dollars to THEM. Garce's link explains it further. :)