Does this sound like money laundering to you?

[giraffeski]

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Sounds pretty dodgy to me - if I was you I'd accept the cheque and take it, and a copy of this email (and any details you have of this person) to the bank so they can follow it up.

what I meant was to take it to the bank and ask for advice as to who you should report it.

IT'S A CON. Don't do it. You'll give him the change when the cheque clears and later on it'll bounce. It could be a stolen cheque that clears initially but bounces when someone notices the amount has gone out of their account

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its a con!!

Do you have any contact details for this person other than their email address?

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here

It must be a con, G. Why wouldn't she get a refund direct from the other bod and then pay you? Why would she be so desperate for you to do this that she'd pay you extra for doing it?

yahoo addy could be set up from anywhere in the world....

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You could pretend to agree and then go to your bank with the details - they might be able to nail somebody?

I know it's a shame about the £900 but you would probably lose it anyway, going by QoQ's link.

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Gski - classic con. If you don't want to spoil the chance of a sale, let this person know they'll have an exclusive window, of say one week, on whatever it is, and that in that week they can clear up this other person's debt to them as you need the cash etc.

They won't (probably), and if they really want to buy what you're saying, they'll stump up THE CASH. I wouldn't sell something to them against a direct cheque either, but then again I am a suspicious pig.

You'll get screwed otherwise and will lose out in the end.

It's con - don't touch it. You sound like a nice person who'll get upset about it as well as losing your money

Go to bed, Hub!

It has all the sound of those Nigerian cons that have been making the rounds of email and fax. Don't touch it!!! Take the response to the police if you like but don't do anything else.

I know someone who worked with the police to set someone who had attempted to defraud him but you've got to be pretty damn sure they can't find you/you're not bothered if they do.

IMO you should pass on the info you have to your local police htough as attempted fraud.

Don't do it.

I work in a bank. Be very careful.

Put it this way,

Would you trust one stranger to give a cheque of your money to another stranger and then trust them to give you the change.

I THINK NOT.............

DONT DO IT.

Don't even accept the cheque!! far to dodgy for my liking. I would just show the email to the police and let them deal with it.

Giraffeski, unfortunately a cheque can "bounce" anytime after it has cleared, so whilst your bank may state that it sees the funds, the issuing bank may still withdraw them at any time - there is no time limit at all, so a cheque can bounce months or years after it is paid in.

Sorry - it isn't genuine - that fact that thye're willing to "pay" you £50 is almost confirmation of this IYSWIM.

This is a con. There is something very similar doing the rounds on an au pair site and lots of people seem to have been taken in. A "family" requiring an aupair send a large cheque to their new aupair to pay for her travel costs. The cheque is more than her actual costs and they ask her to lodge the cheque and when it clears, return the extra amount to them, which in some cases seems to have been hundreds of pounds. Several people have fallen for it, sent money back to this "family" who then disappear and the cheque subsequently bounces, leaving the unfortunate aupair very out-of-pocket.

In answer to your question, there is not even a slight chance that this is not a con. Sorry!

I cannot remember exactly how this scam works, but it was featured on Watchdog or Real Story or one of those other programmes. I think it was Watchdog.

DON'T DO IT!