There is no buyer.
Notice how the scammer doesn't call what you are selling by name in the first email? He uses the generic word "it", that is because he sends the same stock copy/paste email to anyone selling everything that he can find and he has no idea what you are selling and doesn't care.
There is only a scammer trying to steal your hard-earned money.
He is not interested in your identity or bank account, only your cash.
The next email was from one of the scammer's fake names and free email addresses pretending to be the "secretary/assistant/accountant" and has demanded you cash a large fake check sent on a stolen UPS/FedEx billing account number and send the money via Western Union or moneygram back to the scammer posing as the "shipping company". When your bank realizes the check is fake and it bounces, you get the real life job of paying back the bank for the bounced check fees and all the bank's money you sent to an overseas criminal.
Western Union and moneygram do not verify anything on the form the sender fills out, not the name, not the street address, not the country, not even the gender of the receiver, it all means absolutely nothing. The clerk will not bother to check ID and will simply hand off your cash to whomever walks in the door with the MTCN# and question/answer. Neither company will tell the sender who picked up the cash, at what store location or even in what country your money walked out the door. Neither company has any kind of refund policy, money sent is money gone forever.
When you refuse to send him your cash he will send increasingly nasty and rude emails trying to convince you to go through with his scam. The scammer could also create another fake name and email address like "FBI@ gmail.com", "police_person @hotmail.com" or "investigator @yahoo.com" and send emails telling you the job is legit and you must cash the fake check and send your money to the scammer or you will face legal action. Just ignore, delete and block those email addresses. Although, reading a scammer's attempt at impersonating a law enforcement officer can be extremely funny.
Now that you have responded to a scammer, you are on his 'potential sucker' list, he will try again to separate you from your cash. He will send you more emails from his other free email addresses using another of his fake names with all kinds of stories of being the perfect buyer, great jobs, lottery winnings, millions in the bank and desperate, lonely, sexy singles. He will sell your email address to all his scamming buddies who will also send you dozens of fake emails all with the exact same goal, you sending them your cash via Western Union or moneygram.
Do you know how to check the header of a received email? If not, you could google for information. Being able to read the header to determine the geographic location an email originated from will help you weed out the most obvious scams and scammers. Then delete and block that scammer. Don't bother to tell him that you know he is a scammer, it isn't worth your effort. He has one job in life, convincing victims to send him their hard-earned cash.
Whenever suspicious or just plain curious, google everything, website addresses, names used, companies mentioned, phone numbers given, all email addresses, even sentences from the emails as you might be unpleasantly surprised at what you find already posted online. You can also post/ask here and every scam-warner-anti-fraud-busting site you can find before taking a chance and losing money to a scammer.
If you google "fake check buyer scam", "fake Western Union buyer fraud", "fake craigslist buyer check scam" or something similar and you will find hundreds of posts of victims and near victims of this type of scam.
The I'm on a business trip scam.
Certified checks are easy to fake. You will get a fake check that can at first clear your bank, but will bounce later.
The scammer may send you a check for over the amount and ask you to wire money back.
Consider Craigslist - Scams List.
I've done some business on craigslist before and I would be nervous about giving him my home address. And I never take checks. Even if its on from a bank. Cash and he meets you in public. If he wants the game and he likes your price, tell him you can wait till he gets back in town. He can't play it on a business trip anyway. How would he get it? Follow your gut. If you think its a scam don't do it.
It's a typical fake check scam
Craigslist is ONLY for face to face CASH transactions, .Any time you cannot meet the buyer in person and have them hand you cash you will be scammed. You notice how he never once mentions WHAT you are selling?? That's because this scammer sends it out to everyone no matter what they are selling
Read Craigslist's very clear scam warnings where they tell you to ONLY deal with people you can meet face to face, that checks and money orders will be counterfeit and to avoid all transactions involving shipping
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
A certified check is the same as a cashier's check as mentioned specifically in the scam warnings
Tell him you are sorry but you accept cash only and if he can't meet you later today with cash you are sorry but you have another buyer
I'm actually surprised you only had one scammer contact you - normally you'll have 3-4 people all with the same story
Just google Craigslist fake check scam - you'll have weeks worth of reading
https://www.google.com/search?q=craigsli...
If he is on a business trip, he must go near a bank at some time. Give him your account number so he can direct deposit funds in to your account. If he declines that offer, tell him the item is no longer available.
I posted a post on craigslist, and this guy emailed me back with this:
(Let's call him Joe)
Joe:
Hello
I saw your posting on craigs list and will like to buy it.Please let me know If it's still available. Thanks
I said:
Hi there! I do still have it avalible! I am avalible to meet somewhere today if that is okay with you. Do you have somwhere you would like to meet? Also, I do only take cash, I just wanted to let you know. Thanks so much! Email back ASAP, and we can arrange a time and place to meet.
He responded:
Hi there, am happy that the games is still available and am okay with the price, but I will be unable to come with cash because I'm presently out of state on a business trip, but I can easily have a certified bank check on your name here and have it mail out to you, so If you're okay with the mode of payment, please get back to me with your home address, payee name that will be on the check and a valid phone number( not voice mail )... Once you received your payment, I will then let my shipper come for the pick up , so you don't have to worry about the shipping . Thanks
I just can't quite tell if it is a scam. Please help, becauase if it isn't then I do want to sell, but I would hate to be scammed.
