A Scam I Am

Recently I put two ads on Craigslist DE. I'm offering some furniture for sale. So far the only responses I've gotten are scam artists. One fellow, "Alvin Brown," sent identical messages regarding my two ads:

Still available ? Lovely picture... If it still available for sale please i will like you to get back to me and i will also like to know your last asking price,i will like you to get back to me as soon as possible because i will not be coming over to see it at your home am a very busy kind of person and i intend making the payment and arrange for the pick up as am okay with the pics you send to me......hope to read from you soon...

To which I replied:

where are you? I don't want to sell these sight unseen. I'm suspicious because I'm a photographer and I know the pictures are not good ones.

I'm pretty sure he has an automated system set up that responds to anyone who replies to the first inquiry. Here's what he had to say:

I am okay with the price , and i am comfortable with the picture i saw on dispaly. I will be making the payment via check, so i will need your full name that will be on the check and your full address with your phone # where you can easily receive the package via couier and i will arrange for the pickup myself. NOTE ....And also the payment i will be sending will be in excess this you will give to the cargo company when they contact you for the pickup.All you need to do is to get the payment verified in your bank and faithfully deduct your own money as soon as you have the cash and send the remaining to the cargo company for them to come for thepickup.please get back to me if you are okay with this and i will implore you to remove the ads off craigslist because i really want to purchase this asap. Thanks You are blessed.Alvin

I should have strung him along—would have made for a more interesting blog post. My reply:

You are operating a scam. If you send me anything I will take it to the police to be fingerprinted. Get lost.

Another fellow, "michael green," asked if it was still for sale, and when I replied, here's what he sent:

Thanks for the prompt response.Furthermore,i will pay via Certified check which will be an overnight payment and i do not mind adding an extra $50 for you to take the advert down from criagslist and my mover will be coming for the pickup when the payment clears and i will implore you to get back to me with the below information to facilitate the mailing of the check. 1.Your full name 2.Your mailing address be it residential or postal address 3.Your phone Number Thanks in Anticipation.

Should I string this guy along? What bogus name, address, and phone should I give him? Here's what I replied:

Send all inquiries to Paul M. Tiernan 220 Elkton Road. Newark, DE 19711 302-366-7100 Best wishes. May you be richly rewarded for your trust and honesty

Some of you might recognize the name of Newark's Chief of Police, and the station address and phone number. In case you don't know, the scammers use counterfeit checks, which take a month or so to get found out. Meanwhile, you innocently pay them the extra they sent, and maybe they even make off with your goods. Now. Anybody want to really buy a nice hutch and sofa-loveseat combo? The hutch: http://delaware.craigslist.org/fuo/1349818867.html The sofa-loveseat: http://delaware.craigslist.org/fuo/1349805470.html Update: "Andrew Johnson" (novena002@googlemail.com) just made me a similar offer, only he says I get $100 for my running around. I sent him to the police department, too. All three of these guys have googlemail addresses. That's Google's UK name. Hmm...