Common scam hits close to home Published Jan. 22, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Logan Tuttle 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- A Spangdahlem Airman recently had a close call with a "Nigerian Scam" when he placed an advertisement in Stars and Stripes to sell several vehicles. Staff Sgt. Brian Roback, 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, received a confusing and vague message in response to the advertisement to sell his vehicles. "At first, it seemed as if it was just another interested person inquiring about my car ad," he said. After e-mailing the potential buyer to figure out which car he wanted, Sergeant Roback said broken English and poor grammar made the correspondence even more unusual. After telling Sergeant Roback that he wanted to buy his Honda Civic and that he needed as soon as possible, he then said he was in the United Kingdom and had no access to a phone. This message was written very clearly in contrast to the others. "Afterward I talked to this individual to figure out if they were military stationed there, or a base contractor," Sergeant Roback said. "The individual refused to answer and insisted that I sell him the car." The buyer offered to arrange for shipping to pick the vehicle up and to pay double what Sergeant Roback was asking. Fortunately, Sergeant Roback had seen information about similar scams and after doing some research, he decided to contact the Office of Special Investigations. What Sergeant Roback learned was that the scam artist would send a check for over the amount he was asking for the vehicle, then ask the seller to wire the remaining money to an account of their choosing. "What happens is that you wire the funds, the bank says the check bounced, you lose your car, and then you have to pay back the funds wired," he said. "Promises are made early, the ones too good to be true. But then the pressure to complete the transaction begins ramping up. Pressure can turn into harassment and threats if the scam persists unabated," said Staff Sgt. Keith Combass, and investigator with the 52nd Security Forces Squadron who helped deal with the case. Sergeant Combass also said it was best to stick to known, reputable sources that allow for recourse if problems are experienced later in the sale. "In this case, selling a car, strictly dealing with other U.S. personnel can be helpful in several ways. One, you avoid the problems of dealing with Customs and two, you have the built in assurance of on-base banks as well as the First Sergeants and legal office if problems do arise," Sergeant Combass said. "These individuals operate under a sense of freedom from prosecution. Working via the internet and most likely located in a distant country with little to no law enforcement, they can operate out in the open and target large numbers of potential victims," Sergeant Combass said.