[grandgirl]

well, i put my jeep for sale on autotrader 48 hrs. ago and i'm already being scammed! i will attach the yahoo messenger conversation that started after two emails. the first email said nothing but please reply to him with the lowest possible price i would sell for. the second email said thanks for replying so soon and he asked if there was anything wrong with tthe jeep before he sent the money.
he never asked for pics, the vin#, nothing. just if there was anything wrong with it, and how much. so after i found out that it was indeed a scam because he doesn't live in the states, and never asked to see pics or anything....i went along with it and tried to seem eager to sell to him. heck, if he sends me a real cashiers check, i'll give him my jeep...but not until then....and none of this oops, i made it for 5,000 dollars to much crap.


mrktylor : hi
nicole379_1983: hi
nicole379_1983: i was just emailing you back
mrktylor : so what where you going to tell me
nicole379_1983: well, i was going to ask where you were located so that you could test drive the jeep.
mrktylor : i live in south africa but i'm in london at the moment
nicole379_1983: ok, and what interests you in my jeep?
mrktylor : i sell used cars in my country and i have certain clients who placed oders for jeeps like yours
nicole379_1983: how do i know that this is not a scam?
mrktylor : wht kind f proof do you need.
nicole379_1983: i'm not sure.
nicole379_1983: i guess i'm just wondering how you are going to pick up the vehicle?
mrktylor : thats what i'm in londn for.to see my shipping agent.
nicole379_1983: ok.
nicole379_1983: well, i just had the oil changed
nicole379_1983: and it's very clean
mrktylor : well i guess that'll be all i need t know for now
nicole379_1983: ok
nicole379_1983: are you going to keep in contact?
mrktylor : sure
mrktylor : i talk to u soon
nicole379_1983: bye for now
mrktylor : o! pls send me your phone number incase i need to reach you urgently
nicole379_1983: you can reach me at #########....leave a message.

[Oman Jeep]

I love how they always say "to see my shipping agent"

Lead him on but don't go along with it.

[brazenhead]

Be careful. That cashier's check will most likely be a fake. If you even consider going ahead with that sale, make sure that you let the check clear - that often takes over two weeks AFTER you deposit it in the bank.

[grandgirl]

Originally Posted by Oman Jeep

I love how they always say "to see my shipping agent"

Lead him on but don't go along with it.

that's exactly what i'm going to do. i'll let him think that i'm naive about the scam and that "well, of course i'll send you the extra money back"

only he'll be waiting for a long time to ever get anything from me.

[LoneJeeper]

http://www.419eater.com/ check it out... great for this sort of thing.

[eastwood1972]

i dont get it. nothing here indicates a scam.

[Bobbywolf]

This is a common scam, mostly seen on ebay. A forign person sends you a cheque for too much, and asks you to send the remainder back to them. (They do this to give you a false sense of good faith). After you send the extra cash to them, you find out that the cheque was bad, and you are out $$$. Maby even out a vehicle if you act too quickly.

[grandgirl]

Originally Posted by eastwood1972

i dont get it. nothing here indicates a scam.

if you read what bobbywolf wrote, then see that he is a foriegn person, and that he never asked to see pictures, talk over the phone, or anything that i think a truly interested person would do....you can conclude that he is trying to scam me.

[eastwood1972]

ok, i see your point. but i would never send the product before i had the money in my bank. so i guess this scam would never be an issue for me.

[PrfctAggression]

Originally Posted by eastwood1972

ok, i see your point. but i would never send the product before i had the money in my bank. so i guess this scam would never be an issue for me.

The problem with this scam is that it is a counterfeit(and usually a good one) bank check, so the bank will deposit it to your account, and you think you're good to go. It can take over a month for them to discover that the check is a fake. In the meantime, you've shipped your vehicle, along with the "extra money" Guess who's out the entire amount of the check, plus a vehicle, plus the "extra money" when the bank realizes it's fake?

[SmithersGS]

Yeah, I got hit with this when I sold an Xbox on Ebay and when I sold my car. I kept the fake checks, and they do look like the real thing! The problem is once people see their account balance after they deposit that check, they figure it's locked in - the money is in their account. Well, it is in your account - until the bank learns that the check is bad.

I always tell people I accept Paypal only for online stuff - if they want to send me Paypal that's fine because I can get liquid funds out of that.

[Bobbywolf]

Checks have terrible flaws, and no-one in their right mind would accept them from a stranger anymore. Paypal is by far the best way to deal with questionable individuals. Even if something goes wrong, you can file a complaint with them and get the problem rectified.

[Oman Jeep]

Originally Posted by eastwood1972

i dont get it. nothing here indicates a scam.

I've had a friend's Jeep and another friend's old spare tires up for sale on my site for quite some time now. The Jeep is priced quite high because he's not really in a rush to sell it.

A week or two back I got an E-mail from someone who's English didn't look too great. That's not unusual because I'm in the Middle East...

GOOD DAY,
REGARDS TO YOUR ADVERT PLACE ON THE WEB PAGE YOUR 2004 Ultimate Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Raider
FOR SALE. AM HIGHLY INTERSETED IN BUYING YOUR VEHICLE AND I WANTED TO HEAR FROM YOU THE RESIDENT CONDITION OF THE VEHICLE.
LET ME KNOW THE CONDITION OF THE VEHICLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND YOUR OFFER PRICE INCLUDE THE PICTURE.CONCERLY THE SHIPPMENT,MY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COMPANY WILL COME TO YOUR LOCATION FOR PICKUP AS WE SEAL UP THE SALE.
THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY.
c. NELSON

I thought the Capslock was kinda wierd with the exception of the title of the vehicle... and the "International Shipping Company" seemed strange. Also he was asking for a picture when there's already one on the website.

Then the second E-mail came in...

GOOD DAY,
REGARDS TO YOUR ADVERT PLACE ON THE WEB PAGE YOUR 5 x 15\" Rims and tires - 1991 Jeep XJ-Cherokee FOR SALE. AM HIGHLY INTERSETED IN BUYING YOUR VEHICLE AND I WANTED TO HEAR FROM YOU THE RESIDENT CONDITION OF THE VEHICLE.
LET ME KNOW THE CONDITION OF THE VEHICLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND YOUR OFFER PRICE INCLUDE THE PICTURE.CONCERLY THE SHIPPMENT,MY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COMPANY WILL COME TO YOUR LOCATION FOR PICKUP AS WE SEAL UP THE SALE.
THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY.
C. NELSON

Now it's perfectly obvious he's using a template. The rims and tires are not a vehicle, they're not even pictured on a vehicle and they're listed for $12 a piece. It's word for word with the first e-mail.

I wasn't in the mood for games so I didn't play with him. But yeah, anything ambiguous with international vehicle sales - I wouldn't trust. There will be someone else in your state / country who wants your vehicle. If someone REALLY wants to go through the trouble of buying a vehicle from overseas, they will make it known how serious they are. This means they start sending deposits, look up shipping options, whether the vehicle is street legal in the final destination, asking for detailed photos of some areas... that sort of thing. A good friend of mine looked at buying a Corvette from America with custom paint and custom engine work. One of the things we were looking at was the cost of giving the car several layers of bubble-wrap and soft sheeting to protect the paint during shipment. He actually ended up cancelling the deal because when the situation in the Middle East escalated, it didn't seem like the best idea to drive a Corvette with a stars and stripes paint job


They key is when it's "my international shipping company" and "is it in good condition" - it's a scam. What are you going to say? "Yeah we'll use your company, and I guess the condition is alright."

For example someone who is really going to the trouble of buying a Jeep from overseas will want to know what off road damage has occurred, what modifications there are, that sort of thing, before shipping it. Specifics.

I wish these scammers would drop dead.

[grandgirl]

yeah....my two emails were very very similar.....bad spelling, and just how much, very interested, lowest price crap. what surprised me though, is that i found him on yahoo instant messenger...and he talked to me. i was trying to trip him up since the fist two emails seemed liked templates, but he was pretty good at answering. as much as i wish this wasn't a scam, i'm 99.999% sure it is.

oh-well, i'm off to vote.

[ProfessorCRX]

This scam has been around before the begining of time. You should be 100% sure. Anything involving Akeem in Zimbabwe is a scam. Even if they send you "proof" that they're legit.