Craigslist Volvo, Cont'd - This isn't a Scam, Right?
 

Selling my Volvo, the learning curve has been steep, as I've had many attempted scams run on me. This one, however, SEEMS legit, but still has the warning signs of "I'm out of town," etc.

"Hi,
Thanks for the response.I am willing to pay your asking price.I will pay by money order as its the only way i can pay you at the moment.I would have loved to come take a look but i am presently out of town on an assignment.I will not be back in town soon. I dont mind adding an extra twenty dollars so you can keep it in my favor,Please send me some pictures.I hope it is in good condition.Reply with your full name,cell phone number,and address where payment should be sent.I will let you know how i intend to go about the pick-up.Please take the posting off craigslist today and consider it sold to me.
Expecting to hear from you soon.
Gary. "

If they are offering to send me a money order, doesn't that mean that it's legit? Wouldn't they offer to send a cashier's check if they were scamming me?

What do you guys think?

I say scam, reverse positions would you buy a car like that?

identity theft...

Creepy.

Scam, stay away.

scam

- it's generic, like it's being sent multiple times.
- $20 over? Fishy.
- "I hope it is in good condition." Right...

Try putting in your ad that you'll only reply to responses that include a phone number.

If he has the money to buy the money order then why doesn't he just pay cash?

Tell him this:

When he picks up the car, he can pay cash or certified cashier's check.

Tell him also that if you are able to sell the car prior to him showing up for it, you are under no obligation to him, since no deposit was given.

Not negociating, and then offering $20 on top of the deal "to stay in your favor" is pretty fishy to me...

-Z-man.

I sent an email saying that I would prefer to do the transaction in person, with cash. We'll see how that effects the situation.

you won't hear from him again.

There are way too many scams involving any kind of check to do anything except cash or direct wire.

Cashier's Check Fraud - How to Spot Cashier's Check Fraud - Examples of Scams
snopes.com: Cashier Check Scam
Counterfeit Money Orders

There is no "him" to tell. It's an automated CL scam response from Nigeria, (most likely), fishing for personal ID info. Nothing more or less. Generic responses on for sale items on CL are 100% scams. It even says so on the top of every CL page that you ever open. No legit seller has ever responded to a car ad like this, ever, in the history of man.

CL is still great if you don't mind the predictable scam emails. The good news is that they are laughably easy to spot once you know the drill, I delete them w/o even opening them now. I can tell from the subject line and the fake, supposedly American-sounding name in the address line.

Do not ever, under any circumstances supply some stranger w/ any personal info like this email is requesting. And on CL, anything other than a live human being willing to talk on phone and come to your location w/ cash is a scam, period. :cool:

No real buyer says "I'll take it!" and then says "I hope it's in good condition".

Real buyers verify the condition before making an offer. You do NOT have a buyer until somebody shows up to look at it.