possible scam?
 

Has anyone seen something like this before? I'm got this email today in response to one of my adds... It looks a little 'off'. Anyway, I of course gave the guy the benefit of the doubt and responded nicely with some specific requirements i have for sales terms (i.e. cashiers check / direct bank wire). Any words of wisdom from experienced sellers out there?

Thanks in advance.
Wyatt

"HELLO,
I'M INTERESTED IN PURCHASING YOUR (89 Carrera Cabriolet) I WILL LIKE YOU TO GIVE ME THE LAST PRICE YOU ARE WILLING TO SELL IT AND I WILL LIKE YOU TO E-MAIL ME THE PIC'S AND THE PRESENT CONDITION AS OF IT NOW AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE SHIPPMENT I HAVE A SHIPPING COMPANY THAT WILL CATER FOR THE SHIPPMENT AND I WILL LIKE YOU TO KNOW THAT MY TERMS OF PAYMENT WILL BE A CERTIFIED BANK CHECK DRWAN IN U.S FUNDS..HOPING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOONEST..
BEST REAGRDS"

Certified check? Certified by whom? Collected funds only...otherwise hold on to the title. Okay?

Run ,don't walk away. This is a well known scam.

You will get an e-Mail saying that he will buy the car for your asking price. He will be willing to pay immediately via cashiers check. Unfortunately the check will be made for a few thousand more than your price. He will then want you to wire the extra funds back.

He will never ask to arrange shipment. Your bank may initially process the check and even credit the funds to your account. About 10 days after deposit the check will be returned to your bank as a fake. You now owe the bank back the money.

The buyer then has the few thousand you wired to him. They will never pickup the car. And you are out a few thousand dollars...

ok, now this is getting entertaining! here's his repsonse:

Hello Wyatt,
Thanks for your feedback.I have already seen the condition satted it in where you posted and you can send me some pic's as well.I 'm really interested to purchase your 89 Carrera Cabriolet under your humble and lordship,If i can have it.Because i wanted to purchase it for my bussiness pathner since my bussiness cherish your 89 Carrera Cabriolet .I want you to send me your bank name and bank address,account #, routing# ,so that i can forward the check directly to your accountant,i will take care of the shippment of the 89 Carrera Cabriolet,I will award the shippment contract to a worldwide shipping company and i will also like to know the present condition of the 89 Carrera Cabriolet hope the 89 Carrera Cabriolet is in condition if not kindly explain before any futher transaction continue,i will appreciate self trust and understand in this purchase, i will really appreciate your fast response and quick in this transaction.Kindly send me the payment information.E.G Your Fullname,bank name,bank address,account # and rounting #.So that i can forward the payment directly into your account immediately.I want the check to go direct to your account if the following information is provide.I look forward in you to reciprocate with good reply if you are okay with my payment mode
Thanks for your honest
Best Regards

Ooh, new variation. Trying to steal your identity too. Nasty.

Here is a link to a detailed explanation of the scam:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/carsale.asp

I've nearly quit selling on the classifieds because of this. The frst inquiry is hard to detect. I feel pretty stupid replying and getting that nonsense back. If I do want to sell something, I state Paypal only. Might be some criticism of Paypal, but that's one thing it's good for.

Sounds like they want to use YOUR BANK ACCOUNT for the new fake checks.

I always tell them to send cash.

David Duffield

That's a good idea.... Cash. small bills only. in a big fat briefcase. and i'm gonna count each dollar! ;)

Thanks for all the quick replies. Does Paypal provide protection against all variations of this type of thing?

Wyatt

"under your humble and lordship"

:D
HAHA, i love it!

Everything they asked for can be found by a clerk looking at your check. Name, address, account #, routing # its all there.

From an identity theft standpoint you are better off paying bills electronically.

I got a few of these when I was selling my car. I feel confident that it's a scam. I just ignored the emails.

Webini is 100% correct. that is EXACTLY what will happen. I just laughed my way thru this same situation with some musical equip I was selling.... just the latest variation of the Nigerian 419 scam.

I was selling a guitar for $600 and the wacko was trying to send me a check for $5500.00 !!! and wanted the balance sent back to him with my own cashiers check...yeah, riiiiight !!!:rolleyes:

The fractured "english colony" style of speach is just hilarious to me...I just LMAO now days.......

What about depositing the check and waiting for it to clear or cashing the check outright before following through with any of these terms? I mean if somebody wants to send me a check for x amount go ahead. I'm not doing anything until the check clears. As far as indentity theft regarding bank accounts, and I've had this problem, it's infuriating but the bank is always quick to recognise the problem and correct it.

It's the "until the check clears" part that usually catches people out. Apparently out-of-country checks can take weeks to completely clear. Anyway, since this is a scam, the check will bounce... even if it takes 6 weeks to bounce... you'll be stuck with the "problem".

(Someone who knows the ins and outs of banking systems can tell you exactly why this is. But rest assured, 10 days for a foreign check to clear is nothing like long enough... even if the funds appear to have been honored)

It's interesting how in scams like this, you get your money in the form of a check... but they want their money wired in a money transfer. Hmmm...


-MAS

i don't get it , in the US everybody is so accustomed to doing stuff by check, over here, checks are no longer used for anything anymore since they are just not practical : slow, unreliable and unsafe...

we take our online internet banking gizmo , and wire the money
done...
the seller sees the money in his account, and has 100% assurance that the money is his. it takes usually no longer than 4 days if the proper standardised process is used within the EU...

When I bought my 911 from a fellow pelican, I wired the money to his bank account. Oddly enough, his bank gave me his account number so that I could wire the funds directly to his account.

So here's the guy I bought the car from wondering how I got his banking information... and me just as surprised that they gave it to me. Anyway, the money was in his account before he even knew about it and his bank sent the title directly to me overnight.

It is impossible to get a cashiers cheque (called a bank draft in Canada) drawn on US funds in Canada so wire transfers are the quickest and most cost effective way to move money into the country (except for maybe Paypal or whatever).

What is happening here does seem dodgy tho.

What most people don't realize is that your account number is not private. It is on the face of every check you write.

It can take up to two weeks + for the fake check to bounce around the Fed and then come back to your bank. Rest assured the bank will want ALL of the money back, regardless of if you deposited the check or cashed it. You've tendered a worthless instrument. The bank's recourse is against the depositor - you have to go after the person who gave you the fake check.

If it did not work this way then people could make and then deposit fake checks all the time and then just walk away saying "I did not know it was fake."