How does this scam work?
Discussion
I am selling a Cerbera and somebody contacted me asking for more details. I assumed it was a scam as they wanted to buy the car and export it to cyprus....yes - here we go. I have had a few emails back and fourth to see where it goes - then had one asking for the V5 so it can be insured/imported. This is where I thought OK, I'm not sending V5 copies to people who email me out the blue. So I asked for id and a deposit. The person has emailed back saying they are happy to transfer £500 to me as a deposit if I send my bank details and they could they have a copy of the v5 for the insurance.
But, it sounds too dodgy to me still so I don't think I will be sending my bank details. But is sending a copy of the v5 an issue - how about if I send a scan in b&w with a watermarked "COPY" printed clearly across it?
Looking at this from the other side you do need a copy of a v5 to insure a car in foreign countries and when purchasing cars I have asked people in the past to send me a copy of the v5 to prove they own the car.
I know the standard answer from people will be it is a scam run a mile but about 4 years ago I sold a very nice black patrol 4x4 on ebay. In the closing 10 seconds somebody who I had not spoken to or had not bid before outbid everyone and the auction closed at nearly £13,000. By the next day I had no contact and I was about to offer it to the second place bidder when I had a phone call. It was very crackly and the person spoke very little English. They were trying to arrange when they could collect the car but I was already suspicious as they were clearly African and not in the UK. I decided to play along and it started sounding like the biggest scam ever - they even did the whole "I will send somebody to collect and ship the car back" line so I played along with that and guess what. Two days later I was shocked to see three African chaps who spoke little/no English meet me in my local Barclays - paid nearly £13,000 cash into my bank and took the car. Everyone I spoke to about that sale told me it was a scam - I even said it was a scam and that is why I arranged to meet the buyers in my local Barclays and refused to give them my home address or any bank details. But it was legit - turns out the buyer was a game reserve owner and wanted something smarter than the land rovers his workers use to drive around in. Due to import tax big 4x4s are about half of the price in England than Africa so they just buy a few, put them in a container and ship them home apparently.
But, it sounds too dodgy to me still so I don't think I will be sending my bank details. But is sending a copy of the v5 an issue - how about if I send a scan in b&w with a watermarked "COPY" printed clearly across it?
Looking at this from the other side you do need a copy of a v5 to insure a car in foreign countries and when purchasing cars I have asked people in the past to send me a copy of the v5 to prove they own the car.
I know the standard answer from people will be it is a scam run a mile but about 4 years ago I sold a very nice black patrol 4x4 on ebay. In the closing 10 seconds somebody who I had not spoken to or had not bid before outbid everyone and the auction closed at nearly £13,000. By the next day I had no contact and I was about to offer it to the second place bidder when I had a phone call. It was very crackly and the person spoke very little English. They were trying to arrange when they could collect the car but I was already suspicious as they were clearly African and not in the UK. I decided to play along and it started sounding like the biggest scam ever - they even did the whole "I will send somebody to collect and ship the car back" line so I played along with that and guess what. Two days later I was shocked to see three African chaps who spoke little/no English meet me in my local Barclays - paid nearly £13,000 cash into my bank and took the car. Everyone I spoke to about that sale told me it was a scam - I even said it was a scam and that is why I arranged to meet the buyers in my local Barclays and refused to give them my home address or any bank details. But it was legit - turns out the buyer was a game reserve owner and wanted something smarter than the land rovers his workers use to drive around in. Due to import tax big 4x4s are about half of the price in England than Africa so they just buy a few, put them in a container and ship them home apparently.
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