shipping scam

[oli_quick]

Just a little note to any more innocent people out there. I have recently been approached by a buyer who wanted to buy my car for the full asking price - "for his wife's 4th birthday" ?

Basically he then went on to say he would be putting more than the asking price into my bank account as he would like me to pay the shipping fee (up to Scotland)...

A little google search resulted in a lovely scam realisation....and the sound advice "if something looks to good to be true...it probably is"


Selling your car is becoming more and more about avoiding unscrupulous money makers than avoiding 'test pilots'...

[Buffoon]

I had one of the more common E-Bay scams.

Seller claimed to have moved abroad, and wanted me to put money in 'Safe Harour' which no longer exists on E-Bay, as it has been replaced by escrow. They even sent me a photo of VIN plate so I could varify with HPI.

It was too good to be true, the eventual link I received fro 'E-Bay' was fake to a blind man, and I never heard from them again, but there must be some unwitting folk out there for them to go to the bother.

Incidentally, I tried to supply details to the DVLA, it case it was a clone, in the hope they would contact real owners. They scratched they heads, put me on hold, and suggested I wrote to them..... Police could do nothing as a crime had yet to be committed....

I felt like contacting to con(wo)man and wishing them good luck on their next venture

[RUSSELLM]

One of the oldest one's I'm afraid Oli.

Is it Nigerian 631...? 0r something like that.

"I will send you a cheque with an extra £5000, I owe my freind £4000, will you send that to them by "American transfer" and keep a thousand for yourself."

Blah blah blah,

[hugepiece]

I find these people a real annoyance too. The sad thing is every time I get an obviously foreign enquiry Itend to assume its fake, shame really as I am sure most people are genuine. My dad just had a wierd contact thru ebay for the bike he sold. I responded and was quite blunt assuming it was a scan (and almost rude) but sure enough the guy showed up as promised and gave cash, no problems at all!

[Phil_edge]

Was on "The Real Hustle" a week or two back as well which might explain the recent reoccurance...

There whole thing hinges on

a) the time it takes for a cheque to cancel : in the case of a face to face deal

or

b) the disparity in the international banking systems : the usual eBay scam.

As you said - just steer clear of getting involved anywhere beyond reporting them the the appropriate authority.

[AL 123]

This persons name wasn't Moray or Kes by any chance??

[Scrooloose]

I've got someone doing something similar regarding the bike i'm selling in the classifieds..... Will only pay by cheque and wants me to ship to Dublin.....

[AL 123]

I've just been ripped off for a TVR Cerbera, don't part with any vehicles or cash if anything looks dodgy, just buy & sell face to face at the sellers house.

[Buffoon]

AL 123 said:

I've just been ripped off for a TVR Cerbera, don't part with any vehicles or cash if anything looks dodgy, just buy & sell face to face at the sellers house.

Scotland is a big place, so you could be barking up the wrong tree, but then again it has not featured in scams as much as the Continent i.e. Hungary and of course Nigerian scams.

Don't give up your fight for justice Al. There's a lot of them out there, but you will be a hero on PH if you get a scammer convicted.

[AL 123]

I'll keep the flag flying, i'm bitter as a lemon at the moment if i must admit it.

It was just Moray mentioned to me he'd been involved in a scam for a land rover before..... but now i am just clutching at fraudulent straws at the moment