Help! My for sale ad seems to have brought out the crazies
Discussion
Right, I've been struggling to sell my car (it's an RX-8, so no surprises there), so I knocked down the price a bit. The ad's here if you want to check it out:
Since I reduced the price, it seems to have brought the crazies out of the woodwork.
Got an email from someone calling themselves "Mercy Samuel", requesting my "best price" - so I knock off £50 and get a response as follows:
I set aside my prejudice that the name of this person made me think of every improbable scam email I've ever received and sent them the details (my name, telephone number and postcode were already on the ad, after all, and I'd need to give my address to any buyer). I also sent them a contract of sale for them to sign and return to try and close off the deal ASAP. This was Wednesday and I've not heard anything since.
This morning I had some more interest from a "Mr Greg Cookes", who sent me this:
Whatever the feck happened to placing an ad, someone coming along and seeing the car before handing you some cash and buggering off?
As a side note, I'm one of the many millions who have been stuffed by Sony's dodgy security, so I'm wondering of this sudden surge of interest is related at all...
I'm thinking I'll fob the second guy off for now, wait to see if this cheque turns up from "Mercy" on Tuesday, and if not then set up a fresh paypal account with fresh security details to see if this second guy is genuine, without taking any risks. Whaddya all think?
ETA
Sorry no links to ads.
Since I reduced the price, it seems to have brought the crazies out of the woodwork.
Got an email from someone calling themselves "Mercy Samuel", requesting my "best price" - so I knock off £50 and get a response as follows:
Mercy said:
Thanks your for your mail.
I have contacted my agent to pay you by cheque for the car ,the Cheque will take only 5 days to clear in your account, the Cheque will be sent to you early next week.
The following information is required to issue the cheque to you:
1, Full names
2, Full Address
3, Telephone numbers
Reply.
I have contacted my agent to pay you by cheque for the car ,the Cheque will take only 5 days to clear in your account, the Cheque will be sent to you early next week.
The following information is required to issue the cheque to you:
1, Full names
2, Full Address
3, Telephone numbers
Reply.
I set aside my prejudice that the name of this person made me think of every improbable scam email I've ever received and sent them the details (my name, telephone number and postcode were already on the ad, after all, and I'd need to give my address to any buyer). I also sent them a contract of sale for them to sign and return to try and close off the deal ASAP. This was Wednesday and I've not heard anything since.
This morning I had some more interest from a "Mr Greg Cookes", who sent me this:
Mr Cooks said:
Hello,
I am very much interested on your post AD i want to know if it is still available.
However i would want to ask some few questions:
Are you the first owner ???
How old is it ???
Can you send more pictures ???
Get back to me as soon as possible.
Regards
Mr.Greg Cooks
Now, there are nine pictures on the ad, and the other two questions are very clearly answered by the text of the ad. Still, I humoured him by repeating this and asking if there were any specific pictures he wanted. I got this response just a few minutes later (sorry for the length):I am very much interested on your post AD i want to know if it is still available.
However i would want to ask some few questions:
Are you the first owner ???
How old is it ???
Can you send more pictures ???
Get back to me as soon as possible.
Regards
Mr.Greg Cooks
Mr Cooks said:
Thanks for the quick response i really appreciate it ,i am sorry for the delay response....i will not be able to come for the check up but i am satisfied with the conditions because i read through the AD and i also want to have my fate in you that the it is in good shape as you have posted.
Okay no problem, i will be offering £4950 for the car. I am ready to buying it now for my Rev.Father and i am at sea at the moment as i am an oceanographer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it.
I really want the Vehicle to be a surprise for my Rev.Father so i wont let him know anything about the product until it gets delivered to him. i will be paying you with my paypal account, I insisted on paypal because i only have access to my paypal account online, But i can pay from my paypal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it. If my mode of payment is acceptable just send me your paypal information,so i can pay in right away. Make sure you get back to me so that i can make the payment.
I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after payments has been made, so no shipping included. And if you don't have bank account i can pay you via paypal account, it is very easy to set up, go to www.paypal.com and get it set up, after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with paypal so i can effect the payment through. have a pick up agent that will come and pick the product up after i have made the payments..
Do get back to me if you are comfortable with this arrangements.
Thanks
Mr.Greg Cooks..
So we have an oceanographer who wants to buy a garishly yellow sports car, unseen, at full asking price, for his Vicar. Even leaving aside the dodgy spelling and terminology (product...) and the slightly odd surname, this seems an unlikely circumstance. Am I being overly cynical and shooting myself in the foot, or am I correctly identifying these pungent odours as originating from something distinctly piscine?Okay no problem, i will be offering £4950 for the car. I am ready to buying it now for my Rev.Father and i am at sea at the moment as i am an oceanographer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it.
I really want the Vehicle to be a surprise for my Rev.Father so i wont let him know anything about the product until it gets delivered to him. i will be paying you with my paypal account, I insisted on paypal because i only have access to my paypal account online, But i can pay from my paypal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it. If my mode of payment is acceptable just send me your paypal information,so i can pay in right away. Make sure you get back to me so that i can make the payment.
I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after payments has been made, so no shipping included. And if you don't have bank account i can pay you via paypal account, it is very easy to set up, go to www.paypal.com and get it set up, after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with paypal so i can effect the payment through. have a pick up agent that will come and pick the product up after i have made the payments..
Do get back to me if you are comfortable with this arrangements.
Thanks
Mr.Greg Cooks..
Whatever the feck happened to placing an ad, someone coming along and seeing the car before handing you some cash and buggering off?
As a side note, I'm one of the many millions who have been stuffed by Sony's dodgy security, so I'm wondering of this sudden surge of interest is related at all...
I'm thinking I'll fob the second guy off for now, wait to see if this cheque turns up from "Mercy" on Tuesday, and if not then set up a fresh paypal account with fresh security details to see if this second guy is genuine, without taking any risks. Whaddya all think?
Edited by AlexKing on Friday 29th April 11:35
Edited by AlexKing on Friday 29th April 11:38
ETA
Sorry no links to ads.
Edited by Big Al. on Friday 29th April 12:08
Update - just had this from "Mercy":
Running around just now changing my passwords and security settings for everything I run online to make sure I'm not one of them...
Mercy said:
Thanks.
Your payment has been sent, you will receive it by early next week,
let me know when you receive it.
Have a nice weekend.
I would usually run a mile all the same, but my brother got a response similar to this to an ad he placed to sell his distinctly ropey Frontera a few years ago. The lady from the local gospel church turned up and paid full whack for the thing, which was overpriced without taking into account the serious oil leak that my brother told her about. Maybe some people are absurdly trusting and daft.Your payment has been sent, you will receive it by early next week,
let me know when you receive it.
Have a nice weekend.
Running around just now changing my passwords and security settings for everything I run online to make sure I'm not one of them...
AlexKing said:
Update - just had this from "Mercy":
Running around just now changing my passwords and security settings for everything I run online to make sure I'm not one of them...
I guarantee that Mercy's cheque will be made out for a higher value than you were expecting because the 'agent' made a mistake. Still, just pop the difference back to them, there's a good chap Mercy said:
Thanks.
Your payment has been sent, you will receive it by early next week,
let me know when you receive it.
Have a nice weekend.
I would usually run a mile all the same, but my brother got a response similar to this to an ad he placed to sell his distinctly ropey Frontera a few years ago. The lady from the local gospel church turned up and paid full whack for the thing, which was overpriced without taking into account the serious oil leak that my brother told her about. Maybe some people are absurdly trusting and daft.Your payment has been sent, you will receive it by early next week,
let me know when you receive it.
Have a nice weekend.
Running around just now changing my passwords and security settings for everything I run online to make sure I'm not one of them...
Someone more genuine sounding has also offered £4200, cash, so I don't think it's priced too badly. It's pretty much in the middle of the price range now for the rarer yellow ones on AT.
Hadn't worked out the angle on the cheque (Doh!), so thanks for that, but I'm not so daft as to give anyone anything before the cheque clears, which it's clearly unlikely to.
Hadn't worked out the angle on the cheque (Doh!), so thanks for that, but I'm not so daft as to give anyone anything before the cheque clears, which it's clearly unlikely to.
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