I just got this e-mail today and though you guys might like to read it.. Sounds like all the scams I have seen on selling cars overseas. This is the second interested overseas buyer for my 914-6.




Hello,
I read your message with great sense of understanding.

The price is okay by me,I will go ahead and Instruct a personal client in the states to issue you a certified cashier check or money order which would cover all expenses for it. It is most likely you would get it sometime next week or even sooner.

He will be issueing you a cashiers check or money order to the tune of $16,900 The reason being that after you deduct your $11000 and other expenses emanating from all forms of charges.

The rest could be wired by you to an international shipping agent via western union money transfer,who will be communicated to you in due time.

He will help in the shipping of the item to my location I would want it to be packaged and delivered in the safest and most proffesional way.

The shipper is likely to be reluctant to pick it up until he is mobilised, i.e the balance wired to him is his fees for his services,tranportation to and fro,clearing and all other ch arges involved in this transaction okay.

He would be advised to come to your house or the location that you give me for him to pick it up as soon as he is mobilized by the funds you send to him.

Also before I forget send me your full name and contact address as should appear on the check or money order and to Take where it is going to be sent to and for shippers pick up point, and also your phone number so I can always contact you on to monitor proceeding of things.please do get back as soon as possible.

Best Regard

H----- N------ (Name has been removed)


Cheers

well, you could always tell him you'll ship the car "when the check clears" (if...)

S C A M ! ! !

Don't even try to deposit the check.. most likely your bank will charge YOU for depositing a FAKE check- and they'll charge you REAL money.

Why is this a scam? I'm lost

You deposit fake cashiers check in your bank.. then withdraw the "extra" and wire transfer it to their "shipper" (wire transfers are irreversable). 2 weeks later, the bank says the cashiers check was fake, but you already sent the real money to the scammer. Really common scam on online classifieds.

OK i get it. So how is shipping normally handled? Or how would payment be arranged to not be a scam?

I love these guys.

Make the seller handle the shipping in it's entirety. The shipper works for the buyer, not you. The buyer should be paying the shipper.

Patterns I have noticed in scams, beyond the scam itself:

1. They start out stating that they are ok with your price
2. They try to convince you that everything will be ok and go smoothly
3. Bad english
4. Ordinary sounding names, sometimes using common last names as first, and vice versa
5. Emails are sent from free web based email services

I even had one guy try to go through ebay - set up a new account and listed the car on ebay (user had zero feedback) under the premise I'd think it was safer that way. These people are creative and pretty much out of reach from our law.

Caveat Emptor!

If he is willing to use wells fargo to take the money, have him send it that way too...

Or that green foldy paper stuff works too, have his "agent" bring you that

BJH

This is a SCAM in the biggest way! Just read my thread that is nailed on the classifieds board. Sounds like the same group that contacted me for my wheels!

--Jason

I should play along and have him send the MO to me so I can see what one of these fake MO looks like.

Maybe I should call Dateline or the local news and see if they want to do a news spot

will you guys ever learn ????

the check WILL clear, then you send your stuff and about 2 weeks later the bank will come back to tell you the check was no good.
they take their money back and you're out the parts. plus the hefty fees your bank will charge you ...

SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM

what makes you think they ever come collect the car?
they're not interested in your car or parts, they just want you to wire them the "extra" from the bogus check they send you and that's it...

Looks legit to me, I say go for it.
It'll all work out unless you have some bad karma lurking in the shadows.

Kerry,

I received the exact same letter several months ago. Different name, same verbage....

Tell him the demand has been so high for your car car it's now selling at $30k see what he has to say..

Say that you are kidding !!!!

No bad Karma here Earl, but no thanks

This comes up about every month now, huh? Do a search for "Harry Paratestis" to see the last thread about this

Same words, same verbage, if you tell him you want $5k more for havien to do the work they will say ok.

He'll just print another fake money order for 38K.
There is no way to see if a money order is good (you can do that with a check). Most international transactions are done with wire transfers (bank to bank) - that's the way I use to do it. The euro guys really aren't into credit cards the way we are.

This is a very, very old scam. Who in their right mind would buy a money order for 5K over, pay the extra fees, then ask you to send the extra back to them on faith....

jeeze louise.
whata buncha skeptics,

you just wait ill i drive up in the NAUTILIS. I've already sent my money to the "verified recepter." I can't wait. The "verified shipper" should bring it "in due haste", just like the email said.

May I suggest that as a "dog days" project we have a little fun with this scammer. I'd like to see if we can get him to pay for FEDEXing the remaining payment to him. Hey Kerry, why don't you send him this to see what happens:

Dear Sir or Madam:

With greatest urgency and pleasure I read your recent inquiry about my dear car. This car belonged to grandfather who died at wheel and passed down to father who also died and now to me. I wished to give my son so I wont die but he wont take it. I am afraid of it to. You have relieved a terrible burden sir or madam and I need a apartment since I am now living in my car! It is beautiful still even faster than fathers. Since I am new to this country and this is the first time I sold a car here you can help. These Americans are confusing and beguiling that leave me unsatisfied so I like to sell my car to you. Your trust in me to handle large amount of money (american dollars I hope) leaves me with taut. Help me to make all this true! I have questions? When can you send the money? I swear I will take good care and return the right amount to you fast!! Who will truck the car to you? How do I contact trucker!? How do I return the unused money I swear on my grandfathers cock I will quickly to you? You can send the check (a irrevocable money order I hope) to Enrique Manana. My address is in change now and I am in my car and don't want to die! What should I use for address to get the check? Please tell me what to do and you can have the car so i can have a bed. Thank you for everything you have done. Enrique.

Totally, and the only reason this works at all is because the idiotic way the banks and government make this work. For instance, there's some law that says banks have to deposit the moola a check was written for into your account within 48 hours, and that’s the way it happens.

So, you deposit this check, and the day after your balance says you have all this cash, but it's not really even cleared; and clearing can take up to 10 days! So, assuming you have a thousand bucks in your account, and they want you to send $8 grand back, you'll have over drafted your account by $7 grand in an instant, not only robbing you of cash, but also screwing your credit.

You'd think that in this day and age of technology and other crap that the validity of a cashier's check from any bank in the world could be determined in a few short moments... But no!

Kerry: PLEASE STAY AWAY. THIS IS A EXAMPLE OF THE CLASSIC NIGERIAN SCAM. Dave