Scams

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Keith 944

I am selling one of my cars on craigslist and got this today, (they seem to be getting better at it), I hate scammers!


Hello,

I got your response. Well, I have read through your ad and from what I have seen,it is priced favorably compared to others so I want you to consider it sold to me because I am ready to buy it for the asking price.I am Tech Sgt Elizabeth Lawrence currently on duty serving the country.

Presently I am out of town on duty in a remote area . We have a bad and fluctuating network here otherwise I would have called you and seal the deal on phone. At the moment, email and text messages works best for me.

Nevertheless,I am ready to seal the deal right away and pay you via my PayPal account that is attached to my bank account as it is the only secure form of payment that I have access to right now. So,kindly get back to me with your FULL
NAME,PAYPAL EMAIL ADDRESS,PHONE NUMBER so that I can initiate the payment immediately.If you don't have a paypal account, it is absolutely free to set one up, kindly visit www.paypal.com. A shipper will be hired that will come for the pick up upon the completion of the payment aspect of the transaction.Let me have the requested details to proceed with the payment if we have a deal. TY

Sincerely,

The BS is getting thicker and thicker, but it still has that "foreign" sound to it..a dead giveaway.

[Rob Petrie E395]

Even if they are deployed. They can still make phone calls when they are on a base and not out on a mission. My kid called home at least once a week during both his deployments and emailed daily when not out. Give Elisabeth your phone number, explain your concerns and ask her to call you (when she can get to a usable phone) to make sure everything is on the up and up before she does the paypal payment. If she refuses or says she cannot do that you will know its a scam. My kid bought a car while he was still in Afghanistan. That seller thought it was a scam too. Right up untill I showed up with a truck and trailer to pick it up he was trying to figure out what the scam was. LOL. Not saying this is NOT a scam but it could be legit. Once you talk to her you should have a better idea.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Rob Petrie E395

Even if they are deployed. They can still make phone calls when they are on a base and not out on a mission. My kid called home at least once a week during both his deployments and emailed daily when not out. Give Elisabeth your phone number, explain your concerns and ask her to call you (when she can get to a usable phone) to make sure everything is on the up and up before she does the paypal payment. If she refuses or says she cannot do that you will know its a scam. My kid bought a car while he was still in Afghanistan. That seller thought it was a scam too. Right up untill I showed up with a truck and trailer to pick it up he was trying to figure out what the scam was. LOL. Not saying this is NOT a scam but it could be legit. Once you talk to her you should have a better idea.

Don't give him/ her ? anything..SCAM!
Strip away the Service BS ,, it's all the same basic MO... I see it every day on C/L

[HandOverFist]

I don't understand what it is that makes you guys think scam right off the bat. So you send them your paypal email address...what do you think they are going to do with it? Truth is there is nothing they can do but send you money...Paypal has multiple safeguards in place and they are liable more so than the client in most cases. This is the reason I lost no sleep after sending my idiot scammer my paypal address. All he was able to do was send a spoof paypal email which is easily identifiable and does not involve the legit Paypal account. You will get instant email confirmation of any transaction concerning your legit account. Once you see a legitimate transfer of funds to your account there is no scam that can undo it.

[Future Super Stocker]

Hey Guys. When I first started this saga, I was concerned because the person asking about the item would not give me any shipping info or any thing about himself. The price was not negotiated either, and he did not want the item shipped, An agent of his was picking up the item. That sounded strange to me. Shipping was included in the price of the item in question. So why pay someone to pick this small item up??? (RED FLAG)

[Rob Petrie E395]

Originally Posted by Future Super Stocker

Hey Guys. When I first started this saga, I was concerned because the person asking about the item would not give me any shipping info or any thing about himself. The price was not negotiated either, and he did not want the item shipped, An agent of his was picking up the item. That sounded strange to me. Shipping was included in the price of the item in question. So why pay someone to pick this small item up??? (RED FLAG)

I would say yours is a scam by looking at it. But the one with the deployed Airman could go either way at this point. When I get done working tonite. I will try and type out the whole saga of the deal with this car my kid bought. The begining sounds alot like the one with the deployed airman. And I can assure you I am NO scammer.

[Future Super Stocker]

I hear what your saying. How in the world can we protect ourselves? I use PayPal for everything I buy, racing junk & eBay. I have never sold things using PayPal.

[63corvette]

Originally Posted by HandOverFist

Once you see a legitimate transfer of funds to your account there is no scam that can undo it.

That is not exactly TRUE.
I have two friends who have lost their parts via paypal.
When the buyer pays with a credit card picks up the parts or has them shipped then reverses the charges or says it was a stolen number on the credit card Paypal goes back to the seller and takes the payment back from the seller.
Like I said two close friends have had this happen.

Also one has had a box of rocks sent back as return of parts with paperwork showing he shipped the parts which were just rocks replacing the original parts and Paypal refunded the money to the buyer also. Another type of scam.

My first tell on a scam is when they want to send an agent to pickup parts or whatever item you are selling. I would never let that happen. Never give anything to someone's agent.

Craig's List seems to draw more scammers than any other listing.
I listed a trailer on Craig's list in three different larger cities near my location.
Exact same ad and one scammer responded with the same message in two different cities with a different name in each but the other information was exactly the same.
He must have been trying to scam to many people to even remember what he responded to.
Just My 2 Cents.
Rick Cates

[Wade_Owens]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

The BS is getting thicker and thicker, but it still has that "foreign" sound to it..a dead giveaway.

Exactly, now they're using the serviceman idea to gain more trust. It stinks just like mine did. I would'nt give them any info. They can send a bank check, have a family member do it, etc. A phone call is not hard for them to do, if you feel its legit, tell them you'll wait until they can call, then hammer out the details...you'll never get a call.
After they put the money in your account, they'll "ship" your item out of the country, then send a dispute in with Paypal for item not as described, your left without the item and no way to get it back.....

Wade

[HandOverFist]

I've sold many parts and many vehicles on ebay without problems. In the case of selling vehicles or high dollar amount items it is standard practice to require a non-refundable deposit of say $500 up front via Paypal...the balance is usually handled by cash upon pick-up or a bank to bank wire transfer. I myself have never accepted any amount over $500 via Paypal for goods.

As far as this "agent" business goes, I tend to believe it may be just a play on words. In all cases but one when I have sold motorcycles thru ebay the buyer arranged pick-up via a transport company they have hired...this after all funds are cleared and in my bank account. I have done the exact same as a buyer in these cases. On the ebay site you are at least able to determine the "quality" of whomever you are dealing with by total feedback from prior transactions...other sites you are mostly running blind.

In this latest scenario I would accept a non-refundable deposit via Paypal and instruct the buyer to provide the balance via bank to bank wire transfer. No scammer is going to work thru those restrictions and you have the funds in hand before any title/merchandise passes hands. Who cares who picks up the item once you have your money in hand? One other item to note...I always send the title via registered mail to the buyer after funds have cleared, never with the transporter or vehicle.

I think sites like Craigslist or forums serve a small purpose, but I would not use them for any high dollar amount items...sites such as ebay have so many more layers of protection for the seller and buyer alike. I suppose those other venues are fine for local use where one is able to travel to see merchandise first hand. Keep in mind there are many buyers AND sellers who are not savvy to the processes involved...don't automatically write them off as scam. It doesnt take long to filter those out using common sense.