Off Topic...Could this be a scam artist?

[5literstang]

ok my 95 GT is for sale and i have put it on many different sites to sell it quick, about a 2 months after puttin it on ponytrader.com, i get this email

Hello ,


Good day,how are you and the family? I came across your advert ad in the www.ponytrader.com on the Internet and i'm interested in buying.

My name is Kevin Benjamin and i'm based in the U.K.Is the car still available for sale?.

I will like to have an update and pictures of the car, i'm willing to pay $XXXX for it.

I await your reply if my offer is accepted.

Regards,

Kevin.

i just posted $XXXX to see if i can get it but was not thinking of gettin that. right now i am asking $XXXX or b/o. i'm thinking "this guy must want my car" so i emailed him telling him a little about the car. then i get this email...

Hello Jeff,

Thanks for your response and the pictures.I will want you to furnish me with your full names and mailing address in which i will send you a cashier's check, i need the car and i will want to expedite the action as regards the transaction.

I learnt from my bank here in U.K (United Kingdom) that checks drawn from here takes 30 working days to clear in the States.I have contacted an associate in the States long before now and made me understand that he will send the funds to you on my behalf when the time comes.We had a business dealings some time ago and the money is forth coming.I want to use the funds in buying the Car.

If this is okay by you, i'll await the names and address pls let it include your telephone # for easy communication.

I await your reply in this regard.

Best wishes.....

Kevin.

i don't know what this guy is talking about...he hasn't even seen the car and he wants to write a check for it. the guy has never even seen any pictures of the car either...it just seems wierd that someone who hasn't even seen pics of the car and wants to buy it. i ithnk the whole thing is but if it isn't i'll sell it to him for $XXXX

 

[HtownGT]

damn crazy british. i thik he has had one to many crumpets with his tea. **** if the offer is legit i say go for it, maybe get your bank and his to work somethign out. also is that USD or British Pounds, i figure its USD, but if not damn!

 

[1105]

Get the money first then give him your car. If everything works out then you got yourself a nice deal.

 

[5literstang]

yea gettin 7500 would be nice....

 

[GTPhreak]

scam. search around and you will find the info on it

 

[Car Nut]

That looks very suspicious. I've seen lots of scams and this one seems quite familiar.

If you really want to proceed with this, though, ask the guy to have his friend come see the car. Ask how it's going to be shipped to the U.K.

I would expect that you will probably receive a check (a bogus one) and that someone will come to drop it off and take your car. I also would expect that the buyer is actually the "friend" who is receiving the car.

30 days to process sounds like BS too.

 

[5literstang]

i am goin to talk to the guy and tell him that he can have the car when i have 7500 cash in my hand if not i'm goin to tell him to f**k off

 

[Numbles]

Its a scam, I remember this exact situation was in a thread in the 5.0 talk forum a couple of months ago. The check will most definately bounce. If he is legit, then tell him you want cash like you said. $7500 would be sweet.

 

[Jerry Leaming]

I agree sounds like a scam.....Get the cash in hand before you give up the keys or sign any paperwork.

 

[5literstang]

i can't wait to talk to this guy....

 

[RIO5.0]

Yup...Sounds like that same scam that was posted 6 months ago or so..When i seen the part on the cashiers check, a bell went off....Jerk him around some...Thats whats he's gonna do to you...

 

[viperos]

sounds a little weird... I don't even understand what the guy is talking about! he used like 5 times as many words as he had to... plus way too many "await" and other "proper" words like that...

-but to tell you the truth... there are people out there who are looking for a specific car, and if they find it, they want it no matter what, even if they are out of the country, they will even buy it sight-unseen... so, I say, be very cautious, but it could be legit... good luck

 

[shallchr]

Yep it's a scam. I have seen it on other forums and is the exact same offer. Do a search and you will find some interesting threads on this.

 

[viperos]

I say, you could play it safe... offer to meet w/ this associate of his... bring a cop w/ you though (like a friend...)

 

[DaveL]

It's probably a scam. When a deal seems too good in most cases it's a scam. How many people do you know that will buy a used car without seeing pics or even negotiating for a lower price. If he really does want it bad ask him to wire you the money.

 

[pleasehelp]

Don't bother with this guy, it's a scam. I posted my 93 Probe GT on autotrader last year and I got about four different people from Europe and one from South Africa that were interested in the car. Who the hell wants to spend the money to buy and ship a Probe with 122,000 over seas??? One guy from Europe wanted my name, address and get this....my bank account number so he can just transfer the money to it .

If that doesn't convince you it's a scam get this; My friend from work was trying to sell his motocross bike online (shortly after I tried to sell my car) and he too got some jerk from over seas that was "interested" in it. Well my friend was in the same boat you are in. My friend got the person to send him a cashiers check and when it arrived my friend went to his bank to see if it was real and they told him it was fake! They also told him if he had tried to cash it they would have had the police arrested him(my friend not the guy from Europe) for it being fake.

I say don't bother from any offers you get from over seas. Try to sell it locally if possible. Good luck.

 

[Zero Signal]

I remember reading ALL about this scam, I'm suprised it's still going around with the publicity it had last year. Some people got ripped big time over it. You should have the intuition to just skim over something like that, laugh, then dump it.

 

[95snoozer]

thast a common scam for certain. the guy is in america whoever he is and he is using all alias accounts.

if you were a computer badass, you could trace it all the way back to him somehow.
I saw someone do it once over a bike for sale, and he got the guys home adress, sent his big marine friend to go knock on his door. It turned out to be a 14 y/o kid and he had a talk with his parents. the kid broke down crying and admitted to everything.

 

[myeleanor]

it could be a scam or legit but who in there right mind is gonna give up a car by just receiving a check from over sea's.
if its legit tell him youll realease the car once you have cold hard cash in your hands, and money from a bank (a uk to us bank) transaction only that way you know you dont have counterfit money

 

[Pokageek]

I think its a scam. Especially the part about his tied up granny.