I posted on Craigslist (and paid the 5 bucks) a 2007 VW EOS for $4,250. Got an email from a gmail account offering to buy and pay via PayPal. Sounded sketchy. Further investigation got responses like: in the military, buying for his son, sending agent to pickup, must communicate via text or email. Seems to be a classic scam profile. I called it a scam and am dropping him like a hot potato.
I am looking for guidance or support or something.
I am listing the car in classifieds here.
Mark
The word "agent" is a classic Nigerian scam word. The word must come right out of the Nigerian scammers handbook. When was the last time you heard the word "agent" used in this manner in the US?
Just weed out the crap like this and don't bother to respond.
thats why all mine are face to face cash or eft only.
You never know for sure. We sold my dad's Ford AA truck via Craigslist and got A LOT of the same red flags from the guy who eventually bought it. What eventually allowed us to break through the seeming scamminess was when I told him the truck was "as is, where is, cash only." I told him pick up was at his discretion, and I didn't care who picked it up, but they wouldn't get the truck or the title without cash in hand and the title would be signed over to a named individual, not left "open". When that didn't scare him off, I got a little bit more comfortable with the deal and we ended up allowing him to pay for it by secured wire transaction. It turned out a lot of what made it seem "scammy" was that he was actually buying the truck for a military museum in Moscow.
That said, I tend to think our deal was the 1% of CL transcations that seem scammy but aren't in the end. Playing the odds, you probably fall within the other 99%. I sounds like you already broke off communication. My guess is they will try one more time. If so, tell them its "as is, where is, cash only" and they likely won't bother you again.
In reply to kazoospec :
What were you selling that went to a Moscow museum? My guess is it was not a 12 year old VW
In reply to John Welsh :
No, it was a Ford AA dually, 1932 IIRC. They wanted it because the Russians bought a license from Ford and built a TON of them during WWII. My point with the example is not EVERYTHING that SEEMS scammy ends up being a scam. The above is the "cliff notes" version of the deal. It really had it all: contact started with a 3:00 a.m. email from an IP address in eastern europe, an "agent" named Vladimir, third party pick up, offer of a cashier's check, etc., etc. Demanding face to face meets and cash cut through the B.S. and, eventually, led to a deal.
John Welsh said:The word "agent" is a classic Nigerian scam word. The word must come right out of the Nigerian scammers handbook. When was the last time you heard the word "agent" used in this manner in the US?
Just weed out the crap like this and don't bother to respond.
I agree. general here in the US someone who just say a 'buddy who lives local to you' is going to pick up the car or something like that, not an 'agent'
I have a prepared message for scammers that I just copy and paste. This way I don’t waste too much time or raise my blood pressure. I clearly can’t post it here due to my gentle nature and all of the restricted words.
Tell him to have his agent contact your agent and transfer the cash.....
Call the number. See who answers. Might be legitimate.
Example: I sent a text, "Is the Yukon still for sale?" to a CL ad in Chattanooga, from my Milwaukee area code. Didn't get a response for two days. Sent another text, "I realize my area code might be setting off scam warning bells, but I'm just a northern guy, looking for a southern truck that hadn't been attacked by the salt monster. Specifically looking for [year /make /model], and yours looks really good. I'm seriously interested." Within 5 minutes, I got a reply.
TL;DR, GRM pulled through, and helped me with a long distance purchase.
I have purchased multiple vehicles from out of stated through CL site unseen and had them shipped back to me. I have had to jump through some hoops in some cases to prove I’m not a scammer, but only once have had someone absolutely refuse to deal with me because I was a remote buyer.
Back in the good old days I used to sell on CL quite a bit. This could be scam or could be legit. Either way, carry it as far as it will go. I made it a game to waste as much of the scammer time as possible. I have several cashier checks made out to Hugh Jass, Heywood Jafukov, Sukon Deazbalz, etc. Childish yes but I giggle whenever I get a check with my "name" on it.
Do not accept PayPal! They can renege on the deal after they have the car. A legitimate buyer will do a bank transfer or cashiers check. Only ship the car after the issuing bank has CASHED the check. USPS is good too.
Glws
On cashier’s checks.... call the issuing bank and verify the check. It takes 10 min and will save you a ton in fees if it is bad.
That is absolutely a scam. There is no possibly it is legit.
There are unusual circumstances in car buying. That isn't one of them. Nobody who is legit won't be able to call. Nobody who is legit is sending an agent.
Thanks for all the feedback. That is what I was hoping to get from experienced people.
I broke off contact with the "buyer". There will be someone else.
I needed the reassurance I was thinking straight. As I get older my touchstones die off. My father, father-in-law, all my uncles, my old boss, etc. are all gone now.
Mark
In reply to lnlogauge :
For what it's worth, for me to call someone from Saudi Arabia is a huge pain in the butt, especially if I want to use my American phone. If I have to rely on Skype, then I am at the mercy of internet, which is sketchy on its best day.
It's probably a scam, but you never know.
Even if it's not a scam it's not worth the hassle for a $ 4,000.00 car. Someone local will come buy it. I just skip right over all suspicious emails resulting from ads I place on CL, Ebay, etc.
It is a scam. I’d bet $1,000. And if I lose, I’ll have my agent transfer $1500 via PayPal and you send me the extra.
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