Possible scam? (Used car check)

I'm helping a buddy sell his JEEP. Im texting back and forth with a guy. Seem serious. I get this this morning. 

The check part scares me. I'm going to call the number on the letter. From a different phone. If it's a fake, they won't recognize the number. If it is legit, would you trust it? I can understand not wanting to travel with a pile of cash. What about meeting at my bank on Monday and have them confirm it?

Cash only? Any way you'd trust a check?

No

Nope.   Cash 

What's wroing with cash?

Yeah... no. It would be easier for them to get a cashier's check from the bank than to get that letter.

Nope. Real banks don't write letters like that, they issue a cashier's check.

Don't call the number on the letter, look up the number for the bank instead. It could be legit, but they can also do a wire/certified check instead of this letter if it is legit. Quick google shows she's a real employee. 
 

I have seen small banks write letters like that, but they usually have an amount and last 4 of the account number. 

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, too. At the least, a wire transfer.  I'll eat the $20-30 to make it happen. 

Tell them you will be happy to meet them at Clinton National Bank and accept their cash. 
 

(assuming it is local enough)

Tough call.  On the one hand, there is still a % of the population trying to do business as if the internet doesn't exist.  People with good intentions, that are either unaware or stuck in their ways.  And the person signing the letter appears to be a real person at a real bank:

https://www.clintonnational.com/about/our-team

So I can appreciate someone putting in the effort in a legitimate deal.  That being said, the risk is too great.  I have been paid for cars 1 of 2 ways recently.  1.) We go to your bank together and I watch you withdraw cash and hand it to me, or 2.) we go to your bank and I watch you pull a cashiers check and hand it to me.  I much prefer method #1, but have used #2 when the $$ amounts are high and I don't want to drive across town with that much money on me. 

Tell them to cash the check themselves and bring you the money. And get a forgery check pen just in case.

Different state. 130 miles away. 

I replied with this. I think it's fair. 

You'd think the bank would know how to spell their customer's first name correctly.

(Although to be fair, if they put a typo in their system, it may be hard to get it out!)

MadScientistMatt said:

You'd think the bank would know how to spell their customer's first name correctly.

(Although to be fair, if they put a typo in their system, it may be hard to get it out!)

Not a typo, just an odd spelling of the name. Quick google search shows she's a massage therapist. I bet she's tired of spelling her name to people..

Yeah, in this day and age, I think it's totally fine to request cash or certified funds. 

FYI be careful with cash. The last car I bought the seller called me a couple hours later from his ban(a different branch of my bank). One of the $100 bills I'd withdrawn that morning was counterfeit(unless the seller was trying to scam me, which I don't think he was). 
 

I was shocked to discover that I was simply out $100. The bank wouldn't reimburse me even though I withdrew it that morning from a different branch & still had the receipt to prove it. 
 

So regardless of whether you're paying in cash, or getting paid, I'd either meet at a bank & ask them to check all the bills, or just buy one of the pens & do it yourself. 

In another life, I managed a bank branch. 

Besides what has been raised already, what screams out at me is that the loan officer didn't actually sign this 'Line of Credit'.  Seriously?  If I wrote a letter to support a customer I *never* would have stamped / printed my signature.  Besides that, it would take me about 10 minutes to duplicate this letter for almost any bank you could name.

Wire transfer or cashiers check all the way.  Even if this is real, what recourse do you actually have against this 'loan officer' if the check bounces?  If the buyer's personal banker really wants to support her customer, all she has to do is waive the wire transfer fee.

That letter is not even signed by a real person.  That is the script font in MS word.  I could make you a letter better than that is 5 min.

OK here you go.

I timed it.  It took me 5 min to make that letter.

The letter is a scam.  No one with a bank title of Loan Officer is getting involved with a $3,400 transaction 

John Welsh said:

The letter is a scam.  No one with a bank title of Loan Officer is getting involved with a $3,400 transaction 

Agreed, when originally posted, I thought it was for a more expensive car and there was a chance it was a small bank. At $3400? Not legit. 

Steve_Jones said:

John Welsh said:

The letter is a scam.  No one with a bank title of Loan Officer is getting involved with a $3,400 transaction 

Agreed, when originally posted, I thought it was for a more expensive car and there was a chance it was a small bank. At $3400? Not legit. 

+1.  $3400 is cash in hand money.  With a counterfeit pen to check, as was mentioned above. 

Wait, it's only $3400?!?! 

Block the number and move on. Even if it's not a scam (it is), then the potential buyer is incompetent/shady enough that you won't be able to complete the transaction anyway.

There were one or two possible explanations for this sort of thing if it was $34,000. There are zero for $3400. 

Texted the reply I said I would. Nothing replied back. Well see, but I ain't holding my breath.