Car sale scams

D

Dog Biscuit

Member
 Bournemouth
I've been looking around for a 3.0 Z4 around £5k over the past few weeks and there is a standard autotrader scam that prints amongst the car images an image of "only email me at this address", but there was another one that I came across that I wasn't expecting. Advertised on both Autotrader and eBay at £6k, when I contacted the seller through eBay to ask whether it had Xenons and if he was prepared to discuss a price before I traveled, he sent me this reply:

"Hi,

The total price is Ł5000 including the shipping to your address. Price reduced for quick sale, and i have decided to sell it for a lower price because i need the money.

Currently i am located in Northern part of United Kingdom, in a beautiful sea-side city called Thurso, because i just finished the divorce with my wife and i have moved here to my parents home. The payment will be made through eBay and only after you will receive the item, i will receive the payment.

It will take around 3-5 working days until you will receive the item and you will have a 3 days inspection period (so you have 3 days to change your mind and refuse or keep it). Also, I need to know if you have cash in hand because I have a lot buyers interested in the purchase and I don't have time to waste. No offense but if you really want to buy it I will stop communicating with the other interested buyers.

If you are interested in buying it please provide me your full name and address so i can initiate the deal through eBay. You must know that eBay will contact you without any obligation to buy it or fees.

I will wait your answer (if you are interested to buy) very soon.

Regards"

... I can tell you that I have not edited anything and that is how it arrived, including the "Ł5000", rather than £5000. Alarm bells ringing so contacted eBay who said it is likely to be a scam lifting from a current advert.... but the ad is still on their site. So if it's a scam, why is it still listed I ask myself?

Discuss.... :poke:

EDIT: car is advertised as being in the West Midlands!
 
Lots of this
'car in Scotland' 'I will deliver'
Scamming on eBay. Ask to view as you are in the area for work. I bet it moves again to say, Ireland or Orkney.
 
I saw one last year where the car was only about £1K cheaper than normal (£10K car) with ony a home phone number listed to call, which I did but no answer, and no answerphone.

Then 2 mins later I get a text from a mobile number asking if I called about the car etc and how they're overseas and the car is up north somewhere (was advertised as being about 50 miles away not 250 miles).....

They seemed rather stumped when I asked how they knew I'd called if they were overseas and I dialed a land-line :rofl:
 
Thurso is the most northern town in Scotland as I recall. Next stop is the sea!
Scamming git.
We enquired about a car ad a few years ago and he said the car was overseas and for a £2k deposit (taken off the final price) he would ship it to us free and he knew we would keep it as it was genuine and mint.
They must think you are stupid but makes me wonder how many people fall for these scams.
 
I've never followed how these work. Obviously there is no car that will arrive before you pay, so I'm assuming the seller starts to experience difficulties and starts asking for money up front.

If the ad is still up, who's up for some forum scammer baiting?

I reckon we could set up a scammer trapping group, a bit like those vigilantes caught that online child abuser recently.
 
I just found one while looking for a Mini All4 on autotrader, 2011 model for £9990' then in the middle of the photos is the jpg saying no questions on the web please phone as my mum does not get messages !!!!!!!!!


:lol: :lol: :lol:
 
An advert such as these has appeared repeatedly in the Pistonheads Classifieds offering a Z3M Coupe for £5K. I have lost count of the number of times Pistonheads have pulled it only for it to be re-posted a week or two later. It's very annoying as I really would like to pay only £5K for a Z3MC :D
 
I saw this same kind of scam over here in the States on Craigslist. Ebay has some postings about this scam and they don't do third party sales. Craigslist also has warnings about this scam. What was funny about this scam was that it was on the east coast, but the navigation screen was a west coast map. I also found the same craigslist ad in central Arkansas (middle of the county).
 
I agree it's hard to figure how anybody falls for it but they do. Unfortunately the fraudsters ace card is the buyers greed trying to get something for nothing. I met a guy who bought crap end of range TV's and flogged them out of a van, he got more for them if he 'implied' they were nicked! :sly2:
 
Before i purchased the Zed, i'd seen a Type R on Gumtree with a great price... too good to be true i thought. All seemed ok with the advert, details, and the way it was put together, all seemed legit, it was just the price that got my senses tingling.

I contacted the seller through Gumtree itself, and asked a couple of questions. Their reply was quite blunt, and basically asked me to contact them direct - i left well alone. Next day, i got an email from Gumtree saying the advert i'd looked at had been removed from the site because of fraudulent activity!
 
Stuart Truman said:
I've never followed how these work. Obviously there is no car that will arrive before you pay, so I'm assuming the seller starts to experience difficulties and starts asking for money up front.

If the ad is still up, who's up for some forum scammer baiting?

I reckon we could set up a scammer trapping group, a bit like those vigilantes caught that online child abuser recently.
Click to expand...

A few years back my boss was looking for a cockster for his wife, after months of looking on the web, he found one on ebay that was a few grand less than any of the others. Good nick low miles etc. Etc.

The story went, the guy selling it has moved to somewhere in Europe and has it with him, but can meet him at dover to hand him the car. I belive he had even spoke to the guy on the phone

All he asked for was £2k deposit to hold the car and pay for his ferry etc. So he didnt lose out if you didnt meet him at dover ....

He paid the £2k by paypal and then recived and email saying thanks and that he will look at ferrys for a bout 2 weeks time

My boss came into my office and told me what he had just done. And my reply was you havent??? Phone paypal now

He phoned them about an hour after paying and they said it does seem like a scam ... he never got the money back and never herd anything more about the car

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
sam1832 said:
Stuart Truman said:
I've never followed how these work. Obviously there is no car that will arrive before you pay, so I'm assuming the seller starts to experience difficulties and starts asking for money up front.

If the ad is still up, who's up for some forum scammer baiting?

I reckon we could set up a scammer trapping group, a bit like those vigilantes caught that online child abuser recently.
Click to expand...

A few years back my boss was looking for a cockster for his wife, after months of looking on the web, he found one on ebay that was a few grand less than any of the others. Good nick low miles etc. Etc.

The story went, the guy selling it has moved to somewhere in Europe and has it with him, but can meet him at dover to hand him the car. I belive he had even spoke to the guy on the phone

All he asked for was £2k deposit to hold the car and pay for his ferry etc. So he didnt lose out if you didnt meet him at dover ....

He paid the £2k by paypal and then recived and email saying thanks and that he will look at ferrys for a bout 2 weeks time

My boss came into my office and told me what he had just done. And my reply was you havent??? Phone paypal now

He phoned them about an hour after paying and they said it does seem like a scam ... he never got the money back and never herd anything more about the car

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Ouch that's a harsh lesson :cry:
 
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