Please tell me this isn't a scam

JThw8 wrote: Just one more indication its a scam. They tell you its covered by eBay even when its not an ebay auction. He is proposing using an eBay escrow service which doesnt exist. They will set up a pretty convincing fake website to collect your money through the "escrow service" and your money and the website will both disappear. This is a scam pure and simple, there's no way you are getting the car unfortunately. If you insist upon paying for the car directly at the shippers they will break off contact.

That's pretty much what has happened.

I forced the issue on the Ebay link and on the VIN. Also insisted on more info as to where it is stored.

He told me he'd give me more info if I was OK with his terms.

I told him his terms would be easier to handle if he'd answer any of my questions.

Haven't heard from him since.

His CL ad hasn't been pulled yet.

If he gives me an address and a VIN, I'll be in TN before sunset.

I doubt I'm going anywhere.

I got a bunch of scam replies when I had my 323 GTX listed. The best one was when the guy accepted my "re-evaluation" of my $900 car to be really worth $10,000. I had him send the money order to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington.

NYG95GA wrote: ...Or tell him you'll trade it for a slightly used Yugo..

You are too honest and kind of a man to mess with someone for sport, but it would be so much funnier of you did this, and posted the results here.

I actually WOULD make that trade...

...so WHY would I post it here, knowing it would make all of you CRY?

Keith wrote: I got a bunch of scam replies when I had my 323 GTX listed. The best one was when the guy accepted my "re-evaluation" of my $900 car to be really worth $10,000. I had him send the money order to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington.

Well, they do need the money out there .

I can't believe that after reading PART of this ad you didn't just move on. This is a collosal(sp?) SCAM. What more does he need to do, tell you if he sends a check you can use part of the money towards the car and the rest you can keep? Or, how about I just moved to the U.K. from Nigeria.

There are at least 4 or 5 red flags in this ad. Why encourage this type of junk?

Keith wrote: I got a bunch of scam replies when I had my 323 GTX listed. The best one was when the guy accepted my "re-evaluation" of my $900 car to be really worth $10,000. I had him send the money order to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington.

But you accidentally sent it to 1060 W. Addison, Chicago, IL.

integraguy wrote: I can't believe that after reading PART of this ad you didn't just move on. This is a collosal(sp?) SCAM. What more does he need to do, tell you if he sends a check you can use part of the money towards the car and the rest you can keep? Or, how about I just moved to the U.K. from Nigeria. There are at least 4 or 5 red flags in this ad. Why encourage this type of junk?

I never shared the ad.

It looked much more reasonable.

I only shared the responses.

I'm a big boy, perfectly capable of making good decisions. I asked for assistance. Your input is not very helpful. The cut down "better than thou" attitude isn't necessary. Why encourage THAT kind of junk?

There is no car.

Here's how you can prove to yourself that it's a scam. Send a gibberish email (fro another email address). You will get the exact same response. It's a bot replying to the emails.

I agree with everyone else. This is a scam. OTOH, NYG95GA's right. :

http://www.419eater.com/

Every moment you spend making the scammer waste their time keeps them from scamming someone else. Tell the lil' so-and-so you want to inspect the car first. Tell him you have your own preferred shipping company, and ask him to split the bill for their services. Make a new "offer" from a different e-mail address, claiming to be a horny female porn star (complete with your own fake pix) who'll trade sexual favors for the car and see if he'll agreee to meet "her" at someplace in the town where his car is "stored" (and then send him a street address to a Public Housing Project in the most dangerous part of that city). Tell him you're religious, and he needs to send you a picture of himself doing some (fictional) religious ritual (like standing in a thunderstorm with a golf club held high over his head) before you can commit to the deal.

That's funny!

SVreX wrote: That's funny!

Oh, yeah. I'll admit that I'm not the best in the world at it (most of those guys at 419eaters are hard-core hackers as well), but if you have the patience, and some sort of anonymous e-mail account (I have about three on Hotmail, leftovers from before MSoft tried to turn it into a real e-mail service), you can tie up some of these little so-and-sos for quite some time. I figure that every message they send me is one less they'd send to somebody's Grandma. One of the things that breaks my heart is that there's still people popping up on our "baiter" forums looking for help reclaiming their money or begging for ways to get law enforcement involved.

OTOH, remember that some of these people are often serious criminals. African, Eastern European, Asian versions of "The Mafia". Never use any online account that can can give them any hint about where you live, what your profession is, or who your family might be. If you're gonna do this, lie through your teeth. Lie often, and lie always. Remember that you're talking to the slime of the earth. If anyone on this lil' rock of ours deserves it, they do.

That being said, I gotta go. I see in one of my e-mail accounts that Mr. Chin Wong seems to be worried that his message about how to smuggle the cash out of Hong Kong has been forwarded by an elderly American woman to Mr. "Chung Wang".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoXu6QmxpJE

"Mr. Chung" has relatives in the Hong Kong gov't (as far as that moron knows), and is threatening to have Mr. Chin arrested unless his dumb ass coughs up a lil' slice of his scam. Can't wait to see whether or not the berkeleyer will fall for it..

Appleseed wrote:

Keith wrote: I got a bunch of scam replies when I had my 323 GTX listed. The best one was when the guy accepted my "re-evaluation" of my $900 car to be really worth $10,000. I had him send the money order to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington.

But you accidentally sent it to 1060 W. Addison, Chicago, IL.

Hotlinked for your convience.

SVreX wrote: I don't mind running. What are some of the things that could go wrong in my above scenario?

you get shot in the face and relieved of your cash?

Any update on this adventure?

In reply to SVreX: I've received that exact same response 3 or 4 times when inquiring about a car that seems too good to be true. RUN, RUN, RUN.

cwh wrote: Any update on this adventure?

After I told him I would be more open to his terms if he made an attempt to answer ANY of my questions, he bolted. I never heard from him again.

Sad, sad, sad. The boy does not want to play well with others. I have played with these guys before, it is good sport, but serves no good purpose. Face to face would be more rewarding.

I guess these 419 templates are getting pretty popular. I'm seeing a lot of them. I'm not screwing with them anymore- they are starting to piss me off.

My latest response to one:

SVreX (in a pissed off mood) said: You are full of E36 M3. Ebay solutions does not operate an escrow or holding company. I will certainly not forward any money whatsoever for a product that does not exist. This activity is illegal in both the United States AND Nigeria (or wherever the hell you are). You are a scammer. I have flagged your post, and will make sure to do it every time I see anything similar. Get lost. DO NOT EMAIL ME AGAIN. You will be breaking the law.

In reply to SVreX:

Just for a laugh, a fantastic parody of "419"-style scams. I didn't write this, but wish I was talented enough to have done so...(cut n' pasted from elsewhere)

DEAR friend.

I AM PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA ONLY SURVIVOR OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF ALDERAN. I AM MOVED TO WRITE YOU THIS LETTER, IN CONFIDENCE CONSIDERING MY PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCE AND SITUATION.

I WAS FALSELY IMPRISONED UPON THE IMPERIAL BATTLE STATION "DEATHSTAR" WHEN MY PLANET WAS HIDEOUSLY DESTROYED AND ENDED BY THE VERY BAD SITH LORD VADER. I ESCAPED ALONG WITH THE AID OF BRAVE REBELS AND WOOKIES, AND AM NOW I AM LYING LOW DUE TO THE SITUATION IN THE 4TH MOON OF YAVIN TILL WHEN THINGS GETS BETTER.

I HAVE CONTROL HERE OF THE SUM OF $25, MILLION IN IMPERIAL CREDITS DEPOSITED WITH A SECURITY COMPANY FOR SAFEKEEPING ON TATOOINE. THE FUNDS WERE SHIPPED BY A COURIER SERVICE AS DIPLOMATIC ITEMS OF HIGH VALUES TO PREVENT THEM FROM KNOWING THE CONTENT. WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO friend IS TO INDICATE YOUR INTEREST THAT YOU WILL ASSIST ME BY RECEIVING THE MONEY ON OUR BEHALF FROM TATOOINE AND ASSIST IN INVESTING THIS MONEY IN ANY LUCRATIVE BUSINESS LIKE MOISTURE FARMS AND STOCK IN MULTI-PLANETARY COMPANIES AND OTHER SAFE LUCRATIVE INVESTMENT IN YOUR SECTOR.

MAY I AT THIS POINT EMPHASIZE THE HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENTIALITY, WHICH THIS BUSINESS DEMANDS, AND HOPE YOU WILL NOT BETRAY THE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE WHICH I REPOSE IN YOU.

IN CONCLUSION, IN THE EVENT YOU ARE INTERESTED TO ASSIST ME I WILL LIKE YOU TO CONTACT MY LAWYER WHO I HAVE STATIONED IN MOS EISLEY TO WITNESS THE TRANSACTION TO IT'S CONCLUSION.

YOU CAN REACH HIM ON HIS DIRECT LINE VIA MAIL (deleted).com, HIS NAME IS WATTO THE TOYDARIAN, I HAVE THE FULL TRUST IN HIM.

FINALLY, I HAVE SET ASIDE 15% OF THE TOTAL SUM OF THE FUNDS FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE, AND 5% FOR ANY EXPENSES THAT SHALL BE INCURRED DURING THIS TRANSACTION.

PLEASE BE FREE TO DISCUSS WITH MY LAWYER. I SINCERELY WILL APPRECIATE YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

HELP US, friend, YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE.

BEST REGARDS, PRINCESS L. ORGANA

SVreX wrote: DO NOT EMAIL ME AGAIN. You will be breaking the law.

Oh, well, THAT will certainly impress them!

I had a scammer want to buy my truck with the additional money for the shipping agent and remainder for me once.

Used an old email and told him it was still for sale and I would let it go for his terms but I had to have the moey order by the a certain day (Friday) because I was going out of town on business for 3 weeks. I gave him this name and address for the M/O;

M. Mouse

1 Cinderella Castle Rd

Orlando, Fl 33479

They must be busy because he didn't get back to me until the Tuesday after the day I said I had to have payment, he informed me the m/o was on the way and gave me a tracking number.

I proceeded to tell him in response, that since he hadn't sent me the money by the specified date ,I sold the truck to a neighbor that Saturday morning before I left and didn;t have it anymore.

Well, a check of his tracking number on the UPS website showed the next day air letter to "me" had an incorrect zip ( I made it up) and they were attempting to correct it. He emailed me all irate and wanted to know what to do now about his m/o and the shipping fees, I told him , you snooze, you lose.

Never heard from him again, but a check of the UPS tracking number showed they delivered it to Disneyworld.

foxtrapper wrote:

SVreX wrote: DO NOT EMAIL ME AGAIN. You will be breaking the law.

Oh, well, THAT will certainly impress them!

Ha! You DO have a point!