A Car Sale Con - Caution

[John Hanslow]

I have told a few people that I am interested in selling my car and it they will view it at the next club event.  Those include my local Alfa Workshop, and some club members.  No adv has been placed in any way and no specific price mentioned to the local potential buyers.

I got a text with an email address confirming a gents interest in the car - I did not worry to much as my contact details are on the forum and Club Homepage.  I replied as a matter of courtesy and this is the reply:

Thanks for the swift response ...am okay with the price .. i am buying this for wife and due to the nature of my job and location...i will not be able to come for inspection,am a very busy type as i work long hours everyday,i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it.

As for the payment..i can only pay via the fastest and secure way to pay online(PayPal) here. I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment have been made ...so no shipping included and With the issue of my details,transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the courier services company agent so you don't have to worry about that.
You can now send me your PayPal email so i can pay i can pay in right away and also include your address in your reply. If you don't have a paypal account, you can easily set up ne...log   www.paypal.com.au and sign up its very easy... i would have loved to talk to you on phone but i work mainly offshore, our phone is down on the rig right now due to bad weather, that was why i sent you a text, i even wonder how my message deliver to your phone but for now we can only communicate through the same mailing channel.

What do you think ?
p.s. nothing to do with car sales website.

[philpot]

Hmmmm...the language sounds not quite right. I agree. The phrases about paypal sound too formula as well. Have read elswhere on forum where monies have been put it then taken out of paypal when parts or deals have been dodgy....

Given recent experiences I'd even be reluctant to give the 'Person' your address unless it was verbally or face to face...

You say no mention has been made of the asking price. Yet the 'Purchaser' is happy with it!

Even if 99.99 percent of all the people on the forum are above board and straight down the line, that leaves 0.01 percent that may 'not be quite right'.....Just look at the recent hack attacks that have ocurred in the past couple of months.

If it doesn't feel right...

Thanks for the heads up John.

[Barry Edmunds]

Jhn
In view of recent postings and the bad news associated with same I would not touch this contact with the proverbial 40 foot barge pole.
Too many bad news stories.
Remember the old adage: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Barry

[Rocco166]

I have recieved similar responses to an advert for my Fiat that appeared online and in the Fiat club magazine in WA, it was basically the same scenario - being overseas and not able to phone only text, dealing through a buyers agent to arrange collection and shipping (my "buyer" was in Malaysia) and using paypal, your contact seems too closely aligned to the scams that operate on all the car sales websites to be an honest enquiry - sorry ....

I did actually take on a scammer and called his bluff - but never heard back from him/her....

[aggie57]

John - definitely bogus:

http://helpcentre.carsales.com.au/scam-defence/buyer-articles/february-2010/false-paypal-payment-scam/

Alister

[John Hanslow]

Thanks for the feed back.

Unfortunate world we live in.  Sometimes those who get ripped off are those who need the money the most.

I do not know where the car will be shipped but perhaps it is a way of getting your bank account details and scamming you down the line ?

Cheers.

[Typhoon90]

Bank cheque for me these days for expensive items. If they are serious, they'll get one, it's easy. I've seen too many of these scams first hand.

Regards, Andrew.

[grpa9x]

yeah i got one of these emails, almost the same scenario only this guy who was also an oil rig worker was buying it for a present for his brother in law, same deal was to give your paypal details and he would send someone to pick it up. Almost immediately after receiving this email i received one from carsales saying not to reply as it is a scam
cheers michael

[Anthony Miller]

 John,curious how you've been contacted without having an ad placed anywhere. Scammer must be using a bot to trawl all car forums for any traffic re-selling.

[John Hanslow]

Assuming an "unknown father figure" has not left me a historic Alfa in his last Will and Testament, now I am getting this s#@t

Postmaster General Office.
Classified Diplomatic Cargo Unit
General Post and Cargo.

This is to officially notify you that we have received a cargo for Dispatch and
delivery to you under our Classified Diplomatic immunity Delivery unit From
Barclay's Bank and approved by the International Monetary fund which was tagged
CLASSIFIED INHERITANCE VALUE DELIVERY.
The serial cargo allocation Number is   902hw145

Cargo Wight                                            45 kg
Color of Cargo                                        metallic Silver Silver
trunk Box
Content of Cargo.                                   Classified Immunity
Inheritance.
Value of Content.                                    2.5 million pound
Dispatching Airport.                                Liverpool cargo harbor airport.

You are authorized by this mail to reconfirm your delivery address  to avoid
Error in delivery.

1) Full name
2) House Address
3) Phone and fax number.
4) A means of identification (Identity card or International passport) for
proper identification of the recipient.

Some email program I tell ya !!!

[Brad M]

What it will be is you are getting hit by spam to the Club alias you use ... register [at] alfaclubvic.org.au

Someone who was a using that address may have been selling a Potenziata (for example), and it is a coincidence you were thinking of selling your car.

Same old thing as discussed here http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=5692.0 ... Be careful!