- Be aware of scams that are becoming widespread in targeting auto
sellers and buyers on the internet. Often these involve buyers or
sellers from Nigeria, Africa, Holland and other countries.
These scam artists prey on their victims by making offers that someone
just can't refuse. They offer to purchase items at a price at or well
over what the seller is asking for. They will send a fake money order
or fake bank cashier's check that may LOOK like it is being drawn from
a reputable large company such as an airline or credit card company for
an even larger amount is sent as payment for the item. THE CHECK IS NOT
LEGIT!! You are then usually asked to refund part of the OVER-PAYMENT
to another person they owe money to for some other transaction or
service, or to refund the money back to them once the total price for
the item is calculated.
This OVER-PAYMENT amount that is sent to another individual or back to
the ”buyer” is cashed BEFORE a seller will realize they have been
scammed. The bank will withdraw the amount of the bad check or money
order from the seller’s bank account when it is returned unpaid. So,
not only will the merchandise sold be lost, the funds sent to the
"buyer" will be taken from your pocket!!
Many people have reported to me that they actually received these bad
money orders from ads they ran on popular web auto selling locations
like AutoTrader.com, autos.Yahoo.com, antiquecar.com, craigslist.com or
eBayMotors.com. Fortunately, these sellers suspected something was
quite wrong, and waited to see if the payment cleared the bank. In ALL
cases - THE PAYMENT DOES NOT CLEAR, but it gave the scam artists time
to disappear, develop a new online identities and get new eMail
addresses. It is very difficult to catch these people.
These scam artists apparently send out thousands of these solicitations
in hopes of connecting with a less Internet savvy individual. Often the
letters are written in broken English, contain misspelled words and are
not appropriate for the ad they are responding to. They always offer
far more for the purchase than the stated price.
NEVER REFUND an amount from a payment made in this manner for any
reason! BE SUSPICIOUS of offers of more money than asked for,
especially when the "buyer" has not asked enough questions regarding
the item to warrant such an offer. GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING, including
all contact information and details of your agreement. DON'T BE
PRESSURED into a quick sale and delivery of any item FOR ANY REASON,
especially if the funds for payment are not in possession.
Here is a new auto scam that has just been brought to my attention...
So far, it has been found on carsdirect.com, autotrader.com,
Autos.Yahoo.com, craigslist.com, Trade Exress magazine and web site,
but look for it everywhere once these scammers pass the word. Now the
scammers have taken to "POSTING FAKE AUTO ADS" on the internet. When
you answer their ad asking for questions or information about their
auto, they will first give you a fake story why their auto is in the
USA and they are in another country. Then tell you they didn't bring
the auto to their country because the auto's steering wheel is on the
left side, and so it's difficult driving it around in their country.
Next, I will use CarsDirect.com for an example, they will tell you the
car is now located at the CarsDirect warehouse in Denver, Colorado. The
car will be shipped and insured by CarsDirect. CarsDirect will act as
their 3rd party for the transaction, but you will not have to pay
additional taxes for their involvement. Then they tell you to be able
to receive or pick up the car you'll have to make a $3,000.00 deposit.
After you inspect the car if anything seems wrong you'll be able to
receive a refund from CarsDirect.com. Lastly they ask for your info to
make it sound legit.
Once you bite, you then received an OFFICIAL LOOKING email appearing to
come from the web site where the ad was posted saying something like
this: The vehicle is at CarsDirect warehouse in Denver, Colorado. The
car was inspected and insured by CarsDirect. You will be allowed to buy
or inspect the car when the payment of USD $3,000.00 refundable is
deposited by Western Union Wire Transfer and will be made out in the
name of seller "whoever is doing the scam". When the wire transfer is
completed you will have to send us the transfer details for validating
the shipping. The transfer details become confidential and we will
release it only when the car arrives and you are fully satisfied with
it. The car will be shipped in just 3 business days from the day after
we receive the payment confirmation from you. If the car does not
correspond to your expectations and seller description, a Carsdirect
team will come to pick-up the vehicle within 5 business days, offering
you a full refund for the deposit. Next they send you exact details on
how and where to send the money overseas.
To show you how hard their pushing this scam, the reader who made me
aware of this scam, ask for info on another vehicle located on
carsdirect. and received the exact same FORM letter from that owner
who had a different email address. READ THE NEW SCAM FORM LETTER HERE
The best protection is to use common sense - if it sounds too good to
be true, it probably is.
If at this point you can use a good laugh, check out this eMail I
received from a reader who did a little "Reverse Scamming" himself.
View his story "
MY PROMISE TO YOU: If you ever receive a letter like one of these from
someone's ad at my wed site, please inform me immediately and their ad
will promptly be removed once confirmed. It just burns me up when these
people make a mockery of a hobby/sport that so many enthusiasts like
myself enjoy.
PS - Remember, there are still some good people who do ship cars
overseas. Here is a eMail I received from one of the people who had an
ad posted at my web site. If your caught up in the middle of an auto
scam,
the following links may be able to help you.
The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) is a partnership
between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
US Federal Trade Commission Consumer Complaint Form:
In Canada: contact the Royal Canadian Mounted Police:
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - Internet Fraud:
How to Avoid Internet Investment Scams ..Please vote Yes if this Guide was Helpfull Thanks ..
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