I know I'm being scammed, but what do I do?
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From: Washington
I know I'm being scammed, but what do I do?
I'm helping someone sell their car, and we've been getting emails from this guy who sounds really interested. It's the whole "I'll send you this much, send me the difference" crap. Honestly, it's been played out for years now and I sure as hell am not gonna bite. Now I have the guy's email address and "name" (could be an alias), but should I lead him on or report him to someone? Any help you can give would be great. I know it's been discussed a lot but I need a definite decision on what to do. Thanks guys.
James
James
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,434
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Jim, has this guy who is sending you the E-mails actually SEEN the car or are you two just dealing with him through the Internet and E-Mail? Many prospective car buyers are quite interested until they see a car firsthand...then decide, for whatever reason, they don't want it. From the statement he made about "sending you the money and you send back the difference"..............it sounds to me like he's referring to one of two things: One, he either wants to send you some money as a deposit and you, in effect, hold the car for him until he can get the rest of your asking price (very common in private-party used-car sales) , or, two, he simply refuses to pay your full asking price and is saying, in effect....."Here's my offer.....take it or leave it" .
Here's my recommendation for you and your friend: If you think the guy is honest, wants the car, and just can't come up with all the cash right now, why not take what he sends you as a deposit, agree to hold the car for a reasonable amount of time (reasonable, of course, being agreed to between you and him). Then, if he no longer wants the car, or can't (or won't) come up with the rest of the cash, you simply refund the money and put the car back on the market.
On the other hand, if you think (as I suspect) that the guy is playing games with you, then just tell him that the car is for sale...he either wants it or not. You can show some flexibility (as is custom) on the asking price, but make it clear you are not going to give the car away. If you keep getting bogus E-Mails from him, then put a block on incoming E-Mails from that address (most E-mail systems are capable of this). If he harasses you by telephone, that clearly is illegal...and can be a Federal offense if it crosses state lines...but I don't think he will resort to this....this is just a worst case scenario.
Now....keep one thing in mind if you and him come to an agreement for you to hold the car for....you (or someone else) will need to start and drive the car at least more-or-less regularly to keep the battery charged, the engine and transmission fluids and circulating, the seals from drying up, and the tires from flat-spotting from constantly sitting in one position.
Good luck.
Here's my recommendation for you and your friend: If you think the guy is honest, wants the car, and just can't come up with all the cash right now, why not take what he sends you as a deposit, agree to hold the car for a reasonable amount of time (reasonable, of course, being agreed to between you and him). Then, if he no longer wants the car, or can't (or won't) come up with the rest of the cash, you simply refund the money and put the car back on the market.
On the other hand, if you think (as I suspect) that the guy is playing games with you, then just tell him that the car is for sale...he either wants it or not. You can show some flexibility (as is custom) on the asking price, but make it clear you are not going to give the car away. If you keep getting bogus E-Mails from him, then put a block on incoming E-Mails from that address (most E-mail systems are capable of this). If he harasses you by telephone, that clearly is illegal...and can be a Federal offense if it crosses state lines...but I don't think he will resort to this....this is just a worst case scenario.
Now....keep one thing in mind if you and him come to an agreement for you to hold the car for....you (or someone else) will need to start and drive the car at least more-or-less regularly to keep the battery charged, the engine and transmission fluids and circulating, the seals from drying up, and the tires from flat-spotting from constantly sitting in one position.
Good luck.
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From: Washington
mmarshall-
I could be wrong, but I think the whole 'send you money, send me difference' thing means he'll send an amount in excess of the asking price of the car, and then the seller would turn around and send back the 'excess', a truly common scam.
Edit:
You could try to find out some minor information about the guy, then have someone in that vicinity go and see if any of the info is accurate. Maybe leave him a minor calling card?
I could be wrong, but I think the whole 'send you money, send me difference' thing means he'll send an amount in excess of the asking price of the car, and then the seller would turn around and send back the 'excess', a truly common scam.
Edit:
You could try to find out some minor information about the guy, then have someone in that vicinity go and see if any of the info is accurate. Maybe leave him a minor calling card?
Last edited by 2ndchance; Oct 17, 2004 at 03:49 PM.
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
2ndchance...you may be right. I don't know why anyone would literally send more than the asking price and then ask for some of it back, but it DOES sound fishy to me. And if Jim (jet864) still thinks he is dealing with someone dishonest, then the obvious thing, like I said, is just to take the car off the market, block the guy's E-Mail, sell it to someone else, or report the guy if there is any evidence that laws have been broken.
If they have trouble selling it privately (or if they have to sell it quickly), there is also the possibility of a trade-in at the dealersip on a new vehicle. That is usually the quickest, easiest, and most hassle-fee way of doing it, but in most cases, on a trade, you don't get what the car is really worth.....you pay a price for that convienence.
If they have trouble selling it privately (or if they have to sell it quickly), there is also the possibility of a trade-in at the dealersip on a new vehicle. That is usually the quickest, easiest, and most hassle-fee way of doing it, but in most cases, on a trade, you don't get what the car is really worth.....you pay a price for that convienence.
Its a Scam... bonafied. No need to do anything, FBI and Secret Service are aware of it.
The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC), a cooperative effort of the FBI and the
National White Collar Crime Center, is alerting citizens to scams involving the use of counterfeit
cashier’s checks.
The scheme targets individuals that use Internet classified ads to sell merchandise.
Typically, an interested party located outside the United States contacts a seller. The seller is
told that the buyer has an associate in the United States that owes him money. As such, he will
have the associate send the seller a cashier's check for the amount owed to the buyer. This
amount will be thousands of dollars more than the price of the merchandise, and the seller is told
the excess amount will be used to pay the shipping costs associated with getting the merchandise
to his location. The seller is instructed to deposit the check, and as soon as it clears, to wire
(Western Union) the excess funds back to the buyer, or to another associate identified as a
shipping agent. In most instances, the money is sent to locations in West Africa (Nigeria).
Because a cashier's check is used, a bank will typically release the funds immediately, or after a
one or two day hold. Falsely believing the check has cleared, the seller wires the money as
instructed. In some cases, the buyer is able to convince the seller that some circumstance has
arisen that necessitates the cancellation of the sale, and is successful in conning the victim into
sending the remainder of the money. Shortly thereafter, their bank notifies the victim that the
check was fraudulent, and the bank is holding the victim responsible for the full amount of the
check.
The IFCC is cautioning citizens to be wary of any purchasers proposing to conduct
transactions in this manner, and to take the steps necessary to ensure that a check has fully
cleared before doing anything with those funds.
Anyone who thinks they might have fallen victim to this or any other type of Internet
scam can notify the IFCC through its web site at www.ifccfbi.gov.
National White Collar Crime Center, is alerting citizens to scams involving the use of counterfeit
cashier’s checks.
The scheme targets individuals that use Internet classified ads to sell merchandise.
Typically, an interested party located outside the United States contacts a seller. The seller is
told that the buyer has an associate in the United States that owes him money. As such, he will
have the associate send the seller a cashier's check for the amount owed to the buyer. This
amount will be thousands of dollars more than the price of the merchandise, and the seller is told
the excess amount will be used to pay the shipping costs associated with getting the merchandise
to his location. The seller is instructed to deposit the check, and as soon as it clears, to wire
(Western Union) the excess funds back to the buyer, or to another associate identified as a
shipping agent. In most instances, the money is sent to locations in West Africa (Nigeria).
Because a cashier's check is used, a bank will typically release the funds immediately, or after a
one or two day hold. Falsely believing the check has cleared, the seller wires the money as
instructed. In some cases, the buyer is able to convince the seller that some circumstance has
arisen that necessitates the cancellation of the sale, and is successful in conning the victim into
sending the remainder of the money. Shortly thereafter, their bank notifies the victim that the
check was fraudulent, and the bank is holding the victim responsible for the full amount of the
check.
The IFCC is cautioning citizens to be wary of any purchasers proposing to conduct
transactions in this manner, and to take the steps necessary to ensure that a check has fully
cleared before doing anything with those funds.
Anyone who thinks they might have fallen victim to this or any other type of Internet
scam can notify the IFCC through its web site at www.ifccfbi.gov.
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,056
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From: Washington
2ndchance is right. This scam been seen a lot, often by guys in Africa trying to scam cars off of people. What they do is send you a check for, let's say $15,000 on a $12,000 car and ask you to send them back the difference. Som how, the money order is cancelled and it all is returned to the buyer, and guess what, they get to keep oyur $3,000. They disappear and you are just out of luck. Now this is the exact scenario the guy gave me and he jumped RIGHT on the initial price posted (a little high), and is interested in shipping the car to wherever he is (haven't got back to him yet to find out). My guess is he's just another African scammer because his english is fairly bad, and the email seems to be the type where it is electronically sent out seeing as how there are a lot of weird symbols in place of punctuation etc. Now, I'm just curious as to whether I should play along for a while, or report him to someone. If it is the latter, to whom, and how do I report him?
James
James
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,434
Likes: 249
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
I agree, Jet...you've made a good case for this being a scam. As to what you should do?....you've already done the best thing you could do FIRST....share this experience with other CL forum members so no one else here falls for it. For instance, this is not the first I have heard of it, but I really didn't know the details until you explaned it. We appreciate you posting this whole story.
If this person is an African or is operating outside of the country, there is not a whole lot that American authorities can do right up front....especially if this person is in a country we don't have regular trade or diplomacy with.
But as far as simply reporting it, I'd start with the BBB (Better Buisness Bureau), FTC (Federal Trade Commission), or even as simple as your local TV stations...the stations might want to run a story on it one evening warning local residents to watch out for this kind of stuff.
OK...I've run my mouth on this subject long enough...I'll give somebody else a chance now....good luck.
If this person is an African or is operating outside of the country, there is not a whole lot that American authorities can do right up front....especially if this person is in a country we don't have regular trade or diplomacy with.
But as far as simply reporting it, I'd start with the BBB (Better Buisness Bureau), FTC (Federal Trade Commission), or even as simple as your local TV stations...the stations might want to run a story on it one evening warning local residents to watch out for this kind of stuff.
OK...I've run my mouth on this subject long enough...I'll give somebody else a chance now....good luck.
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Originally posted by mmarshall
I agree, Jet...you've made a good case for this being a scam. As to what you should do?....you've already done the best thing you could do FIRST....share this experience with other CL forum members so no one else here falls for it. For instance, this is not the first I have heard of it, but I really didn't know the details until you explaned it. We appreciate you posting this whole story.
If this person is an African or is operating outside of the country, there is not a whole lot that American authorities can do right up front....especially if this person is in a country we don't have regular trade or diplomacy with.
But as far as simply reporting it, I'd start with the BBB (Better Buisness Bureau), FTC (Federal Trade Commission), or even as simple as your local TV stations...the stations might want to run a story on it one evening warning local residents to watch out for this kind of stuff.
OK...I've run my mouth on this subject long enough...I'll give somebody else a chance now....good luck.
I agree, Jet...you've made a good case for this being a scam. As to what you should do?....you've already done the best thing you could do FIRST....share this experience with other CL forum members so no one else here falls for it. For instance, this is not the first I have heard of it, but I really didn't know the details until you explaned it. We appreciate you posting this whole story.
If this person is an African or is operating outside of the country, there is not a whole lot that American authorities can do right up front....especially if this person is in a country we don't have regular trade or diplomacy with.
But as far as simply reporting it, I'd start with the BBB (Better Buisness Bureau), FTC (Federal Trade Commission), or even as simple as your local TV stations...the stations might want to run a story on it one evening warning local residents to watch out for this kind of stuff.
OK...I've run my mouth on this subject long enough...I'll give somebody else a chance now....good luck.
Last edited by Stage3; Oct 17, 2004 at 08:35 PM.
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,056
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From: Washington
Wow, another guy trying the same thing. Unbelievable. Anywho I'm just gonna tell them to come see the car FIRST before sending any money or f*** off. I hate when people try to screw with me. It's not gonna work!
James
James
Originally posted by jet864
Wow, another guy trying the same thing. Unbelievable. Anywho I'm just gonna tell them to come see the car FIRST before sending any money or f*** off. I hate when people try to screw with me. It's not gonna work!
James
Wow, another guy trying the same thing. Unbelievable. Anywho I'm just gonna tell them to come see the car FIRST before sending any money or f*** off. I hate when people try to screw with me. It's not gonna work!
James
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,599
Likes: 65
From: WA
Originally posted by Stage3
well, you have free acess to mess with them. Tell them to send you the check, but send it to care of the US Secret Service... see what happens!
well, you have free acess to mess with them. Tell them to send you the check, but send it to care of the US Secret Service... see what happens!
Dysfunctional Veteran
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 8,101
Likes: 317
From: Van Alstyne, TX
i know of a guy that told one to send it to the white house (gave him the adress of 1600 pennsylvainia ave.) and gave him the scientific name of Anthrax to put on the letterhead as the reciever...not too smart.
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From: new jersey
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