Fraud warning
 

posted my SVX for sale last Friday and received the following which looks suspicious:

From: jimson lovick [mailto:jimson121@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2004 10:46 PM
To: ringer@usa.net
Subject: 1994 SVX L Colorado car, Transaction Payment Info Needed

Thanks very much for your feedback Dave,I will love to purchase the (1994 SVX L Colorado), pls i don't want you to give out the vehicle to any one that come for it again okay? And regarding the price $6,000 it's okay by me it's affordable price So i will take the vehicle as it's okay ? and regarding the payment, it's by cashier's check and it's going to be incare of my client who will be sending the check payment to you on my behalf.Moreover, i have an shipping company (TRANSPORTTER) That will be coming for the pick up of the vehicle so i don't want you to bother your self much about that okay ? Moreover, i want you to forward your full name that the check payment will be issue out to and your address in which the check payment will be post to including your valid contact phone number for further contact ..Meanwhile, my client will be sending the check payment amount along with the shipping cost which will be a little bit higher than the cost of the vehicle so as soon as you receive the check payment and deduct your vehicle price you will assist me to forward the balance to the transporter or trucking company that will be coming for the pick up of the vehicle,So can i trust you to refund the balance to my Transportter company?? Waiting to read from you soonest...Have a wonderful day..

Thanks

Classic scam
 

That's a classic scam. They'll steal you car and your money; their certified check, will be out of state and bogus. Play along with them. Notify the police and they might have an internet fraud division employee that will use you to try and nab these guys. Whatever you do, don't give out your personal info.

Thanks for sharing the email and let us know how this develops.

Gads

i had several of these offers when i was trying to sell one of my cars from april until last week. :(

Definitely inform the authorities and nail these suckers..
-Bill

I got about 5 of those bogus offers when I was selling my Lightning earlier this Spring. Report to the authorities and don't give them any info at all - bank acct #, address, etc.

-Chike

I have reported it to the Colorado State Attorney Generals office - Office of Consumer Fraud and they confirmed it was a scam and said they would report it to the Postal Inspector?
I would love to be involved in a sting..

Not to ruin your fun, but I think that's unlikely. If the authorities wanted to conduct sting operations with which to catch scammers like these, they'd start from scratch. That way they don't involve you by giving your personal info to the guy they want to catch - and his friends.

Yea, I got an email that was very similar to that back in October of 2003. Being the naive kid that I am, I actually went through with it... kinda. I replied to the email, and he replied with his phone number. At the time, I thought to myself: "Why is somebody in England wanting to buy my car?" "Oh well," I thought, "As I long as I get paid, I have nothing to worry about." So, about a week of communicating back-and-forth went by and I finally received a Fedex envelop in the mail one day. I opened it up and there was a Cashier's Check in the amount of $9000. "HOLY SH@#" I said. Hmmm... I'm only asking $4500 for my car... why did I get a check for $9000? Well, that's because the gentleman that was looking to buy my car already had a check made out in that amount... Hmmm... BULLS^*%!!! It turns out that he wanted me to pay the difference ($9000-$4500). I immediately went to my bank to hear what they had to say about it. They called the bank where the check was issued, and it turns out it was a fake check. Of course, I wasn't surprised. At that point, I was more concerned about some stranger knowing my home address. I notified the local police department, and they said they had bigger fish to fry. In short, they didn't give a damn. They gave me the phone number to the local FBI department. I contacted them, and they ALSO didn't care. They also told me they had bigger fish to fry. So, what do I do? I decided not to do anything. At that point forward, I never heard from the guy again. That was the end of it.

To this day, however, I have not seen such an amazing copy of a Cashier's Check. It literally had the watermark on the back, and the ink was incredibly detailed. The paper even looked and felt authentic. In an unrelated turn-of-events, when I sold my car a couple of weeks ago, the buyer decided to pay me with a cashier's check (a real one). The real cashier's check didn't look nearly as genuine as the copy.

It depends on how complicated it is. I had a few cases where USPS inspectors were involved and I had a case where I was called to court for a impersonation of a state trooper across state line. So you never know what the authority would do if you get to the right person. I am not sure about CO but in IL, and IN, the state police have their own internet crime divisions.

L

since he knows where you live.. GET A SHOTGUN.. its the most effective form of home security.. I arm mine everyday!!

I've had three more suspicious offers. When I reply that I want cash instead of the cashiers check, I never hear from them.

Where did you post this for sale???

I recieved a fradulent email from "US Bank" wanting me to confirm my card # and PIN (I don't have a US Bank account). I contacted US Bank to report the fraud, and even traced the IP address. They don't seem to be interested in catching the perp. :rolleyes:

It is so funny that I find this now on the network. Two weeks ago a good friend of mine was targeted by the same scam. He received the check, had the bank check it, then (after learning it was fake), reported it to the state police. The next day an FBI agent was at his door. He is now cooperating with the FBI to try to catch this guy or group. I don't know if the guy is actually coming to get the car or what, haven't talked to him (my friend) since late last week.

where did I post
 

I posted my SVX for sale here and at www.cars101.com. I also reported the fraud to the webmaster at cars101.