Interesting email from a potential buyer

Jun 21, 2004 | 05:11 PM

brianw430

Thread Starter

Super Member

Joined: Dec 2002

Posts: 516

Likes: 0

From: Iowa

'03 G500, '11 S550 4Matic, '12 SL63 AMG, '13 ML350, '16 AMG GTS Ed. 1

Interesting email from a potential buyer

I just received an email from a gentleman interested in buying my car. I have not replied to him but it has scam written all over it. I wanted to run this by you people on the board and see what you thought.

Thanks for the reply.I spoke with my client,he accepted the price but hopes the engine is serviced and oil
changed too.However,he has instructed me to inform you that payment
will get
to you in a US cashier check of $32,000.00 which is a refund payment
of a
cancelled order.Due to company policy this check has to be made out
in this
amount to you ,because company policy only allows a refund payment on
one
cashier check,so you are required to deduct cost of the car
$23,000.00 when
payment gets to you and refund balance $9,000.00 to my customer via
western
union money transfer for him to be able to offset shipping charges.
After payment has reached you and balance sent back to him,the agent
will
come to pick up the car and drive it to a prepaid shipper to be
shipped to
my customer,while title papers and other necessary documents will be
be signed and handed over to the agent at pickup time.
Please Confirm this and provide name,address and phone number for
check
payment to be delivered to you via fedex courier .
Regards,
COSMAS

What could I require of this person to know if he is legit? Or is this just too damned easy...SCAM?

Thanks!

Jun 21, 2004 | 05:14 PM

BklynBenz

MBWorld Fanatic!

Joined: Apr 2002

Posts: 6,328

Likes: 1

From: NYC

CL500

DONT DO IT, thats one of the oldest and biggest scams going around

Jun 21, 2004 | 05:18 PM

Viet_in_a_clk

Almost a Member!

Joined: Nov 2003

Posts: 74

Likes: 0

From: Alexandria Virginia

99 CLK 320,01 S2000

I got the same scam via email too.Only different names(in almost the same sentence)when I was selling my mr2.The guy even called me twice.Once I told him that my bank will hold the check for 2-3 weeks until cleared he nevered email or called back again.

Jun 21, 2004 | 06:27 PM

smalldog

Super Member

Joined: Apr 2004

Posts: 503

Likes: 0

From: north carolina

clk

BIG SCAM

This type of stuff is posted at most banks. Don't do it.

Jun 21, 2004 | 06:30 PM

e-fivehundred

Banned

Joined: Jun 2004

Posts: 54

Likes: 0

that's a little too fishy. someone who is buying a benz definitely has some credibility and this individual does not. DON'T DO IT!!!

Jun 21, 2004 | 06:47 PM

zzoorrkk

Member

Joined: May 2004

Posts: 89

Likes: 0

It's a scam. Sounds like it is a variation of the Nigerian Internet Scam. Avoid this situation! Good luck.

Jun 21, 2004 | 07:28 PM

unsung

Super Member

Joined: Mar 2004

Posts: 730

Likes: 0

From: Chicago

06 M3

Don't walk, run from this goof. Consider calling the police also if it gets too fishy.

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Jun 21, 2004 | 11:15 PM

unsung

Super Member

Joined: Mar 2004

Posts: 730

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From: Chicago

06 M3

You are the seller, you set the payment terms. Tell them how it is going to be. There will be others who will be interested, it's not it is a Mustang or something that has flooded the market.

Jun 24, 2004 | 01:49 PM

#10

jsr

Member

Joined: Nov 2001

Posts: 88

Likes: 0

From: N/A

N/A

Quote:

So what acutally happens in this scam? Do the scammers count on your bank not picking up the fact you are trying to cash a fake cashiers check, you then send the $9,000 back only later to be notified the cashiers check was a fake? So they get your car, possibly, and the $9,000?

Pretty much. They never actually try to get your car though, they wouldn't risk meeting you in person. Usually they are in some far away country.

You deposit the check and the bank immediatly puts the money in your bank account. You then withdrawl $9k and wire it to the scammer. A couple of days later the bank figures out the check is fake and takes the money out of your account and you owe the bank $9k. The scammer has already got the $9k though and you are screwed.

Quote:

I wanted to somehow jerk this guy around a little. Maybe find out where he is located and pay him a personal visit pretending to go through with it. I know I could make him wet himself.

Like I said, he probably isn't even in this country. You could always go ahead and pretend you are going to go ahead with the deal and make him send you a check. At least he has to pay the FedEx charges and he ends up with one less fraudulent check to use on someone else.