Craigslist scams are getting old

Benevolent One

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Ok. So, in the last week or so I have looked at at least three vehicles listed on craigslist that appear to be some kind of scam. Two of them claimed to be military related. One claimed to a USAF major stationed in Spain. The other one kind of got me a little pissed off. She claims that her husband died fighting in Afghanistan and she has to sell his car because it reminds her too much of him. She claims she is pregnant and having a rough time so she is having a friend sell it for her. Allegedly the car is in Colorado somewhere and she is in Texas or something. The same car the woman in Spain (allegedly) was selling, I found on ebay being sold from a car dealership in Kansas City. Same pictures, even the same VIN. If this vehicle in Colorado was legit, I'm sure they would simply sell it out there, especially for how little they are asking for the car.

I get that there are scams everywhere. I don't like it, but it's just another part of daily life. However, when they are using the military to play on your sympathy it really gets under my skin. There are actually people out there who are dealing with real issues from the wars we are fighting. It just seems especially low, to me, to play on the sympathies of people who would really like to help those people.
 
Ok. So, in the last week or so I have looked at at least three vehicles listed on craigslist that appear to be some kind of scam. Two of them claimed to be military related. One claimed to a USAF major stationed in Spain. The other one kind of got me a little pissed off. She claims that her husband died fighting in Afghanistan and she has to sell his car because it reminds her too much of him. She claims she is pregnant and having a rough time so she is having a friend sell it for her. Allegedly the car is in Colorado somewhere and she is in Texas or something. The same car the woman in Spain (allegedly) was selling, I found on ebay being sold from a car dealership in Kansas City. Same pictures, even the same VIN. If this vehicle in Colorado was legit, I'm sure they would simply sell it out there, especially for how little they are asking for the car.

I get that there are scams everywhere. I don't like it, but it's just another part of daily life. However, when they are using the military to play on your sympathy it really gets under my skin. There are actually people out there who are dealing with real issues from the wars we are fighting. It just seems especially low, to me, to play on the sympathies of people who would really like to help those people.

Yeah, I sell quite a bit on CL...I get a lot of people wanting to scam me...I can't believe people still fall for this stuff.
 
I would never buy anything from Craigs' List, do to this very problem. You will run into scams everywhere, but Craigs' List seems to be a less secure web site than most.
 
Here are a few of the emails I received from these losers.

Hello,
My name is Beatrice Jakeson. Thanks for being interested in buying my 1998 Honda Passport LX. The suv is in perfect condition , with no need for additional repairs, no scratches, dings, special marks whatsoever, never been involved in any accidents . It has 94,893 miles ,automatic transmission , 3.2L V6 engine size black exterior. I have a clear and clean title for it , no liens or loans ready to be signed and notarized on your name ... The price is $1,900.00 if you want to buy it today or tomorrow.
I'm selling my son's suv , who died in Iraq two months ago and I want to get rid of it asap because the sight of it makes me think of him often and often and the pain is too great . Put yourself in my shoes and you'll do the same (selling the suv of your dead son, no offense)

I`m located in Great Falls,MT (the suv is here with me) right now because i got a new job here,the thing is i`m very busy and i don`t have time to stay and meet with all my potential buyers, that is why i gave to a shipping company that will ship it to the next owner(on my cost). I will make the deal only to eBay. I am a member of the eBay buyer protection program and using this service you will get a 10 days testing period after delivery. During that 10 days testing period I will not be getting any money. I need to know if you are interested in buying it so I can ask eBay to send you the details on how this works. If interested please include in your next email your contact info for eBay ( full name, full address ) so we can get things started.


***********************

Thank you for being interested in buying my 2000 Honda Accord EX Coupe, automatic transmission, 105 200 miles, VIN: 1HGCG2258YA043330. It is in EXCELLENT condition; the body and paint are great, no scratches and no dents; the interior is clean; it has never been involved in an accident; the title is clear.

I just got divorced and I decided to move closer to my parents. Right now I'm located in Ohio. The car was awarded to me in our divorce. Being a single mother and not having a driver's license i decided to sell the car. As I'm unable to travel in the near future and I don't have anyone to help me with the sale I decided to make this transaction through eBay. I believe this protects both buyer and seller and it's the right way to do this.

The final price is $1,400. So if you decide to buy this car or need further information please get back to me as soon as possible.

Thank you,
Hailey


*********************

I`m glad you contact me about my 2000 acura tl. I wanna tell you that the car is in great condition. No scratches or dents. The interior is clean. Non-smoker and no pets. I`m the first owner and I never had any accidents. It has only 62,500 miles. The acura has been garaged all the time. Due to my work ( flight attendant ) I barely use it and I wanna sell it. It has new tires, and new oil & filters. No other mechanical problem due to this low mileage, never let me down and it`s very very economic. I hope you are serious and I will wait your reply if you are still interested. Thank

Brandi Filmore


But then...

Hi again, I`m sorry I forgot to specify that I`m not home and I`m deployed in FL right now and I left the car at a friend in Louisiana that work for a shipping company. He is willing to help me to sell my car and he can transport the acura at your place since I`m always at work. As for the payment I wanna use google checkout because they secure the payment and they can hold the payment until you receive and inspect the car. I hope you can understand my situation and we can make a deal. If you wanna purchase I need you name and the address where the acura will be shipped. I will send your information to google and they will contact you with all the information about the payment process. I will wait answer. Thanks

**********************

This is the one I saw being sold by a dealer in Kansas City

Thank you for your interest in my car.


This is a 2006 Toyota Camry LE, V6, 74,100 miles, Automatic, VIN 4T1BF30K66U626479 , clean title.

Here you can find more pictures with the car: https://picasaweb.google.com/101838286608772463645/Toyota?feat=directlink


The vehicle is in EXCELLENT condition; the body and paint are immaculate, no scratches and no dents; the interior is clean; it has never been involved in any kind of accident. The engine, transmission and A/C working very well, no problems, nothing needs to be changed.

I'm an US Air Force Maj. currently stationed in Spain and the car is here with me. It was brought from US and it still has US registration documents, because I didn't register it here in Spain, taxes are extraordinary high because the car has US specs. It makes more sense buying a used car from here, they are very cheap.
The shipping will take up to 5 business days and you will also have 10 days to inspect and test drive the vehicle from the moment it arrives at your place. I will handle shipping, we have military cargo planes leaving every week. There will be no extra or hidden taxes for you to pay since the car is still registered in US. In case you decide not to keep the car I'm responsible for shipping back costs.

As I'm unable to travel in the near future and I don't have anyone available back home to help me with the sale I decided to sell this car through eBay or craigslist. The transaction will be made entirely through eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection and we'll both be covered.

The final price is $2,300 including shipping from Spain to the US and delivery to your home address. You will have to pay some money transfer taxes too, about $125, so it will come to about $2425 total. If you agree with these terms and you have the money, send me your full name and the address where you want the car to be delivered and I will initiate the transaction with eBay. You will receive all the transaction details from them. I will appreciate an answer as soon as possible.

Thank you and have a great day
P.S. Sorry for the long email I have tried to touch all bases

Maj. Anna P. Gordon
 
We're working a couple of these scams here in my area. What these guys are doing is taking vehicle ads from Ebay, holding on to them for a year or so, then posting that info on Craigslist. They have the pictures, complete vehicle information including VIN, and sometimes the original owner's info.

A lot of the ads will have the seller being in the service and saying the item is already boxed up and ready ship. They will be using U.S. Army Air Cargo to ship it and will ask you to make an account with Ebay.

Best bet is to stay away from out of state or overseas vehicle online buying, unless you have a reputable source.
 
My daughter found one of those scams, car was in England and he was getting deployed to Iraq again. Ad didn't make sense, lots of holes in his story.

I'm still selling off the last of my tools on CL. I make it clear in the ad, I'm not a store and don't offer warranties, I'm not interested in carrying on a endless e-mail discussion and the price is the price and that's cash only. I'm not going to 'hold' it for anyone, first here with cash is the winner. No checks, no payment plans, no trades like snow shoveling,grass cutting etc. I've met some real winners.
"Oh, I thought it was only $320. That's what I brought..." Here's the ad, $400.00, come back when you have it.........
 
Here are a few of the emails I received from these losers.

*snip*

I'm an US Air Force Maj. currently stationed in Spain and the car is here with me. It was brought from US and it still has US registration documents, because I didn't register it here in Spain, taxes are extraordinary high because the car has US specs. It makes more sense buying a used car from here, they are very cheap.
The shipping will take up to 5 business days and you will also have 10 days to inspect and test drive the vehicle from the moment it arrives at your place. I will handle shipping, we have military cargo planes leaving every week. There will be no extra or hidden taxes for you to pay since the car is still registered in US. In case you decide not to keep the car I'm responsible for shipping back costs.

As I'm unable to travel in the near future and I don't have anyone available back home to help me with the sale I decided to sell this car through eBay or craigslist. The transaction will be made entirely through eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection and we'll both be covered.

The final price is $2,300 including shipping from Spain to the US and delivery to your home address. You will have to pay some money transfer taxes too, about $125, so it will come to about $2425 total. If you agree with these terms and you have the money, send me your full name and the address where you want the car to be delivered and I will initiate the transaction with eBay. You will receive all the transaction details from them. I will appreciate an answer as soon as possible.

Thank you and have a great day
P.S. Sorry for the long email I have tried to touch all bases

Maj. Anna P. Gordon[/I]

So Maj Gordon is selling her car, and is shipping it Mil Air back to the states? Sounds like a good deal, until you realize that they never send POV's (Personally Owned Vehicle) anywhere by mil air. They go by boat. They only ship a vehicle for a PCS (Permanent Change of Station), and the only base in Spain that has a large enough Air Force presence to warrant sending a POV is Moron AB (yes...that's spelled correctly). The only other base I know of is Rota, and thats run by the Navy. Makes me wonder why they try so hard when a simple check of the internet will reveal everything about their story being a hoax.
 
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