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Old 10-03-2019, 09:21 AM   #1
dean from bozeman
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Default The Latest Scam

As many of you know, I have put A495 up for sale. It's on page 346 in the October Hemmings. With that in mind, I have begun to get some interest.
Some are semi-legit tire kickers. Others...well, there are others.

The latest is a person who said that they will pay full price but I cannot contact them directly because they are in basic training in Georgia. However, they will promptly answer all e-mails.

Then I get the following e-mail:

I suggest we hire an inspector to appraise/inspect and confirm the legitimacy of ownership so as to report accordingly before we can proceed to making payment.
JandT is an international company and have worked with them in a couples of times, an agent close to you will be assigned to carry out the inspection.
The cost of the inspection to cover transportation, hotel and other expenses should be around $400 which i suggest should be split and be paid by the both of us at $200 each so as to limit the cost of risk incase the seller is not legit or the condition of the advert is not as good as claim by the seller.
the seller will be fully reimbursed and full payment would be made available to the seller same day after inspection.
i am willing to sign a contract if need be and the only reason i will not proceed to payment after inspection is if the condition is not as good as advertised.
let me know if you will be willing to split the inspection cost and if you will like to proceed by sending me your full name and inspection address to be forwarded to the inspector from JandT Inc. to contact you on best inspection date and time.
Thanks


At first, while reading through the poor English, I thought that most of what he said made sense. But I do have a skeptical side. I looked but could not find JandT Inc. on the Internet. So I turned the tables. I sent this guy information for a legitimate appraiser and said that he should send $300 (his share) to the appraiser to get the ball rolling.

This is probably not the first scam that I'll be offered but I thought that I would share it so others would be prepared for anything similar.
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Old 10-03-2019, 09:24 AM   #2
Tacoma Bob
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

LMFAO...Pigeon English. dead give away!
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Old 10-03-2019, 10:02 AM   #3
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

Have him contact me, I own and operate Southern Classic Automobile Measurement. LLC
We have offices in China, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Cuba and of course California.
It's only two hundred dollars and the seller pays nothing,
Just have him make the check or money order out to: S.C.A.M. in care of Mr. I. Cheatem
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Old 10-03-2019, 11:08 AM   #4
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

Whenever I get a 'scam-likely' phone call? I answer: "911 -- What Is Your Emergency?"
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Old 10-03-2019, 11:31 AM   #5
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

Glad to hear you got all this via email. Saves phone company bandwidth!

Tell them to transfer full payment via bitcoin to your Swiss escrow holding account. Then you can send him a Nigerian check for your half of the $400 to pay for the inspection.
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Old 10-03-2019, 11:58 AM   #6
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Wouldn’t you love to have these jerks just once by the $&@“!
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Old 10-03-2019, 12:09 PM   #7
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

I have a law firm that deals with these scams. I can also evaluate the car for you at the buyers expense. A starting evaluation and retainer fee shared by both parties in the amount of $500 USD each can be sent to: Dewey, Cheatem and Howe.
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Old 10-03-2019, 12:34 PM   #8
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

For me the first clue to a scam was "I cannot contact them directly because they are in basic training in Georgia." was the use of "they" and "them" i.e, more than 1 person, sounds fishy.


Second, "they are in basic training in Georgia" sounds like military boot camp to me. I know the military have gotten pay raises since I was in, but even with the raises there is no way a recruit could consider paying for your Phaeton. Your price is probably 10 to 20 times a recruit's annual pay.


I would not have looked at it any further.


Thanks for posting this.


A couple years ago when I sold my 28 Phaeton I also got a couple calls that sounded fishy. One in particular I was skeptical about from the start but figured I would see where it went. The red flag went up when he said he would have his accountant send me a check for half, then 3 days later I get an e-mail saying this was moving quicker than he expected and that the truck would be there early the following week to pick up the Phaeton. With that, I figured with no question it was a scam and I am sure that most of you that reads this also would think the same. But I thought I would take it one step further, so that Monday I called the police in his town told them the story and told them that I did not want to offend the person if it was real but on the other hand if it was a scam the real person should know someone was using his name to run a scam. The office said he knew the buyer personally and it sounded like something he would do but he would contact the buyer to check it out. About an hour later I received a call back from the police, he said he talked to the buyer said it was legitimate i.e., he wanted the Phaeton and was not offended. About an hour later I got a call from the buyer, said the police contacted him, he was not offended and he wanted the phaeton. Everything worked out great for all parties and he was very happy with the Phaeton.

Last edited by frank55a; 10-04-2019 at 01:56 PM.
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Old 10-03-2019, 12:35 PM   #9
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tacoma Bob View Post
LMFAO...Pigeon English. dead give away!
I believe the correct term is "Pidgin English". A pigeon is a bird; or, a gullible person.
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Old 10-03-2019, 01:52 PM   #10
Vern
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

When I posted an ad on Fordbarn to sell my 1931 Victoria, I got three responses all with the exact same language who wanted me to email photos of the car.
I really wanted to try and set up an email exchange with all three, getting them into a bidding war but they all seemed like scammers so I ignored them.
When a serious buyer with cash came, he got the Victoria. And my wife took the money!
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Old 10-03-2019, 02:30 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vern View Post
When I posted an ad on Fordbarn to sell my 1931 Victoria, I got three responses all with the exact same language who wanted me to email photos of the car.
I really wanted to try and set up an email exchange with all three, getting them into a bidding war but they all seemed like scammers so I ignored them.
When a serious buyer with cash came, he got the Victoria. And my wife took the money!
So she was running the scam?
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Old 10-03-2019, 05:09 PM   #12
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

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So she was running the scam?
It's no scam. The marriage license makes it perfectly legal.

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Old 10-03-2019, 07:46 PM   #13
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

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Originally Posted by rfitzpatrick View Post
Whenever I get a 'scam-likely' phone call? I answer: "911 -- What Is Your Emergency?"
I get a lot of telemarketers or scammers calling. My response is similar to yours. "This is the Police Emergency Response Hot-line, what is your emergency and where did you get this number" Surprise, surprise they all hang up on me.
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Old 10-03-2019, 08:49 PM   #14
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

Lots of scams out there but people in Europe, Russia and China do buy old cars in the USA. Poor English doesn't always mean a crook. Be careful but not paranoid.
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Old 10-03-2019, 08:59 PM   #15
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Know thy enemy, watch the scammers here:

https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/meet...mmers/10801250
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Old 10-03-2019, 10:09 PM   #16
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

Like M2M said, there are genuine people from outside the US who want to buy a car. A few years ago, I negotiated a purchase with an American guy - it was down to paying him. We had even agreed on arrangements for me to have the car collected. It was I who was trusting him, not the other way around! The best (only) option to pay him was to electronically transfer the $ directly into his account so I asked for the details. He said he checked with is bank (Bank of America - and they should know!) who told him he shouldn't give those details to a foreigner, like there are no crooks in the US! Anyway, the sale fell through because he was too afraid to give those details. I was left wondering how hopeless Bank of America was if they couldn't be sure of the security of their customers accounts. Money was going to be going in, not out!
Be careful, sure but too much caution and you don't go antwhere.
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Old 10-04-2019, 10:34 AM   #17
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

Whatever you do...if they ask "is so and so there" or if they say "are you so and so"...DO NOT SAY "YES"!.
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Old 10-04-2019, 01:28 PM   #18
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

I contacted Microsoft for help with a computer program. But it wasn’t Microsoft. I became suspicious when the phone call was passed on several times. Foolishly I gave them access to my computer and was told I needed 2 programs costing $1,800. I took the computer to my computer shop to be told all was well. I received an angry call when I declined to buy followed by a demand for $1,800 for products I received. Then demands from a debt collection agency for same. Then a request for compromise: they would settle for $1,000. This continued for some time so I put their business name into scamwatch. This all ended abruptly when they offered to end their demand it I withdrew my complaint. What was good for the goose is good for the gander.
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Old 10-04-2019, 01:31 PM   #19
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Default Re: The Latest Scam

I did get scammed for a large amount when I purchased a tractor from the internet. The bill came through ebay, well so I thought. All looked authentic. An invoice with a serial number on an ebay letterhead. I couldn’t get the money off fast enough for fear of missing this bargain. Transmitted through Western Union. It looks more than likely the cash went to Nigeria. I knew immediately that an endeavour to recover it was pointless.
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Old 10-04-2019, 01:32 PM   #20
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I receive a phone call at least once each week advising my internet will be terminated unless I respond by pressing “0”. This is a goodcall for it keeps in my mind the venerability of being scammed. Particularly myself because I take people at face value. Too long dealing with farmers.
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