Scam????

[Sailor]

I suspect this is a a scam. A guy contacted me via e-mail to buy my 51 merc. He insists on paying via pay pal and wants me to open an account there. He will not tell me where he is and claims he does not have a chequeing account and cannot go to the bank due to the nature of his work (used car dealer) He wants to send the money then have the car picked up. I have offered to deliver it but he refuses. It does not make sense for him to pick it up due to ferry fares and tides. Your opinions?

[royalstar09]

Scam.........................

He is a used car dealer and does not have a checking account

[SilvrT]

That's a lotta bucks to be using PayPal for; however, if it can be done .... once the bucks are verified in your bank account .... wok the heck?

 

But I do believe it's a scammer and he's just baiting the hook ... don't bite.

[twigg]

I suspect this is a a scam. A guy contacted me via e-mail to buy my 51 merc. He insists on paying via pay pal and wants me to open an account there. He will not tell me where he is and claims he does not have a chequeing account and cannot go to the bank due to the nature of his work (used car dealer) He wants to send the money then have the car picked up. I have offered to deliver it but he refuses. It does not make sense for him to pick it up due to ferry fares and tides. Your opinions?

 

 

If you want your credit wrecked, and endless problems for the next two years then go right ahead, do as he asks.

 

And you still won't have sold your car

[LilBeaver]

That's a lotta bucks to be using PayPal for; however, if it can be done .... once the bucks are verified in your bank account .... wok the heck?

 

But I do believe it's a scammer and he's just baiting the hook ... don't bite.

 

Well - once the $$$ is verified in your account, then disable the paypal account, remove all links to the bank account and THEN maybe paypal cannot get the money back... Too many folks I have talked to have had people request money refunded via paypal and paypal takes the liberty of removing the money from the bank account without any concent of the owner of the account. If memory serves me correctly the agreement that a user must accept in order to use their service states that have agreed to such behavior if you have your bank account setup with them. (Now that I write this I know I should probably go back to the agreement and find where I read that then post it here so everyone can see that I'm not just pulling stuff out of thin air; but I don't really feel like doing that right now not to mention time is a bit short so I think I will stick to my memory.)

 

Anyhoo, I completely agree that this guy is trying to scam you. If you do feel like following through, may I suggest that CASH IS KING. Take cash only from whomever is picking it up, check an ID (record DL#, full name and address) and sign the title over to the person that showed you the ID. take a few minutes to verify that the cash is legit.

Bada-bing.

 

Although quite frankly, I think I would just tell this guy to take a hike.

 

+1 to the :crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup:x10000 for the used car dealer NOT having a checking account. Oh boy.

[Flyinfool]

Yup, the only semi-safe way to do that thru PP is to open a new bank account at a bank other than the one you normally use, and set it up with a new PP account giving PP no info that can tie back to your real PP account, then as soon as the funds hit PP, move it to your bank cash out and close the bank account. Do not let it be picked up till you have cashed out and closed the bank account.

 

This is common scam where the other guy then claims that he never received the merchandise or it was not as advertised. PP will refund his money AND let him keep the merchandise. You end up with nothing.

[MiCarl]

You needn't provide PayPal with a bank account to receive money. However without one they won't let you withdraw more than $500/month.

 

I wonder how the buyer is going to get the money to PayPal with no checking account though......

[RedRider]

Just tell him it will take 3 weeks to make sure all the money has cleared the banking system. It can take up to 2 weeks for a check to be cleared and I assume it will be the same for PP.

 

He will likely run away like a little girl.

 

RR

[Reddog170]

Well - once the $$$ is verified in your account, then disable the paypal account, remove all links to the bank account and THEN maybe paypal cannot get the money back... Too many folks I have talked to have had people request money refunded via paypal and paypal takes the liberty of removing the money from the bank account without any concent of the owner of the account. If memory serves me correctly the agreement that a user must accept in order to use their service states that have agreed to such behavior if you have your bank account setup with them. (Now that I write this I know I should probably go back to the agreement and find where I read that then post it here so everyone can see that I'm not just pulling stuff out of thin air; but I don't really feel like doing that right now not to mention time is a bit short so I think I will stick to my memory.)

 

Anyhoo, I completely agree that this guy is trying to scam you. If you do feel like following through, may I suggest that CASH IS KING. Take cash only from whomever is picking it up, check an ID (record DL#, full name and address) and sign the title over to the person that showed you the ID. take a few minutes to verify that the cash is legit.

Bada-bing.

 

Although quite frankly, I think I would just tell this guy to take a hike.

 

+1 to the :crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup:x10000 for the used car dealer NOT having a checking account. Oh boy.

Well let me tell you this. I sold a chiller for a marine aquarium over a month ago to a guy, he broke it and filed a claim through paypal. Paypal took the money out of my account before I knew what was happening.

[Sailor]

Yep its a scam. Just got an e-mail that he can't do cash because he is in the U.K.

And he wants to buy a car on Saltspring island? I don't think so.

[LilBeaver]

Yep its a scam. Just got an e-mail that he can't do cash because he is in the U.K.

And he wants to buy a car on Saltspring island? I don't think so.

 

Oh boy. Too bad, I know how frustrating it can be to be dealing with this b.s. I have sold a handful of vehicles with the aid of various on-line advertisements and had some major scammers latch on to two of them. What a pain. It seemed like the same one or two based on the initial communication and their response to my very direct response indicating that I was not going to deal with that b.s.

 

Anyhoo, good luck on your sale!!

[royalstar09]

Yep its a scam. Just got an e-mail that he can't do cash because he is in the U.K.

And he wants to buy a car on Saltspring island? I don't think so.

 

Was it listed on craigslist? The UK thing is very common on craigslist

[BlueVenture87]

I had the same proposition on a 800.00 minivan. Told him to bring cash and as you can guess no show. The funny part is that I had another call from out of state for the van and they did show up with a fistfull of small bills! Tell 'em to bring cash, That'll sort 'em out!

[twigg]

Was it listed on craigslist? The UK thing is very common on craigslist

 

Craigslist has a warning, front and center.

 

Any offers that involve shipping vehicles are almost always a scam.

 

Craigslist is a local service, it was designed to replaced newspaper classifieds.

 

Just.Don't.Do.It

[OB-1]

We sold a Ford Excursion to a guy in Canada last year and never met him or anyone else. The short story; he sent a cashiers check from a Montana bank. We deposited it and waited for it to clear which took three days. We then Faxed a copy of the title and bill of sale to the port of entry the buyer wanted to use. Then we gave the buyer the combination to the door lock and left the Excursion, with all the paperwork and keys in the glove box, at the Gillette, WY airport for the buyer to pick up.

[twigg]

We sold a Ford Excursion to a guy in Canada last year and never met him or anyone else. The short story; he sent a cashiers check from a Montana bank. We deposited it and waited for it to clear which took three days. We then Faxed a copy of the title and bill of sale to the port of entry the buyer wanted to use. Then we gave the buyer the combination to the door lock and left the Excursion, with all the paperwork and keys in the glove box, at the Gillette, WY airport for the buyer to pick up.

 

I'm glad that worked out well.

 

A bit of advice for the next time.

 

Three days is long enough for a check to clear, but it is not long enough for your bank to send it to the issuing bank and then find out it's a dud. That takes up to three weeks.

 

It happens, regularly, that forged checks "clear", then the bank wants the money back. They will come after you for the money, and the Police will try to charge YOU with the fraud.

 

Deposit the check ... Have a note put on the account that you asked for the authenticity to be verified, and do not touch the funds until the Bank tells you it is genuine. One day that will save you from endless grief.

[SilvrT]

I'm glad that worked out well.

 

A bit of advice for the next time.

 

Three days is long enough for a check to clear, but it is not long enough for your bank to send it to the issuing bank and then find out it's a dud. That takes up to three weeks.

 

It happens, regularly, that forged checks "clear", then the bank wants the money back. They will come after you for the money, and the Police will try to charge YOU with the fraud.

 

Deposit the check ... Have a note put on the account that you asked for the authenticity to be verified, and do not touch the funds until the Bank tells you it is genuine. One day that will save you from endless grief.

 

Isn't a cashier's cheque much the same as a certified cheque??

 

If the cheque is certified, that means the funds are there and held for that cheque. yes/no?

 

btw, it take my payroll cheque to "clear" both banks appx 5 days.

[twigg]

Isn't a cashier's cheque much the same as a certified cheque??

 

If the cheque is certified, that means the funds are there and held for that cheque. yes/no?

 

btw, it take my payroll cheque to "clear" both banks appx 5 days.

 

Yes! Is the short answer.

 

Not necessarily is the better answer.

 

Cashiers Checks can be forged, and often the issuing bank will only work that out when they actually get the check in their hands ... It can take a while.

 

It's a false impression that a Cashiers Check is as good as cash ... It isn't, not even close. It got to be thought that way because forging them was almost unheard of ... Not any more.

[OB-1]

I'm glad that worked out well.

 

A bit of advice for the next time.

 

Three days is long enough for a check to clear, but it is not long enough for your bank to send it to the issuing bank and then find out it's a dud. That takes up to three weeks.

 

It happens, regularly, that forged checks "clear", then the bank wants the money back. They will come after you for the money, and the Police will try to charge YOU with the fraud.

 

Deposit the check ... Have a note put on the account that you asked for the authenticity to be verified, and do not touch the funds until the Bank tells you it is genuine. One day that will save you from endless grief.

 

I posted the short story... The check totally, completely, and unequivocally cleared in three days. We worked with the bank to ensure this wasn't some sort of scam.

[twigg]

I posted the short story... The check totally, completely, and unequivocally cleared in three days. We worked with the bank to ensure this wasn't some sort of scam.

 

I'm glad you did it that way.

 

The problem is that folk really do trust cashiers and certified checks. As we generally only use them for large purchases, it does mean that if you ever get scammed, the amounts involved will not be trivial.

[Condor]

I have a business account with Paypal, and have used it for money transfers for over 15 years from all over the world. Some up to $8,000, and many in the $2000-$3,000 range, without a problem. The trick is to qualify your buyer the best you can, and clear any questions that may arise before accepting the payment. Not to say that a problem can't arise, but I can't run around thinking about worst case scenarios. There isn't a system that doesn't have holes in it, and I can't hide my head in the sand in fear lest something might go wrong.....

[Sailor]

I got another e-mail from the guy claiming he was pay pal certified. I fwd his e-mails to

spoof@paypal.com. They confirmed it was a scam and turned it over to their criminal acts crew. I doubt I will be hearing from him again.

[zooer]

Run Forest run! Total scam!

[BigBoyinMS]

I would agree with what's been said before... "Come on and buy it, but bring CASH ONLY!" Anything else is taking a chance.

 

And although PayPal is a great concept and works great the majority of the time, they WILL allow and assist a buyer in screwing you. PayPalSucks.com has 1000's of stories of it happening. I even had it happen to me but I ALWAYS sucked the money out as soon as it came in to PayPal so they actually screwed themselves. They can only take/hold the money that they have in your PayPal account, they can't take any from your bank account.

From my dealings with them I would say that their biggest drawback is that the people that make these decisions concerning our money are 20 something college dropouts. In my case, they told me they were going to refund the guys money when I got my item back and for me to contact them when it arrived. When it arrived the buyer had pulled a switcheroo. He kept my working item and all the extra accessories and had sent back a damaged non-working one that looked just like it. I called them, talked to a young male 'robot' and told them what the buyer had returned. The next day I get a form email thanking me for informing them that I had received my item and that they had refunded the buyers money and for me to transfer money from my bank account to cover it. They're still waiting for that to happen.

[etcswjoe]

The heck with Pay-Pal I want to hear about the 51-Merc.