Need help/advise about this buyer for my NSX

[ss5153]

I recently listed my NSX for sale in Yahoo Autos, here is the link...

http://used-cars.autos.yahoo.com/usedcars/detail/index.html?cid=automobiles-1136526977-391355

I got this email from this potential buyer, but was confused what he is trying to do... Could this be a scam that I should becareful of? Here are the replies:

Hello Sam

Sorry for your late reply and price of $45,900.00 will be well accepted.However i want to confirm from my client how the payment would be,the amount in the check that is suppose to be given to you is likely to be more than what should be paid to you.The company that is owning my customer wants to make out check with the whole amount,Inorderwards, the refund will take care of the shippment cost and agent fees.
I would need a honest person regards to this very purchase because my Customer can not fund earlier inspection so we count on the information you provided.We can only proceed with this transaction if you can assure me that information you provided about your car are correct.
Please get back to me the moment you recieve this mail for more clearifications.
Thanks...John Williams


Sam Siu <[email protected]> wrote: Hi John,

I'm asking $45,900 for my 1996 Acura NSX-T 6 speed Manual. It's in perfect mechanical condition. I have attached more pictures. Let me know if you have more questions.

Thanks!

Sam

Reply to Yahoo! Autos Ad <[email protected]> wrote:
Greetings of the season.I just want to know that last price of your car i saw on the net.Please state its mechanical condition,and send more pictures if available for my client reference.I will await your urgent reply. John...

Contact: john williams
Phone: 5148144243
Email: [email protected]
Best time to contact: Anytime
Best contact method: Email

Vehicle info:
Make: Acura
Model: NSX
Year: 1996
Price: $0
Mileage: 35800
VIN: JH4NA1188TT000357

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

I looked up the 514 area code, and it appears that he is from Canada. I'm willing to sell the vehicle if they have the money to pay for it and arrange for shipment, but not sure how I should approach this type of transaction. Any comments/advise would greatly be appreciated. Thank You!

Sam

 

[fkong777]

Seems like if he send you a check for more than 45K and you need to give him some money back for shipping then it is totally a scam.

If he deals with cars he should have a trust account to handle client funds. so if he is real, he can always cash the check first them distribute the funds accordingly to you and the car transport company.

I say scam unless he can provide his dealership information and it checks out.

 

[|Adeel]

He's talking about his customer and all that and can't even write properly. I mean, who gives job to someone who is supposed to take care of customers but can't use space and can't the most basic writing?


This is a fraud.


And yahoo email for a "serious" company that searches thru' the market for their customers? I mean, come on! That's just unprofessional.



Wait till someone serious and less confusing want to buy your car.


You don't have to agree but I'm sceptical. I would have waited.

 

[mickeylex]

Sam,
As others have said, its a scam.

Your NSX is one of the cleanest I've seen. Sorry hear that you are selling it. Just be very sure that you want to sell it. I've read several posts lately with people saying that they regret selling their NSX. Good luck with the sale.

 

[ss5153]

Thanks all for replying, yeah, he wants me to call him back, but I don't think I will. Nalesh, yeah, I know I will miss it after I sell. The reason I'm selling it is that I just don't drive it enough. I usually only take it out for a drive once a month and it's hogging my garage. But if I don't get the price that I'm asking, I don't think I will let it go. :wink:

 

[rickysals]

it's a scam.

You're gonna receive many emails along these lines if you sell something on online classifieds.

I had my Sony VAIO on craigslist and received 2-3 emails a day along these lines... here are a couple so u see the language. FYO my listing price was $1400

Hello,

How are you,could you please tell me the condition of your item....because i will like to purchase,kindly get back to me with your payment address so that i can proceed with payment immediately....i will like to offer $1500

waiting for your quick response,
Gloria

Dear seller,

thanks for your quick responce to myt email, i am now satisfied with the info that you have given me for the item. So therefore, all we have to do now is to start the payment immediately. Be of great help to me by given me your full details e.g(NAME,ADDRESS, COUNTRY, STATE, ZIPCODE, PHONE NUMBER) and every other relevant info about you to start the payment. I would like to offer you [$1420 plus the shipping charges] for the [Sony VAIO GRT170 16" Laptop ] and i would be paying you trhrough bidpay with WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER which is the world most fastest way to recieve money world wide. Then you will be of great help to me by taking my product to the nearest Fedex office to ship the item. The charges will be handled through my Fedex personal account. So all you have to do now is to dance to my tone all every thing will work out good between us.

Thanks [best regard].

Hello,

I just check on the item again and thanks for your quick response, am purchasing this item for a buyer, am also a seller on craigslist/ebay, the item is out of my stock, that was why i have to contact other seller on craigslist to get it for my buyer/customer, which I will offer $1,750 if my offer is accepted, we can end the auction and proceed, which i will make an immediately payment as soon as the auction as been end. Do send me your contact address, so i can send the payment today via Bidpay.

I always get intouch with some buyers/friend outside the states. Meanwhile, am paying for the shipping cost, which I had contact my fedex Courier company concerning the shipment, the shipment will be charge through my fedex account, so you will not be charge for any bill.

Waiting for your quick response.

Brandy
Telefax: XXX-XXX-XXXX

USE YOUR INSTINCTS.

Don't accept money over the amount, and 'send them the change' cuz then you end up shipping your car to a crook and $3000 also.

If it seems out of place, kill the deal. From the sounds of things your car sounds good, you'll get an honest buyer.

GOOD LUCK

 

[DrVolkl]

These scams are all over the place. I think it's funny that they try it on such an expensive car....

I had the same thing happen to me when I was selling my '88 pathfinder for $2500. I can understand bottom feeders at that price.

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

babbelfish english

 

[orbusrex]

6 speed '96... i'm jealous! wanna trade?

 

[ss5153]

I decided to write back to see what he has to say......

Hello Sam,

Thanks once more for your mail, I have spoken to my client and he has instructed me to inform you that payment will get to you in a cashier check of $52,000.00 which is a refund payment of a cancelled order earlier made by my client.

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 car $45,900.00.when payment gets to you and refund balance $6,100.00 to my customer via western union money transfer for him to be able to offset shipping charges down here and from there. After payment has reached you and balance sent back to him,our agent will come pick up title and drive to a prepaid shipper to be shipped to my customer,while title papers and other necessary documets will be sent by you via fedex courier to my customer.

Once more,our agent will get to you as soon as you recieve the payment.I will need your full name,address and phone number for check payment to be delivered to you via courier.

Thanks and have a wonderful day.
Mr.Williams


Sam Siu wrote:

Hi John,

That's awesome! Let me know more details please. Thanks!

Sam

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

I was wondering how he can scam people with a cashiers check? Is it a fake?

 

[rbirling]

YES. Fake cashier's check, real western union transfer. Might be fun to have him send the check for a keepsake. I remember reading threads of people stringing these guys along, even giving them fake Western Union tracking numbers..... Don't think I'd go that far. I guarantee if you ask him for any real verifiable info, he'll disappear.

 

[ss5153]

ha ha... I did some online searching myself... here is an article... yeah, I guess I will give play this one out :biggrin:

************************************************
Counterfeit Cashier?s Check Scheme Strikes Online Sellers
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com
December 01, 2003
When Marty, a real estate broker in Toronto, advertised his vintage Dune Buggy on the Internet, he got an email inquiry from "Ed" in South Africa interested in purchasing the vehicle. The sender explained he represented an "automobile and boat procurement concern" that specialized in buying vehicles to customers worldwide.

Marty was a bit suspicious, because Ed offered to purchase the buggy for $7,500 U.S., even though Marty had advertised the buggy for $7,500 Cdn. But it was the second email he got that really raised red flags.

Ed told Marty he would send a cashier's check in the amount of $12,500 U.S. and requested that Marty refund the extra $5,000 via Western Union wire transfer. Marty contacted the Ontario Provincial Police's fraud division. "They informed me of the Nigerian scam," Marty said.

The scam is actually a called a Counterfeit Cashier's Check Scheme, and works like this. The fraudster sends the seller a cashier's check for thousands more than the item costs. The seller deposits the check in his bank account, waits until the check clears, then wire transfers the extra money to the buyer. As much as 2-3 weeks later, the seller learns from his bank that the check was counterfeit, and he must refund the full amount to the bank.

"Consumers should keep in mind that a bank may make money available to them almost at once if they deposit a cashier?s check, but that?s no guarantee that the check is authentic," warns an advisory posted on the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Web site http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press/cons_advis/June03.cfm.

In Marty's case, he listened to his instincts and remained skeptical. Other online sellers are not so lucky. If you become a victim of this scam and reside in Canada, file a report with the Reporting Economic Crime Online (RECOL) at http://www.recol.ca. (For more information about Canadian Agencies and Operations Dealing with Fraud, see Les Henderson's site at http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Laws/Canada/agencies.htm.)

Victims residing in the U.S. should file complaints online at http://www.secretservice.gov/contact_fcd.shtml.

Copy of Scam Email
(Certain information omitted at editor's discretion.)


hi marty,
thanks for your quick responce, i have been trying to get u on phone, but i think the net work has been so bad, i believe we can still work things out as long as you adhere to the terms and conditions of my client. Thank you once again for responding to my mail, my customer is a diplomat in spain who owns a car shop in Africa, but he is in spain and wants the vehicle to be ship to africa. Thanks to you for accepting the offer to sell your Dune Buggy to my client.

I am particularly impressed by the prompt attention accorded the matter considering the need for us to conclude the deal in a timely manner. I will want to restate clearly that i am an automobile and boats procurement agent based in pretorial south africa with long years of automobiles and boats expirience and arrays of clients across the African coasts.

In other to conclude our arrangement concerning your vehicle my client wants to purchase I forwarded your mail content to him and he Agreed on the price you are selling but He said you will be getting payment inform of a cashier check in the amount of $12,500 [us funds].

This amount he explained to me that this amount will come to you in that form based on earlier order he made from a company in the states but it did not workout because there was delay in the shippment of the goods he ordered so he has proposed that if you agree with the terms of payment you should forward your info [name to be on check, phone number and address for him to forward it to the company to make out the check in your name and when the check gets to you, you will deduct the cost of your car[$7,500] and refund the balance{$5,000} to his shipper in london via Westernn union money transfer immediately for him to be able to arrange for shipping on time. So confirm this and provide your info for payment to be sent to you as soon as posible.
Best Regards,
ed

 

[DocL]

ha ha... I did some online searching myself... here is an article... yeah, I guess I will give play this one out :biggrin:

Great, now that you believe us, I'll take the car off you hands for $6,100 which was the difference between your selling price and his offer. I figure this way you'll know you were robbed and I'll get a great deal. I'll PM you my home address so the car can be shipped once my real cashiers check get's FedEx'd to you. :biggrin:

 

[nsx2tall]

They're using this scam for other things too. I've heard of case like this involving an advertisement to sublet a campus apartment. There's definitely no shortage of grifters and fools to follow them (politicians and talk show hosts included).

 

[JCRowan]

Yes this is a scam. Number one the cashiers check is not valid. So you send them your car, plus the difference between the price and the check. And boom they have your car, and your money and you now have bank charges for a invalid cashiers check. If they want to do this, tell them to wire the money. You can even find out about this by going to craigslist.org and search under scams, or google it as well. This is a well documented scam. I got such offers when selling one of my vehicles, contacted the FBI and they were not interested in trying to catch this type of crime. Go figure! Ayway, tell the guy to pound sand! That way you still have your car and your money.