Sometimes ago I wanted to buy some moldings off the HAMB I think the guy thought I was a scamer or somebody suggested it, thing is now if he ever gets back to me I'm afraid he is the scamer so I will pass despite the fact that I was looking for them for years at my price range.
I put "scammers and thieves need not reply" in every Craigs List ad I do. also "emails without a phone number will not get a reply" this keeps scammers away but sadly has no effect on idiots. when selling the seller makes the payment choices, never the buyer. postal money order for shipped items, cash on pickup. while time consuming to wait in line at the post office, if they do not catch a fake money order at the counter you are not responsible. I was a regular at the post office in my ebay days, one of the clerks told me a seller just came in that morning with a $900.00 fake postal money order and they caught it.
Think about it. Both initial contact and follow up reply are vague. They can send this email to someone selling a horse, a pickup, a sofa, an antique painting....and the email "fits" any of the above. There are NO specifics. They will send this vague contact to everyone selling something over a certain price point and the $50 extra doesn't seem like a big deal. Some will bite. IF they did send a check of any type, that is when you would probably see the urgency to get the item (before the check bounces).
Very obvious scam. For any Craigslist ads I post, I state that I do not respond to E-mail or Text unless they leave a valid contact phone number. If they are not interested in talking one on one with me then they are not a serious buyer. I also do not do the cashiers check thing and do not currently have a Paypal account. Most serious buyers will use cash or bank checks on big purchases. Works well for me and eliminates many of the scammers.
This one is a scam. I have a set of hemi heads for sale on here as well as facebook and craigslist. I have received the same reply to my ad from 4 different buyers. Exact same message each time. I went back each time and asked for a postal money order or no deal. They don't reply. At least not with the same e-mail.
Can't stand the scammers. Perfect way to get rid of these people is to tell them you want to see them face-to-face. You'll never hear another word from them.
The language and the way it is phrased to start out. Always states I am currently out of town , on a ship , soldier in Iraq , ect. He just changed up the reason he is currently not available. The only part he left out is he will have someone else[his agent] pick up the parts after everything is done to your satisfaction. How about this ? Three pages worth of people right here calling this a scam except for you. I'm not calling you stupid at all but you gotta know better ?
I must have too much time on my hands, but I love to have fun with these jackoffs. ..Telemarketers too. After I ask several times for info that I know they'll ever give, I'll tell them what I really think. Usually ends with me telling them to do something lewd with a goat or camel.
Did you read my post #47? If not, please do. You can think I am ‘stupid’ if that is your opinion.......but you would be mistaken...... Ray
This one is SO obvious! Hnstray, you want to know how the scam works: They don't want your stuff. What are they going to do with vintage car parts in Somalia? They want $$$! At some point, they will ask you for a full or partial refund. They will have some story to try to convince you to do it, before you sent the part, so it will be easier to convince you to do it. "I need to cancel the sale. How about you send me back 50%, keep half for your trouble, then resell the part?" You get greedy and agree to cancel the sale, and make extra profit by selling the part to someone else. Or one of a thousand other ways to convince you to send them $$. After you send them a refund, the cashiers check bounces. They send these out by the tens of thousands. Even if only a tiny fraction of them pay, it is easy money for them. Don't even ever respond in any way to these scams. You don't want them to have ANY info on you! There is a group of people who call themselves scambaiters who turn the tables on the scammers. It is hilarious, you have to read this stuff! This one is a favorite: https://www.419eater.com/html/joe_eboh.htm https://www.419eater.com/html/letters.htm
No opinion on the topic, but 419eater.com is funny as hell. It is definitely worth wasting an hour or two reading there.
There is an old saying...”you cannot cheat an honest man”. Every scam and swindle is based on the greed of the ‘mark’ to make it work. Yes, the swindler crafts a scenario wherein the ‘mark’ thinks he/she is putting one over on the perpetrator. Exactly as you describe above. One of the best educations on that subject, and highly entertaining too, is an old movie, “The Flim Flam Man”, starring George C Scott. It’s from the ‘60s. I think this is my last comment on this thread. I never said the proposal wasn’t an attempted scam. I even offered methods to the OP to prevent being scammed. Ray
Yep....but Nigerian reads like .......Nigerian..... On a brighter note, just listed my trailer for sale on gumtree (Aussie Craigslist) got a buyer almost immediately who offered $800 more if I sent him the money for shipping. Heading to the bank now ROFLMAO. If you need a laugh google 419 scams and read the scambaiters stories. Very entertaining.
22 years ago when I was in Ethiopia I knew a guy who was road racing a 65 Mustang coupe. Yes there are people into classic cars in Africa they are super rare though.
I guess its the difference from growing up in the city vs the country but I would stay far away from that and not message them with anything... You have no idea what kind of demonic psycho case is behind that...
The syntax (that's the word you guys are looking for) and vocabulary are not American, sounds more European. Think colonized African county. It's a two-part scam. First the bait, then the hook. Don't bite.
On the other hand its frustrating when you are a genuine buyer from another country and people instantly thing you are a scammer when you want to pay by paypal The internet makes it easier for searching parts now but attracts scammer sellers and buyers , I have been lucky so far not to have been ripped off but on a couple of occasions got very nervous when parts don't arrive on time or suddenly the seller stops responding or keeps fobbing you off with BS excuses on postage etc
As mentioned, they don't even mention the specific item. They just paste and bomb a generic message for all items. If you're still not sure of a scam, ask a specific question like "what bolt pattern?', "early or late version?" No reply or just more jive talk? Time for "Go **** your camel!"
The Jalopy Journal
