I saw a 2005 'Stang (V6) on E-bay for $9000. Ran the VIN and its clean. I replied to the seller, stating I was interested. A few hours later, the auction is no longer available, and the person's name is no longer registered. I received this e-mail a few minutes ago:

Hello,


I received your e-mail about my 2005 Ford MUSTANG. The car is in perfect working condition, with no damage at all, the title is clear. Only 113 miles. Total price with shipping included is $9,000. I WON THIS AS THE GRAND PRIZE IN A CONTEST !!!
I was recently promoted at Deaf-Mute Association of N.Y.D.M. so I had to move in France with my wife and kids. The car is at Lufthansa Air Cargo in US ready to be shipped. I want to buy a house here so we decided to sell it. For our protection I want to make the transaction thru eBay Motors. You will have to send to them in advance $3,000 and after that I will start the shipping to you. You will have 15 days to inspect the car before I will receive the payment from them, and after that you will send me the rest of $6,000.
In this way we will be 100% protected. If you still are interested please reply.

I`m waiting for your reply.


Best Regards,
John Millette

My reply:

I am still very interested.

I noticed your e-bay handle is no longer registered and the auction is closed. What happened? Send me the required information, and I'll get the ball rolling on my end. Also, please e-mail me the VIN of the vehicle again so I can have it on hand for the bank to process the loan. I'll go by there tomorrow, sign papers (I'm already approved), ect. Would it be possible to enclose pictures as well, like the ones that were on the auction?

France is a beautiful country. I spent some time there. What part of France are you in? If you get a chance, visit Switzerland. BEAUTIFUL area.

Also, I would like contact information. I am willing to call international if you are in France. What city is the car located in?

I'll be waiting for your reply.

Nick



Is this too good to be true? All information given in this e-mail is the same as was posted on the auction. Pictures verified mileage and VIN of vehicle, as well as winner in a contest.
I need expert opinions before I do something stupid and send $3000 to some scammer... but I don't want to delay too long and miss the chance of a lifetime if this is true. Going to reply to him now asking for contact info and such. Throwing me off since he wants to do buisness through e-bay autos...

 

If it sounds too good to be true then it most likely isn't. Basic plan for a scam artist is to get you to send money. I would be very cautious with this one.

The Boss Hog

 

If it sounds to good to be true, then it is to good to be true. I've heard about too many scams invovled in sending money overseas. Do as much research as you can, find out if the car is really at Lufthansa Air Cargo.

Fishy part is why not let the auction continue to go to highest bidder? Also why not ask for 15k?
Sounds suspicious because of the deal but proceed with caution. If it is true, it's a great deal and congrats on the find.

 

Don't fall for this scam. Ebay is full of scam artists. This is another. Just .......RUN AWAY! :notnice:

Notify ebay and see if you get a reply. Unless you are feeling generous with $3K. Besides, the inport tariffs, etc are outrageous. Buy one here. Not overseas and through ebay. This is a version of the Nigeran scam, trust me I know, having worked in law enforcement for over 33 yrs.

 

that is a scam, for sure

 

Big time scam.

 

typical old scam, avoid it

 

SCAM for sure. When I had my other car listed on Autotrader I got a bunch of those.

 

Probably is a scam... thanks for all the replies

Going to see what kind of info I can get out of the guy though before sending ANY cash anywhere. I'll post what I find. For now, proceeding with EXTREME caution.

Initial signs aren't looking good. Can't find any such organization as Deaf-Mute Association of N.Y.D.M. NYDM alone refers to a death metal club, or a play.

 

Something is wrong. The owner could get 9 grand in cash easily and not have all the hassles of this deal. The most sleazy used car lot in town would probably give more than 9 thousand cash for a brand new car that they could add a few thousand and sell quickly.

 

Exactly what I'm thinking. He states he is currently in France, and the car is in the USA. Won a contest, won the car. Its plausable, but still sounds fishy.

No replies from him yet. Still waiting. Even if it is a scam (which I'll be very dissapointed), I'm curious to see how it all pans out. As long as I keep my info safe, I have the upper hand.

*evil laugh* OK I've been playing too much City of Villans...

 

It's not plausible. This is a classic ebay scam on vehicles. Stay away.

 

Ya I had two like this through Autotrader when I sold my Maxima two weeks ago. Don't fall for it.

This was one of the ones that I got. Watch for misspelled words and for them to fail to answer questions when pressed for answers. Note, no name is in the dear line and he never responded to my reply pressing him for details. YOu did the right thing by looking into the company/foundation.

-------

Dear,
Yes we are really interested, I have forwarded your vehicle information to my client and after evaluation and due to time constraint on the fact that we are runningshort of time, I'm delighted to inform you that my client has recommended your vehicle, with full interest and has instructed me to carry on with this transaction.
Hope the engine and body is in good condition?

He also instructed that payment will get to you in a Cashiers Check amount of $24,000 Which covers the cost of the car and also the cost of shipment.
So you are required to deduct the cost of your ( car) $15400 when payment gets to you and refund balance $8,600 to the Agent (The shiper ) for him to be able to ofset shipping & tax charges and other cosmetic repair costs.

Now we really need your Truth & Honesty with definite assurance that the balance will honestly be send to the shipper when payment gets to you, as we have make alternative arrangement not to stress you in shipment.
After payment has reached you and balance sent to shipper, the shipper's agent will come for inspection, pick up of vehicle & signing of title papers, make some cosmetic touches and drive to a prepaid shipper to be ship to my customer.

To further more, Please confirm these and provide the following for the payment to be made out and send to you.
LEGAL NAME:.........
VALID ADDRESS:..........
TELL/CELLPHONE:..........

Your Honesty and understanding will be highly appreciated
Best-regards,
MARK...

 

V6 =
Scammers = :notnice:

 

Tap an email out to eBay to see why they cancelled him?

 

Execellent idea!

CrackaTrash, that seems less... intelligent than the e-mail I received. BUT... still looks fishy all around. Doing detective work is fun!

 

This seller is full of Run...don't walk away!

 

SEND MONOPOLY MONEY and see what he says

 

If you send money for this car, I'd like to talk to you about a bridge I'm selling. It was in London, but now it is in Lake Havasu, AZ. I will only accept money via PayPal. PM me for details. You can trust me... I am not a crook eace:

 

ooooooo I wanna buy!!!!



I'm in contact with e-bay now... they aren't being very helpful. They said if it goes through them, it will be OK as long as it isn't paid for by Western Union. Doesn't make me feel much better. They won't tell me WHY this user is no longer registered or why the auction was brought down.

But I guess if it is relisted, I'm guaranteed 100% of the purchase price if it is a scam. Still sounds fishy, and too big of a hassle to go through. I'm backing off, but I'll still post back what he writes.

EDIT: Just received a PM through e-bay from a person with a rating of 776, 100% positive feedback, member since 1998:

"That auction you asked about was a scam - do not pay - tell seller to go to - well - to go if they keep bothering you about paying."

So that sums it up: SCAM! Which still leaves me 2005+ 'Stangless

Anyone wanna sell one for $9000!