Scam Vehicle Purchases (paypal)

[ClearBluewater]

I know what you think, and no, this isn't another "am i getting scammed thread".

That being said, I have been receiving emails and even texts from people who are "out of the city for work or various other reasons, but I want your car without even taking a look at it".

Now obviously I know that 100% of these are scams, and usually I dont reply. However, how do these scams work?

Lets say I agree with the scammer and tell him that he can in fact buy my car. How does he actually claim my car? I doubt he would be stupid enough to show up himself and drive it away right? They are usually not located in Nigeria or something like that also?

This is where the fun begins (I think). I think his only option would be to actually hire a tow truck? If that happens, when the tow truck driver shows up to pick up the car you could either deny that you sold your car / you dont own that car / dont have any idea what hes talking about / or even give a false address.

I realize that I could be wrong in many ways in my thought process because I am not entirely sure of how these scams work, and i realize that this woud actually require you to take some time out of your day just to fuck with a scammer.

I think that if we can collectively fuck a few of them over and make them waste some $ without any sort of profit it would eventually lower the scam rates quite a bit.

Thoughts?

[Maybelater]

If I'm correct those scams work by tricking you into giving them bank information and or tricking you into sending them money.

[Nakadah]

My MGIS prof was almost scammed that way so he gave us a little more information about it. What he told us is that in his case they sent him a check that looked legitimate and even the bank from which "was issued" at first could not realize that it was fake. The so called buyer of his car offered him more money so that it covers the shipping as well.

What happens is that the seller ships the car to X and then realizes that there is no actual money.

In my prof's case he had left the check with the bank that originally "was issued with" and a person whose jobs is to check whether checks are real or fake has found that it was indeed fake. By the time the bank had called my prof to inform him that the check is not real he had already arranged the shipping...

Lucky for him, he was not scammed.

[BokCh0y]

My understanding on how the paypal scam works is this:

Person contacts you stating interest in yor vehicle. This goes back and forth sounding legit, until thhey state this:

I'm working overseas offshore by Australia, I don't have access to a bank etc. I will send you the funds via Paypal and they will arrange shipping/pick up at their expense.

You agree and give them your Paypal info.

They send you the legit funds.

Some fag comes and picks up the ride and completes the applicalbe paperwork or something like this. Or you drop it off somewhere like a front for a shipping company? Something like this.

You then transfer the Paypal funds to your bank or leave them in that account. Regardless, the scammer then notfies Paypal that they bought this car from you but never received it and you never shipped it etc. No matter what proof you have, Paypal usually does the buy protect thing and sides with the buyer.

Money is the "reversed" from your bank or Paypal account.

You are now screwed outta the car and the money.

That's my understanding on how it works.

I've had them contact me similar, but state this:

- car is for their son in Malyasia
- they worked in canada, the company they did work for owes them say $25k and even though your car is selling for $14k, they will give you $15k for the car, arrane shipping etc. and send you the full $25k due to taxes, it would be cheaper for htem this way. Then they want you to refund them the difference....so essentially your out the car and an additional $10k potentially kinda deal.

So for me, I always say I will only accept the deal on these terms:

They transfer the funds directly into my bank account, and after 5-7 business days once the funds clear, the car is theirs and they can arrange for pick up etc.

or

I meet witht he person picking up the car at their bank, and they issue me right there a verified funds certified cheque or a bank draft form their bank.

And usually they never bug me again.

[J-hop]

^(Nakadah) Was it a personal cheque I wonder? Who would be stupid enough to accept a personal cheque for a car these days. With stuff like email transfers that instantly transfer money, I can't see people getting scammed very easily unless they are negligent in some way during the process.

OP I would just tell them you have a ton of people looking at it and if they really want it you'll hold it for them for $200 and see what happens.

[Nakadah]

J-Hop, the only other piece of information that he gave us about the check was that he wanted it to be certified by the bank from which it supposed to have been and the guys there have had it certified initially.

[J-hop]

Just sounds super sketchy to me. No offense to you prof but red warning lights are flashing all over that situation. He could have left out info though, possible he had the buyer send him some kind of ID. I don't buy or sell a vehicle unless I at least see the other persons valid drivers license.

I just can't understand how people can still get burned these days with all the precautions available to both buyers and sellers.

OP I hope you find some way to mess w/ those dumb scammers

[dexlargo]

I don't know how these would work with Paypal - usually I see them with fake money orders/bank drafts/certified cheques.

The actual scam is to get money from you, not the car (although sometimes they get greedy and try for both). They send you the very good looking fake, but "accidentally" make it out for too much. They apologize for the trouble, but ask you to send the overpayment amount back to them, but to keep some extra money, again, for the trouble. You then send a very real money order back for a few thousand dollars and never hear from them again.

3 days later your bank tells you that the money order you deposited was fake and they didn't get any money from the issuer, so they're deducting that amount from your account. You're then out a few thousand bucks.

As for shipping, usually they say their son/friend/whatever is going to come and pick it up in a few days, and that guy never appears - unless they're greedy and actually try to get the car too.

That's the version of the scam I've mostly seen.

[ClearBluewater]

Originally posted by dexlargo
I don't know how these would work with Paypal - usually I see them with fake money orders/bank drafts/certified cheques.

The actual scam is to get money from you, not the car (although sometimes they get greedy and try for both). They send you the very good looking fake, but "accidentally" make it out for too much. They apologize for the trouble, but ask you to send the overpayment amount back to them, but to keep some extra money, again, for the trouble. You then send a very real money order back for a few thousand dollars and never hear from them again.

3 days later your bank tells you that the money order you deposited was fake and they didn't get any money from the issuer, so they're deducting that amount from your account. You're then out a few thousand bucks.

As for shipping, usually they say their son/friend/whatever is going to come and pick it up in a few days, and that guy never appears - unless they're greedy and actually try to get the car too.

That's the version of the scam I've mostly seen.

Okay well this explains it pretty well, I had never actually went through with it long enough to realize that they try to make you send anything back. I guess its rare for them to actually try and pick it up the car? This is where I thought it would be possible to fuck them over.