Scam or not??

[BradB]

I am trying to sell my boat and have posted a listing on craigslist in Toledo, Oh This is an E-mail I got the other day. I dont do much internet selling and im not sure if itd legit or not. he said he needs a name and address to send a check to would i Be in harms way to give him an address??


Everything sounds a little to good to be true, or am I over reacting??

thanks Brad


here is the e-mail so far. original message at the bottom.

HIS REPLY
Re: Regarding Your boatWednesday, April 15, 2009 1:06 PM
From: This sender is DomainKeys verified "Gray Martin" <skye.r0n@gmail.com> To: "Brad Batdorf" <bradbatdorf@sbcglobal.net>
Hello,

I Will make payment out in few days time through my
Financial Agent in form of bank check which will clear to into your account
within 3 to 4 days you will need remove the ad from site.

The shipping will be included on the payment as the
shipping agent am using insisted they need to collect all shipping fee
directly from the seller to be sure this transaction is genuine and
legal before they can come down for the pick up

Therefore, am including all the shipping fees which will include
insurance fee that you will need to remit to the shipping agent as
soon as you get the check cleared at your Bank so i will need the name
to be written on the check and a residence or office address along
with your contact phone number to ensure delivery


MY REPLY
On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 10:44 PM, Brad Batdorf <bradbatdorf@sbcglobal.net> wrote:



YES BOAT IS STILL FOR SALE THE PRICE IS 13500.00 USD THANKS BRAD

ORIGINAL MESSAGE
On Tue, 4/14/09, Gray Martin <skye.r0n@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Gray Martin <skye.r0n@gmail.com>
Subject: Regarding Your boat
To:
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 3:05 PM

Hello,
It is my great pleasure to contact you regarding your boat
placed for sale at http://www.craigslist.org
Please, i would like to make a purchase as i'm really
interested in it. Let me know the last price and if it still available
for sale and it's present condition, and send me pics ,as for the Shipping i will
take care of that through a pick up .
Thank you and i look forward to your reply.
Martin
Astoria , NY

 

[Chris]

They'll send you a check and pick it up, and the check will clear. But when the real account owner sees it, he'll return it as a fraud. By then the boat will be transferred and gone. And your bank will debit you. This includes bank checks and phony USPS money orders.

Insist on authentic U.S Treasury Gift Certificates (hundred-dollar bills).

 

[BradB]

They'll send you a check and pick it up, and the check will clear. But when the real account owner sees it, he'll return it as a fraud. By then the boat will be transferred and gone. And your bank will debit you. This includes bank checks and phony USPS money orders.

Insist on authentic U.S Treasury Gift Certificates (hundred-dollar bills).

Is there any way to verify the bank check to the owner??

 

[catastrophe]

Seen this act lots of times.

Tell the C S you are passing his chit on to the police.

No one in NY writes or talks like that.

Ask Stecz

 

[Perlmudder]

no one in ny writes or talks like that.

bingo!

 

[Chris]

Is there any way to verify the bank check to the owner??

It can be tough. If you send me a check, I can duplicate it right here and make all of them I want. If you call to verify funds, they'll tell you it's OK. Only after it shows up in my statement or for some other reason I notice the debit will I call and question it, thus starting the investigation process. If I have a big balance and nothing triggers suspicion, and I'm 3 weeks out from my statement, there can be quite a delay.

We accept checks via fax. It's called a check draft. I take your info and enter it into a screen and out pops a check. I deposit them regularly for hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. The banks are quite familiar with them and accept them without question.

Gmail e-mail address, funny syntax, convoluted payment/pickup schemes- all the telltale signs of an offshore scam. The best part is, he's going to send you the trasport cost in the check. Not only do you give your boat away to some a$$hole, you're sending it off with beer and gas money for their trouble.

 

[Chris]

No one in NY writes or talks like that.

Huh? Everyone in New York talks like that. Been in a Manhattan cab lately?

 

[Sea-Dated]

Scam. Cash or money wire only.....

 

[whataworld51]

Isn't that a version of the classic Nigerian scam?

 

[Tommy Gun]

Between the Nigerian scammers and the Somalian pirates Africa appears to be a more opportunistic place to make (scam) a living than the USA....

 

[MOBILEMERCMAN]

I have received numerous e mails like that . They troll craigs list. Tell him boat is for sale have driver show up with cash. He will not bother to respond to that.

 

[Break'inWind]

I have received numerous e mails like that . They troll craigs list. Tell him boat is for sale have driver show up with cash. He will not bother to respond to that.

x2... Fraud! Too many of these things happening all over the place... both buying and selling.

 

[glh]

Isn't that a version of the classic Nigerian scam?

We should get Seal snipers then!

 

[Lubejobs42]

Don't waste your time checking anything. It's a complete scam. i get them almost daily!

 

[DonziGirl]

Oddly, my boat sold in a deal kind of like that. It went to the Bahamas. The guy asked if i could get it to Miami and I told him it was in Ohio. I knew I was in trouble when he asked "where's Ohio?"

Long and short of it is that he wired money into a separate account I set up. I called the bank to verify and switched the funds to another account. A friend picked the boat up 3 days later and dropped it off in Miami to be put on a cargo ship to South Kakos (sp?). And my boat was listed pretty cheap (11k). He didn't quibble with the price or anything. Tacked on extra for the shipping.

 

[DonziGirl]

If you do think about this, I would insist on cash or wire transfer to a separate account that you can set up.

 

[Skullkrusher]

There is nothing to think about. 100% scam. Period.

 

[Ryan8886]

Just another spin on the Nigerian scam....I got a similar reply to a couch I had listed on craigslist a couple weeks ago for a measly $400 bucks.....they're happy to get anything they can out of the willing.

 

[Sean Stinson]

I am trying to sell my boat and have posted a listing on craigslist in Toledo, Oh This is an E-mail I got the other day. I dont do much internet selling and im not sure if itd legit or not. he said he needs a name and address to send a check to would i Be in harms way to give him an address??


Everything sounds a little to good to be true, or am I over reacting??

thanks Brad


here is the e-mail so far. original message at the bottom.

HIS REPLY
Re: Regarding Your boatWednesday, April 15, 2009 1:06 PM
From: This sender is DomainKeys verified "Gray Martin" <skye.r0n@gmail.com> To: "Brad Batdorf" <bradbatdorf@sbcglobal.net>
Hello,

I Will make payment out in few days time through my
Financial Agent in form of bank check which will clear to into your account
within 3 to 4 days you will need remove the ad from site.

The shipping will be included on the payment as the
shipping agent am using insisted they need to collect all shipping fee
directly from the seller to be sure this transaction is genuine and
legal before they can come down for the pick up

Therefore, am including all the shipping fees which will include
insurance fee that you will need to remit to the shipping agent as
soon as you get the check cleared at your Bank so i will need the name
to be written on the check and a residence or office address along
with your contact phone number to ensure delivery


MY REPLY
On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 10:44 PM, Brad Batdorf <bradbatdorf@sbcglobal.net> wrote:



YES BOAT IS STILL FOR SALE THE PRICE IS 13500.00 USD THANKS BRAD

ORIGINAL MESSAGE
On Tue, 4/14/09, Gray Martin <skye.r0n@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Gray Martin <skye.r0n@gmail.com>
Subject: Regarding Your boat
To:
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 3:05 PM

Hello,
It is my great pleasure to contact you regarding your boat
placed for sale at http://www.craigslist.org
Please, i would like to make a purchase as i'm really
interested in it. Let me know the last price and if it still available
for sale and it's present condition, and send me pics ,as for the Shipping i will
take care of that through a pick up .
Thank you and i look forward to your reply.
Martin
Astoria , NY

If you have the check sent look at how many different fonts are on the check thats a big red flag according to the banks.....Also don't let them overpay!!!! I took the one I got to the bank and asked them to verify it because it looked like a letter written in Olde English with 7 different fonts!!! They said the account was a good account with good funds HOWEVER some pertinent info didn't match up concerning the address info!!!! SELLER BEWARE