Time to Haze a Scammer!

I'm not giving those a-holes my email addy to add to their scam list and spam list.

well saw this add from Massachset, the Jaxed the search, Raleigh NC, SF area, and 4 other places. got a reply asking to use an ebay escrow, to simply send my info and he would send it for me to inspect for 5 days while ebay has the money and only when to my satisfaction he would get paid. Ebay does not have escrow, nor shipping period. she can't miss a day of work, deceassed husband in Iraq, need to move to sister. looks like moving virtually is more of her/his bag. too good to be true. thanks for having a place to warn since I had found the response quite disruptive I googled the email alessandra388@msn.com and found your warning. since I have reported to Craiglist the adds and most are now not there. well I guess they will simply need another set of pics and a new msn email.:face-icon-small-dis

Environmentalist said:

Nothing? Nobody? Wow, this site has changed! I did the same thing last year and had 20 post within the first 12 hours.

Where did all the fun people go? Hello....Fun People....hello?...anyone out there?.......well ok.....I'm going to go try to find the fun people.......

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Email sent

Environmentalist said:

Well I found another scammer. This one is an idiot! They posted the same ad in 6 different cities in the Seattle area. So when you search, it shows all 6 ad...all from different towns.

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Maybe I am misunderstanding you, but my roommate up at college would do the same thing all the time, place the add in his hometown and up at college (two different states) so that more people could see the stuff he was selling and he could bring it up to school if someone was interested up in brookings. Of course, thats only 2 towns so its probably different

I did a google search on that ad and saw the same ad posted in Detroit and San Francisco and lots of other places. It does look like a scam, but how does the scam work? When I buy stuff on Craigslist I go to see it in person and pay in cash. Are there people out there that will buy a snowmobile sight unseen and send money before they get it?

It probably is a scam. The way it works is they have you send or wire at least a down payment untill you can "see" it. Sometimes they even tell you they will arrange shipment to sweeten the deal. Once they get the money they vanish. Some people are even dumb enough to send the whole price because they are convinced they need to move fast or it will be gone. A couple of weeks later it's for sale again with the exact same pics and info but different contact info in another town. The money is usually in Nigeria or Pakistan before the victim even knows what happened. I've investigated many of these scams with Harley MCs. The worst part about Craigslist is they are uncooperative with Law Enforcement and fight revealing the crook's account info. The crook usually isn't ever even in the country.

For my money:
1. See it in person and don't send a dime unless you do.
2. Bring Cash or Money Order.
3. Get a bill of sale including the sellers Home Address, Phone etc.

If it sounds too good to be true ($10,000 in sleds and a trailer for $3500) it probably is. A guy that gives a sob story about getting divorced and needs the cash will probably be willing to wait an extra day to make the sale and won't object to you wanting to see them in person or verify they aren't stolen.

Use your common sense. It saves a lot of time and money$$$

Mike

Send them an email telling them you are in the area and want to come look at the sleds. Sit back and watch how fast their BS piles up!

I did that to some douchebag that was selling some wave runners in Salt Lake. Soon the story changed to "the are sitting on a loading dock in Las Vegas waiting to be shipped" Then I told them I was actually going to be headding down to Vegas that weekend and would like to get some info on where I can go to see them" Never got a response. Sent a couple more emails after that and still got nothin!

Filed a report with the internet fraud commission, but never heard anything more.

I never received a response from this seller... oh well.

Environmentalist said:

Everyone on Snowest needs to email this joker inquiring about the sleds. The more time they spend being hazed, the less time they can actually scam.

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Millions of scams on the internet. I have better things to do with my time and my idea of "FUN" involves getting away from the keyboard............

We actually saw this and assumed that the price was a typo, we emailed for more info as they were listed near our location and wanted to take a look for some friends. It had just been posted and we were trying to catch the seller still online.

We didn't hear anything right away, so before the end of the night I send an additional email asking a few additional questions.

We received two identical responses the next day to both inquires (see following)


.................................................................................................

Alessandra Mullane
to me

show details Jan 22 (6 days ago)

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in purchasing my snowmobiles & trailer. The snowmobiles (as well as the trailer) are in perfect condition - like new! If you decide to buy them, you'll receive all the papers, owner manuals, keys, a buy-sell contract already signed by me and the clear titles. For this transaction I want to use ebay because I want to provide you a fast and very secure way. They will handle the transaction for me. You will make the payment to ebay and they will hold the money until you receive and inspect the snowmobiles. ONLY AFTER you receive the snowmobiles and you inspect them (you have 5 days for inspection) ebay will release the payment to me. The inspection time period will begin as soon as you receive the snowmobiles at your address. Meanwhile eBay will hold the money into a trust account. So, this is not a blind transaction, you can see the snowmobiles before you decide to buy them. This way we are both protected : i will know that i have a serious buyer who has the money to pay me and you will be able to see and inspect the snowmobiles before buying them.
The 2 snowmobiles are priced to sell quickly and the final price that I'm asking for it is $3,900 including shipping and handling costs. My husband died in Iraq 3 months ago and I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and move to my sister. I can't afford to take days off my work for this sale so i'm trying to sell it online.
If you are really interested in purchasing the snowmobiles please send me your full name, shipping address and your phone number. Ebay will give you all the details regarding the shipping and payment.

I will appreciate an answer as soon as possible.

Regards!

Alessandra Mullane


P.S.: Below you will a full desription and the pictures i have taken for this sale. Please take a closer look before you decide.

Two 2007 & 2005 Yamaha RS Venture GT & RS Venture
Features
Engine size (cc): 1000
Engine type: 4-Stroke
Type: Touring
Electric start: Yes
Reverse gear: Yes
You are looking a 2005 Red Yamaha RS Venture with 1300 miles in excellent condition with tank bag and saddle bags. Also, a 2007 Black Yamaha RS Venture GT with 900 miles in excellent condition with tank bag. To haul these great sleds is a 2006 Triton 12' Enclosed trailer.

..................................................................................................

Obvious scam! It really pissed me off (got emails before I had had my coffee)! I did the typical internet search at that point and verified...
Since I had already wasted time and effort at this point and had the choice of cleaning my house or turning them in the the FTC per craigslist scam link, I choose to turn them in...

I don't usually spend my time dwelling on stuff like this... it happens, not surprising... but for some reason, this one really made me mad :face-icon-small-fro

Any hesitation about showing them in person, Probably a scam.
If you have to send money to "hold" them, or a "deposit", or a promise of a "verification" or "inspection" period. Probably a scam.

If someone is really intent on making a good sale, they won't hesitate to work with the buyer. The first sign they're pulling your chain, walk away (maybe run). As a cop, the first thing I think is "How can someone be so dumb." I've seen folks taken for as much as $100,000 with the "my brother won the lottery, but can't collect because he's in another country. If you send money, you will receive a million dollars for your help." It really sucks though to tell someone that their money is gone and there's nothing I can do because the crook is in another country and I can't even find out their true identity.

Again, $10,000 in equipment for $3900. Your BS meter should be pegged. I wouldn't even entertain sending and email asking for more info. They're just fishing for anyone who will look at the bait.

Mike