Does this sound fishy to anyone else?

[Thornir Alekeg]

A coworker had something similar happen to him selling a car online. He ended up with the police and the FBI working with him to try and catch the buyer.

Inevitably what is likely to happen is that the buyer will send you a certified check for more than the purchase price. The buyer will then request that you deposit the check and wire the excess amount to the agent picking up the car to "pay for expenses." That all occurs, but the cashiers check is bogus and bounces and you are out the excess money you wired.

Drop this buyer now is my recommendation.

[edit] freebfrost found a reference to the scam...

 

[Lobo Lurker]

Having dealt with them in the past (for communications between my wife and my mother, who don't share a common language) this looks to me like John wrote the email and then had it translated with an online translator. The sentence structure (not that I'm an expert or anything) looks like Spanish translated to English using the google translator.

The references to 'down here' corroborate this as Latin America is below the USA geographically.

Taking the above into consideration, a check/money order would be the only way this person could pay you (beware of horrendous international check cashing fees; $50+ sometimes).

However, you should always follow your gut instict. A part of you suspects treachery on some level. You should trust your insticts. Despite everything I've written here, *I* would not sell to this guy until I had the cash (not he check, but the cashed check) in my hands.

 

[Zenodotus of Ephesus]

Country? For an eleven hundred dollar car? It looks like more work than it is worth (and possibly trouble). I would email back to him simply saying "No, thank you" and then block his emails. Indy is a big enough area that you will sell it soon enough and with no fishy, pain-in-the-assness happening.

 

[reveal]

If your gut says don't sell it to this guy, then don't sell it to this guy. Always go with your gut.

 

[thalmin]

It seems this sounds fishy to everyone else. Run, don't walk, away from this one.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

It seems this sounds fishy to everyone else. Run, don't walk, away from this one.

More like use the warp drive, set on maximum warp, in the Enterprise E and get the hell outta there before the Death Star blows up!



Yeah, I know... crossing two universes..... but it makes for great analogy...

 

[Vigwyn the Unruly]

This is a well known scam. It has been in the news several times. You will check everything out, the bank might even tell you that everything is in order, you will give the guy your car and some cash, then his check or money order will bounce. You will be sad. You will be angry at the bank, but at the end of the day there will be nothing you can do about it.

This is a really cruel hoax, but it IS a hoax.

Do NOT sell to this guy or even give him your address.

 

[tonym]

scam scam scam

 

[mythusmage]

It's not the car he wants, it's the parts. With a few exceptions cars are worth more when parted out. Any vehicle stolen for any reason other than joyriding is soon broken up.

In Latin America there is a huge market for American made car parts. Locally made replacement parts for older American made cars are of lower quality, and importing American made parts can be prohibitively expensive. From your $1,100.00 car the 'buyer' could get as much as $11,000 in parts, and you may end up with nothing.

Then you have all the stolen cars being driven around by officials that never seem to get returned to their owners. When people say that Nigeria is the most corrupt country in the world, they say this knowing that Mexico runs a very close second.

 

[reveal]

It seems this sounds fishy to everyone else. Run, don't walk, away from this one.

That's good advice.

The most important thing Goddess FallenAngel should take away from this is that if a situation like athis arises and you are in any way suspicious, don't do it. You're under no obligation to sell your car to him. Always follow your instincts when it comes to business deals. I'd rather be wrong and not lose money than be right and kicking myself in the ass.