About a week or two ago, I decided to put my G35 up for sale, just for the hell of it since I really don't need the car anymore. I also put it on craigslist. Now as most of us know, 80% of the e-mails you'll receive from craigslist "buyers" are all scams. But I never thought it would happen through a car forum. Well, low and behold today I got an e-mail from a guy who told me he saw my car for sale on S2KI, and wanted to know what I was asking for it and if I could send him any pictures.

Now in the first place, in my for sale thread, (located here) I give the asking price and a few recent pictures. But the first e-mail seemed like a person, not a computer...so I responded and just told him the price. The following e-mail is what I got from him:

"Hello mgp, we have concluded, making the payment Thanks for your email and update on the bottom price($14,999),it was accepted by my clientand he has directed us to issue payment to you. I would need your assurance that the property whose payment we would start processing,is in a good condition as the only view our client had of the vehicle was on the internet and this purchase is hinged on his personal judgement of what the property's state and output would be like,in comparison to models of its category. However,he made out a certified cashiers check of($19,999) before he travelled for a conference,for a previous vehicle and its shipment charges etc,but it wasunfortunately sold. The amount on the check he deposited for the vehicle is bigger than what should be paid to you now, so the check is now meant for the total expenses which includes the purchase of your vehicle ,its pick up from its present location and the shipping charges/other necessary shipping arrangements.However he has instructed us to bikery on with this transaction. So when payment gets to you, you're required to deduct the cost of your vehicle ($14,999) and send the balance of($5,000) to my client shipping agent to enable him offsett shipping charges/arrangements. Once the transaction is concluded, My client shipping agent will be coming for the pick up of the vehicle from its present location, on an access to a prepaid shipper for shipment,and also conclude other necessary shipping arrangements. So you dont have to bother yourself about the pick up and shipping rrangements, while title papers and other necessary documets will be sent by you via fedex courier . Please Confirm this and provide (1) NAME (2) CONTACT ADDRESS AND CONTACT PHONE NUMBER(s) for check payment to be delivered to you via regular mail immediately , please remove the add of the vehicle from the internet to avoid complications from other buyers"

Now, in case all of you didn't catch that...not only is it a scam but it's also money laundering. I don't know who he is, I asked him what his name is on S2KI but I'm sure every e-mail was just generated anyway so I'm not going to get an answer to that. Anyway, I just wanted all of you potential buyers and sellers on this forum or any other to be careful, because this stuff happens all of the time. Not only could you get scammed for this, but you could get in deep with the FBI for participating in it.

Good luck to all and stay safe

Matt





macr88
Not S2K Talk related but good info to know, be carefull.

 

Matt,
Actually, it isnt really money laundering. What they are trying to have you do is an age old scam. They will send you a bank or certified check that has been altered or stolen. Your bank will clear the funds and you will have the money. The $5000 you send them will be via money gram or western union and once you send it to them, boom they are gone and you wont hear from them again. It takes a bank about 10 days at least for a check to actually come back to them as forged, altered or fake. During which time, you are sol. Even if the bank tells you the funds are available, you will still be liable for any forged, bounced, stolen checks you deposit. Its in your terms and conditions. I know, I am a lawyer and we just sued a bank in court for the same situation.

 

But isn't it technically laundering since I would be sending the extra $5,000 to a different source? Then they wouldn't be responsible for the original sum.

 

Money laundering is a process of taking money from illegal sources and disguising it as legitimate business. A $5k refund from purchasing a car is in no way disguising the money. This is simply a scam like jojipoji says, to scam you out of five grand.

 

saw your car for sale it's a good price and very clean so first of all glws.

and yes this is one of those old scams that no one even thinks twice about before deleting it...same as those nigerian scams where they say they're in nigeria and will offer to pay you more than what you're asking if you send to nigeria and of course it's fake money.

i thought it was an actual guy trying to like steal your car on a test drive or something...but yea just brush it off and once again glws.

 

Thanks a lot. Yeah maybe I was wrong with the whole money laundering idea, but I still wanted to warn people. Like I said, I never expected stuff like that to come from S2KI.

 

haha I get them all the time on email, I play games, I ask them for their number so I can call and all sorts of shit. Most of them stop replaying but one of those Arab ones the guy actually emailed me back in person freaking out saying why im dumb for not wanting the money and all this shit, it was so funny. I cant believe they cannot get in trouble for that.

 

exactly

 

Wow. Who falls for these things anymore? Age old scam.

When accepting a certified or bank check for a vehicle purchase. Always at least have your bank call the issuing bank to verify the funds and the account the check was placed on and that those funds have been put on hold from the account holder until the check is cleared.

 

I would've never went with it, but especially since I have a loan on my car...if someone hands me a certified check they're coming to the bank with me to pay if off