Cross Country Sale, Scam Possibility

[kwc27]

Ok, I have my 2005 545i for sale. I live in South Dakota, so its very tough to get rid of a car like this. I listed it on ebay and there is two days left on the auction.

I got a message from an Eastern European guy from New Jersey telling me to call him. He tells me he wants to buy it outright.

I'm worried about a possible scam as he wants to do this quickly. He tells me he can mail a cashier's check tomorrow and fly out Saturday to get the car. He has a story for wanting it quickly because he says he just promised his friend, who just wrecked his own car, his Audi A8, so he needs a car fast.

I'm just looking for some advice on how to do this should I decide to sell it to him. How long does it take for a bank to verify a cashier's check? Any other ideas?

[xinfinity]

i dont know if it is possible & its a little bit ridiculous but can he paypal you the money on one of your computers when he is there looking at the car

[kwc27]

Most people's limits through Paypal is $500, so that probably won't fly. But thanks for the idea. Anyone have any others or advise?

[randomy]

It is going to be a fake cashiers check, probably for more than you are asking, and he will want some of the money back sent to him.

He is not coming out Saturday, but I would press it as far as you can go. Offer to take the cashiers check and hold it until he arrives. IF he shows up, make a deal then, but I don't feel very good about this so far.

[FSUhorizon]

Make him wire transfer you the money. Problem solved.

[Lantz]

It is going to be a fake cashiers check, probably for more than you are asking, and he will want some of the money back sent to him.

He is not coming out Saturday, but I would press it as far as you can go. Offer to take the cashiers check and hold it until he arrives. IF he shows up, make a deal then, but I don't feel very good about this so far.

I'm guessing what he is going to do is send / give you a cashiers check. Now his plan is that you are going to deposit it and your bank will show the money is in your account. Then he is going to come get the car and head back to where ever. About two weeks later the bank will realize the cashiers check is fake and your account will go negative for the amount he gave you.

Its a play off a very common scam on craigslist.

If something is to good to be true it is.

[T325i]

happen to a buddy of mine with JDM 1pc DA Integra Headlights.

he waited like a month for the check to clear and the bank said it was fake.
good thing he didnt ship the lights

[khabra04]

well you can just take him to the bank with you before you do anything and get it cashed.

[SilverBeam]

Scammers like this typically don't come to you. Definitely go to the bank with him. If he tries to pull anything about the check being in the wrong amount, or not being able to go to the bank with you, etc. Walk away.

[josh023]

Most likely a scam. If I were you I would write up a contract and get it notarized through a bank. I would even go as far as to take down his driver's license #, some sort of proof of where he lives, and even employment information. If he gets all sketchy, tell him you have every right to be concerned. But like I said, I'm about 85% sure this is a scam. I know how bad it sucks trying to sell cars for the price you want and patiently waiting for that ONE person who's willing to pay it, but the risk is definitely not worth it. Almost happened to a friend of mine, he got a money order... and they spelled "VIRGINIA" wrong on the check. These guys are clever, very street-smart.... book-smart.... different story.

[BradR127]

happen to a buddy of mine with JDM 1pc DA Integra Headlights.

he waited like a month for the check to clear and the bank said it was fake.
good thing he didnt ship the lights

+1 on this.

Even if your bank initially cashes the check and initially it "clears", it can come back weeks later that it's a fake check. Then YOU are responsible for paying back the bank.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre40.shtm

[lqaddict]

For large amount purchases I'd relay on the escrow services - https://www.escrow.com/index.asp - it even has a 6-er on the front page :)

[FancyPants]

well you can just take him to the bank with you before you do anything and get it cashed.

This or escrow would be the way I'd go about selling the car...

[mryakan]

Tell him to bring the money as unmarked bills in a leather case :shifty. Seriously though, look into email transfer, do the transaction live in person and once you have the money, hand over the keys and title. Oh, and don't forget your bodyguards :devillook.

[montaillou]

Scammer gets (steals) credit card, makes transfer on PayPal, you get money, credit card customer is covered by insurance, you get screwed.

Paypal is rife with fraud and they can/will take money back, or you'll end up owing Paypal the money.

If the "cashiers check" is drawn on a major bank that has a branch in your area, go and cash it there. This is the only way I'd accept a cashiers check.

Chances are the buyer is "flying in" from within 60 miles away.

[ks6gp0]

I work for the Post Office and I would say your best bet would be to have him go to the Post Office there and get it in money orders. There is a limit on how much a money order can be and if if someone gets more than $3000.00 in money orders then they have to fill out a form that gets sent in.
If he has nothing to hide or trying to launder the money, then he can get the money orders and send them to you.
There are also fake money orders so if he sends them to you go to the Post Office and have them call a number that they have that they can call to verify money orders. They may not have enough to cash them but can tell you if they are valid. If they are then take them to the bank.
Do not call the number on the back of the money order because if it is a fake one then the phone number will also be fake. I have seen some come in with fake numbers that when you call that number they say it is good but if you call the real place they will tell you the truth.
Russell

[dophineh]

tell him if he wants the car so fast, then it will require fast payment, and the car doesnt get driven away until the money clears.

make it clear that he wont get to have the title in hand until there are no pending transactions.

[Rob24857]

Keep us posted....

[kwc27]

Wow, you guys are on the ball here. I know all about the classic Nigerian scams and am very aware of their methods. I honestly did think about knocking a couple hundred bucks off the price and tell this guy to by a briefcase and bring all cash because that would help my tax situation but we'll see about that. Western Union and the escrow services would also seem like a good choice too.

I'm taking this very slow though, in case you guys are wondering. Having this car is not hurting me, and I want to do this right.

Thanks for your insights.

[Critter7r]

If I was going to purchase a car from out-of-state, I'd mail a money order as a down-payment to hold the vehicle and then take the the rest of the money with me when I go to pick it up. It makes no senso that someone is sending you the total amount in a cashier's check and then coming out in person later to pick up the car.

My guess is that something will come up at the last minute and he's going to want to send a "buddy" of his with a flatbed to pick up the car.

[ceb]

I'd be willing to buy a set of wheels from out of state sight unseen and front the money, but there is no way that any rational person would send a cashier's check to someone they don't know to buy a car.

There is absolutely no possible way that this isn't a scam.

When I sold my car to someone in another state I went with them to their bank and he got a cashier's check while I was standing there and made sure that the clerk handed it to me. We went directly to the DMV and had the transfer done there to make sure it was out of my name.

[vicj]

absolutely a scam. Whenever you're suspicious, just ask yourself ONE question...

Would YOU send all your money in advance for a car all the across the country you haven't seen??

If he's from Jersey, and needs a car fast, do you have any idea how many 5-series are for sale all over New Jersey??

so, of course it's a scam. the only interesting part is how you can turn the tables on him.

[kwc27]

There's a lot of twists and turns on this road I'm on. I told you folks in the first post that the car was originally on ebay with no reserve and this other guy contacted me through ebay's messaging system.

Well the car sold on Saturday; I was planning on ending the auction because the bid wasn't high enough towards the end and accidentally clicked the button that ends the auction and awards it to the highest bidder. "Oh crap" I say because I just cost myself several thousand dollars.

Well it turns out the high bidder, who has zero feedback, is named Utee, and and lives in an invisible apartment building in Benton, KS, a town with less than 900 people. I've tried contacting him to no avail and am pretty sure he is bogus.

I'm giving him until Saturday to respond to me. If he doesn't, I'll get to file a claim with ebay and hopefully get a free relisting and then put a reserve on it like I should have originally.

[montaillou]

Would YOU send all your money in advance for a car all the across the country you haven't seen??

Guy I know in a car club we both belong to bought an M recently, sight unseen (except for web photos) and had it shipped 2,000 miles to him. I'm guessing he probably spent around $30k.

[kwc27]

Ok, the car is back on ebay with reserve this time. Hopefully everything goes as planned.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330359336064&viewitem=&_trkparms=tab%3DSelling