I'm guessing a scam

[Dexlowe]

I'm selling my car and have advertised it on various online classifieds where many scams are reported to be in operation -- so caution is necessary. 

 

I've received one answer so far, a guy with a Chinese name using English of a style and manner that only a well-educated native speaker would use (that may or may not be suspicious -- jury out on that one). 

 

This is part of an email he sent to me: " ... can you do me a favor and send me photos of the car, eg. front, side, rear, interior, exterior, odometer, engine, etc.? It would be good if you could send copy of car registration (pages 4/5, 16/17, 18/19) too." -- Now, I understand the need for a buyer to be cautious, but asking for copies of private info before you've even seen the car or met the seller !!! -- Is that normal practise?

 

My GT200 scamometer is divining up and down like crazy. Is this a scam in the making? 

 

(BTW, anyone want to buy a mint condition 10yo Avanza? )

[thedemon]

Ask for a local phone number.

 

If the buyer isn't in Thailand then 100% it will be advance fee fraud. 

[lemonjelly]

6 minutes ago, thedemon said:

Ask for a local phone number.

 

If the buyer isn't in Thailand then 100% it will be advance fee fraud. 

How does that work?

[HooHaa]

Op, the question is what harm could the buyer having those pages do you, and secondarily what exactly is on those pages. 

 

Sure the guy could be scamming, or he could just be very experienced at buying used cars. 

 

Or he could be posting your car elsewhere for sale.

[Rob13]

23 minutes ago, Dexlowe said:

good if you could send copy of car registration 

 

 

scam.  I don't know what his angle is but he's up to something.

[HooHaa]

4 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

How does that work?

 

Guy will find some issue that requires the buyer to make a payment elswhere before he can recieve cash for the car. Say a 3000 baht clearnace fee on a certified cheque that will be sent. 

 

On a used car it coukdnt be much, thats for sure.

[lemonjelly]

2 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

 

Guy will find some issue that requires the buyer to make a payment elswhere before he can recieve cash for the car. Say a 3000 baht clearnace fee on a certified cheque that will be sent. 

 

On a used car it coukdnt be much, thats for sure.

But the OP is selling rather than buying 

[thedemon]

4 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

How does that work?

They will string you along with correspondence drawing you further and further into the scam.

 

There are several possibilities for the end-game but most likely he will say that he is exporting the car and will send you a bank draft for payment. The cheque will be for an amount greater than the asking price. They will ask you to transfer the difference somewhere so that they can pay shipping fees, import duty etc.

 

The cheque will take weeks to clear before your bank informs you it is a forgery.

[HooHaa]

4 minutes ago, Rob13 said:

 

 

scam.  I don't know what his angle is but he's up to something.

 

I would ask for a copy of the reg as well especially if i had to travel to see the car. 

 

I would do my diligence before setting out.

 

If the car were nearby i would ask for the reg in person, but would not pony up any cash until id taken pics and had it checked out.

[HooHaa]

1 minute ago, lemonjelly said:

But the OP is selling rather than buying 

Yes, the op is the one who wants cash. Advance fees are often levied on the strenghth of a percieved payout.

 

The payout is the carrot.

Edited April 8, 2017 by HooHaa

[johng]

He wants to see who the car is registered to and if taxes have been paid up to date....but in giving him this info you will be giving away private information unless you can read Thai and edit the scanned pages to protect yourself....so I would send all the other photos and a scan of just the front outer cover of the blue book which has the registration number and province printed on it....when he comes to look at the car he can see the rest of the blue book.

[Dexlowe]

9 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

Op, the question is what harm could the buyer having those pages do you, and secondarily what exactly is on those pages. 

 

Sure the guy could be scamming, or he could just be very experienced at buying used cars. 

 

Or he could be posting your car elsewhere for sale.

The pages contain various bits of information about the car and the owner -- how it could be used to perpetrate a scam is something I'm trying to figure out. Cheers.

[Rob13]

I think the really skilled scammers work in steps without having a definite plan. The first step is to see how gullible you are. If you fall for answering a simple request they start to string you along and let the scam take it's own course. The first step is always to get you to do something for them...after that the door's open for them to start looking for  a way to get your cash.

[Dexlowe]

7 minutes ago, thedemon said:

They will string you along with correspondence drawing you further and further into the scam.

 

There are several possibilities for the end-game but most likely he will say that he is exporting the car and will send you a bank draft for payment. The cheque will be for an amount greater than the asking price. They will ask you to transfer the difference somewhere so that they can pay shipping fees, import duty etc.

 

The cheque will take weeks to clear before your bank informs you it is a forgery.

You little devil. I do believe you are on the right track.

[HooHaa]

Just now, Dexlowe said:

The pages contain various bits of information about the car and the owner -- how it could be used to perpetrate a scam is something I'm trying to figure out. Cheers.

As stated the pages also contain information required to determine the car is actually yours to sell and that you are not a scammer and the car is actually yours to sell.

I'm

As said, i would require speaking to the individual who wants to buy the car if hes local, then ok, go on from there.  if out of the country but interested walk away

 

It is conceivable, that by refusing to supply reg, you queer a genuine sale.

[Dexlowe]

1 minute ago, Rob13 said:

I think the really skilled scammers work in steps without having a definite plan. The first step is to see how gullible you are. If you fall for answering a simple request they start to string you along and let the scam take it's own course. The first step is always to get you to do something for them...after that the door's open for them to start looking for  a way to get your cash.

Rob -- you've obviously had experience at this -- but from which side? . Just joking -- I think that's part of the scammer's MO. Thanks. Needless to say, I refused his request and invited him to contact me when he came to Pattaya. He hasn't replied - 

[HooHaa]

3 minutes ago, Rob13 said:

I think the really skilled scammers work in steps without having a definite plan. The first step is to see how gullible you are. If you fall for answering a simple request they start to string you along and let the scam take it's own course. The first step is always to get you to do something for them...after that the door's open for them to start looking for  a way to get your cash.

The skilled scammers have a formula, the steps are clear, the variation lies in walking you through those steps.

 

 

[Dexlowe]

2 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

It is conceivable, that by refusing to supply reg, you queer a genuine sale.

Exactly -- it pays to exercise a little tact. So I've politely refused to supply the rego book info and invited him to contact me once he gets to Pattaya. If he's genuine and understanding of the need for caution on both sides, then he'll oblige. Caveat venditor and caveat emptor apply equally.

[Rob13]

2 minutes ago, Dexlowe said:

Rob -- you've obviously had experience at this -- but from which side? . Just joking -- I think that's part of the scammer's MO. Thanks. Needless to say, I refused his request and invited him to contact me when he came to Pattaya. He hasn't replied - 

I've been scammed, not alot but enough to be weary. Normal sequence of events would be to ask for proof of ownership or rego after he's looked the car over and you've talked about the price etc. You don't just make a cold call asking for the registration. Follow your gut. If something seems off; it probably is.

[Kwasaki]

OP l dunno whether scam or not l never bothered with requests for this,  that or the other.

l just said or emailed back  " If you're really interested come see for yourself but do tell me when because others are coming, give me a phone number so l can save you a journey if it's sold. "    

[richard_smith237]

It could be that he's a 're-seller'.... 

 

.... some guys make a business of contacting private sellers, getting the information on the vehicles, advertising them and selling them on for a 'middle-man profit'.

 

[petermik]

8 hours ago, Dexlowe said:

Exactly -- it pays to exercise a little tact. So I've politely refused to supply the rego book info and invited him to contact me once he gets to Pattaya. If he's genuine and understanding of the need for caution on both sides, then he'll oblige. Caveat venditor and caveat emptor apply equally.

Dexlowe

If he,s genuine he would have been on the phone by now to sort something concrete out,he hasn,t so he is just a scam artist

 

[Dexlowe]

49 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

" If you're really interested come see for yourself but do tell me when because others are coming, give me a phone number so l can save you a journey if it's sold. "

Excellent advice when you smell a rat. I've not heard from him since I told him I wouldn't send pix of the rego book pages (which strengthens my suspicions) -- but should he reply, I shall use this advice. Cheers and thanks.

[Dexlowe]

2 minutes ago, petermik said:

Dexlowe

If he,s genuine he would have been on the phone by now to sort something concrete out,he hasn,t so he is just a scam artist

 

My thoughts exactly, but on the off-chance that he is in fact totally innocent, I think kwasaki's advice should apply. Cheers.

 

(Hope the comments so far will be of help to others.)

[Dexlowe]

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

It could be that he's a 're-seller'.... 

 

.... some guys make a business of contacting private sellers, getting the information on the vehicles, advertising them and selling them on for a 'middle-man profit'.

 

It's a hustler's life out there in the jungle. Wish I had the coit to hustle for a living instead of being one of those poor bastards who spends his life with his nose to the grindstone. Cannon fodder. Miserable serf. Eating cake. I need to win the lottery.