[alfa] Re: Nigerian car scams

[SHartDP@xxxxxxx]

Sadly enough this is all too common.  I have been reading about it on desert 
racing websites for a year or more now.  Just be smart and use common sense in 
these things.  If he is wishing to pay more and have you wire back $$ there 
should be a red flag going off in your mind right away.  Or at least one would 
go up in my mind.

Steve Hartman
Balboa Island, CA
72 GTV - project street car
89 for ranger - race truck project
89 civic SI - nasty, ricey, daily driver

In a message dated 12/10/03 6:15:07 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:


> Subject: [alfa] 
> Hi all,
> 
> I am sending this as a warning to all fellow sports car enthusiasts to warn
> them of a relatively new scam involving cars for sale on the Internet.
> 
> I have a '79 Spider for sale and placed ads on several web sites, including 
> in
> this newsletter, and put up a web site showing the car. Among several
> inquiries, I got one by email from a person who said they were a car dealer 
> in
> the UK and that they had a client who wanted to buy my car.
> 
> I told them to view the car on my web site. They came back and said they
> definitely wanted the car but that they would have to trust me in the
> transaction because their client would pay by certified cashiers check in an
> amount that exceeded the purchase price. The UK dealer said there was no 
> other
> way for the transaction to happen and that once I receive the check I should
> send the excess funds to his shipper via Western Union transfer.
> 
> I was suspicious from the beginning but continued with it because the deal
> could be for real. (I had sold a '54 Daimler drop-top coupe to a person in 
> the
> UK through a broker in Florida many years ago.)
> 
> The check finally came via FedEx from a UK address. The cashiers check was
> drawn on a bank in Georgia for $8200.62 which was $5700.62 more than the
> purchase price. But the check seemed suspicious. I found several
> inconsistencies with it.
> 
> I took it to my bank. I told the teller of my suspicions and he found other
> problems with the check (for one, it wouldn't scan). But I deposited it but
> did not withdraw any funds. I then told the UK "dealer" the check had come 
> and
> that I had deposited it, and asked for the address where to send the excess
> funds. He sent back an address in Nigeria.
> 
> The next day, I called the issuing bank and they confirmed the check was
> counterfeit.
> 
> I am still playing along with the UK "dealer" just to see what he does and he
> is still in contact because he still thinks he can get away with this scam.
> 
> Remember, NO CHECK is "money in the bank" until the issuing bank sends your
> bank the money. This is true for cashiers checks as well.
> 
> In these scams, they don't want your car, they just want you to send them
> money in exchange for a bogus check. Your car is just a pretext for the scam.
> After they receive the money, you will not hear from them again.
> 
> So, I still have the car, I have not lost any money, and I am a little wiser
> for the experience. However, what I did lose was time and several good
> opportunities to sell my car.
> 
> Hey buddy, wanna buy a car? See website:
> http://members.cox.net/sandi_ego/79alfa.shtml
> 
> (I have reposted this from AlfaBB where I also posted this notice to warn
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