50 replies to this topic

[hblask]

I'm trying to sell my Odyssey on Craigslist, and I got a call today from out of state. The guy was really flaky. First he says he'll send a deposit, then he says he'll give me cash. Then he says he'll call back. And suddenly, without seeing it, he says he'll fly in tomorrow from Illinois with $12,000 cash and buy a car he's never seen.This absolutely feels like a scam, but what is it? Is he just going to steal the car at gunpoint? Give me counterfeit money? It doesn't make any sense what the plan is. What kind of scam is this, and is there any chance at all that this is a really weird and stupid buyer?

[slink]

It's definitely weird. My story:I tried to sell an antique stove on the List, 2 people wanted it and were willing to send cash for it, including shipping, after only seeing the picture. We went with the one who offered the most money (2200). She sent the check, we deposited it and it came back as fraudulent. We have no idea what kind of scam it was, other than she hoped we would ship it on our own dime. We had to change all of our bank accounts at the bank just to be sure she wasn't trying to steal the account numbers.

[hblask]

I called the cops and they had never heard of any scam involving cash deals on Craigslist, and never heard of anyone just plain stealing the car that way. They just said meet in a public place.

[LongLiveYorke]

Just get Scram to go with you if the deal goes down. I feel like he's the guy you'd want.

[SAM_Hard8]

Good friend of mine had a guy fly in and buy his truck light that. Seemed kind of crazy, the truck was nothing unusual, the guy wanted the exact kind truck and the miles were good.

[Balloon guy]

Write down your license plate just in case.

[ShakeZuma]

as soon as you lay eyes on the guy, murder him first, before he has a chance to murder you! he will sooo never expect that!

[ajs510]

ShakeZuma, on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011, 5:11 AM, said:

as soon as you lay eyes on the guy, murder him first, before he has a chance to murder you! he will sooo never expect that!

This has always been my policy.

[mtdesmoines]

ShakeZuma, on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011, 4:11 AM, said:

as soon as you lay eyes on the guy, murder him first, before he has a chance to murder you! he will sooo never expect that!

[brvheart]

I flew to Rhode Island in 2007 to buy a minivan sight-unseen.

[Governator]

What's he going to do bring you a suitcase of cash? Sounds shady, I'd probably tell him I require a bank draft instead.

[dna4ever]

brvheart, on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011, 9:53 PM, said:

I flew to Rhode Island in 2007 to buy a minivan sight-unseen.

North Providence, RI Police have a cold case on their hands as they are still trying to solve the homicide of a woman in their town. Cynthia McKenna was found dead in her apartment on February 21, 2007 at 242 Waterman Avenue, Apartment #9. A friend went to check on her and found the forty-nine year old woman deceased in her bedroom. The Medical Examiner has ruled the death was caused by Asphyxiation and Law Enforcement believes she may have been dead prior to her discovery for two to three days. There is one possible clue as to who may have killed her. On February 18th at around 10:30 p.m. she had been seen arguing with a man in a silver pick-up truck in her apartment complex parking lot.

[Mercury69]

dna4ever, on Thursday, October 13th, 2011, 12:08 PM, said:

North Providence, RI Police have a cold case on their hands as they are still trying to solve the homicide of a woman in their town. Cynthia McKenna was found dead in her apartment on February 21, 2007 at 242 Waterman Avenue, Apartment #9. A friend went to check on her and found the forty-nine year old woman deceased in her bedroom. The Medical Examiner has ruled the death was caused by Asphyxiation and Law Enforcement believes she may have been dead prior to her discovery for two to three days. There is one possible clue as to who may have killed her. On February 18th at around 10:30 p.m. she had been seen arguing with a man in a silver pick-up truck in her apartment complex parking lot.

Sounds like Brv's MO

[hblask]

ShakeZuma, on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011, 3:11 AM, said:

as soon as you lay eyes on the guy, murder him first, before he has a chance to murder you! he will sooo never expect that!

I went in with this in mind, but the guy was so good looking, I raped him first, and then killed him. Way more satisfying that way.Actually, I did meet him today, after many false starts, and he brought a buddy. There were like reject cast members from Jersey Shore -- guido-wannabes but not bright enough or good-looking enough.So after he said his plane was coming in at 11:30, I finally contacted him at 1:30 and he said his plane "just arrived" and he'd catch a limo to my bank where I had arranged to meet him (in a big office building). They show up in the buddy's car.... so he flew his car up, too? He calls, and says I'm here, meet me in the parking ramp. I pretended like I didn't hear him and said ok, see you in the bank in a couple minutes. I went to the bank and waited 10 minutes and he called and said he was out by the front door. I said, OK, just open the door, come in, and go to the right, the bank is right there. So finally him and his goofball buddy arrive at the bank. I told them I arranged for the cashier to hold the title and the money while they look at the car. They refused, and wanted me to just go out to the car with them. OK, even weirder. So buddy agrees to wait at the bank while the buyer goes to look at the car. He tries 4 or 5 times to get me to get in the car with him, but that made me even less willing to go anywhere with this freak. So finally I said just take it for a drive, I'll wait in the bank. He comes back about 5 minutes later and says he'll take it, so we let the bank count the money and they check every single bill to see if it was counterfeit. All clear, right? No, the federal govt has a law that if you make a transaction with over $10K in cash, the bank has to report it to the feds, so they needed all of our IDs. The guidos freak out and start declaring all their constitutional rights and how they are not involved, it's my problem. (They do have a point -- if I had stood six feet outside the door of the bank and taken the money, the bank would only need my ID). So anyway, I point out to guido 1 that he had to give me his information for the title anyway, and he relents, but guido 2 says no way. It's a huge scene in the lobby of the bank with all sorts of people coming from the bank to discuss this. Finally, the bank pretends they don't see guido 2 and just go ahead with it. I deposit the money immediately.I asked why they would come this far to buy a car, and guido 2 said they can't find a car with a clear title and one owner in the Chicago metro area. Possible? Maybe. Plausible? Not really.My theory: they want an out-of-state car to make a drug run and will never register the car, it'll turn up burned or dismantled somewhere, with me as the last owner of record. (No big deal, I already notified the state I sold it.) These two seemed like the kind of low-level crooks who think they are hot stuff but are really just being used and abused by the guys in charge.

[hblask]

brvheart, on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011, 8:53 PM, said:

I flew to Rhode Island in 2007 to buy a minivan sight-unseen.

Why?

[speedz99]

He couldn't find a car with a clear title and one owner in Iowa. There were a number of tractors fitting that description, but apparently there's a limit to how many children's carseats you can install in one of those bad boys.

[LongLiveYorke]

Congrats on the: [sale, not being horrifically murdered]

[SAM_Hard8]

You're gonna have to follow the vin on carfax to see what happens.

[hblask]

Part 2 of the scam begins: he called me from allegedly Wisconsin Dells and tells me the car broke down, won't go over 20 MPH, and he is stranded, and that I am going to have to send him some money to make this right or else buy the car back. ****, I knew he was up to something. I should've walked away.

[speedz99]

hblask, on Thursday, October 13th, 2011, 7:07 PM, said:

Part 2 of the scam begins: he called me from allegedly Wisconsin Dells and tells me the car broke down, won't go over 20 MPH, and he is stranded, and that I am going to have to send him some money to make this right or else buy the car back. ****, I knew he was up to something. I should've walked away.

What'd you tell him?