Hi, please read the whole post before you jump to conclusions that yes this is definetly a scam. Ok, I put my truck on ebay, and one guy emails me, asks me for phone number he is very interested. So, the next day I get a call from him, and he lives in Africa. Sounds like a very nice legit guy. He is from New York and is living in Africa for a short while. He says to get a little extra money there he is buying a few cars from the US and selling them there.
He has one guy that wanted a toyota tundra like mine. He offers to send me a cashiers check for the bank, and abbashipping.com would come pick my truck up to be sent to Africa. I told him I was very weary of over seas buyers because I have read about many scams. (Ones I have heard about where buyer sends cashiers check for over the amount, you have to send them money back, take money and the car.) He offers to pay through paypal so it would be protected against fraud, but then again there are fees associated with that, esp. at 18k. Now we have worked out a deal that I can really see no fraud in but I don't want to take any risks.
He is going to send me a check from his netbank.com account in the US. He said for me to cash the check, and for me to wait however long it takes for it to clear the bank. (14 days) After everything clears, abba shipping will come and pick up the truck. If I get all the money upfront, how will he still fraud me? I thought that he might pay me, get the truck, and then claim that he never got the truck. I called abba shipping, and talked to a guy there that has dealt with this guy a couple times about a year ago. He said guy was very legit and people ship vehicles over seas all the time. He said to just make sure I get all the money upfront and the checks clear. He also said when the vehicle goes to be exported there will be record of that and the towing company that picks the truck up will also have record so there will be no chance of him denying ever getting the truck and that coming back on me.
The thing he did ask me to do was go to a nearby travilier (truck accessory shop) near my house to get a camper top installed. He had already called Travalier and paid by credit card for this top so all I have to do is go and pick it up. He also asked me to make the Bill of Sale a couple thousand dollars more than he paid for the vehicle. I assume to make money and say to the purchaser that this is what he actually paid. I know this is probably illegal so I am not sure about doing that. So as it stands now, I said ok that would be fine as long as the check cleared. He sent me a deposit of $500 through paypal to keep him from backing out of the deal. The check should be coming through the mail in the next few days.
I am still very perinoid about all of this and do not want to get screwed in any way. Does this sound legit? If not what can I do to make sure that I will not get screwed? Is there any way he could screw me? Thanks and please let me know your feedback!!
Upon further review and research I would not sell anything overseas, especially anything that expensive. Especially to Africa, its not worth the trouble. Find a U.S. buyer...
I'm not sure about this but doesn't ebay have a legal department that you can consult? I would also talk to your bank to make sure there is no way the check could come back. You said the check would be coming from a US bank and with the new "Check 21" law they would clear the check instantly with the other bank. No pun intended but check it out. http://www.federalreserve.gov/paymen...on/default.htm Good luck, I hope it all works out for you.
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Ask yourself this question...why would a guy on a different continent send anybody a good check with no security for him???
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Smells like just another variant on the Nigerian Scam/419 to me
Before you take another step, read these first hand stories of the various variants of the Nigerian Scam...and what happens when people actually fight back.
Yeah and be wary of giving out any personal info...if he is mailing you a check then he already has your address! (first mistake) Now it would be very easy for a covert night operation to come take your truck in the middle of the night! Repo men do this work all the time...so be way of people scouting your house and ride......watch out this all sounds fishy to me! Anytime someone asks you to "lie" about pricing etc theres a reason....My advice.....turn and run! tell him the truck sold already and bail!
and why would he ask you to RAISE the bill of sale???I'd think he would ask you to lower it in order to lower the import taxes he will have to pay on it?? all too wierd for me
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I'd be kinda' "skeptical" too... However, I can "possibly" understand his reasoning, in asking you to increase the "bill of sale". Seems like his trying to recoupe the cost of having the topper put on the truck, which sorta' stands to reason. In NO way though, am I advocating this action, but just ask yourself... had he called you and said: would you be willing to "add" a topper to the turck, at the price we agreed upon?... I'm sure your answer would be and emphatic NO, just as it should be. But you "might" be willing to do it, IF he'd send you the extra money to cover the cost of the topper, which is what I kinda' think, he's asking you to do for him, in a "round-about" way, by increasing the "bill of sale".
Still though, I'd be cautious.
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I dunno, selling a car or truck needn't be so hard imho. I'd be skeptical. But I'm kinda old school and believe in if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Ah, the good ol' days when you just stuck a sign in it and someone handed you over the green backs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RockyMtnRay
Before you take another step, read these first hand stories of the various variants of the Nigerian Scam...and what happens when people actually fight back.
Too many people in this country to take a chance on this guy. How much sleep are you willing to lose? Your not sure about this guy or you wouldnt have posted. Listen to your inter voice -I would say thanks but no thanks-I want to drive down to the tax office, sign the title and get my money in hand. I wouldnt get involved with this situation------Buzzard
Sounds like there's NO WAY you can get screwed--right?
Con artists are all about you being lulled into a false sense of security and then at some point changing the nature of the way the thing is handled. How do you know that the shipper is not part of the scam? How do you know he's not casing your house? I mean, if he has caller ID-he has your phone #. For $10 he can do a reverse internet lookup and find the truck. Hey, why pay for it?
My BS-o-meter is going crazy here. My vote is to run.
I am very skeptical, but that's probably why I've never been swindled.
I guess what I am getting at is--can you really not find a qualified buyer in your town, or your state--for that matter?
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Mike is right - there are plenty more hungry fish in the sea that want (TO PAY FOR) your truck. Be comfortable with your selling of the truck - if you're paranoid, move onto another potential buyer.
Best of luck to you either way you go.
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Selling a Tundra should be easy. So, there is no benefit to selling it overseas, compared to selling it locally, that makes it worth any risk you might run.
Mike is right -- my BS-o-meter is off-scale, too. It's what you don't know that can hurt you.
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I wouldn't sell your truck and here's why: I recently posted my Acura on www.mautofield.com, and got a very simillar offer from a "Harry Jones" from a Canadian dealership. He claimed he had a "client" that just cancelled an order on another car when he came across my ad. This client had given Harry $8000 for the car that he cancelled on. The dealership's "policy" is to only write the customer one check, and the only way to do this was to send me the cashier's check for $8000. I was then supposed to let it clear w/ the bank (you don't really have to since it's a cashier's check), and send the remaining amount back to Harry. It all sounded funny, and I refused to go any further with the deal. I then did some reseach on the www.mautofield.com's forum, and apparently the cashier's check is a fraud that even the bankers cannot catch. So the money is in your account for about a week, until the bank catches it's error, and you're out of money. I'm not saying your deal is the same, but it certainly sounds like it. BEWARE! If you get any information from this guy, you might want to turn it in to police.
Guy in Africa bought my Truck, Scam?
Smells like just another variant on the Nigerian Scam/419 to me
However, I can "possibly" understand his reasoning, in asking you to increase the "bill of sale". Seems like his trying to recoupe the cost of having the topper put on the truck, which sorta' stands to reason. In NO way though, am I advocating this action, but just ask yourself... had he called you and said: would you be willing to "add" a topper to the turck, at the price we agreed upon?... I'm sure your answer would be and emphatic NO, just as it should be. 
But you "might" be willing to do it, IF he'd send you the extra money to cover the cost of the topper, which is what I kinda' think, he's asking you to do for him, in a "round-about" way, by increasing the "bill of sale".
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