Scam or no scam?

[SilverSaloon]

As some of you may know i am currently trying to sell my car. i got this email and have replied as below. personally i think it has scam written all over it, - but what do you guys think? (buyer has hotmail account) Who pays £21k for a car without even seeing it 1st!!!!


1st email from "buyer":

Hello
My name is Douglas Brown and i'm interested in buying your car
that's
advertised on Auto trader which reads £20,900.. i would like to
know if
it's available and how much you would want to sell it as the last
price, pls
reply me ASAP, Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Douglas



reply from me:

Hi Douglas,

Yes the car is still for sale. Its advertised at £20,900 but I am happy to consider reasonable offers, just make me one.

Please give me a ring on 079***** and we can arrange for you to come and take a look at the car in person so you can see for yourself and decide on what your offer would be. I am in Scotland just outside Edinburgh.

Looking forward to hearing back from you in due course.

Thanks

Derek



reply from "buyer":

Hi Derek
Thanks for the mail, I'm willing to pay £20,900, Since i'm currently outside the United Kingdom so i'm gonna instruct my associate to handle it, and where is the location of the car just incase he wants to know the condition or test-drive the car , I need to get the car as a Birthday gift for my sister in Switzerland, so i would like to know the condition of the car and if you could please get me more pictures of the car both Interior and Exterior.
Hope to hear from you soon
Mr Douglas




Scam or no scam?

 

[SilverSaloon]

hmmm, 1st mail says "my name is douglas brown"...... 2nd email says "from Mr Douglas".....

 

[television]

He could buy a LHD much cheaper over there, must be a scam

 

[jaymanek]

Sounds like a scam, but i get a lot of these emails and some have actually turned out to be genuine... i would continue but if they ask you for any dodgy transaction methods then end of story..

 

[Natalie]

mmmmm, I know one or two genuine people who bought cars with viewing them! But equally, for those genuines amongst us, there are also the not so. I would take Jaymanek's advice, proceed with caution, ask lots of questions.

 

[gbjeppm]

Scam, no doubt IMAO

 

[mattc]

Scam!

 

[BTB 500]

Scam.

Very English name, but the language/phrasing is consistently slightly wrong.

if you could please get me more pictures of the car both Interior and Exterior.

for a fake advert on eBay, I would guess.

 

[SilverSaloon]

i too believe it to be a scam, but some people are crazy and it could be genuine - as you say the method how he intends to pay will reveal all.

i've replied with:

Hi

Please telephone me to discuss.

There are plenty of images on the ebay advert.

Payment must be done by a UK bankers draft and I must verify serials with the bank itself or cash which will be paid in person at my bank with both parties present before car is driven away.

Car is located in Dunfermline in Scotland.

Note I am not interested in shipping the car or anything – someone must turn up on my doorstep with the cash/bankers draft and we will go to the bank and pay it in – only then can the car be driven away.

Derek

 

[Natalie]

LOL, maybe I give people benefit of the doubt at first pass eh?

 

[SilverSaloon]

another, more obvious scam email i have had (through exchange & mart) was:

-------------
I saw your advert when browsing the net, so I am Highly interested,
so kindly let me know the condition and the last price to it. Include your
contact number when you reply. I will send you a cheque upon agreement of
price. I am shipping this to Dublin and already making arrangement with that.
Thanks

This message is sent on behalf of: Jay
-------------

Usually i'd expect them to want to ship it to Nigeria.

 

[IanA2]

Scam

 

[BTB 500]

the last price

That's the same (odd) phrase used in your first email. You'd normally say "best price", or "lowest price".

 

[SilverSaloon]

i think i will wait for his next reply and then ask him if he would rather me ship it to Nigeria direct to save him the hassle

 

[dino645]

Scam. Sometimes you wonder why they can't go to more effort. Unfortunately, there are silly people out there who will go 'all of the way'. Hhmmm!

 

[kjay]

Definatly scam!

'Last price' ? in two E-mails ?

Scum of the earth!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Howard]

... and how much you would want to sell it as the last price ...

This phrase has got Nigeria written all over it ....

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

He has your email address now, so you may as well have some fun with Douglas now.

Maybe we could help with some suitable messages??

 

[Natalie]

Ok, I've led a sheltered life - it's a SCAM!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Maybe we could help with some suitable messages??

How about tell him that...

The alloys fitted to the car will not be included in the sale, but you don't have any others to fit. His associate will need to bring some with him.

You run a shipping business and could deliver it to the door in Switzerland for a dicounted price, but would need an advance payment of £1000 now.

You once lived next door to Mr & Mrs Brown, and they had a son called Douglas. That's not you is it?