hello iboats / warning / advice

[smokintoad]

First time poster, long time reader. You have an excellent forum here.

I came across a Craig?s list scam last week. Fortunately I did not fall for it because?.well I was not born last week. Unfortunately there are those among us that were not blessed with a whole lot of common sense.

http://longisland.craigslist.org/boa/1832793377.html

Typical scam,

Blah blah blah?.

?husband died one month ago and I decided to move closer to my parents(they are very old) in Canada and the boat is here with me. As I am unable to travel in the near future and having no one to help me with the sale I decided to make this transaction through eBay. I believe this protects both buyer and seller and it's the right way to do this.?

Just for fun I moved forward with the transaction.

I got an email from: "eBay" billing@usmotors-transaction.com

This is NOT EBay.

I sent this information to EBay fraud division. I got an email back confirming this is a scam. They said they would shut it down. As of right now they are still up and running. I also informed Criag?s List and sent them all the supporting information including this:

http://appleton.craigslist.org/boa/1827110029.html
http://greenbay.craigslist.org/boa/1832165628.html
http://greenbay.craigslist.org/boa/1825397275.html
http://galveston.craigslist.org/boa/1825559760.html
http://lancaster.craigslist.org/boa/1825659347.html
http://longisland.craigslist.org/boa/1832793377.html
http://cookeville.craigslist.org/boa/1827613596.html

Its been a week and Craigs List has not shut these ads down.

Is there anyone else this should be reported to other than my fellow boaters?

Oh by the way the scammers email is

 

[RobbyA]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

There was a thread about that exact boat on here a week ago and how it was a scam.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

WOW - that's a heck of a deal. I'd better jump on it before it's too late.

 

[cr2k]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

Sounds like a Motorhome scam I came across last week, almost exact words!
Damn those Hosers.

 

[SeanT]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

Craigslist won't respond. They'll say it's not their problem, it's buyer beware.

So, let me get this straight - nearly all of these scams involve eBay as the intermediary. Does eBay actually offer that type of service?

Had anyone ever handled a purchase with a third party escrowing the money? I've never handled a boat, trailer, or vehicle transaction that way, and I can't imagine why anyone would.

Long story short - deal directly with the person you are buying from. Or am I wrong?

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

ebay doesn't act as a middle man on sales for anything. But paypal does and it works very well. Although I have never made such a large purchase through them I'm sure that many auto, boat ect sales on ebay are made through them.

 

[g4olfer]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

I have come accross this on several other big items, all of them have used an email that appears to come from ebay and you can buy it from them. I sent email to ebay and they want to know whenever anyone comes accross that so they can track back and try and catch them. All of the scams want you to travel to get the item and you pay upfront.

 

[g4olfer]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

They want it to appear to come from ebay so you think it is a real item, then when you want it you pay and then no item is there.

 

[SeanT]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

I've encountered these as well, and they actually don't want you to travel to see the item, since it doesn't exist. They want you to believe them when they say they will ship it through a shipping company, and that you will have something like 5 days to look it over, etc before the "money is released to them". Of course by then they already have it.

 

[2ndtry]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

Scam ads are flagged pretty quick in my area, any boat that sounds too good to be true disappear pretty quick.

If there is a phone # the ad is likely legit, if not and the price is REALLY low, flag away.

 

[SeanT]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

Yep, the prescence of a phone number is a good indicator to me.

I don't do a lot of craigslist as the overall quality of the adds is simply horrible. But I use Kijiji a lot. Thankfully it hasn't been overrun yet by whatever crowd uses Craigslist...

 

[HighTrim]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

kijiji is starting to get the scams as well.

Makes me sick, wish these ppl would get a job. I usually try to have a little fun with these ppl

 

[SeanT]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

Oh yeah, I'm aware of that. That's where I first encountered scams.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: hello iboats / warning / advice

I've bought and sold boats on Craigs List as has my daughter and we've not had any issues with the transaction. However it does seem that recently the site is rife with scammers. I do plan to sell another boat in the near future and will deliver it within a 250 mile radius of my home. What I plan to do for the funds transfer is cash or cashiers check drawn on the same bank chain as mine. In the case of the cashiers check, I can verify through my bank (even if not in the same city) that the check is genuine. In the case of cash, I would not step out the door with that much money in my pocket so the funds transfer would be conducted at the same bank chain as mine in the distant city. Funds would get deposited there and the seller sees none of my account numbers. The money is safely deposited and he takes delivery of the boat, trailer and titles. I will select the delivery city as it must have a bank branch in the same chain as mine. An arrangement ahead of time can be made with a personal banker at the distant bank. If the buyer balks -- it is no deal.