Re: Boat Buyers Beware!!!
This is a variation of the car scam common on Craigslist, advertise a car at a price that is almost too good to be true. When you bite the owner just happens to be out of the country, so please send your money here and we'll arrange for you to get the car. Not unlike some of the eBay scams involving bogus 2nd Chance offers to unsuccessful bidders including bidders on outboards.
You can also suggest that your brother the cop lives in Quebec, he's willing to run by the shipper and take a look at the boat for you, and you doubt they'd have a problem letting your brother in just to take a look....see if you get a response.
I bought (separate deals) a motor and a inflatable on E-Bay this summer, and asked for serial numbers from the sellers on all that I bid on. I said I wanted the numbers to run through the police computers to check to see if they had at some time in their life been stolen. The honest sellers not only sent pictures of the reregistration plates, but also offered me a chance to see the items, should I like before bidding.
But many never answered the mails, with request for information on the motors.
Some had long complicated stories as to why it was not possible. The motors are in other countries at vacation homes, or mounted on boats belonging to friends who are at the moment not reachable, being tested to see that everything is perfect with them, as advertised, etc.
I often was told there would be plenty of time to check the numbers, after I won the auction and paid.
Several times I was told that the plates were missing. The police here said they (the seller) needed to go to the police station in their town, to get a paper from them (the police) that said they were indeed the owner, before selling, and that without this paper, I should not pay a penny when picking up the motors. After explaining this to some of the sellers they refused to answer any more mails.
Several times I found the same pictures, running under multiple actions, by multiple people, at different addresses in Germany. E-Bay & Co are of little or no help with these scams, or with the sales of stolen property.
The police asked for the E-Bay information on the sellers, should this be the case, and they would have their investigators contact E-Bay.
Be careful with anything you buy, or with any contact you make on the Internet.
