[poorlyduck]

Lately Ive been looking for a new car, so I decided let see if I can find any deals in graigslist first, I found some good deals (good to be true) so I emailed the posters and I havent found one yet that not trying to scam you with this ebay transaction, here is some examples for you guys to know and be aware of, I believe Nigerians nearly took over the internet sales and became hard to trust buying stuff through graigslist and some other sites.
here is some examples that I received in my emal and I still have alot.

Hello and sorry for my delay,
I'm SGT Gregory Mefford. This Maxima SE is in perfect working condition. This vehicle engine runs very, very smooth. No electrical problems on this beauty. This detailed vehicle makes the exterior looks like it just came off the assembly line. The car has 54151 miles. VIN Number: 1N4BA41E74C923299
Sunroof Leather Seats Premium Sound With CD Player
Anti-Lock Brakes Passenger Airbag Air Conditioning
Cruise Control Power Locks Power Windows Power Seats
Here are the pictures with the car:
http://s411.photobucket.com/albums/pp193/4maximase/

As I know that my current situation is pretty special I want the deal closed only through eBay's Buyer Protection Program in order for you to be 100% protected. You will make the payment to eBay and they will hold the money until you receive the car. ONLY AFTER you receive the car and you inspect it(for 10 days) eBay will release the payment to me; in this way we are both protected. Anyway i am sure that if you won`t be satisfied about the car i will surely find another buyer in your area and there will be no need for you to ship the car back. I am located in Madrid, Spain and I was sent here with my department of peace maintenance. One month ago my wife moved here with me and brought the car with her but now we have to sell it back in the United States because we can't register it here; it has US specs and everything and registering it here in Europe will take for ever. My final price on it is 2,990 USD. If you will take it for this price I am willing to handle the shipping. It will be shipped from here by plane with US Air Military Cargo so it will not cost me anything. You will get it to the nearest airport in your area and then it will be trucked forward to your place. You will receive the car in about 3 days. Please get back to me ASAP if you decide to buy and include in your e-mail your full name and address where you want it shipped so I can start the deal with eBay. You will receive all the transaction payment and shipping details from them.

Best Regards,
Gregory and Lisa Mefford

Currently the car is located in Pompano Beach, Florida at the shipping company.
There i lived with my ex-husband until i divorce. Now I am located in San Jose, California where i grow up. I'm very busy looking a home and with my new job and that's way i leave the car at the shipping company.

The car it's in perfect condition, there's not even a scratch or any dents on it. Everything from the motor to the tires and mirrors is shining and looking brand new. I have a clear title for it, no liens or loans and never smoked in. Has 23,221 miles, this is the VIN 4T1BE32K26U644154.

I know that you want to see it before you buy it but I've done some research on the Internet and for that i found eBay Purchase Protection Program. If you are still interested in this transaction with me please let me know and i will explain the whole process.

Best Regards

Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding my vehicle. If you are interested you should know that it has never been wrecked or damaged, the vehicle is in excelent condition. The total price I'm asking including shipping will be $5,900.00 USD. The vehicle is absolutely perfect, it has a clear title, has never been repaired, smoked in, never been involved in any type of accident or had any paint or body work done! I live in England now, where I just moved back in with my parents, I was born here and I guess there is no need to explain that due to the financial and economic crisis I lost my job and I had to sell everything I owned in US almost at a price for nothing; my house, all my belongins and finaly my precious car, but that the situation, I am not the only one going through this hard life step. I hope our new President will find a way to solve this hard problem, Good Bless him! Any way, the vehicle is located in US along with all the documents (the clear and clean title already signed off by me, owner's manual, 2 sets of keys, service records, and of course the bill of sale notarized and signed by me). It will arrive in 48-72 hours at your address on a 18-wheeler trailer truck. I would like to use Moneybookers, a third party service, to handle this transaction for our both safety and comfort (they will take care of the shipping/payment).
If you are still interested just send me the buyer's name and shipping address, I'll open a case and the company will contact you with all the informations about our deal.

First of all I want to thank you for your interest for my car. I sell it at this price($3,960.00 ) because i'm in a divorce with my husband.
Now the car is in my property and as a women i don't need it. This car is in excellent working conditions, no scratches,
flaws or any kind of damage, slightly used in 100% working and looking conditions and comes with a clear title.
From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I request only secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay services.
We will use a safe payment method because I am affiliated at eBay and I have a purchase protection account for $20,000.00
The final price that I want for this car is $3,960.00 including shipping and handling.
If you are interested in buying it please provide me your full name and address so I can initiate the deal through eBay.
I will wait your answer very soon.
Barbara Simmons

[Dragonman]

Wirelessly posted (Touch Diamond & ic902: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint MP6950SP)

Why are these scams..not disagreeing, just tryingto get educated.

[poorlyduck]

Here's how it works.

You find a car being advertised online on Craigslist or other online classified car ad web site. You like the car. You want it. The picture of the car is beautiful, the description is wonderful, and the price is unbelievably low. Is it a scam? It's hard to tell.

You contact the seller who emails you details about the car and why it's being sold so cheap.

The story typically describes how the seller is in financial difficulty due to losing a job, doing through a divorce, or getting transferred by the military. He or she needs to sell the car fast.

Here's where it gets interesting.

The seller goes on to say that the car will be shipped to you from wherever it is located and he/she will pay the full cost. He or she also explains that they use an "eBay payment service" or "eBay protection plan" or ProPay service so that your money will be protected until you are satisfied with the car. You will also have 5 days to decide if you like the car and can ship it back if you decide you don't want it, at the sellers expense.

Hey, this is sounding too good to be true. (Hint: it is!)

So what wrong with this deal? Everything.

The sellers whole story is a lie. The seller has no such car. Actually the pictures and the VIN number for the car were picked off the Internet so that if you were to get a Carfax report on the car, you would find the car is real and has a clean history. It's just not the seller's car. A Carfax report doesn't tell you who owns the car. The "seller" knows that.

He will give you the link to ebay which is not a true ebay http://ebay.somewebsite.com, anybody can add ebay to their website.
Furthermore, eBay doesn't have an escrow payment service or "protection" service for cars not sold through eBay. When you send your money to the "protected" payment service, it goes directly to the scammer's account. Say goodbye to your money because it's the last you'll see of it.

Can you have the scamming seller arrested and get your money back? No chance. The scammer is likely in another country and knows how to hide from law enforcement. He keeps moving and changing things so that he doesn't leave a trail.

[lisaleung22]

Yesterday, I was looking at cars on craigslist. I got a reply from "SGT Gregory Mefford," and I'm thinking that it's too good to be true, so I googled his name to see if he's actually in the U.S. Military or something. I couldn't find anything, but good thing I found this website, so THANKS for posting this. I think I'm better off buying cars from the dealers. I'm kind of sad now, but at least my sadness won't cost me a dime now.

[king_koopa]

Be careful with international sellers. It's not as big as a car, but I have been scammed of a Nintendo Wii on those pathetic Nigerian frauds through Craigslist.

[Fooster7]

As the lesson always goes, if its too good to be true, it probably almost always is.

And also, never, ever, ever, EVER buy or sell from someone who is over seas or in another country (like Mexico, Canada, Brazil). It makes it so much harder to track down the scammers who ripped you off (pretty much impossible).

I think Dateline tried to track someone down who was in Nigeria or something for a XBox 360/some electronics and they didn't have much luck. They even went to the country and tried to track it down.

[some18mybrain]

Currently the car is located in Pompano Beach, Florida at the shipping company.
There i lived with my ex-husband until i divorce. Now I am located in San Jose, California where i grow up. I'm very busy looking a home and with my new job and that's way i leave the car at the shipping company.

The car it's in perfect condition, there's not even a scratch or any dents on it. Everything from the motor to the tires and mirrors is shining and looking brand new. I have a clear title for it, no liens or loans and never smoked in. Has 23,221 miles, this is the VIN 4T1BE32K26U644154.

I know that you want to see it before you buy it but I've done some research on the Internet and for that i found eBay Purchase Protection Program. If you are still interested in this transaction with me please let me know and i will explain the whole process.

Best Regards

Here's something I found just by doing a search of the VIN # in this quote:

http://www.lemonfree.com/25978858.html

They actually took the vin directly from an online car dealership.

[YankeeFan01]

It amazes me when I get these sorts of emails or replys in craigslist. YES! I am SO ok with sending you my product and then waiting for you to send me the money after receiving it, or giving you my money and then you giving me MORE money in return, just cause, what could possible go wrong?? I guess I'd be even more amazed at the people that actually fall for it. Good post.

[poorlyduck]

something I learned from graigslist, if the poster doesn't have the phone number published then you'll know its a scam, if I am selling something in graigslist then I post my number for whom seriously interested in buying. Graigslist when was created, meant to be locale sales, If I want to deal with shipping then I go to ebay.

[YankeeFan01]

uhhh, i never list my phone number, as it is i have random weirdos offering me light sabers and couches in exchange for phones, i'd prefer not to have them calling me at 3 in the morning.

[Levitas]

Light Sabre's Lmao. we should go to nigeria and start bustin up all thier isp's lol

[poorlyduck]

Originally Posted by YankeeFan01

uhhh, i never list my phone number, as it is i have random weirdos offering me light sabers and couches in exchange for phones, i'd prefer not to have them calling me at 3 in the morning.

lol, I never had that happen to me yet, but I was offered a blackberry for a mogul once.

[Levitas]

I just noticed something, maybe it's just me, but doesn't it seem they go way too much into detail about the car? that would raise a red flag for me along with the semi broken english. That's why whenever i do the craigslist thing, i always meet in person, and at a public place nowhere near my home or work. just some advice. also make sure you dont get followed. call me paranoid but there are some wierdo's out there

[kupikunskio]

Originally Posted by poorlyduck

something I learned from graigslist, if the poster doesn't have the phone number published then you'll know its a scam, if I am selling something in graigslist then I post my number for whom seriously interested in buying. Graigslist when was created, meant to be locale sales, If I want to deal with shipping then I go to ebay.

I NEVER put my phone number on CL ads, AT&T has a real bad habit of harvesting telemarketing numbers off of CL, at least on the Detroit site. I of course have no problem offering it up via email.

Originally Posted by YankeeFan01

uhhh, i never list my phone number, as it is i have random weirdos offering me light sabers and couches in exchange for phones, i'd prefer not to have them calling me at 3 in the morning.

Oh, sorry about that. I had that extra couch with free light saber I just needed to unload. Quick.

[boxoroxs]

All the cars are PRISTINE! Also less than $10,000 dollars.

I wonder if you could play one scam against the other.

Have one scammer send you the money order for their "car"... send that to the seller of the other "car".

Then have all email that is sent between them forward to you also so you can follow along.