Is this a scam?

[Jim Davey]

I'm trying to sell an old BMW, it's a cheap price as it has a few faults and I just want it gone as hassle free as possible.
I got a txt asking about the car and instructing me to only reply via email. I sent the info requested and got this in response a few minutes later:

Thanks for getting back to me, i just want to make sure nothing has been left out and just so you know i am buying it as a gift. I will be buying this for the price you have listed it for. Payment will be sent using PayPal and i will handle the PayPal surcharge as well. I will arrange with a shipping company to have this picked up at your location once i have paid as i am out of town at the moment. Am a marine engineer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls is restricted and i can ONLY DEAL VIA PAYPAL as i don't have access to my bank here and i don't have online banking, so you can send me your PayPal email account so i can send the money at once and its easy to sign up for one just log on to www.paypal.com, Note: i'll also include the Shipping company's fee to the money am sending you and you will pay them on my behalf, so kindly Get back to me with your PayPal email account so i can proceed with the payment thanks


On Tue, Apr 28, 2015 at 8:10 PM, Hire Email <hire@rhdaveywelding.co.uk>wrote:
Hi,

Car is mechanically sound, runs drives and stops just fine.
Problem with electric windows, partial service history, no tax no insurance no MOT.

Thanks

Jim


Sent from my iPhone


So, is this dodgy and if so how do they get you?

 

[ford34/2]

sounds dodgy, but i`m suspicious, its the pay the shipping company I dont like and the fact paypal love buyers not sellers.
would you dare suggest a trf direct into your bank??

Stan

see what every one else thinks??

 

[MattF]

Yup, it's a scam. Check the Gumtree thread. Someone mentioned the general routine in there, I believe.

 

[Maker]

Somebody else (on the Gumtree thread I think) quoted a very similar message, an offshore engineer wanting to but it as a gift and mentioning Paypal a few times. It may be that he genuinely wants to buy a car as a gift but I personally would want to meet someone face to face if I was selling something so expensive.

 

[mr migwire]

scam mate using a hijacked paypal account,

 

[awemawson]

Sounds VERY much like a scam, and the phraseology is familiar from other scams I've heard about. Particularly the bit about working at sea.

Walk away.

 

[daleyd]

Yup, definitely dodgy as I had almost word for word the same when I advertised my car last year.

Not sure how they can scam you, but obviously I didn't give any info out. I did string it along a bit cos I had a bit of time on my hands but got bored in the end and just ignored the replies.

 

[Jim Davey]

I thought scam, I just couldn't see their angle if I have their money and they have the car, but if they can launch a dispute and get their money back then it's obvious.

Cheers chaps

Jim

 

[the snooper]

yeah seen this scam before, mail back and state cash only and watch them pull out

 

[skotl]

IIRC they use someone else's paypal account, once the person whose payment details cottons on, their bank recalls the payment from paypal, who then recall it from your bank....
"shipping agent" is usually part of the scam....they then get clean cash from you as the "shipping fee" so your doubly out of pocket

^^^ that ^^^

And the fact that they will only respond by email, which is because they're either in Nigeria or Russia.

We can get blinded by a bargain - with all the 2nd hand cars on the market, why would they pay full price, sight-unseen?

 

[Jim Davey]

I'll post up their reply if they bother.

 

[Fazerruss]

When ever I sell anything of serious value then its the old fashioned way or the highway. They turn up, hand over cold hard cash and then #%&£ off!
Sold as seen.
I hate it that some @rse hole on a computer in a foreign country thinks it acceptable to rip off genuine sellers with the help from PayPal eBay ect.

 

[Fazerruss]

When I was looking for a car for the wife I came across a bargain. There was no answer when I rang but I then got a text back saying similar . " please reply via email if interested in the car". I sussed it was a scam when the phone rang and rang with no answer when I with held my number.

 

[the snooper]

also get their pay pal details and report them to paypal

 

[tomsutton529]

What happens when you ring the number.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Complete scam!! Just ignore it and have no further communication with them.

 

[Jim Davey]

I tried to reply to them, email rejected, I'll ignore them if they come back on.

 

[Wozzaaah]

I had an identical one when i advertised an old Diahatsu fourtrack, as soon as I said cash on collection only I never heard from him again.

 

[cumbriasteve]

That type of scam can also have the overpayment trick included:

They owe you let's say for example £3000, they pay you £4000, you contact them and get one of two replies.

Oh sorry, I'm having a bad day, can you please send me the £1000 back to account number xxxxxx, so you send £1000 from your bank to theirs, the initial payment is then taken back as a hijacked payment and bingo you are £1000 down and out of pocket.

The other reply is just about the same but they ask you to send the £1000 to the shipping company at account xxxxxx, you obviously think of course there is no risk because the money has been paid to you, until the same happens again.

People do fall for it on a regular basis and some of these scammers are earning many times what us honest folks earn annually.

 

[brightspark]

a fool easily parts with his money or goods and they must be plenty of them or they wouldnt do it .