AutoTrader Paypal Scam

Received this one from "james hamilton" [email protected]

"Thanks for the prompt response.I'm Okay with the condition of the Car, as i
have already go through it on the ad but just trying to make little inquiry
from you ready to buy it now as a gift for my Daughter, I'm at sea at the
moment as I'm a Navy Officer,and due to the nature of my Job.....phone
calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time
to check this advert and send you a Text regarding it. I really want it to
be a surprise for my Daughter i won't let her know anything about it until
it gets delivered to her, i am sure she will be more than happy with it. I
insisted on paypal because i don't have access to my bank account online as
i don't have internet banking, but i can pay from my paypal account, as i
have my bank a/c attached to it,Get back to me with your paypal email and
the price so i can proceed with the payment quickly, and sorry if you don't
have an Account, you sign-up for a paypal personal account
www.paypal.comit is very fast and easy to set up. And there is a
shipping company pick up
agent that will come for the pick up after the payment has been sorted out.

Thanks."


Bit suspicious, if nothing else because I would expect a slightly better standard of grammar from a Navy Officer.
Also there was something about sending a text, when the only contact I had was through email.
There's also a lot of stuff in there in keeping with some of the other stuff already on this page. Think i might steer clear of this one.

Welcome to Scamwarners atpriestley,

Yes, it is 100% scam script.

The scammer does not want your car. He wants to steal your money. He will send you a fake Paypal payment though a free email service. He want you to think that it is from Paypal. In reality it is from him. You will be instructed to send money to the mover, agent or shipper via Western Union or Money Gram. The scammer will tell you that PayPal is holding your funds until you prove that you sent the money. The scammer is lying again. Paypal would never hold your funds.

This same scam can be done with fake checks or money orders. Your bank may cash them. Days or weeks later your bank will inform you of the fraud. The bank will have you repay the monies. The bank may also close your account and report you to Law Enforcement.

It is recommended that you deal face to face with cash in a Public place.

All of my email enquiries for the car have been scams! Ridiculous that anyone falls for them!

Some suspects here:

[email protected] - works abroad with the UN!

After winding 'her' up for a while, she wanted to me to send £250 through western union to

Name; Ning Zhu
Address; 1055 Dawan lu,
  State; Beijing
   City; Beijing
Country; China
Zip Code;10027

Others were:

[email protected] - worked on a ship
[email protected] - navel officer lol

^Did he work on a belly button or on a ship? (Don't tell him. If he doesn't know a belly button from a ship, it's easier for victims to recognize the scam.)

"Beverly Williams" is at it again. The email this was sent from was: [email protected]. It was in response to our advertisement on RV Trader for our 2011 Forest River Flagstaff Super Lite 29SKBS Travel Trailer.

Thanks for the quick response. The pipes are they copper? Is there any crack on the pipes? Is the central heating and the A/C in perfect condition? And the electrical? Is there any rust on the body and the roof? I'm ready to pay your asking price but not cash in person because I'm currently in a conference and calls are restricted at the moment and my only quickest payment option is PayPal, its safe fast and secure and i will be responsible for the PayPal transaction charges so you can get your expected amount. If you don't have an account with PayPal, its pretty easy to open one,Just log onto http://www.paypal.com and sign up. I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible? As I am buying the RV for my dad and I'm very sure he will love it. He's a mechanic and a handy man, so if there is anything that need to be fixed in it just let me know he will handle it. I have a mover that will come for the pick up once payment clears in your account and he will handle the title for me. I look forward to hear from you with the information below.

Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Firm Price:
Zip code for pickup:

Thanks


Beverly

My biggest tip off...Copper pipes on an RV...Really! Anyone who is familiar with an RV knows better! Decided to do a google search of "Beverly Williams scam" and found this site. Thanks to you all! Saved me some hassle.

I just joined, very grateful for this post especially!

I just got "hit" today with this exact one, and without this poster caring about the rest of us getting scammed, I might have fallen for it...I need to sell my vehicle soon and I couldn't believe the luck! Full price, in cash, NOW!!! Then the "copper pipes on an RV" set in, and I started to research. So, a very big thank you!!!! I feel stupid that I didn't recognize it sooner, but grateful for this site and its caring posters. Fortunately, no harm done except to my self-image!

These are e-mails that I've received today.

From: [email protected]
Hope this auto is still available and what is the last price and the recent condition of the car. Thanks

My response:
Hi Matthew (or James (not sure which is Your first name))

This car is still available and is in working order (not quite sure what exactly You mean by "recent condition of the car"). If there is something specific You want find out, please ask via e-mail or give me a ring on 07XX7XXX8XX.

Best regards,
Xxx

From: [email protected]
Thanks, My first name is James.
How much last are you willing to go down on the price?
Thanks for your swift response, I am okay with the price and condition
of the car, as am buying the car for my grandson for his birthday
which is coming up next week, am currently on sea at the moment as a
United State Marine Corps(USMC) and due to security reasons, phone
calls making and visiting of website are restricted but I squeezed out
time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it.
As for the payment..i can only pay via the fastest and secure way to
pay online(PayPal) payment.
I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after
the payment have been made .. and with the issue of my details,
transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will
be done by the courier services company agent so you don't have to
worry about that.
You can now send me your PayPal email so i can pay in right away and
also include your address in your reply. If you don't have a PayPal
account, you can easily set up one...log on to http://www.paypal.com and sign
up its very easy... .await your reply asap

My response:
James

Depending on how persuasive You are, I might be able to drop the price slightly. What's the sum You are willing to part with? Please note, that similar cars to the one I sell goes from £XXXX to £XXXX.

As for PayPal transaction, sorry, but I am not willing to use it, as it takes percentage from the amount transferred, plus if something for any given reason goes wrong, there is no direct and fast way to track down people involved in a transaction. If You truly cannot pay by cash, I am willing to accept bank transfer, and once money is secured in my bank account (definitely no earlier than that), I would hand car and relevant paperwork over to Your courier.

Even though Your grandson's birthday is next week, I cannot part with my car that early. As stated in AutoTrader ad, car is available for pick-up from the end of Xxxxx (most likely around XXth). If You would like to have it kept for You only, I'd have to ask for a deposit of £XXX and then remainder of the sum would have to be payed on the day of pick-up (or earlier) by means discussed above.

Best regards,
Xxx

No more replies from him(?) after that.

A US marine at sea offering to buy a UK car ? It's a scam offer.

He'll send you more money than you ask, using a spoof Paypal mail to prove he's sent it, and then ask you to send the overpayment to his imaginary collection agent (himself) by Wuxfer.

The idea is daft, but a lot of people still fall for it. The scammer doesn't care as he's sending out hundreds of mails a day and even if he only get a 1% or 2% response he's making a good living.

Pretending to be a US marine buying a UK car is a new one. I suspect he got mixed up over what country he's supposed to be in, as he's most likely replying to ads in the UK, the USA and Australia too.

It's also fairly common for African scammers not to understand European name conventions.

All of my email enquiries for the car have been scams! Ridiculous that anyone falls for them!

Some suspects here:

[email protected] - works abroad with the UN!

After winding 'her' up for a while, she wanted to me to send £250 through western union to

Name; Ning Zhu
Address; 1055 Dawan lu,
  State; Beijing
   City; Beijing
Country; China
Zip Code;10027

Others were:

[email protected] - worked on a ship
[email protected] - navel officer lol

Hey ...
This stupid ass strike again. "[email protected]". Claiming he is based in Belfast. I think autotrader should filter these known email addresses.

becareful people.

Another one from Maria Murphy at [email protected]

Thanks for the mail. I am interested in buying the vehicle and I hope
everything is in perfect condition. I'm ready to pay your asking price
but not cash in person because I'm currently in a conference and calls
are restricted at the moment and my only quickest payment option is
PayPal, its safe fast and secure and i will be responsible for the
PayPal transaction charges so you can get your expected amount. If you
don't have an account with PayPal, its pretty easy to open one,Just
log onto http://www.paypal.com and sign up. I hope we can make the purchase
as fast as possible? As I am buying it for my dad and I'm pretty very
sure he will love it, he's an handy man, so if there is anything that
need to be fixed in it just let me know he will handle it. I have a
mover that will come for the pick up once payment clears in your
account and he will handle the documentations and changing of
ownership on my behalf. I'll look forward to hearing from you with
the information below so that I can make the payment this morning as
soon as possible.

Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Zip code for pickup

[email protected]

In reply to advert placed on Autotrader

Wants to buy for daughter, Naval Officer etc so at sea and can't access on-line banking etc.

When I replied that I would only deal in person and that I would only accept a bank transfer or bankers draft he replied:

Why? Is is because of the scam online?

Got the same drill when selling my car on Autotrader. Scammer address was [email protected]. Glad I checked this site!

Got the same from following emails
[email protected]

And

[email protected]

Wanting to pay full price without seeing car and wanting bank details email as follows
Subject always said enquiry

"I Agree with price you want to sell it , i will be happy to paying directly into your bank account without any delay. I would have prefer to see your inspection it but am busy, i work long hours everyday,i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it. As for the payment..i will be paying you with the fastest and secure way to pay . I have a private courier agent that will come over for the pick up at your door after the payment have been made, .You can now send me your bank email and bank account number so i can pay in right away and also include your address and your mail in your reply."

Beaware of these addresses

Hello all,

I've decided to post my recent encounter/combat with the scammer. The funny thing is I managed to get him to reveal that he is a scammer. The following are emails, and then texts of what a happened:

I posted my car for sale on Autotrader and I received a response from [email protected] on Saturday august 24th from the phone number 469-300-8601 via text:

He: Do you still have the vehicle listed on autotrader? If yes kindly email me at [email protected]. thanks, Mark.
Me: It is. I can email you, but this is my phone number. Where are you located?
He: email me some engine picture (I believed him first because I advertised my car having a new engine).
Me: I can't do that. However I can email you a scanned receipt scanned receipt from the mazda dealership detailing the time when the engine was installed and everything done in connection with installing the engine.
He: Okay you can send me the receipt
Me: Ok you'll get it in a bit.

So I email him a receipt of my engine installation and I get the following emails:

August 24th:

Hello,
Thanks for the mail.. I'm very much interested in purchasing the vehicle. Do you have the extra keys, Do you have the spare tire, Where did you get your car serviced, Have you ever had any transmission repairs and Is there any rust on the vehicle? I'll look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Thanks,

Mark.

August 24th:

Hello Mark,

I have two keys, both bluetooth wireless. I have a clean title and I've been the only owner. RX8s dont come with a spare tire, so I dont have a spare tire. I used to get my car serviced at Mazda when I lived in XXXXXX. Since moving to XX in 2009, I've gotten it serviced at Star Mazda for everything (hence why I went to them for the engine). No rust on the vehicle. I had the transmission replaced in March of 2012. I might have the receipt for that too, have to dig and look for it.
Where are you located? I'm in XXXXX

Theon.

August 25th:

Thanks for answering the questions. I am satisfied but can you assure me that i will not be disappointed if i buy this Vehicle. I'm ready to pay your asking price but not cash in person because I'm currently in a conference and calls are restricted at the moment and my only quickest payment option is PayPal, its safe fast and secure and i will be responsible for the PayPal transaction charges so you can get your expected amount. If you don't have an account with PayPal, its pretty easy to open one,Just log on to http://www.paypal.com and sign up. I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible? As I am buying the vehicle for someone and I'm very sure he will love this vehicle, his a mechanic and a handy man, so if there is anything that need to be fixed in it just let me know he will handle it. I have a mover that will come for the pick up once payment clears in your account and he will handle the title for me.I look forward to hear from you with the information below.

Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Firm Price:
Zip code for pickup:

Thanks,
Mark.

August 25th:

Hello Mark,

Yes I can absolutely assure you that you will not be disappointed if you buy this vehicle. I appeciate your honesty and candor. In full disclosure I have attached photos of my car I just took 5 mins ago. The only thing I think will be objectionable is that there is a dent on the driver side rear quarter panel of the car. I'm pointing at it in one of my pictures. This is why I priced the car under value (it should be listed at $14,000). Nothing that your mechanic friend cannot handle. Beyond that everything is in working order. Engine, transmission, cooling, brakes, exhaust, smog. I had Glendale Mazda perform a full circle test to make sure everything is fine. Brake pads might need to be changed soon, but you get lifetime warranty with that. Understand in my past 5 years, I've loved this car very much and I have taken care of it like its my baby. I part of me still does not want to sell it. But I have no use/room for it anymore at this time. If you are still interested please do the following and I will be ready to release title and have the car picked up.
I do have paypal. My info for that is :
Your PayPal e-Mail Address : XXXXXXXXXXXX
Full name: XXXXXXXXXXXXx
Firm Price: $XXXXXX
Zip code for pickup: XXXXXXXXXXX

Also, because I am a legal guy I'd like to have a sales contract agreement between us. It's rather simple and I have attached a copy of it. Sign it and email it back to me when you can. I'll let you know once the funds clear my paypal account. Let me know if you need anything else!

Theon.

August 26th:

Thanks for getting back to me, now that am assured that the vehicle is in a great condition, i will notify you immediately the Payment is done.

Mark

August 26th:

Hello,
I am glad to inform you that I have made the payment and you should to have received the payment notification from PayPal by now. Kindly check your PayPal email address inbox or the spam for the notification alert from PayPal and follow the PayPal instructions so the funds can be credited and shown in your account. I will be waiting to read back from you.
Thanks,
Mark.



This is when I received the two fake emails from paypal asking me to send money through Western Union. Red flags went up for me and I got sorely disappointed. I really wanted to sell my car and this asshole wasted my precious time. It was now my turn to waste his time. I started off by being nice...


August 26th:

Sorry Mark, but I will not pay anything to receive money. You have still yet to sign my sales contract and send it back.

Theon

August 26th:

Hi Theon,
The money has been deducted from my account already and it is pending on your Paypal account, i have been very busy here at the conference, follow the verification procedure to get your account credited immediately. After the money clears into your account, the mover will be there to pick up the vehicle, sign all necessary documents and exchange of title. i hope to hear from you.

Mark.



Mod note: Racist and abusive text removed - CW