not sure if this is a scam or what

hi , my name is ziyaad and i have recently forund this ad on the net regarding a car sale...the only thing is that the guy now lives in france and i live in south africa...we have been emailing back and fourth regarding details about the car.

>>>Good evening,

Thanks for your interest in my car. The car is still available and in
excellent condition. I'm from France. I lived and worked in South
Africa for one year as Medical assistant for the Red Cross
International but presently; I’m in republic of Togo for a new job.
I bought the car in Johannesburg ; South Africa, the car is still
registered in South Africa. The given price R36,000 is a Give away
price because since i brought the car here i can't use it due to the
fact that the constitution here does not allow the Right Hand Drive
cars. I'm not sure of coming back to South Africa and the car will be
useless if i couldn't get somebody who can ship the car back to South
Africa and take good care of it.
If you are interested, I can find a transport company here to
transport the car back to South Africa for you. The transport cost
will be deducted from the R36,000(price on the ad).

The Details of the car are as below:
2008 VW GOLF R32 Black
Year: 2008
Fuel: Petrol
Colour: Black
Mileage: 93,000 Km
Manufacturer: Volkswagen
Transmission: Automatic
Power: 247
Model: Golf/Rabbit
Engine Size: 3,2 L
Seats: 5
Type: Standard Car
Drive Side: Right-hand drive
Doors: 5
Previous Owners: 1
Safety Features: Driver Airbag, Passenger Airbag, Side Airbags, Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Immobiliser, Safety Belt Pretensioners, Alarm
Exterior: Alloy Wheels
Interior/Comfort Options: Climate Control, Central Locking, Cruise Control, Electric heated seats, Electric Windows, Power-assisted Steering (PAS)
In-Car Audio: AM/FM Stereo, CD Player

I await your response.


>>>>Evening,

The payment option is 50% deposit to cover the transport cost before delivery and 50% deposit upon delivery.

1. The car is still in excellent condition.

2. The car has never been in any accident.

3. The service record is ok.

4. The Road Worthy Certificate is available and ok.

5. The car is still registered in South Africa on my behalf.

6. You will have to pay the transport cost now to receive the car in your city because the car is right now with me in the Republic of Togo.

I'm still in discussion with a transport company here regarding the transport cost. I will get back to you shortly. Regarding the transfer of ownership. I will send a letter to the traffic departement to state that i'm donating the car to you with my full heart and the company agent have the full right to finalize the transaction on my behalf. The Logbook with the car registration documents will come with the car to facilitate the transaction.

If you are ready to pay the 50% deposit now. Send your full name, telephone and location details so that i can conclude with the transport company and let you know about the the delivery cost to your City.

PS: The transport company that I have contacted is specialized in Express Flight Cargo Delivery and they assured me that the car can be delivered in 4( Four) Days after payment received.

Regards,

>>>>Evening,

I have been able to get a Transport Company. They said the

Transportation cost to Johannesburg, South Africa is R15,000 and it will take only 4(four) days for

them to deliver the car to you.

From my enquiry, they have a track record of good performance and

specialized in flight cargo delivery.

The Transport Company is part of the Amazon Group.

Below are the company contact details

Amazon Express Transport.

Address: No.88, Route De L'Aeroport, Cotonou, Benin

Mailing Address: 01 B.P. 1364 Recette Principal, Cotonou, Benin

Tel: +229-95541301, Fax: +229-21308897

Email: [email protected]


Below are the papers that they requested from me.

International Police Clearence.

Certificate of gift.

Car's registration Papers.

After enquiry the Certificate of gift will cost only R3,790.

I will request you to send the R3,790 now for me to get the certificate

so that i can start the delivery process with the transport company as

soon as possible.

Which bank are you banking with?

When exactely will you be able to deposit the R3,790?

The Transport cost and the R3,790 will be deducted from 50% deposit requested


those are the emails that i have gotten from him but im not sure if this is totally legit because the car he is selling is worth even tripple the amount of what he wants for it so im not sure what to do now . PLEASE HELP

[AlanJones]

It's a scam, there is no car and Amazon do not run transport services based in Benin. The scammer just want's to steal the "Certificate of gift" fee that he has made up.

Just delete the email and don't respond any futher to him. If you can't physically view the car without handing over cash then consider it a scam.

He writes like an African. The one word he attempted to spell as a Frenchman would, he forgot the accent in. He is not from France.

amazonexpresstransport.com was registered for only one year, by hidden, and has a website consisting only of "Error. Page cannot be displayed.". It's not a company, it's a fake domain registered by the scammer.

Please post the name and email address of the person who is pretending to sell the car.

The basic rule is that If you can't see the car to inspect it - don't buy it.

The only seller that doesn't expect you to inspect a car is a scammer.

It's a very common scam and dates back to the Middle Ages when it was called 'buying a pig in a poke'. A poke being an old word for a sack and you'd be sold a sack and be told it contains a pig, but after the scammer has gone you'd find a cat with no commercial value, but it would appear that the sack contains a live animal and anyone trusting would be duped.

The excuses used by scammers why they can't let you see the car are inventive and are backed up with a fictional claim that some company will act as an honest middleman to inspect the goods for you. This is a lie and the scammer himself plays the part of the middleman until he gets his hands on your money.

The reason it's a bargain is because it's a scam.

100% bet my life SCAM
ignore them.
Buy a car LOCALLY

Exact same Thing happend to me.... I wil send the email that he send me also.....!!!

Greetings,

Thanks for your interest in my car. The car is still available and in
excellent condition. I'm from France. I lived and worked in South
Africa for one year as Medical assistant for the Red Cross
International but presently; I’m in republic of Togo for a new job.
I bought the car in South Africa, the car is still
registered in South Africa. The given price R54,000 is a Give away
price because since i brought the car here i can't use it due to the
fact that the constitution here does not allow the Right Hand Drive
cars. I'm not sure of coming back to South Africa and the car will be
useless if i couldn't get somebody who can ship the car back to South
Africa and take good care of it.
If you are interested, I can find a transport company here to
transport the car back to South Africa for you. The transport cost
will be deducted from the R54,000(price on the ad).

The Details of the car are as below:

Manufacturer: Toyota
Model: Hi-Lux
Year: 2010
Colour: White
Condition: Used
Type: Pickup
Transmission: Manual
Fuel: Diesel
Mileage: 111000 km
Engine Size: 2.5
Previous Owners: 1
Drive Side: Right-hand drive
Doors: 2
Number of Seats: 4
Power: 144 BHP
CO2 emissions: 219
Safety Features: Driver Airbag, Passenger Airbag, Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS), Immobiliser, Safety Belt Pretensioners, 4-Wheel Drive, Alarm
Exterior: Alloy Wheels, Tow Bar
Interior/Comfort Options: Air Conditioning, Central Locking, Electric Windows, Power-assisted Steering (PAS), Tilt Steering Wheel
In-Car Audio: AM/FM Stereo, CD Player, Navigation System

Regards,

Robert
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning,

I have kindly received your informations. The transport company said they can only deliver the car at Nelspruit Airport in Mpumalanga Province and the transportation cost is R28,000. I will deposit the car at the company's little branch here in Republic of Togo and pay the transport cost this afternoon.

Will you be able to collect the car on Saturday?

Do you have the R60,000 available?

I'm waiting for your quick response.

Regards

Mr. Dubois
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This is what the "transportation Company" send me,The vehicle details are not even the same!!!!!


Afternoon,

I would like to tell you that am a good and honnest person. I chose to donate this car with my opened heart instead of selling it to make big profit. I have paid the transport cost with my own money. Now I think it is your turn to prove your serious engagement by paying the little amount of R6800 to get the Certificate of Donation.

Let me know once you pay the R6800 to them so that I can speed up the process from here.

Mr. Dubois
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ATLANTIS TRANSPORT COMPANY
Address: 86 RUE BAYOL AVENUE JEAN PAUL II, COTONOU, REPUBLIQUE DU BENIN
Téléphone / Service Client : +22995265016
Fax / Service Client: +22920314658
Email : [email protected] / [email protected]
Web: www.atlantis-transport.net
ATTN MRS. CHARMONE,
WE HEREBY CONFIRM THAT WE GOT A REQUEST FROM MR ROBERT DUBOIS TO TRANSPORT A SOUTH AFRICAN CAR : TOYOTA HILUX BLACK DOUBLE CAB 2007 MODEL.
THIS CAR BELONG TO MR ROBERT DUBOIS AND MUST BE TRANSPORTED BY OUR TRANSPORT COMPANY FROM TOGO TO NELSPRUIT AIRPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA. THE CAR WILL ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT BEFORE 11AM ON SATURDAY 18TH OF FEBRUARY.
WE ALSO REQUESTED A GIFT CERTIFICATE WHICH COST IS R6800 THAT YOU MUST PAY NOW AS THE BENEFICIARY OF THE CAR. THIS CERTIFICATE WILL PROVE TO OUR LOCAL AUTHORITIES HERE THAT THE CAR IS DONATION TO YOU AND THERE IS NO BUSINESS PROFIT INTHIS TRANSACTION. WITH THIS CERTIFICATE YOU WILL NOT PAY ANY TAXES TO OUR LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
WE WILL START THE TRANSPORT AND DELIVERY PROCESS AFTER RECEPTION OF THE STATED AMOUNT OF R6800 FOR THE GIFT CERTIFICATE TROUGH THE MONEY GRAM . YOU WILL USE OUR GENERAL ACCOUNTANT EMMANUEL MISSINHOUN DETAILS TO TRANSFER THE TOTAL AMOUNT VIA THE MONEY GRAM SERVICE.

YOU CAN FIND THE MONEY GRAM SERVICE AT ANY FNB OR NEDBANK BRANCH IN YOUR CITY.

THE MONEY GRAM SERVICE IS ONLY FOR FNB OR NEDBANK ACCOUNT HOLDER IN SOUTH AFRICA .
BELOW ARE OUR COMPANY ACCOUNTANT'S DETAILS THAT YOU WILL USE TO SEND THE R6800.

RECIEVER'S FISRT NAME : EMMANUEL
RECIEVER'S LAST NAME : MISSINHOUN
COUNTRY : REPUBLIC OF BENIN
ADDRESS: 86 RUE BAYOL AVENUE JEAN PAUL II
CITY : COTONOU
POSTAL CODE : 00229
PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THE RECIEVER'S NAMES ARE CORRECTLY WRITTEN.
NOTE: MONEY GRAM SERVICE IS ONLY USED FOR PRIVATE/RELATIVES ISSUES NOT FOR BUSINESS SO YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFULL IN CASE THE BANK AGENT ASK YOU REASON
THAT YOU ARE SENDING THE MONEY SO THAT THEY WILL NOT CHARGES YOU WITH
FURTHER TAXES.
SEND THE REFERENCE CODE TO OUR EMAIL FOR NOTIFICATION ONCE THE PAYMENT IS DONE.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR COLLABORATION.
MR. WILLIAM TOURE
ATLANTIS TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT