Yahoo Auto Trader scam

I am currently in contact with a Mr Chris Jones who is 'selling' his beautiful transporter on Yahoo Auto Trader for a mear £4000. I was delighted to receive an email to confirm that I was approved to buy the vehicle and I would be contacted by a Yahoo representative . Strangely assoon as I showed interest in purchasing the vehicle it disappeared fromthe yahoo auto trader listings., sure enough I was contacted within the hour. I borrowed the money from a family member and was looking into transfering the money that very evening but the overseas transfer facility is only available at certain times of the day. Thankfully I was not able to transfer the money at that time; looking in to the payment details I became concerned that I was being asked to transfer the money in to a named bank account rather than use a secure payment method such as paypal. I then searched the internet for Yahoo Auto Trader and came across a number of scam warnings; including yours. My wife and I are parents of 2 year old triplets, Mr Chris Jones asked us to send pictures of our children in the vehicle. We have not yet informed him that we do not intend to continue with the transaction as we hope that keeping the lines of communication open a littlelonger will help bring his scandalous activity to a halt. No one can afford to lose such a large sum of money especially when there are 3 small young children to support. Here are his emails
Hello there,
I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2007 VW TRANSPORTER T26 1.9TDI SWB BENLEYS SURF BUS CONVERSION. Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Vigo, Spain (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in you name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is £4,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in the Spain is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Spain.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a very well company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.
Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.
Thank you!

Hello,
I want to inform you the the car is in Vigo and it will be shipped from here to UK. The shipper I will use will deliver the vehicle to your door, you don't have to pick it from the port. Shipping will take 10 days maximum. The car will be shipped in a container; it will be loaded direct into a 20 ft or 40 ft steel shipping container at the port and it will be secured to the flooring rings of the container by ratchet straps and the wheels will be locked into position by wooden chocks, strapping to stop any movement. All vehicles are securely blocked, braced and tied down ensuring absolute security during transportation.
Due to the fact that i am located outside UK and we can not deal in person,i`ve contacted Yahoo Finance regarding this issue and they told me that they could offer to me a program that is created especially for international transactions that protects both of us.

If you want to check the car here are the reg details #:

VRM: VF07 VDK
VIN: WV1ZZZ7HZ8H016884


If you want to read more about Yahoo Finance service please visit :

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/


If you want to get more info about their terms and condition please contact Yahoo Finance at: [email protected]

Regarding the transaction, you will send the funds to Yahoo Finance and they will keep the money until you receive the vehicle and test it.In this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.Yahoo Finance will hold and insure your money until receipt of the car in good condition. That is how their service is working. As far as the seller concerns, i will be glad to know that Yahoo Finance is in possession of the funds during the delivery period.
You will be given a 15 days inspection period from the day you receive the car at home( i will ship it to your address insured for full value to you ).
If you decide to keep the car, then you will have to authorize Yahoo Finance to release the funds to me, and the transaction is complete.If the vehicle is not as described ( perfect interior,exterior,mechanical condition ), you will be able to send the vehicle back through the same shipping company ( return postage at my expense ), and ask Yahoo Finance to return the money to you.
If you wish to purchase it and agree to these terms i will need you to provide your full name and address. I will then notify Yahoo Finance and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your reply as soon as possible

Thank you in advance!

Hi,
In order for us to go to the next level i will need you to provide the following info your full name, your exact address and I will notify Yahoo Finance that you are selected as my buyer.
After I get in touch with them they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.
I will be waiting for your email with the info in order to get this ball rolling.
Best regards,
Chris

Hi again,

Thank you for your details. I contacted Yahoo Finance just now and they shall get back to you shortly to explain the entire procedure.Please email me back as soon as they get in touch. As soon as I hear from Yahoo Finance that everything is alright with your payment then I will start to make all the shipping arrangements.

Thank you!

Hi again,

I will be gratefully if you would send the money to Yahoo today if you will have time or tomorrow morning to see if the bank are open.
Do you think you can complete the transfer in this time? Is this possible? Please understand me but i have another few interested buyers.
Also, check if you can make the transfer online trough your bank account.

Thank you!
The email that he has been using is:
[email protected]
I have pictures of the vehicle but managed to delete the yahoo finance invoice that was emailed tome

[AlanJones]

Hi cpick73,

Thanks for posting this up.

Could you do me a favour and forward the original email that you recevied from the 'seller' and also the one that provided the Yahoo Finance email address to [email protected]. They are using a fake domain for this scam, so we will do something about getting it shut down.

Also, how were you meant to be sending the money to them was it by Western Union/Moneygram or was it via bank transfer? If it was via bank transfer could you also send me the email that provided you with the bank account details so that I can pass them on to someone who will ensure they get investigated.

Many thanks

Alan

[AlanJones]

This scammer (or one using the same format) is now writing using the email addresses Gary Rothery - [email protected] and Neil Pennington - mailto:[email protected] on Auto Trader UK

Hello ,
I understand your point of view that you can not send the funds sight unseen but you have to understand mine also that i can not just send a vehicle in the UK and hope and pray to receive my money.
I want to inform you the the car is in Portimao, Portugal and it will be shipped from here to UK.The shipper I will use will deliver the vehicle to your door, you don't have to pick it from the port. Shipping will take 10 days maximum. The car will be shipped in a container; it will be loaded direct into a 20 ft or 40 ft steel shipping container at the port and it will be secured to the flooring rings of the container by ratchet straps and the wheels will be locked into position by wooden chocks, strapping to stop any movement. All vehicles are securely blocked, braced and tied down ensuring absolute security during transportation.
Due to the fact that i am located outside UK and we can not deal in person,i`ve contacted Yahoo Finance regarding this issue and they told me that they could offer to me a program that is created especially for international transactions that protects both of us.
Regarding the transaction, you will send the funds to Yahoo Finance and they will keep the money until you receive the vehicle and test it.In this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.Yahoo Finance will hold and insure your money until receipt of the car in good condition. That is how their service is working. As far as the seller concerns, i will be glad to know that Yahoo Finance is in possession of the funds during the delivery period.
You will be given a 15 days inspection period from the day you receive the car at home( i will ship it to your address insured for full value to you ).
If you decide to keep the car, then you will have to authorize Yahoo Finance to release the funds to me, and the transaction is complete.If the vehicle is not as described ( perfect interior,exterior,mechanical condition ), you will be able to send the vehicle back through the same shipping company ( return postage at my expense ), and ask Yahoo Finance to return the money to you.

If you want to read more about Yahoo Finance service please visit :

http://yahoo.uk-finance.uk.com/Finance. ... .index.htm

If you want to get more info about their terms and condition please contact Yahoo Finance at: [email protected]

If you want to check the car here are the reg details:

# Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM) LV09XFT
# VIN (chassis number) WAUZZZ8K6AA003971
# Engine CAG 231790

If you wish to purchase it and agree to these terms i will need you to provide your full name and address. I will then notify Yahoo Finance and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your reply as soon as possible

Thank you in advance!

I've had exactly the same thing today with a gut posing as [email protected] and saying he was in Portimao.

Same text as the original poster, but selling a Hyundai Sant Fe 2007 for 4K (should be around 9K).

I have replied with this link !

Helen Hale [email protected]

Hello there,
I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2008[58] HONDA FR-V 1.8 IVTEC EX AUTOMATIC FRV 5DOOR. Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Cadiz, Spain (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in you name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is £4,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in the Spain is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Spain.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.

I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a very well company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.
Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.
Thank you!

Hello again,

Due to the fact that i am located outside UK and we can not deal in person,i`ve contacted Yahoo Finance regarding this issue and they told me that they could offer to me a program that is created especially for international transactions that protects both of us. They agreed to supervise this deal.
You will send the funds to Yahoo Finance and they will keep the money until you receive the vehicle and test it.In this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction. They will hold and insure your money until receipt of the car in good condition. That is how their service is working. As far as the seller concerns, i will be glad to know that Yahoo Finance is in possession of the funds during the delivery period.
You will be given a 15 days inspection period from the day you receive the car at home( i will ship it to your address insured for full value to you ).
If you decide to keep the car, then you will have to authorize Yahoo Finance to release the funds to me, and the transaction is complete.If the vehicle is not as described ( perfect interior,exterior,mechanical condition ), you will be able to send the vehicle back through the same shipping company ( return postage at my expense ), and ask Yahoo Finance to return the money to you.

If you want to check the car here are the reg details #:

the reg is SK58YPM
the vin number is JHMBE18608S205367.
Engine no.: R18A12305368
Mileage: 32000
Manufacturer's Warranty: Sep 2012
Road Tax: Sep 2012

As regards to sending you copies of the registration documents this is a definate no, no because i am afraid this is how cars get cloned and ringed by criminals obtaining photo copies of documents sorry.

If you want to read more about Yahoo Finance service please visit :

http://yahoo.com-uk-finances.uk.com/Fin ... .index.htm

If you want to get more info about their terms and condition please contact Yahoo Finance at: [email protected]

If you wish to purchase it and agree to these terms i will need you to provide your full name and address. I will then notify Yahoo Finance and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your reply as soon as possible

Thank You!!

[AlanJones]

Hello mbc127 and welcome to ScamWarners.

Thank you for posting these details.

The scammers are using a couple of fake domains for their scam, which I am arranging to be reported and shut down.

he's back today on auto trader:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used ... 0000_miles

red car

He's back again posing as a woman using this e-mail [email protected]. Advertised a 2009 seat Leon fr diesel with 24k miles on for 3k. I have received exactly the same e-mails off him as posted on here before just with different car details.

Hi, this person is now posting on Auto trader selling a skoda Octavia estate car. Based in Spain and calling themselves Helen Davies. Email [email protected]. It said the car was 9 miles from our address so my partner got in touch. I'm much more cynical and Immediately didn't like the emailed reply, which was identical to the ones shown above. If my intelligent partner can consider falling for this, anyone can! It's scary what these fraudsters can do nowadays!

Hi,
I spotted a 'lovely' Golf on Autotrader today and sent off an e-mail to get further details and got this back...
From "Paul Ackerman" <[email protected]>

Hello there,

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2008 VOLKSWAGEN Golf 5-Dr 2.0 TDI GT Sport 5-Dr!
Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Cadiz, Spain (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in your name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is GBP 3,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in Spain is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Spain.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a well known company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.
Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you

If its too good to be true, then it usually is!

Nice try 'Paul'

Stuart

I think I found the same scam. the emails with "Janile Mazziotti" <[email protected]> are included below:

hey, hoping to get more details on an add you placed in the paper. how many miles are on the prius? can you share a picture(s)? where are you located approximately? do you have a carfax report?

thanks,
russ

Then:

Hello Russell,

The car is available. 2009 Toyota Prius HYBRID, miles 50,800. The car is in excellent condition, CLEAR TITLE, all scheduled maintenance, always garaged, no smoker, no dents, no scratches and I'm the registered owner with the title in hand.Here is the VIN# JTDKB20U797825524

The last price for the car is $ 7600 with shipping included .The car was my husband`s who loved it very much, but he did not enjoy it as he died 3 months ago.It brings very bad memories to me, I want to get rid of it.I'm selling the car because I can't enjoy it due to my job, i just got a contract on the sea.

I left the car in Las Vegas, Nevada at the shipping company.You will receive all the documents, including the title signed over to your name.It will be delivered directly to your address.

You will also have 5 days to inspect the vehicle. If, by any reason, the car is not as described, or if you find any problems with it, I will pay for the returning fees. I'm sure it won't be the case because it's a state of art vehicle inside and out.

Thank you and I'II wait your email back,

Janile

(6 pictures were attached)


Then (suspicious already) I replied:

Hi, I am definitely interested. I live in Arlington, VA. I would prefer to test drive a car before I buy it, however... can this be arranged?

Thanks,
Russ

Her reply confirmed my suspicions, as it matches what I read about scams:

Hi again,

The shipping it free and the price is $7600.Like i told you i work on the cruise ship and the car is at the shipping company in Las Vegas, NV ready to start.I'm sorry but the shipping company said that they can't let people inspect the vehicles at the warehouse, because they are a shipping company and not a dealer ship. It's against their policy. They also said that they do not have enough employees to assist everyone to inspect car.

I made all the agreements with Yahoo Finance and you will have 5 days to inspect the car and go at your mechanic.After that you will have to confirm to Yahoo Finance if you decide to buy it or no , but i am sure you will buy , is a beautiful car.

The sale will be managed through Yahoo Finance,They are safety and reliability during online transactions.They will email us the forms which are needed for our deal(invoice, payment instructions, buyer's and seller's protection policy). You will send the money to Yahoo Finance and they will notify me to ship the car to your location.

After you will inspect the car and decide to keep it, Yahoo Finance will forward the funds to me once you have approved them to do so. You will have 5 days to inspect the vehicle.They will hold and insure your money until you will receive and test the car.

If you want to continue the deal, just send me your name, shipping address and phone# so I can contact Yahoo Finance to fill you in with the transaction details.so I can reserve the car for you and they will contact you with all the instructions step by step on how to complete the transaction .

Thank you and reply me soonest,

Janile

I then found that this add is in random newspapers in a lot of places.
columbusmessenger
palestineherald

Yahoo finance apparently doesn't provide this service either...

Disappointed I won't get a half price car(09 prius = ~$15000), but glad i'm not out $7600....

sorry for such a huge msg.

Hi all,
I've just received an exact copy of the original post, only this time his email is [email protected].
This was for a lovely 2006 silver Transporter, but it was in Cadiz, Spain.

I've had loads of these now, all with VW Transporters. From the person being deployed to Afganistan soon, to just generally being in Scotland due to work commitments!!

I told 'Aron' from Spain that I had friends in Marbella and that they would be more than happy to pay for/pick the van up for me and that I was visiting them next month and would quite enjoy driving it home as part of my holiday! Strangely, he wasn't up for this and told me he couldn't deal in person???

Auto trader can do nothing more than take the ads down, just the same as eBay, but it's just so frustrating.

I am glad that I am not the only one, it is uncanny how alike the text was in the emails, See below. I was offered, after contacting this guy in autotrader a 2009 Ford Galaxy only 23500 miles on the clock lots of extras perfect nick etc etc. as soon as I expressed an interest it disappeared off autotrader. I notice it has appeared back on autotrader for a few hundred pounds more - guess he's chancing his luck. Also the link he sent me for yahoo finance was very convincing!!!! I notice that this has now been suspended.

Oh well, at least people are clicking on now to these scams - at the end of the day if it appears to be 'Too good to be true it probably is'!!! this is the correspondance below:

Email number 1:

Hello there,

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2009 FORD GALAXY 2.0 GHIA TDCI 143 ! Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Cadiz, Spain (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in your name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is £4,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in Spain is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Spain.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a well known company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.

Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you!

Second email:

Hello again,

Yes , the car can be delivered to Germany there ar eno problem for me. Due to the fact that i am located outside UK and we can not deal in person,i`ve contacted Yahoo regarding this issue and they told me that they could offer to me a program that is created especially for international transactions that protects both of us. They agreed to supervise this deal.

You will send the funds to Yahoo and they will keep the money until you receive the vehicle and test it.In this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction. They will hold and insure your money until receipt of the car in good condition. That is how their service is working. As far as the seller concerns, i will be glad to know that Yahoo is in possession of the funds during the delivery period.
You will be given a 15 days inspection period from the day you receive the car at home( i will ship it to your address insured for full value to you ).

If you decide to keep the car, then you will have to authorize Yahoo to release the funds to me, and the transaction is complete.If the vehicle is not as described ( perfect interior,exterior,mechanical condition ), you will be able to send the vehicle back through the same shipping company ( return postage at my expense ), and ask Yahoo to return the money to you.

If you want to check the car here are the reg details #:

REG number: RO09EXE
Vin number: WFOMXXGBWM8L49243
Mileage: 23500
Engine number 8L49243
Engine size cc 1997
Reg. Date: 12 Mar 2009
Valid Mot till Mar 2013

V5 in uk yes, the car is still registered in uk.
If you want to read more about Yahoo service please visit :

http://yahoo.com-finances-ltd.co.uk/Mon ... .index.htm

If you want to get more info about their terms and condition please contact Yahoo at: [email protected]

If you wish to purchase it and agree to these terms i will need you to provide your full name and address. I will then notify Yahoo and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your reply as soon as possible

Last Email:

Hi ,

The car is still for sale. In order for us to go to the next level i will need you to provide the following info your full name, your exact address and I will notify Yahoo that you are selected as my buyer.

After I get in touch with them they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your email with the info in order to get this ball rolling.
Best regards,

Another auto trader scam, advertiser is [email protected].
Trying to 'sell' a UK registered Land rover that is currently in Portugal.

Email reads the same as many others.

Hello there,

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy 2009 Land Rover Discovery 4x4 TDV6 XS!
Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Portimao, Portugal (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in your name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days.Final price is GBP 8,200 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in Portugal is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Portugal.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a well known company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.

Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you!