Autotrader Car Scam

Hi All.
They say when something sounds to good to be true, then unless you are really lucky in life. it probably is to good to be true.


This post is to let you know that I have been contacted through Autotrader, where I was selling my car, by a person called
[email protected] , with what looks like a very familiar message to SCAMWARNERS.

The first contact was as follows,


[email protected]
22 Jan (2 days ago)

to me
Please note this e-mail is from an interested customer not from Auto Trader.

Never reply to an e-mail that asks for personal information or copies of your vehicle documentation including the V5C. Keep vehicle documentation and details regarding your vehicle including your VIN number secure at all times.

If you are in doubt regarding an e-mail you have received, report it immediately to [email protected] or call us on 0845 345 3450.

The following customer is interested in the vehicle you are advertising on
http://www.autotrader.co.uk

Received: 22 January 2013 13:07

Customer Details:
NAME: MR Marc Affeley
TELEPHONE:
EMAIL: [email protected]

Vehicle Details:
MAKE: AUDI
MODEL: A3
PRICE: £8850

Message:
am interested in buying your car what is its condition and final price? Thanks, Marc.

I replied that the car was still for sale and what the final price / condition was.

Then I received this from,
Marc Affeley
17:10 (13 hours ago)

to me
Hi,
Thanks for the prompt response and please do consider me as the buyer. I am ready to buy it now as a birthday gift for my brother in-law. Though, I am on the sea at the moment as I am a marine engineer and due to the nature of my work, phone call making and visiting of website are restricted but I just have to squeezed out time to check this advert and decided to contact you regarding it. I really want the car to be a surprise package for brother in-law so I won't let him know anything about the car until it gets delivered to him, I am sure he will be more than happy with the car. I insisted on PayPal as my mode of payment because I don't have access to my bank account online and also, I don't have internet banking, but I can pay from my PayPal account. I have my bank account attached to my PayPal account, so I will need you to get back to me with your PayPal email address and your final price so I can make the payment asap for the car. Also, in your response, please include your phone number again in case I misplace the one I have so I can send you a text as soon as the payment is sent via PayPal.
Nevertheless, if you don't have a PayPal account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to http://www.paypal.com and get it set up, after you have set it up I will only need the e-mail address you used for the registration with PayPal so as to put the money through. I have a pick up agent that will come and pick the car up after I have made the payments for the car.

My Regards.
So my reply to this was as follows,

Marc.

If you can send me a copy of your passport and a bank statement for verification, i will be more than happy to deal with you.
It pays to be very careful as there is all sorts of scams on the go.

regards



I am still waiting on a reply, which I know I wont receive.
Am I glad I found SCAMWARNERS,

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Please note this e-mail is from an interested customer not from Auto Trader.=


Never reply to an e-mail that asks for personal information or copies of you=
r vehicle documentation including the V5C. Keep vehicle documentation and de=
tails regarding your vehicle including your VIN number secure at all times.

If you are in doubt regarding an e-mail you have received, report it immedia=
tely to [email protected] or call us on 0845 345 3450.

The following customer is interested in the vehicle you are advertising on
http://www.autotrader.co.uk

Received: 22 January 2013 13:07

Customer Details:
NAME: MR Marc Affeley
TELEPHONE:
EMAIL: [email protected]


Scooby111

He may actually send a passport, but it'll be cobbled together from a real passport and a picture he found somewhere. The images forum has lots of examples of fake passports.

The style of English is classic African internet scammer, and the story is a standard scam story. Being told that the person is on a ship and buying a gift for someone else on its own would be enough to label it a scam.

please include your phone number again in case I misplace the one I have so I can send you a text

No phone ? - and all of a sudden he can send texts.

I have received, via my Autotrader advertisement a reply from the same person. He has used exactly the same words so I've asked him to prove his bonafides buy sending a copy of his passport (I know it can be forged), his employment contract and his bank statement.

I won't hang by my short and cur lies waiting for his response.

Sea sickness must make this scammer want to buy all his pals cars.

You don't get on a ship and then all of a sudden think of buying cars. If you did, you'd wait until you got back on dry land.

This story, without any other evidence, makes it a scam. Being marooned on a desert island is more plausible, with a good internet connection, of course.