So I'm selling my car and I get this email...

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 22 Aug 2008 Posts: 2

Comments: Hi,
I am Michael Crusoe from Glasgow,Scotland,i will like to buy your car
for my business

merchandise in Africa,i will like to know its present condition and
how much you are selling

it last,payment will be confirmed through bank transfer before
shipment.here is my phone

number to contact me if necessary:+44XXXXXXXXXXX (blanked out phone number just in case)
hope to hear from you soon
Michael.

At this point I smell a setup of some sort, but can't quite put my finger on it (something about Africa, bad grammar, etc), so I set up a fake email address to continue correspondence with him...

I reply with:

Dear Michael,

The price is $19500 and in excellent condition as per the advertisement.

How are you planning on getting the car to Africa?

And his response is almost immediate:

Hello,
I am very glad to know that the car is fully equipped and the
condition is just what i am looking for cause i have checked the whole
specifications listed in your adverts and the price is fine,i want to
buy the car for a business merchandise in my branch company in
Africa,and i have been buying cars from abroad for years now so i
think i know all about buying from abroad especially Australia.
Here is how it will be done,i will first make the payment for the car
through bank transfer because that's the only way an huge amount can be
transferred safely and fast,,after i make the payment i will contact a
car-shipping company in my branch in Africa and they will come and
pick the car up.
So you don't have to bother about me getting the car after i make the
payment,and also you will send all the documents signed by you to
me,fully scanned and the car-shipping company will bring along all
agreement programs for them to be able to carry the car from your
place.
i hope we can do this business as sweet and convenience as possible
and i will also be glad to do much more business with you in future.
Thanks
Hope to read from you soon

So I am fairly certain at this point that this is some elaborate (or not so elaborate) scam...what do you guys reckon I should do from here? My thoughts have been to require him to send me a copy of his passport, drivers licence and company details as a start....

Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:47 pm

If you posted any of your real details when adverting the car for sale (and you'd have had your address and phone number, I assume), then don't go any further. Tell him you've had a better offer and say goodbye.

In answer to your question - my guess is that he would have arranged for a bank transfer (I think it's called "account flashing") that would have been over the amount needed - probably for "shipping costs" - and youd have been asked to send the money for the "shipping costs" to the car-shipping company by Western Union. But the transfer would have been quickly reversed and you'd be out of pocket.

To any veteran baiters; if I got the procedure wrong, please let me know.

Master Baiter Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 114

Suggest he pay you via WU as you don't want to give a stranger your bank details.

If he isn't haggling over the price of a used car you can be pretty sure it's a scam. It would be nice to find out what his angle is though.

Edit: Yastreb answered my question before I posted it, nice work.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 22 Aug 2008 Posts: 2

Dammit...and I really really wanted to have fun with this one...oh well.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:43 am

Welcome to Eater! Very Happy

If you're interested in baiting a scammer there are endless opportunities. But as others have said, you don't want to go down that road using your real name and personal details. Start fresh with a fake name and throwaway email address.

There are some who go after Craigslist scammers by posting blatantly fake ads along the lines of "flux capacitor, like new, Wndows 95 operating system, only $11,995." Obviously no real buyer would give it a second look but a scammer only looks for the price and the email address.

Personally I don't do Craigslist baits anymore because I feel like it's abusing the system. There are more than enough scammers to be found by simply looking in our Surplus forum.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 1

We too have been selling our car on an Australian web site and been contacted by email by Michael Crusoe from Scotland,
And word for word recieved the exact emails you have

This confirmed for us that this in fact a scam and have had no more contact with this gentleman!

Very Happy

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Oct 2008 Posts: 2

hi all,

i too have been contacted by Michael recently... his email was exactly the same as urs!

Name: Michael Crusoe
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 7031952172
Comments: Hi,
I am Michael Crusoe from Glasgow,Scotland,i will like to buy your car for my business franchise in Africa,i will like to know its present condition and how much you are selling it last,payment will be confirmed through bank transfer before shipment.here is my phone number to contact me if necessary:+447031952172
hope to hear from you soon
Michael.

i am glad i came across this forum before responding to this scammer.

thanks!

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:10 am

And I'm glad you were both astute enough to google his email address / name and that it showed up here!
Many ebay / craigslist victims aren't so fortunate and end up recieving large cheques which appear to "clear" your bank for a while. Of course the cheques are returned unpaid some weeks later and by that point it can be too late.

As has been said, you can't bait these people if they contacted you through your real details, but there are so many of them out there that you can find a scammer you'd like to mess around with once you've learnt how to bait safe. Stick around and see if it's for you.
Welcome! Smile

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:49 pm

Welcome, all three of you! Very Happy

Another thing you could do, as it appears the scammer is making a pest of himself, is to educate people. Tell as many people as you can that there are scammers out there and what it looks like when you get contacted by one.

Putting scammers out of "business" is a multi-faceted task. Baiting is just one facet, and education is another. Once you have learned about the tactics of scammers, even if you don't bait, you can help potential victims by informing them of the pitfalls. Smile

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 5:08 am

If you really want to get rid of "all'' the Michael Crusoe's from Scotland tell them your quite willing to sell them the car, and the terms are COD on pick-up. I doubt you will here back from them.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:45 am

Dislike those vehicle scammers, makes it difficult for anyone buying and selling things from overseas so I sent this reply.

Quote:

Hi there what do you need to know. Basically the car is sound and complete. This is unusual as it is quite a rare model being a 1967 Buzz Lightyear. The bad news is there is rust around the particle boards and dyson turbo drive system is inoperative. I am afraid the flintstone method is best to move the car at the moment but it does have armstrong power steering and 4/60 air conditioning as standard.

Thanks

MW

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:41 pm

Gee, I used to have a car just like that! Now I'm all nostalgic!

Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 1:19 am

like wise!! my very first car had factory air 4/60, and I added the 420 air freshener unit.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Oct 2008 Posts: 2

Ok I told you earlier I received an email from michael crusoe... not long after i received another one... this one is even more extreme...

First email
Name: Terry Adams
Email: [email protected]
Phone: .
Mobile: .
Comments: Hello,
I am Terry Adams,i saw your advert regarding your car for sale and i am interested in buying the car.
I want you to get back to me with your last price for the car.

Regards,
Terry Adams
[email protected]

I replied back to him and he sends me this -

Second email (same email address but he used another name)

Hello,
I want to inform you that I will buy your car but I have a business proposal for you.
I am a captain with the United Nations troop in Iraq,on war against terrorism. Based on the United States legislative and executive decision for withdrawing troops from Iraq this year,I have been deployed to come and work in your country's military base soonest.Our mission is to help beef up terrorist targeted states,mostly the United States and the European Union on the war against terrorism.I will need a car for myself and that is why I'm contacting you..

On the other hand I want to inform you that I have in my possession the sum of 6.2 million USD. which I got from crude oil deal.I deposited this money with a Red Cross agent informing him that we are making contact for the real owner of the money.It is under my power to approve whoever comes forth for this money.

I wish to use this money for charity purposes in Turkey,where we have about 3 million Iraqi refugees and Sudan where we have currently the highest numbers of refugees displaced as a result of war.You need to visit such places.I want to invest the money on stock-fish from Norway to this refugees because based on my experience on battle ground in this places,they lack a lot of fish and meat to add to their meager and unpalatable meals which they get in little quantity just to keep them living until God knows when the problem ends.Instead of allowing this terrorists to get the money and spend it on purchasing arms from Russia, it is better channeled to saving the world.I cannot move this money to the United States because I will be in Europe for about 3years,so I need someone I could trust.If you accept,I will transfer the money to Europe where you will be the beneficiary because I am a uniformed person and I cannot be parading such an amount so I need to present someone as the beneficiary.

I am an American and intelligence officer, so I have a 100% authentic means of transferring the money through diplomatic courier service .I just need your acceptance and all is done.Please if you are interested in this transaction I will give to you the complete details you need for us to carry out this transaction successfully.I decided to find someone that is real and not imaginary and that is why I went to a secured car site where I can be sure that the person is real. I believe I can trust you. Where we are now we can only communicate through our military communication facilities which is secured so nobody can monitor our emails,then I can explain in details to you.I will only reach you through email,because our calls might be monitored,I just have to be sure whom I am dealing with.

If you are interested please send me your personal mobile number so I can call you for further inquiries when I am out of our military network.I am writing from a fresh email account so if you are not interested do not reply to this email and please delete this message,if no response after 3days I will then search for someone else.I am doing this on trust,you should understand and you should know that as a trained military expert I will always play safe in case you are the bad type,but I pray you are not . 6.2 million USD is a lot of money which is the dream of anyone.

I wait for your contact details so we can go on.In less than 5days the money should have been noted on your account and I will come over for my money.I will give to you 30% of the sum and 70% is for me and pick up the car.I hope I am been fair on this deal.

Regards,
Capt. Manchester

I think I'll give up on selling my car... this is just ridiculous!!

Not quite a Newb Joined: 05 Oct 2008 Posts: 33

Guys, just put a for sale sign on your car at the end of your street with your phone #. It will be more smoother that way and not a scam, because you will have their personal info. (ie, they show you their liscense and you can see them face to face) Smile

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:31 am

But where is all the fun in that!!

Well he is interested in my ahhem car...

Quote:

Hi there what do you need to know. Basically the car is sound and complete. This is unusual as it is quite a rare model being a 1967 Buzz Lightyear. The bad news is there is rust around the particle boards and dyson turbo drive system is inoperative. I am afraid the flintstone method is best to move the car at the moment but it does have armstrong power steering and 4/60 air conditioning as standard.

Quote:

I am very glad to know that the car is fully equipped and the
condition is just what i am looking for cause i have checked the whole
specifications listed in your adverts and i will like to know how much
you are selling it last?, plus usual shipping info script..

Quote:

Well the price is 12,000 but i am negotiable you have to hurry as I have another offer for the lightyear from a bloke called Woody he was a start of the 50's TV show Woodys Roundup..

I am not sure how this works..you pay me by transfer then what? you come and pick it up yourself? How can the transports from Africa pick it up as it is not in africa?

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