Craigslist RV/motorcycle scam

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Feb 2010 Posts: 2

I was browsing through the Seattle craigslist a few weeks ago and came across a 1985 Tiffin Allegro for sale for the low, oddly specific price of $2650. I inquired further and got the following:

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Hello,
The price is $2650.
This camper is a real 'head turner' and it will make you proud, it is in excelent condition,never been involved in accidents, only 93,745 miles,VIN:1GBJP37W9F3304600 clean and clear title,no mechanical problems,no scratches,,all functional and it will need nothing in the near future.
I have the camper sealed at DAS terminal in Whittier,CA ready to be shipped out will take 4-5 days through DAS and it will be free,my previous buyer(his loan did not get approved)already paid for it and DAS didnt want to refund him the shipping fee.
I cannot meet face2face I have a new job in Tucson, AZ I would like to use Autotrader Vehicle Purchase to take care of this deal, smooth and safe. Let me know if you have any other questions, hope i didnt miss anything.
More pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/erpechere/1985TiffinAllegroP?authkey=Gv1sRgCNiF--q6hLuCaQ#slideshow.

Thank you,
Michael.

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To be followed shortly by:

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Here is how it works if you have never used Autotrader.
You send me your full name and your shipping address so I can initiate the transaction.Autotrader contacts you with further details regarding the payment and shipping process.You submit the payment to Autotrader, Autotrader confirms the payment and asks me to release the shipment.I ship the camper which should be at your door within 5 business days.You have a 3 days inspection period before you confirm the deal and Autotrader forwards the payment to me or you cancel the deal and you get your money back and return the camper free of charge.
Basicly Autotrader holds your money safe until you confirm that the camper is what you have been expected and you want to buy it. It is not a sight unseen deal.
On the other hand I can ship camper bike knowing Autotrader has your money and you won't disappear with my camper. We are both covered.Sorry for the long emails I have tried to touch all bases.

Thank you,Michael.

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Of course Autotrader offers no such program. I expressed further interest and got:

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I have started the Autotrader process!
Autotrader have sent you a separate email confirmation with the payment instructions.
If you haven't received it please check your Junk, Bulk or Spam email folder because this is a very secured email and your email server may reject it.
Because completing the payment please move the Autotrader email in Inbox.

Now go to a MoneyGram location and send the deposit on the Autotrader Agent name and address.
You need to fill out the form to send money to a person not to a business.!

Payment address (Autotrader Agent name and address):
First name: James;
Last name: Spencer;
Address: 8522 Lyons Pl.,;
City: Philadelphia;
State: PA;
Zip: 19153;
Country: United States;

Now I'll wait your reply with the payment confirmation and please let me know if you have received the Autotrader confirmation!
After you will send the payment please fax the Reference Number and the payment details from MoneyGram to the Autotrader center at:206-338-0833 or 206-338-0201.

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I checked the Ripoff Report and found a couple similar tales there, all worded almost identically - though the location of the RV moved around and the name of the alleged agent changed each time. I did some digging and found that...
- The "agent's" office was always the same (Lyons Place, Philly)
- Google lists that particular address as a psychiatrist's office
- The fax number(s) to which the receipt is sent is located somewhere in Seattle, but is unlisted
- As far as it's possible to track Gmail, the e-mails seem to have originated in the Seattle area
- Scammer has used an almost identical set of scripts to scam motorcycles, changing only the price and locations
- Scammer goes by Michael Poehlman ([email protected], whom I am in contact with), Damien Almeito, Doug Arnew ([email protected]), and Timothy Poles ([email protected])
- So far, the "Autotrader agent" has gone by James Spencer, Joel Fischer, and Bill Sandler

I wonder how the money changes hands? Someone in Seattle receives the fax and alerts the Philly partner?
Is it worth it paying one of those Phone Report sites the $15 to uncover the unlisted number's owner? Would it matter if I did? I turned the matter in to the IC3, but expect no reply (and have thus far not been disappointed in that regard).

Mr. Poehlman got a little suspicious of my questions and no longer talks to me... but he is talking to my good friend and alter ego, Mr. Sawyer. Agent's name has changed and now the RV's in Philly, but the address to send the money to is still the same. Interesting.
I'm afraid that Mr. Sawyer isn't all that familiar with Moneygram... might take a while to get things sorted out. In the mean time, I'm sure there are others here who are looking for a nice RV...

Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 7:37 am

Hello,
Just a quick thought. That unlisted Seattle number may be a free online fax service that many people on this forum do use. Maybe the scammer might be using it? But, I'm not certain of course Razz

.
Just my two cents.

-Shaxd

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 2

Baiterboy01

I am currently dealing with the exact time scam through craigslist on a motorcycle. The person goes by Paul Hudson at [email protected]
They have the unique price of $2,220 for only a 4 year old honda sport bike with only 6,000 miles on it. I will send the details, it is almost identical to yours but a motorcycle! ONE question though, is there anything I can do to get more info out of him to get him caught or looked at?

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Posts: 2

This is how he replied to me after I expressed interest.

Hello,
> > The price is $2220.
> > This bike is a real 'head turner' and it will make you proud, it is in excellent condition,never been involved in accidents, only 5,800 miles, VIN:JH2SC57017M301874 clean and clear title,no mechanical problems,no scratches,flaws or any kind of damage,all functional and it will need nothing in the near future.
> > I have the bike sealed at DAS terminal in FL ready to be shipped out will take 4-5 days through DAS and it will be free,my previous buyer(his loan did not get approved)already paid for it and DAS didn't want to refund him the shipping fee.
> > I cannot meet face2face I have a new job in Tucson, AZ I would like to use Autotrader Vehicle Purchase to take care of this deal, smooth and safe. Let me know if you have any other questions, hope i didn't miss anything.
> > More pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/erpechere/2007HondaCBRCBR1000Rr?authkey=Gv1sRgCOiEpZiSy5aSQw#slideshow
> >
> > Thank you, Paul Hudson.

I said I would like to be walked through autotrader process and he replied:

Here is how it works if you have never used Autotrader.
> You send me your full name and your shipping address so I can initiate the transaction.Autotrader contacts you with further details regarding the payment and shipping process.You submit the payment to Autotrader, Autotrader confirms the payment and asks me to release the shipment.I ship the bike which should be at your door within 5 business days.You have a 3 days inspection period before you confirm the deal and Autotrader forwards the payment to me or you cancel the deal and you get your money back and return the bike free of charge.
> Basicly Autotrader holds your money safe until you confirm that the bike is what you have been expected and you want to buy it. It is not a sight unseen deal.
> On the other hand I can ship the bike knowing Autotrader has your money and you won't disappear with my bike. We are both covered.Sorry for the long emails I have tried to touch all bases.
>
> Thank you, Paul.

I responded with: If I am giving my address and full name I would like yours. I would like where you purchased the bike and what state/residence the title was issued. I would also like to know what money service autotrader uses? Thank you, hope to hear from you soon!

But I am guessing he didn't like that and the conversation has now become short... anyway I can get him back again? I get sooo mad that people can just steal without any remorse from people who earn their living. I am also disgusted because I fell for this once about 6 years ago and it is painful. Especially when you are so excited to buy your first expensive toy by yourself.

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:50 pm

Welcome baiterboy, shaxd and orangekush! Very Happy

It's great you found out about the scam in time - so many don't.
I understand that you want revenge. Unfortunately, this time it's not possible. The scammers have your real life details, and you don't want to get threatening phone calls and emails.
Just drop contact, and please don't tell them that you found out. We don't want them to learn to become better scammers.
Now there are two things you can do:
- post all the information you have got onto our sister site, scamwarners - link at the top of the page;
- get a safe email address for baiting (read our stickies about safe baiting) and pick fresh lads.
And please consider getting a mentor to help you with your first steps.
Have fun and happy hunting.

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:54 pm

Welcome to Eater, orangekush. Glad to hear you didn't fall for the scam this time.

There is very little you can do to get these scammers caught. Most aren't in the country and aren't using their RL details, so the best you can do is just to play with them.

Most CL scams are overpayment/check scams and baiting them doesn't last very long anyways. Like Jeanette said it is best to let this one go and make up a nice fake email address for yourself and find another scammer to bait. Very Happy

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