Craig's list scam

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 1

I found a 2007 Toyota Rav4 on Craig's List. I replied immediately, the ad was removed from Craig's list as fast as I replied. I assumed someone bought it quickly, since it was such a bargain. Then I got an answer this morning, 3 days later.
I received a new website to visit, to view the car, I was suspect as soon as I read this, I did some research and found this site and many other scam sites. Here are my 2 emails: beware!!!!

>Date: 2008/05/15 Thu AM 08:11:00 EDT
>Subject: RE: 2007 Toyota RAV4 info

Hello again

As I told you in my first e-mail, I am in UK with my work. Before leaving US I had prearranged the deal with WorldPay http://www.worldpayauto.com so my presence in US isn't necessary. The car and all the papers(title,etc..) are in their possession in US ready for delivery. You have 5 days to test and inspect the car.

I will be honest with you from the start. You won't be able to see the car
before you make the deposit with Worldpay. The shipping charges are already payed.

If you want to purchase the car please go to http://www.worldpayauto.com/accept-terms.php and follow the instructions. Also please make sure that you read the terms of the transaction before you
purchase the car.

Regards!!
Eugene Long

Hello

Sorry for the delayed response, but I'm in Glasgow (United Kingdom)
right now and I have been very busy. Anyway, thank you for your
interest in buying the car. The car is located in US right now and has US papers. Why is the price so low? I am here in UK with my new work and I cannot register the car here, as it is made for USA, according to USA standards. So all that I want to do now is to sell the car at this price, because I need to sell it fast (I already made a deposit here to buy me another). The title is clean and you will have absolutely no problems to register the car in the States. I will tell you a few words about the car..

My 2007 Toyota RAV4 Limited si with Automatic transmission it is in
immaculate condition with 7,960 miles and have the VIN number:
JTMBD31V275094288, rust free, no scratch and hasn't been involved in
any accident. The motor runs very well (4 CYLINDERS). The interior
looks great. This car needs nothing, the title is clear, it is not a
salvage one. I want this transaction to go smoothly enough as I am
caught in the middle of some very important events and have little
time at my disposal. I already have tons of emails so I hope you
understand that I need to sort them out. The price is $9,500 THIS IS MY LAST PRICE.I will not negotiate the price. I will take in consideration only those buyers who are really interested in buying the car ,to be sure that I don't waste my time with endless discussions. This way, I shall be assured of the serious intentions. You can see the pictures here:
http://www.fototime.com/users/[email protected]
So if you are interested please email me back for next step.
Regards !!
Eugene Long

Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 3:00 pm

Just based on the fact the guy is selling it at 1/3 the retail price screams scam.

He's going for "Wow what a steal. I'll take it" Then he'll steal your lucky buy.

I think they did a scam warning of this kind on TV. they rented a car. Asked rediculously lower prices and money up front to hold it. Then drove off.

Chuck Norris Joined: 11 Jun 2007 Posts: 1357

^ ^ ^ Actually, it's like this:

What it is, is a Romania escrow scammer who puts fake ads for great cars at unbelievable prices all over places such as Craigslist, eBay, etc. with some sort of back story as to why he's selling it at such a ridiculous price. One of my "favorite" such scammers right now uses the story that his son was killed in Iraq in the war, and that he wanted to give his son's car a good home, hence the great price on his fake BMW listings.

What happens then is a victim finds the ad, and contacts the scammer. Scammer gets victim on the hook, and tells victim that he wants to go through a "trusted escrow service" in order to finish the transaction. Well...the "escrow service" is actually the crux of the scam itself, and is set up by the scammer to actually collect the money from the victim. Once the vic sends the money (via WU) to the "escrow service", and the scammer picks the money up, they are out several thousand dollars.

The thing is to 1. never buy a car that you can't see/inspect yourself 2. be wary of such purchases over the internet and 3. If you do make a big online purchase try to avoid the whole "escrow" transaction, but if you do, make sure it is a reputable escrow service, of which several do exist online. Always make sure to check such an escrow website thoroughly, and avoid such ads as you see in places such as Craigslist and eBay which are crawling with these scammers.

In cases such as this, "caveat emptor" truly is the name of the game.