Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Wed 21 May 2014 16:07
Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree? - Buster Jack

The BBC programme 'Rip Off Britain' plans to run a feature on Gumtree, specifically the listing of non-existent vehicles by organised criminal gangs.

What they need is an interview with at least one VICTIM, someone who has sent money for a car without actually seeing it.

I should stress that this in no way suggests that any financial recovery will be made, but the huge exposure it will get on mainsteam TV at peak time (7.30pm usually) might bring about a response from Gumtree, which is owned by eBay.

If you have lost money by sending money to a fraudster on Gumtree, thinking you were buying a vehicle, please contact me ASAP

Follow my progress as an eBay scambuster here :-

www.facebook.com/oneeyed.jack.1291

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Thu 22 May 2014 20:22
Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree? - RobJP

So, basically, this advert should read :

Have you been an utter thicko ? Totally ignoring any consumer advice given over the last decade, and been taken to the cleaners for it ? Then hey, we'd like to parade your stupidity to the world ! No longer will you be anonymous, everyone will know you're an easy mark !

Note : you may get even more scammers trying to rip you off after you've been on here. But don't worry, we can make this a series !

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Fri 23 May 2014 11:03
Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree? - 72 dudes

A bit harsh RobJP!

Personally, I just don't get why anyone would buy a car off Gumtree or even Ebay for that matter.

Still, people do, and I don't see anything wrong with the media highlighting the pitfalls and scamming that goes on.

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Fri 23 May 2014 14:26
Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree? - Gibbo_Wirral

Personally, I just don't get why anyone would buy a car off Gumtree or even Ebay for that matter.

Why do you think that, they're no different to any other way of selling a car. Gumtree is free, Ebay gets as good a coverage as Autotrader and is far cheaper and more flexible with descriptions and photos.

I've bought and sold on Ebay for years with no problems.

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Fri 23 May 2014 23:32
Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree? - mss1tw

Personally, I just don't get why anyone would buy a car off Gumtree or even Ebay for that matter.

Why do you think that, they're no different to any other way of selling a car. Gumtree is free, Ebay gets as good a coverage as Autotrader and is far cheaper and more flexible with descriptions and photos.

I've bought and sold on Ebay for years with no problems.

I'd buy off eBay but never sell a vehicle on there again. The final value listing fees etc they sting you with make it uneconomical.

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Fri 23 May 2014 23:59
Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree? - bathtub tom

>>I'd buy off eBay but never sell a vehicle on there again. The final value listing fees etc they sting you with make it uneconomical.

I've only ever sold one car on ebay. I wanted a fair price, which is what I consider I got. The fees were no more than I reckon I could have spent on other advertising.

I'd do it again.

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Sat 24 May 2014 13:58
Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree? - RobJP

Was my posting a bit harsh ? Maybe

But I've bought and sold cars via ebay before now, and with no problems. The people who get scammed are generally replying to ads that have (for example) an Audi Q5, 2 yrs old, for £10k - generally 'as the owner is about to go abroad for 6 months/has lost their licence/it's a divorce job/etc'

They then get in touch with the seller. They meet up with the seller, and they see the car, that is costing £10k, rather than all the ones in dealerships for £20k. They agree to do the deal - but the seller can't do it there and then, for whatever reason.

Next day, the seller is in touch. Someone else wants it. But if the buyer can do Western Union, or a bank transfer, then they can do a deal. They even chip the price down by another £500 or so, to cover any fees. The money gets transferred.

Now the buyer clears out the receiving account (which was set up with false ID), and vanishes. The car also vanishes (hell, it was a hire car for the day with a set of stolen plates put on it to fool the buyer)

Basically, the buyer thought they were getting a good deal. Hell, they thought they were ripping off a desperate seller. And then realised the seller was 2 steps ahead all the time.

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Tue 27 May 2014 13:49
Have you been a victim of a scam on Gumtree? - Gibbo_Wirral

I'd buy off eBay but never sell a vehicle on there again. The final value listing fees etc they sting you with make it uneconomical.

Its been almost a year since I last sold a car on Ebay, but using the fixed price classified section it was just £14.95 with no other listing fees, final value fees or paypal costs. Loads cheaper than Autotrader.

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