I am selling a 2001 Porsche and have been contacted by a foreign buyer with a proposal involving the export of the car (Singapore). The buyer has not seen the car (except photos in auto trader), but has made a good offer. The piece that is making me uncomfortable is that she will send me a £5000 sum (cash or banker draft), £1000 as non refundable deposit, £4,000 I am to send to the shipper to pre-pay the shipment. Once that has been done (from cleared funds) she will pay the balance. Again, once these funds have cleared she will have the shipper pick the car up. Sounds too good to be true, but if its all cleared funds, where can the catch be? Unless there is a sting in the tail with shipment? I have advised her to deal with the shipping herself and I will simply sell her the car and she can do what she likes with it !
Am I missing something? regards,
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It is a scam. It will involve a cheque that will be cancelled after your bank has 'cleared' the funds. There must be loads of threads on this now.
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I understand this is a typical modus operandi of a scam. Forget banker's draft, they are easily forged even if the bank initially says it is ok. Cash from her is also forgeable. What about using Western Union? Has she specified the shipper?
It could be bone fide but proceed with extreme caution and only if you don't have a UK buyer.
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Rule 1 of selling cars:
Never handover a car until you have 100% non returnable money in your pocket .
You proposal breaks that rule.
It's a scam.
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I will have cash in the bank and I am assuming that if the bank have accepted the cash (even if it is later found to be 'forged') then they accepted it and cant tell where it came from once its in their tills. If I get her to pay cash the whole time and paid into my bank (coutts & Co) and they accept it, isnt that their issue ? I can see the scam if its a cheque, but not if its cash of a draft that the bank have accepted ????
prob is still a scam, just dont get it !
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madf, where does adamamy say he will hand over the car before he has 100% non returnable money in his pocket?
Adamamy, there are cases when banks have changed their minds and withdrawn funds from accounts after having previously accepted the bank draft. You need to research it to believe it!
Edited by Billy Whizz on 31/03/2008 at 11:49
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Adamamy, there are cases when banks have changed their minds and withdrawn funds from accounts after having previously accepted the bank draft. You need to research it to believe it!
Billy Whizz - How many instances can you find since the rules changed on 30 November 2007? (in case you missed it, see previous discussion on this forum of the new 2-4-6 cheque clearance rules ).
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jbif - thanks - I did indeed miss that one.
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jbif - thanks - I did indeed miss that one.
That thread is here:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=61567&...f
adamamy: As a seller, did you not read warnings on autotrader
www.autotrader.co.uk/CARS/buying/vehicle_export_sc...p
Plenty of other examples on the internet if you know how to Google for them.
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I was selling a £300 Fiat Uno. Much the same offer, and I strung him along. Got the fake draft, drawn on an Irish bank, but posted in the UK (makes it look genuine). The ringmaster, Charles, was clearly in W Africa, but he had sidekicks in the UK. I didn't bother presenting the £4.4k draft, but I had fun getting the sidekicks to ask for me in police stations in E London for a week. I told them I was a buildings aircon engineer, hence I was working on sites.
Eventually he got bored, but it was entertaining for a while.
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I recently read somewhere that new rule will ensure after 7 days, bank can't reverse the cheque even if it is found fraudulent.
Not sure when this rule will be implemented.
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I get this rubbish every time I sell a car or bike.
Strung one along when I sold the ZX7R for a bit, but got bored eventually. Now I just delete the e-mails.
Not all export type stuff is a scam though. There are a lot of Poles buying cars here at the moment to take back to Poland, and my dealings with them, and those of several other people I know, have been first class. Among the most straightforward, honest and reliable car buyers I've ever dealt with.
Cheers
DP
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Have you spoken to the buyer, or have all dealings been via e-mail? Why will she only pay the balance after the shipping has been arranged?
When I sold my M3 I got all sorts of scam e-mails offering to buy the car and pay the asking price without looking at it. All of them claimed to be private buyers. Several of them not only requested I send a shipping fee, but that I also send the registration documents in advance!
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adamamy
This one is so old it's got whiskers. [It may also be out-of-date - if you believe banks...]
You get a forged copy of a real draft. You double-check everything and pay it in - it "clears." You can even draw it out in cash and hold it.
You send £4000 of your own money to the "shipper." Nothing happens. No contact with the "buyer."
Six weeks later the bank debits your account the full amount of the forged draft - you lose the £4000.
Friend with a Range-Rover got taken for £8000 exactly the same way.
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thanks to all who replied..... great feedback and I'll leave well alone !
Anyone want a 2001 tiptronic 911 carrera 4 rag top !!!
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i can pay with canadian euros savvy?
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These frauds are so endemic now that when I tried to sell a bike recently I got (I counted) 75 scampers and 2 'genuine' buyers. 1 didn't turn up, the other demanded a solo test ride in return for a £100 deposit and got very agitated when I refused, he only calmed down when I showed him by driver and suggested a round object I would practice my swing on.
Ended up getting a dealer to sell it for 20% commission.
Really selling bikes and cars is becoming a nightmare now.
The auctions are promoting their wares on the basis of not having strange people knocking on your door and unfortunately they have a point.
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