Car sale scam BEWARE

[J.C944TurboMan]

My mate called me last night and said he was window shopping and has seen a nice 08 BMW M3 Cabriolet on ebay for sale as a classified add.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271273244211?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
This BMW M3 is been offered for just over 13k half price ! I my self always show caution towards such a sweet deal ?
He said that he had contacted the seller and been told that the car is abroad and a shipping company will bring it back to the UK !!!
I said straight away that I smell a Rat ! Ends up there is a article on the AA web site regarding this type of scam .
If you look on ebay there are loads of scammers using this type of bate BEWARE.

Virtual vehicle scams
The 'virtual vehicle' scam involves fake shipping websites that promise to handle and look after your money.

Once you respond and express interest in buying the car "" which is currently located abroad "" you are directed to a fake website for a shipping company that will handle the transfer of funds including shipping costs.

In theory the shipping company will transfer the funds to the vehicle seller when you have taken delivery and confirm that you're happy with the vehicle.

In practice, the funds may be transferred but the vehicle never appears.


Advice - virtual vehicle scams
If an offer sounds too good to be true it probably is
Don't hand over money to someone you don't know for a vehicle you've not seen
Always get a vehicle history check for peace of mind.
Put yourself in the sellers position: Would you price your vehicle well below the standard market value, and then - at additional expense - offer to ship it overseas, and - if the buyer doesn't like it - ship it back at your own expense?
Would you ask a complete stranger in the street to hold several thousands pounds of your money whilst you wait for another complete stranger to deliver a car to you?

'Paper cars' are another version of this "" websites with copied adverts from elsewhere on the web, but with knock-down prices. Again, don't part with your money until you've seen the vehicle.
The Metropolitan Police and Western Union Bank both recommend that consumers use money transfers as a means to purchase goods only when sending money to someone they already know and trust

 

[JagdHamster]

Good warning. Gumtree has similar scams.
Russ

 

[jdpef356]

Also beware of 'I am in the SAS serving in Timbucktu' don't know when I will be home but have decided to sell my car, boat, rolex etc etc.

A return e mail of 'Thats a bit of luck I am coming to Timbucktu on holiday next week - can I arrange a viewing' always draws a nil return![]

 

[bighead]

ORIGINAL: jdpef356



Also beware of 'I am in the SAS serving in Timbucktu' don't know when I will be home but have decided to sell my car, boat, rolex etc etc.

A return e mail of 'Thats a bit of luck I am coming to Timbucktu on holiday next week - can I arrange a viewing' always draws a nil return![]

quality reply[]

 

[J.C944TurboMan]

I know it may seem obvious to you ? And I did smell a Rat straight away , just not heard of this scam before that's all .

You will be surprised how many exploiters of the gullible people out there getting took day in day out .

I contacted fleabay ebay and advised that I suspected foul play and fraudulent activities with the listing ! They have not even bothered to reply !

I contact the listing out of amusement , as follows :

Q : Hi I am interested in your BMW , please can you provide the registration so I can do a HPi check on the vehicle ? Are you the registered keeper ?

Why are you selling the BMW at such a low price ?

A: Hi,

Did you get my last email? Contact me asap at bowland33@aol.com.


I did not get any email from him and if anyone wants to have some fun and contact them? Please feel free to do so

 

[tscaptain]

Don't get me started on fleabay! I recently tried to list two, very genuine, expensive handbags on behalf of her ladyship, who doesn't have a fleabay account and has more handbags than you can count. They were removed from the listings and after protest I received the following lengthy reply in explanation. When reading it, if you can be bothered, bear in mind the aforementioned potential scam listing...it made I laugh (as they say in these parts) Especially as their e-mail has a number of spelling mistakes etc that would make you suspicious when buying an item!

Thank you for contacting us in relation to removal of your listings for Louis Vuitton handbags . My name is Ida and I'm happy to assist you with your query today.

First of all we value your membership on eBay and I understand your account is important to you and you want to relist your item. I can see that you may feel upset about removal of your listing and that you would like to receive more information to why it has been removed.

I have reviewed your account and can confirm your item was removed with valid concerns. We do this with the aim of keeping the site safer for all members, and sometimes this means removing certain listings. Before removing your item, we carefully consider a number of factors in listing including: a seller's item description, Feedback ratings, previous listing removals, selling history current selling activity, and your overall actity on eBay.

I can advise that we removed your listing due to some concerns with how it was listed. Again, we do this to keep the site safe for all members. While I cannot disclose all the factors that we consider, some concerns with the listings we removed were:

- Insufficient description and imeages of the item

The selling practices policy requires seller to provide complete and detailed information about the product they're selling. Buyers looking for the type of items you are selling have very high expectations and if you aren't describing the items well, it can lead to a bad buying experience and possible negative selling feedback.

You're required to:

-Provide complete and accurate details about item for sale

-Specify the condition of the item.

-Describe any defects or flaws"”this helps avoid problems or buyer dissatisfaction.

-When selling a used, refurbished, or flawed item, we recommend including as much as possible pictures of the actual item for sale

If an item is authentic, I strongly encourage you to say so in your listing. If your item has a serial number, authenticity card, or other indicator of legitimacy, I recommend that you include this information in your listing, too. Basically, the more detailed information you can provide in your item description, the better. I suggest you look at your listing as if you were a buyer looking at the listing. Look for anything that you might question or find unclear.

Fully describing your item will help buyers feel confident in their purchase and avoid any disputes after the purchase is made. You may be able to relist your item, but first make sure you read and understand the Selling Practices policy found here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-practices.html

Thank you for your cooperation again in this matter and if you have any further question please do not hesitate to contact us.

Amusing, huh?

 

[jdpef356]

I know the feeling Captain! Bl***y E bay[]

Last year I wanted to sell a Porsche watch - not the genuine thing - nor was it listed as such - it said Porsche Style in the Title and quite clearly in the description said it was not a genuine Porsche product.

Anyway, the item got removed from listing and a email arrived. You are not allowed to list things are not correctly described. This watch etc etc etc etc. E bay will not permit misdescribed or fake good. DO NOT RE LIST.

I also got no response from e bay to my next e mail.

Funny thing was my Original purchase of the watch was ON EBAY!!!

 

[Craigybaby]

Wow, what a stunning timepiece, I'm thinking I'll take 12, and that's Christmas dealt with, the mother in law in particular would love one I'm sure. To get 12 should I order 3 lots of 4 for 90 quid or can I have 2 lots of 6 for £100? Don't put them to one side yet, I'll check it's ok with the mrs first
Regards craig

 

[rob.kellock]

[]

That is a dilemma - I think you should play safe and go for 2 lots of 6 for £100.

 

[J.C944TurboMan]

This is the reply from fleabay ebay customer services , after I had contacted them to say I suspect fowl play with the M3 listing !

Thank you for your enquiry. We're sorry to hear that you've received an unwanted or unpleasant email from another member. Because we want to help you as quickly as possible we're sending you a tailored response based on the information that you've submitted.
eBay policies on unwanted emails (spam) and offensive emails

We don't permit users to send emails which are not wanted or expressly permitted by the recipient and we will take appropriate action against members who send spam or offensive emails. For more information on our policies please copy these links into a new browser window:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/rfe-spam-ov.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/rfe-unwelcome-email-threats.html

Here's how to report an unwanted or offensive email from another eBay member:1. Click "Contact Us" on the left-hand side of any eBay Help page and select "Account Security > Unwanted or inappropriate email"
2. Choose the appropriate option for the type of email you received and click "Continue.
3. Click on the link to email Customer Support. You may be asked to sign in.
4. Complete all fields in the email form. It's important to send us the complete header of the email you received or we won't be able to investigate.

What else can you do about unwanted or offensive emails?

Sending spam emails is generally a breach of an email or Internet Service Provider's user agreement. If you know the sender's email address, you can report the email to the respective provider. Many large companies have their own email address for this purpose, such as abuse@(email domain), e.g. abuse@aol.com.

If you received a threat of bodily harm from another eBay member, you should also report it immediately to your local police. We'll be happy to help with any police enquiries.

Reducing unwanted (spam) emails

Use a separate email address (e.g. a free online email service) for non-essential purposes such as participation in competitions, subscribing to forums or receiving newsletters. Should you receive unwanted emails at this address (or addresses), it's simpler to filter and/or delete them.

Make sure you take advantage of the junk email filters in your email program to eliminate unwanted emails from your inbox. You may want to consider adding the sender of the email you reported to your "blocked" list.

You can also contact your own email or internet provider directly for support in dealing with spam emails. For more tips, copy the following link into a new browser window:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/account/unwanted-email.html

How to protect against spoof

Never sign into eBay via a link in an email. The safest way to access your eBay account is to type "www.ebay.co.uk" into the address bar of your internet browser and then click "Sign in" or "My eBay".

If you are in doubt about an email you receive in the future, check your eBay account. Most emails from eBay or sent on behalf of eBay will appear in the My Messages section of My eBay.

To learn more about recognising and reporting spoof emails, copy this link into a new browser window:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/education/spooftutorial/

Our aim is to provide you with answers quickly and accurately and we hope this information is helpful in dealing with an unwanted or unpleasant email. If you still have an unresolved question, please reply directly to this email and we'll gladly assist you.

Regards,

eBay Customer Support


This monster does not give a flying Fook as to what criminal activities go on there site !! As long as they get a cut !! The future is bright

 

[Veerzigzag]

Well, it has ended, and as there wasn't anything to sell, seems odd that the seller would voluntarily stop the listing.
I reported it as "item being sold without the owner's permission" which is not untrue, but obviously I was not the only person to make a complaint.
I wonder what closed the listing?
Nice "virtual" car, but I still prefer my noisy old 944........

 

[J.C944TurboMan]

The scammer is back to work ! Balls of steal

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2008-BMW-M3-NAV-CONVERTIBLE-DCT-XENON-series-3-1-5-7-x-m/271293227519?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D16548%26meid%3D1825515160876805723%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D7839%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D271293227519%26

Lets wind him up and see what web page he directs the pray too ?

I am fascinated how anyone can full for such a scam ! If he does one a month ? That's over 150K job a year !

Who said crime does not pay !

 

[jdpef356]

Better not respond at all and perhaps his balls would turn into something a bit softer[]