Fast Marina Magazine

This happens on EBay too. I follow Stag sales and there are regular fraudulent adverts for cars at around £5-6k, when they should be worth £12-£18k.

The Stag forum publishes each one found with a warning.

Typically the scam adverts have the same seller advertising multiple unrelated items (tractors to mopeds!) all pictured in different locations and with different descriptions (as in, the style, amount of detail, even font etc) with the exception of a section usually in a different font saying "please contact through email address xzy as selling for a friend" or similar which is the same on all the adverts. Should you contact they will inevitably ask you to either send a deposit to hold or failing that the full value but a friend of theirs owns a transport company who happens to be heading your way and will deliver. Doing this would be very very silly unless you like throwing money away.

They prey on people's greed and optimistic nature, if it looks to good to be true there's probably a good reason for that.

On eBay they are often hacked accounts so there's no point going on feedback. The adverts and photos are often copied from someone else's genuine advert, google the text to find the original!

This one sounds like it's probably just a bit odd as opposed to an actual scam, they'd have asked for some money by now if it was!

PHUQ wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 12:45 pm Typically the scam adverts have the same seller advertising multiple unrelated items (tractors to mopeds!) all pictured in different locations and with different descriptions (as in, the style, amount of detail, even font etc) with the exception of a section usually in a different font saying "please contact through email address xzy as selling for a friend" or similar which is the same on all the adverts. Should you contact they will inevitably ask you to either send a deposit to hold or failing that the full value but a friend of theirs owns a transport company who happens to be heading your way and will deliver. Doing this would be very very silly unless you like throwing money away.

They prey on people's greed and optimistic nature, if it looks to good to be true there's probably a good reason for that.

On eBay they are often hacked accounts so there's no point going on feedback. The adverts and photos are often copied from someone else's genuine advert, google the text to find the original!

This one sounds like it's probably just a bit odd as opposed to an actual scam, they'd have asked for some money by now if it was!

To be honest I consider fairly savvy with ebay adverts and the like.Ttrying to read what's not written and using the free on line tools, ie car tax checker and MOT history etc to get an idea of what the car is like, before even putting a bid on it. As far as the vendors lists of terms and conditions they are ignored. If I win the car I want emailed copies of documents to see they are what they claim( V5 and Mot). I will then do a cheap text HPI check usually about £10.00. I wont send any money at all if they choose to sell it to someone else so be it. I also ask them to make contact with my mobile so I know the contact details I have are correct. I ask for full postal address and I then google it to see if car fits with the google maps image. No Contact for above from vendor means I wont go to see car. When im happy with all that I then arrange to collect car and check it over, to see it is as described. If then happy will then pay the agreed price after checking the actual documents are genuine, V5 is water marked DVLA / DVLC depending on age and the VIN matches stamped VIN in car. Must admit not thought about googling advert text but very sound idea.
Dave

It is an odd one. I was never asked to pay anything up front. I'd be suspicious if she asked for a deposit to secure the car but all I've had is replies saying she'll pass my number on to her husband. She has told him I'm interested in the car as she said her husband would give the inside a bit of clean for me and send some pics?
which I thought was a bit odd! I never had a reply so messaged again, she said "so sorry about that, I have told him and he will give you a ring asap" two days later and still no reply. I messaged saying.. forget it, I'll leave it".
She said she would try and send some pics Saturday but couldn't guarantee anything. I didn't even reply.
If the car does indeed exist this has got to be the most bizarre way to sell anything let alone a car!

It's probably why it's abandoned in someone's garden and hasn't moved for years. "I'll do it...I'll get around to fixing it...give me a chance..."

Now on eBay!!