eBay/Craigslist Another tractor scam? Not ebay this time.

[jk96]

With all the posts about too good to be true tractor deals on ebay, here's a new twist.

I recently listed my DX33 on Tractorhouse.com. A few days ago I recieved this e-mail.

Hello,

We want to purchase your C-IH DX33 Tractor. Kindly advice us if it's still available and your last selling price. I do hope is in a very good shape and include some pictures while writing back.

Awaits your positive reply.

Thank you,

Williams Armstrong.

REEBORT GATE SERVICES.
CHEETHAM HILL ROAD
MANCHESTER U.K
M8 0PF
Tel : 44-703-189-5761 - Office ( call during UK working hours)
: 44-702-406-0081
Fax : 44-870-490-2829
E-mail : reobortgateinc@yahoo.de

My reply:

Recieved your e-mail regarding the tractor. It is still available, however I am located in the U.S., not U.K. Thanks.

Jeremy

Response

Hello Again,
I received your urgent responds on the farm machinery I inquired about, talk are on going with my shipping agent to have the Equipment pick up from you and more over i would prefer to make payment via Wire transfer get back to us with your full Bank details on the wire transfer. Please quote the specific amount you would want us pay on its. We are located in the United Kingdom.


Williams Armstrong.

My Reply:
William,

Please have your shipping agent bring a cashiers check from a U.S. bank for the tractor when he comes to pick it up. Please tell him he must schedule pickup during banking hours so I can call the bank and verify the validity of the cashiers check. My best price for the tractor is $17,500. Thank you.

Jeremy

So far I have not recieved any further correspondence. Not only is the grammer poor, but if you look at his company name and e-mail address Robert is spelled wrong and two different ways. Just thought I'd share.

jk

 

[jimainiac]

"...here's a new twist." You're kidding, right? Seems like just about anyone who has anything for sale on the internet has gotten one of these scams. You just headed them off with your specific instructions for their "agent" to appear in person before any monetary transactions took place. Normally they offer to send a check for more than the amount, if you would please be kind enough to send the difference back. You cash the check, send back the extra money with your good check and ship your tractor, then your bank notifies you that their check, or money order, or wire transfer was no good. Or something similar to that.

 

[Pushing_Tin]

Absolute 100% scam! However if you're bored you can mess with them for weeks and even get a cool bogus check!

 

[California]

The cutest one I saw was when a guy learned an overseas money order for his Mac laptop was bogus. He drew a sketch of a keyboard the long way on a sheet of paper, put it in a binder, painted an Apple logo on the binder cover, and mailed it off. It cost the scammer $65 in Customs fees to take delivery of the pretend 'laptop'. And the guy who sent him the worthless check wrote back and complained he was cheated!

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

We get this stuff though the equipment websites all the time. Infact, we probably get more scam emails and legit requests.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Hey California I like that idea of drawing a picture of a PC and then sending it. Maybe we can get some of our kids pictures of tractors and send them along with the charges for that item. Mess with them crooks at their own game.

 

[tallyho8]

My Reply:
William,

Please have your shipping agent bring a cashiers check from a U.S. bank for the tractor when he comes to pick it up. Please tell him he must schedule pickup during banking hours so I can call the bank and verify the validity of the cashiers check. My best price for the tractor is $17,500. Thank you.
Jeremy

Be VERY careful about ever accepting an out of town cashiers check. The scammers now all send fake cashiers checks that look perfect.

 

[texasjohn]

We in the USA are rapidly loosing our long held faith in our fellow man. Having traveled numerous times to Latin America and Europe, I have always been struck by the lack of trust that permeates those communities. I cannot speak first hand regarding other areas of the world, but suspect that the same distrust is rampant there. Exceptions seem to be Canada and Australia.

Elsewhere, huge personal resources of time and treasure are unproductively applied because of worry, body guards, protective measures for self and property, bribes, payoffs, etc. That is, constant life actions based on suspicion and distrust in all personal and business transactions.

Of course, in all those locations people have their trusted circle of associations while all others have to prove themselves trustworthy. Somehow in the USA the "innocent until proven guilty" concept has applied beyond the legal domain into the personal societal experience.

Now, in the USA our attitudes are changing because of phishing, spam, identity theft, illegal immigration, airport personal and property searches, etc. All these are requiring increasingly huge unproductive expenditures of personal time and funds... all because of the increasingly proven need to mistrust our fellow man. To me, this is the true attack on homeland security.

So, fellow TBN members, keep your plow in the ground, keep your tractor running, make good on your handshake and word, trust and verify your business associations.

 

[DonWorrell]

My Reply:

Be VERY careful about ever accepting an out of town cashiers check. The scammers now all send fake cashiers checks that look perfect.

If I took the cashiers check to the bank the cashed it and then the bank found it was forged who is going to lose, me or the bank who cashed it?

Just wondering. It might come to cash only transactions.

I know a bank draft is almost worthless. It is taken by your bank for collection. If the bank can't collect it then it is worthless. Most insurance checks for a stolen car are bank drafts. It give them a few extra day to find your car.

Don

 

[California]

If I took the cashiers check to the bank the cashed it and then the bank found it was forged who is going to lose, me or the bank who cashed it?

You. No matter what it is, if the bank can't collect from the apparent origin of that check, they will reverse your deposit as if you never made it.

They will probably stamp UNCOLLECTABLE or VOID on the face of the check too, so good luck trying to cash it even at the originating bank. That happened to a friend when he paid a weeks lodging in advance overseas with legitimate travellers checks. An hour later the hotel clerk came up to his room with the traveller's checks all stamped VOID and told him sorry, that chain didn't take that brand of traveller's checks. It took him days to get replacements.

 

[DirtHauler]

I went thru about a weeks worth of back and forth e-mails similar to that when I was selling a box scraper a few years ago. The "guy" wanted it really bad and hoped it was still available. He wanted to send me a check from his "boss" drawn on the account of the company that he works for, as he hadn't got payed yet because he was currently "out of the country" and really wanted it. He would have his "shipping agent" come by and pick it up. After telling him politely that I didn't wish to accept payment that way, my last e-mail to him, I "suggested" that when his "shipping agent" came by to pick it up to just bring cash! Never heard from him again.

 

[firefighter9208]

I got one of those emails from the UK wanting to buy goats. It's funny that it was worded exactly the same way as yours. Didn't even sound like the guy was wanting to buy a goat. I just deleted it.

Chris
Hill Farm Boer Goats

 

[George2615]

It seems there is a scam here also in the classified ads for a 97 Kubota 3 ton excavator for 2K. I Emailed 2 times about it and got no answer.

 

[valleydweller1]

I just e-mailed about a Kubota ZTR for $4,500 located in NC, posted on Portland CL. The thing that really gets me is it's listed as being located at a dealer that actually exists. That's not real fair to the dealer.

I sent an e-mail anyhow, explaining how I thought it was a scam but that I would buy it if they could prove it existed.

Hahahaha,

Greg

 

[dirtworksequip]

I had bought my JD 3520 on eBay. Paid for it with a wire transfer. Went and picked it up and brought it home. Two weeks later the exact same eBay auction was posted again by another seller. I contacted the original seller and he was amazed that someone had hi jacked is complete ad listing. The original seller contacted eBay and they pulled the listing. Its getting ever increasingly harder to do business without the threat of getting scammed. I recently sold my old JD870 w/backhoe loader. I had the buyer wire the money into my checking account and then I called the bank to make sure the funds where in my account before releasing the tractor to the buyer. I doubt that you can even take cash anymore and be 100% certain its real.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[toddler]

I just e-mailed about a Kubota ZTR for $4,500 located in NC, posted on Portland CL. The thing that really gets me is it's listed as being located at a dealer that actually exists. That's not real fair to the dealer.

I sent an e-mail anyhow, explaining how I thought it was a scam but that I would buy it if they could prove it existed.

Hahahaha,

Greg

So did you contact the dealer and let him know?

Todd

 

[valleydweller1]

So did you contact the dealer and let him know?

Todd

Not yet, it's Easter.

Greg

 

[valleydweller1]

Wow, he actually wrote me back. Below is the text, first of the e-mail I sent followed by the text of the e-mail he sent back. I would include the ad, but it's already gone.

This should be fun...

Hi,

That's a pretty low price. This kind of looks like a
scam. For that price you should be able to sell it
locally. I know the company you listed is real, but
you didn't list a phone number. Very suspicious...

And why would you post on Easter Sunday? Who works on
Easter Sunday?

Seriously, I'll buy it if you can provide proof it
exists and is for sale for that price.

Greg


His reply:

Hi,
Thank you for your email. I still have it for sale. Right now i am in Canada at my parents ranch with my son but i hope that`s not going to be a problem because i can still handle the transaction. When i left for Canada, i left the item along with several other items in the custody of The Online Outpost because i wanted to sell them on eBay when i return, but something came up back home and i decided to sell this one before i get back but not on eBay because i need to sell it faster. So if you are still interested let me know because i can make the transaction immediately.
There will also be a 10 days return policy on the unit.
Just let me know and i will explain all the details of the transaction...
With Best Regards,
Yours Sincerely Jack !


Hahahahaha!

Greg

 

[valleydweller1]

He already replied. Here it is, followed by my reply:

Hello again,
As i said in my first email i will explain how The Online Outpost works because i want you to be clear on every aspect of this transaction. They are one of the best eBay selling services. You simply drop an item to one of their stores or they pick it up from your home ,you find a buyer and they will take care of the rest. When i left in Canada i left 4 items for sale in their custody, they picked them up from my home so don`t ask at what store, or where the item is exactly because i don`t know...as long as they are handling the shipping and handling i don`t care where they are. I forgot to mention that the shipping is included in the price of sale. They offered me a discount on shipping because i am selling a large number of items and i can afford that.
So basically they have the item insured and ready for shipping. As soon as i will have your shipping details i will send it to them and they will start the transaction. They will email you with an invoice and payment instructions. You will have to send the payment to one of their agents by following the payment instructions. Then you will send the payment details to them, they will validate the transaction and will start the shipping ASAP. If you will have questions you can ask them directly.
Unfortunately the pick up is not possible because this is an urgent sale (like i said before i intended to sell this on eBay when i should have returned from Canada but due to some recent problems back home i am forced to sell it now). The Online Outpost suggested to offer a return policy because my offers would substantially increase so i am offering a 10 day guarantee. This eliminates the pick up option but you will have the time to inspect it and decide if you want it or not. If for any reason you decide not to keep it, they will give you a full refund and will return the item on my expense.
So if you agree with this terms and decide to proceed, then i will need your full name and shipping address in order to start the transaction.
As soon as i receive this details from you i will forward them to The Online Outpost exactly as you sent them.
Thank you




Wow, you typed all that pretty quick. You must be an excellent typist.

Alright, send the details for the Online Outpost. What is their web address?

Thanks,

Greg

 

[toddler]

It's interesting. If you google the online outpost, their website looks real, and some do link you to an ebay store. But when I search on Ebay for online outpost under stores, I can't find them.

Either way, I'm in NC, so if the guy sends you the contact info for the online outpost, and "they" say they have the ztr, ask where. . . I'm in NC, and so are quite a few others here on TBN

Todd