just wanted to give a warning to everyone.......I had placed a brush cutter for sale on the tractorbynet classified section and was contacted by a scammer........fortunately I recognized it for what it was an killed the deal before losing anything. Here's what to watch out for:
1) they will most likely email you using a gmail account.......because it's web based so the message can't be traced back to them but also because gmail strips the IP address from the header of their mail making them invisible.......none of the other major mail services do this.....it doesn't make it impossible to find the IP address but it does make it difficult.
2) their email will be vague about what you are selling.....never identifying it specifically in their email to you....only saying they are interested in what you posted for sale.
3) they will be evasive about any specific questions you ask them......such as what model tractor they have or where they are located.....they will never give any information about themselves........which was a real red flag for me since my brush cutter is very brand and model specific....it won't work any any other tractor but the one it was designed for.....at least not without major modifications
4) they will readily agree to pay your asking price without any negotiations....another red flag........what tractor owner doesn't try to get a better deal....lol!
5) once they think they have you hooked you will get an email like I received that looks like this:
"Thanks for your response, i received your information to mail the check to you, i do talk to the mover that will come for pick up, and they are ready to come do the pick up, but i will need to include their charges on the payment i am issuing for you, i will be paying them $2,800 as they have some other things to be picked for me on the way, all you need to do is deposit the check in your account once received and get back to me with a copy of the check deposit confirmation slip, i will call my bank to authorize the check to be cleared to you in 24 hours once you provide the copy of the deposit slip, you can do a Mobile or ATM deposit of the check if you have such facility, once the check is cleared and your account is credited, you will deduct your payment and send mover charges to them, i will include $220 as money transfer charges to send movers charges and $80 for you to buy gas in your car to move around when going to the bank and sending mover charges."
specifically note they want a copy of your deposit slip.......so they can get your bank details and can drain your account.......also note that they will overpay you and you are to write out a check to someone else for the excess........and they sweeten it by offering you extra money
also note that the english although good is not great
sorry for posting this in multiple categories as wasn't exactly sure where it belonged.......so just a heads up for everyone......stay safe.......Jack
