Hey group, wanted to get some input on any of your ideas if this
company is legitimate or not. I posted an ad to sell my 91'
Volkswagon, I am selling and I received this email from an interested
person...


Dear ,
I am the director of Jane Automotives based in Germany (Europe).I
will Like to know if your Car is still available,also I will like to
see a recent picture of the Car ,I will also like to know the least
price for the Car . Please i will be expecting the above information
soonest as i have an interested party(Client). I will arrange for the
pick up as soon as we conclude the payment.
Thanks.
Jane......

To which I wrote back the following...

Jane,

The pictures are enclosed per request of the 1991 Jetta. The least
price for this car is $1800. If interested, my phone is 503-xxx-xxxx
for other information.

Sincerely yours,
Thomas

Finally, I received an email a day ago with the following...

Dear THOMAS,

Thanks for the response to our demand,and Happy to tell you that I
just concluded with our client and he has instructed to carry on with
the transaction,he said that I should inform you that payment will get
to you in a cashier check of $8,500.00 which is a refund payment of a
cancelled order earlier made by my client.

Due to company policy this check has to be made out in this amount to
you ,because company policy only allows a refund payment on one
cashier check,so you are required to deduct cost of your (CAR)
$1,800.00 USD when payment gets to you and refund balance to my
client via western union money transfer or money gram transfer for him
to be able to offset shipping charges and also ship other cars which I
bought for my clients.
Please I want you to understand that I am entrusting the balance in
your hands,if this form of payment is not ok by you please don't
contact me.

After payment has reached you and balance sent back to him,our agent
will come for the pick up and take to a prepaid shipper to be shipped
to my customer,while other necessary documents will be sent by you via
courier service to my client.

Please Confirm this and provide NAME, ADDRESS and PHONE NUMBER for
check payment to be delivered to you via courier service.

Thanks and God Bless.
Jane Martins...

-------------------
Now I don't want to miss an opportunity to sell my car, but this is
the strangest request I have ever heard of! Obviously, I am in need
of some more data to make a decision! Does anyone have any input?

Thanks for the advice..

Thomas

Play the same scam on them, demand they "western union money transfer " you
the 8500 first and then send them a check! I think western union money
requires only payment in cash.


"TommyK" <TommyK (AT) hotpop (DOT) com> wrote

Call up your local scam department and pass along the info, in fact,
*before* you reply to them. Maybe you'll have the opportunity to be
involved in a sting...15 minutes? ;-)

Darryl.

On 12 Apr 2004 01:44:49 -0700, TommyK (AT) hotpop (DOT) com (TommyK) wrote:

"Joe" <joe_g_g(spam)@hotmail.com> wrote

ummm....yeah...that's a grrreat idea.....

you american's don't carry guns? scratch up on your shooting skills too btw.
German's don't carry guns.

The "buyer" may at a later point ask for your bank account number to steal
money electronically from your account. Another risk is that you end up
paying a bounced check charge while waiting for his check to clear.

"TommyK" <TommyK (AT) hotpop (DOT) com> wrote

This is a well-known scam. I have gotten 4 or 5 contacts due to various vehicles
I have for sale. Here is what happens:

You get a cashier's check, on a foreign bank, for more than the sale price,
with instructions to refund the difference.

You take the check to your bank, they verify it is a good check, you deposit it.
You get a check from your bank or Western Union for the difference and send it
to the "buyer", whoc promplty cashes it.

2 weeks later your bank calls and says the big check bounced, they are reversing
the deposit.

Usually, nobody comes for the car.


Rex in Fort Worth

This scam has become endemic to the point that many, if not most, US banks
simply will not accept an out-of-state cashier's check any more.

This is the Nigerian bank scam in other clothing. Don't go for it, unless you
don't mind losing your money.