Scam alert for all Airstreamers

[Hittenstiehl]

I appreciate the information being shared here, minus the persnickety, as we will be selling a trailer in the next couple of months and have been wondering how and where we will list it. The Forum Classifieds would seem an obvious choice but there is the high likelihood of long distance purchasers. Craigslist local where you meet with people and can go to banks is also a possibility but also fraught with scammers. We purchased once from craigslist local with cash and once off forums out of state with half cash half cashiers check. We were both honest with each other about apprehensions. But twice we met honest people, of their word. We are also leery of folks who have just joined the forum the same day they make a classified posting but the we didn't do any social media before we got our trailer either. Will watch this thread for hint and pointers for selling here.

[Foiled Again]

I've been posting on this forum since late 2005. Sometimes when a new person posts an ancient question that has been asked about 30 times before... there's a slight temptation to snap off a witty response without thinking "is this going to hurt the original sender"? About 3 times in the past a moderator has deleted one of my posts, with a polite note saying why. Twice I agreed with the moderator - on reflection my I.Q. goes up.

More than once I've been cut to the core by some unthinking baboon and have been tempted to throw a tantrum and never post again... but then I look in a mirror and remember I've got more than one reason to be wearing "big girl panties". (sigh) The important reasons are that I'm not a Victorian maiden or a spoiled eight year old.

99% of the people on this forum are wonderful. When I wrecked last year I got tons of support - and a lot of private messages supporting me too. One or two harsher responses happened too. So, each of us has choices and one of mine is that being offended & hurt are choices! I can stomp off mad at the world in general and lose 99% of the good people because I'm offended by someone who may normally be a nice person, but has sustained an athletic injury (you gotta strain something when you've simultaneously gotten a stick and your head stuck up there!) There are also a few "wits" who seem to take delight in talking down to virtually everyone. Am I planning to become a "goodbye girl" over a few ill considered posts?

NO.

However when I send an e-mail to someone with only a few posts, I'll remember how nicely I was treated as a raw newbie, I'll try to be just as kind to them as the Rivet Masters of that time were to me.

It's not nice to hit below the belt.
It's also not nice to wear your belt around your armpits.

Let's rally.

[streaminwild]

THANKYOU so much Isuzusweet for the ''heads up'' on the latest scams. They are getting more creative as time goes on.

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by DanB

OK, I don't have a reputation of being insulting or aggressive to anyone on Airforums. I fact, I'd happily sit around a campfire with most everyone here.

Isuzusweet - I apologize if I came off that way. I had a hard weekend camping and was tired last night!

I will certainly hold by my statement about sending cash though. Does anyone really even consider that anymore? I mean it, REALLY?

As far a protection for scams, as I said, thank you for the advice to stay vigilant. Also, for those with elderly parents on the net, be sure to keep them extremely aware about the scams. I've unfortunately had to go to the extreme case of almost making them afraid to open emails.

Again, I apologize if my post was out of line. That wasn't my intent.

No need to apologize to me, but there are others, even people that are close to you that have trusted another human being to do the right thing but have been taken advantage of. It could be the machanic that sprays a little wWD40 on your brake bleeders instead of flushing your brake system and charging you for it; or your government charging a debt reduction fee on top of your hydro bill and then adding onto the original debt by borrowing on it without telling anyone.
As another poster so well put it. It doesn't help to pile on and call anyone stupid for trying to trust humanity and being taken advantage of. They are the
victim here.
I was merely trying to warn others that they run the risk of being approached by a scammer if they advertise the fact that they are searching for anything on this site or any site.

No harm nor foul DanB. You are a bigger man than someone else for at least admitting that you may have erred in your intent.

I also understand your frustration that people can in this day and age still fall for this kind of scam but scamming has its roots since time began, and we all can still fall for it.

Cheers
Tony

[mccrosti]

Tony, thanks for your input. Sharing an embarrassing situation so that other might not get into it, is generous of you. I agree with the folks who suggest you report the scammer to the MODS, that is one way of providing him a forum to perpetrate his schemes.

[msmcv51]

Last year I was looking for three flag poles for the front of the trailer so I put an ad on the parts wanted section. A guy answered wanting $75 plus shipping, I offered $80 including shipping and he accepted. He was in Florida and I am in Ohio. I sent a money order and he sent nothing.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by msmcv51

Last year I was looking for three flag poles for the front of the trailer so I put an ad on the parts wanted section. A guy answered wanting $75 plus shipping, I offered $80 including shipping and he accepted. He was in Florida and I am in Ohio. I sent a money order and he sent nothing.

Was it a US Postal money order? Or from someone else? Perhaps not at this late date, but at the time I think you can report the case to postal inspectors. Did you check to see that the money order was cashed at the time?

[DKB_SATX]

In reply to a question from earlier, the "be nice" rule is still in effect and there are a couple of posts on this thread in recent days that are pushing it, to put it mildly.

While it is true that the risks of sending cash or other difficult-to-trace forms of payment are common knowledge, it's also true that confidence tricksters specialize in disarming our scam-detection instincts, it's simply how they operate. By the time someone mentions being scammed as a warning to others, they generally realize what happened and perhaps don't need harsh, judgmental warnings about it after the fact. After all, that's the sort of thing that keeps people from admitting that they've been scammed, fear of being thought foolish by their peers. It's in everyone's best interest for these sorts of scams to be publicized and discussed so more people can see what's happening.

[AWCHIEF]

Recently I posted my Bambi II for sale on this site. I received 26 responses to my ad. Only one was a half way legitimate response and he turned out to be a shill for a broker. The rest were scammers with almost identical stories. It left a very bad taste in my mouth for listing anything here.

[rideair]

Ok, I'm selling a trailer, not buying. A couple from Australlia is wanting to purchase the trailer. They have emailed and called. They have agreed to wire transfer into an account $1,000 dollars. They are working on lining up a shipper and have asked that I store the trailer until they can get that lined up. I told them to have their shipper show up, inspect the trailer, hand over cash, and take the trailer/title with him. They said their shipper is in Kansas City and are having trouble contacting him. They have ask to see a copy of the title/VIN number and a picture of the plate on the trailer. Lots of pictures sent, they say they really want it. What is the best way to sell a trailer abroad and handle the money side of the transaction?

They sent me a PDF of a wire transfer form of which they would like the information onmy banks side so they can send the money. I was thinking of opening an account just for this transaction.

If everything is legit, I want to make sure they feel they got a good trailer for the money, but also don't want to be scammed and see a trailer go away and get stiffed.

Thoughts or insight would be great.

Enjoy,

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by mccrosti

Tony, thanks for your input. Sharing an embarrassing situation so that other might not get into it, is generous of you. I agree with the folks who suggest you report the scammer to the MODS, that is one way of providing him a forum to perpetrate his schemes.

Just to reiterate, I wasn't scammed this time, but that being said I have had my share of people taking advantage of my good will.

I just wanted to get this out in the open, as another poster stated; the scammer wants you not to say anything and shut up so he or she can continue scamming others. I think of the scammer as a shark at a beach, isn't the best coarse of action to yell shark at the top of your voice?

Shame on them the first time, shame on me the second time, there is no third time. I think that's how the saying goes.

If this thread causes one person to rethink or pause in the coarse of a transaction and saves them embarrassment and money, then its effort by us well spent.

[Jim & Susan]

"They said their shipper is in Kansas City and are having trouble contacting him."

This part makes me think scam. May be completely innocent on the part on the buyers (the shipper is the scamster?) Who knows. No way I would give them access to an account with any money in it. International borders, etc, etc.

Jim

[Shacksman]

Originally Posted by rideair

Ok, I'm selling a trailer, not buying. A couple from Australlia is wanting to purchase the trailer. They have emailed and called. They have agreed to wire transfer into an account $1,000 dollars. They are working on lining up a shipper and have asked that I store the trailer until they can get that lined up. I told them to have their shipper show up, inspect the trailer, hand over cash, and take the trailer/title with him. They said their shipper is in Kansas City and are having trouble contacting him. They have ask to see a copy of the title/VIN number and a picture of the plate on the trailer. Lots of pictures sent, they say they really want it. What is the best way to sell a trailer abroad and handle the money side of the transaction?

They sent me a PDF of a wire transfer form of which they would like the information onmy banks side so they can send the money. I was thinking of opening an account just for this transaction.

If everything is legit, I want to make sure they feel they got a good trailer for the money, but also don't want to be scammed and see a trailer go away and get stiffed.

Thoughts or insight would be great.

Enjoy,

Go to your bank and ask them about wire transfers. They will tell you how safe they are and they can be different for different countries. When you get a wire transfer the money is yours and can't be reversed. My recent wire transfer from New Zealand worked out just fine. Once you have the deposit, it's up to them to follow through with the rest.

[92landyacht]

I stand by what I said... This is not a PC world when it comes to scams. Too many will dumb down a situation just because they don't want to offend anyone. Sending and loosing $80 or $500 may hurt the same depending on your economic situation.

My point is simple: Never send cash for an item you've never seen to a person you've never met without the understanding that you may be throwing it away. I've purchased so many items off the net that I can't even begin to know how much I've spent. Not once did I ever send cash for a site unseen item. It's simply not very smart. There are too many ways to protect yourself on a sale today.

If this forum feels that the harsh truth that I've presented is out of line then I will reluctantly bow out and never post again.

[Lucy815]

We had a 1995 AS Classic for sale through Forums, and I've yet to figure out the purpose of this man's ruse. No down payment....thought he'd drive the unit.....and we dropped him after four days of no response. I saw his inquiry posted on AirForums for another unit, a moho, and contacted the seller to warn him to stay clear.

Strangely, I've read in the Austrailian newspaper articles, there are many abandoned trailers in that countryside; why would one need to come to the USA?

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by DanB

Not to be rude, but anyone that would send a cash payment over five bucks to anyone but their Grandma deserves to be scammed!

Thanks for the heads up though. Reminders never hurt!

NO ONE deserves to be scammed !!!

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by 92landyacht

I stand by what I said... This is not a PC world when it comes to scams. Too many will dumb down a situation just because they don't want to offend anyone. Sending and loosing $80 or $500 may hurt the same depending on your economic situation.

My point is simple: Never send cash for an item you've never seen to a person you've never met without the understanding that you may be throwing it away. I've purchased so many items off the net that I can't even begin to know how much I've spent. Not once did I ever send cash for a site unseen item. It's simply not very smart. There are too many ways to protect yourself on a sale today.

If this forum feels that the harsh truth that I've presented is out of line then I will reluctantly bow out and never post again.

I don't know how the forum feels. I can tell you that I feel we all have many options and choices in how we present our view of things. You chose an inflammatory approach. That's the only thing that made your truth harsh and you have complete control over that. You clearly have something to contribute, so I would hope you do. Rather than bow out, why not try other methods so your point sheds light, not just heat?

Happy camping everyone! :-)

[92landyacht]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Rather than bow out, why not try other methods so your point sheds light, not just heat?

Because I CHOOSE to speak my mind with MY mind. If it seems harsh then that's your choice to take it that way. I simply don't want to beat around bush on this topic. People who take part in risky transactions get what comes with it. If it works out, then great! If it doesn't then you get the expected result.

The original poster never said that it was HE that got taken. I never directed any insults toward any individual on this forum and I have all the respect in the world for this forum and the benefits it provides.

I guess it was the whole "WARNING! SCAM ALERT" danger danger will Robinson thing that got me on my soap box. It was, and still is, a generic statement on MY opinion to this "SCAM". I simply couldn't believe that people were ignorant enough to just send $500 in cash to a nameless/faceless person with no item in hand and no protections put in place. I also believe that most on this forum wouldn't fall for such a simplistic and obvious "scam".

Now if you want to turn this conversation into something more productive, like "how can you safeguard my internet transactions", then that would be a good topic.

I'll step off my soap box now.

[Foiled Again]

I truly believe everyone CAN fall victim to a scam. Owning a business has reaffirmed that too many times. I'm pretty good at hiring BUT over the last 35 years I've hired about 5 "employees from hell". What's really awful is that I hired the same one TWICE. It was 7 years apart, the first time she only stayed 3 weeks and was terminated for being a drunk. By the second time I'd totally forgotten her and she'd changed her surname - and naturally lied about working here before. The first day she showed up for work (the second time) a long-term employee said to me, "she used to be Pam XXXX, not Pamela Smith, remember how she came to work too drunk to stand up?" Honestly. Now we check SSN and get a picture ID and run a basic address verification before we will even interview, much less hire them.

Next time... wonderful worker... who stole three other employee's paychecks, went to the bank and cashed them. Next three or four were just embittered and made everyone around them as miserable as they were.

Be open, but be cautious.

Also watch out for your elderly friends and neighbors... they seem to lose some of their native caution as the aging process goes on.

Paula

[92landyacht]

I too have my own business and have hired less then desirable people in the past. I do learn from each mistake and put systems in place to prevent the same issue from haunting me again. If you don't learn from your mistakes you're doomed to relive them.