beware of a scam

[289cobra]

My airstream is for sale on this forum. Got an email from Wally Gill asking to buy my motorhome. He's some where on on oil rig and can't access money , but can use paypal. The motorhome is a surprise for his father, and he will send an agent to pickup the motorhome as soon as the money is sent to my account. Has anyone been contacted by this guy?

[CanoeStream]

Hi 289cobra. Thanks -- I want to hear more privately. Sending you a PM next...

[TBRich]

Not aware of this particular person, but the old "I'll send an agent" thing has been used before. Sounds fishy.

[DKB_SATX]

Tell him to paypal the money to his agent, who can show up to buy your Interstate with a sack of good old cash for you. That's likely the last you'll hear from "Wally Gill."

[virtuallyme]

I don't know about phony buyers,
but I do know there are phony sellers lurking here.
Admin has been very responsive in weeding them out,
but if you see this trailer:

Restored Vintage 1963 22ft AIRSTREAM FLYING CLOUD Travel Trailer in RVs & Campers | eBay Motors

notice that the ebay auction ended 11/1 and
the price is much more that the "bargain" listed here

[Protagonist]

News flash. Thanks to Iridium satellite modems, even people on oil rigs can do electronic banking. So can yachtsmen in the middle of the Pacific Ocean three thousand miles from anywhere. If he can use paypal, which requires internet access, he can do anything else that YOU could do online.

He can hire an attorney to represent him in a sale if he's legit. You can check on ANY attorney, anywhere in the country, through the attorney's State Bar Association, and find out if he's really an attorney in good standing.

Everybody living in the United States must have a domicile for tax purposes. It's the same address that appears on his driver's license. If he's legit, you'd need his domicile address for the bill of sale and title transfer anyway, so if he won't give it to you and you can't verify it, you know he's not legit. Easy way to verify the address, send a registered letter to the address, return receipt requested. If you don't get the return receipt, it's not a valid address. This is exactly what the Post Office does to verify addresses for people who rent private mailboxes. Note: A post office box is not a domicile address. No one lives at a PO Box.

You can also do some research on the guy by asking him a few questions. If he's on an oil rig, then which one, and where? What company does he work for, and what company owns the rig? He should be able to answer all of those questions right off the top of his head. Every single oil rig has a name, just like ships, and if it's operating in US water it's registered with the US Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping.

I've never used one myself, but there are employment verification services, such as http://www.theworknumber.com/ that, once you hear from the guy who he works for, you can find out if he really does. Might cost you a few bucks, but it's cheaper than getting scammed.

And if he won't tell you who he works for, that tells you right away you're being scammed.

[62-SS]

That is a classic scam. They will try and pay you as a gift through paypal, which of course they can cancel after the fact.

[Protagonist]

Addendum to my overly-long previous post… an oil rig is not a prison. Normal tour of duty is two weeks on, two weeks off. This according to a neighbor of mine who actually works on oil rigs off the coast of Louisiana.

If the guy can't make the purchase because he's stuck on an oil rig and has no access to a bank, tell him you're willing to wait two weeks until he rotates ashore and see what he says.

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

If the guy can't make the purchase because he's stuck on an oil rig and has no access to a bank, tell him you're willing to wait two weeks until he rotates ashore and see what he says.

Meaning ... cash is cash. Cash is king. Sincere buyers will have a way to put up if the seller keeps the sale open until they have cash in hand.

All readers of the classifieds should understand the conditions of our ads. They are private between the member posting the ad and any prospective buyer. Classified Ads - Basics, Tips and Helps

Vet your potential purchaser the same as if they were an anonymous person replying to a newspaper classified. Full verified payment before they drive off with your baby. Period. Make sure that your bank agrees that the method of payment is bona fide. Ben Franklins work! Sorry to say ... No, no apologies. People who are savvy know that that's the world we live in today.

[Busterdogs]

Cobra,

I got the same message, someone interested in my rig, also for sale in the forum. It took me a bit to figure out, but the originating IP address was in the UK. Colin H sent me a note directing me to this thread.

It's a scammer.

Fran

[Skater]

Dead horse. There are dozens of threads reporting scams just like this...

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Skater

Dead horse. There are dozens of threads reporting scams just like this...

For the old-timers on the forums, it's a dead horse. For relative newcomers, maybe not so much.

I'll say no more on the subject (I'm sure everybody is happy about that!) except to repeat advice I've given on other threads like this one… If you suspect a scam, please don't play "bait the scammer." Report the suspected scammer to your local FBI office, or for our Canadian brethren, whatever equivalent enforcement agency handles internet fraud. Give them all the information you have on the suspected scammer, including copies of the e-mails sent and received so that maybe the long arm of the law can reach out to their IP address.

[K4TCJ]

Had the same happen with my ad for my 1997 Defender 90 twice. Be careful, there must be an app for scammers because there are so many.

[Woosch]

Had something simular happen when selling a part. Agreed to price and wanted my bank account number to deposit the funds and address to pick up. Sounded a little fishy at the start but you never know.

[73shark]

Never give your acct no. to a stranger. Tell him to bring cash when he comes to pick it up. Even "certified checks" are not safe as they can be counterfeit and when they bounce, you're liable for the money. Cash rules. Cuts down on the scammers too when you put cash only in your ad.