Selling our Airstream Fraud alert

[GeGe]

I have listed our Airstream on Airstream Forums in the classifieds area. I received a notification today that someone was interested. He said he would pay using PayPal and needed my email address and Name attached to my PayPal account. Plus my zip code to calculate the shipping cost. This was a full price offer first day. Just felt too good to be true. I told him that I preferred to request the money thru PayPal and needed his email address. He would not give it to me even though he did provide his phone number. Am I paranoid or was this guy up to no good. Need your opinions. Thanks

[OTRA15]

Run away as fast as you can! [IMO]

"Selling Paypal fraud" search results for similar threads/posts here on AirForums:

https://www.google.com/search?q=sell...=airforums.com

Red flag #1 and determinative IMO: "full price offer first day"

Run!

Good luck,

Peter

[GeGe]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Run away as fast as you can! [IMO]

"Selling Paypal fraud" search results for similar threads/posts here on AirForums:

https://www.google.com/search?q=sell...=airforums.com


more coming on edit please stand by

Thank you thank you thank you. Mama always says if it seems to good to be true

[OTRA15]

PS at the bottom of your ad there is a yellow/orange "Beware of Scams" button, which eventually leads here for sellers:

http://www.airstreamclassifieds.com/...r-sellers.html

A partial quote:

"Avoid fraud. Be aware that there are unscrupulous folks out there. Avoid any interaction that seems odd to you or ‘feels’ wrong. Inquiries from oversees buyers, buyers ‘agents’ and other non-traditional approaches should be treated with extreme caution."


Ya done good to catch this one early IMO!

There should be a method to report this somewhere on your ad, I think. Yes . . . "Contact Us" at the bottom. Please report this, because the site needs your feedback to fine-tune its system to catch fraud.

Peter

[GeGe]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

PS at the bottom of your ad there is a yellow/orange "Beware of Scams" button, which eventually leads here for sellers:

http://www.airstreamclassifieds.com/...r-sellers.html

A partial quote:

"Avoid fraud. Be aware that there are unscrupulous folks out there. Avoid any interaction that seems odd to you or ‘feels’ wrong. Inquiries from oversees buyers, buyers ‘agents’ and other non-traditional approaches should be treated with extreme caution."


Ya done good to catch this one early IMO!

There should be a method to report this somewhere on your ad, I think. Yes . . . "Contact Us" at the bottom. Please report this, because the site needs your feedback to fine-tune its system to catch fraud.

Peter

I did contact Airstream Forums classifieds and flag this as fraud. Thanks again

[JLGT5107]

Same experience last month. I asked if I could call him to discuss resulted in end of contract.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for that move, GeGe.

Peter

PS -- Great moniker . . . "Hail on wheels!"

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I think almost everyone who lists their Airstream gets a scammer. I have bought and sold a few items on the forum classified. My personal rule is that I won't buy from, or sell to, anyone unless they are an active forum member with several posts.

I would much rather buy from, or sell to, a known forum member instead of a total stranger. To me, most of these forum members are almost like family.

[Mikebrady62]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I think almost everyone who lists their Airstream gets a scammer. I have bought and sold a few items on the forum classified. My personal rule is that I won't buy from, or sell to, anyone unless they are an active forum member with several posts.

I would much rather buy from, or sell to, a known forum member instead of a total stranger. To me, most of these forum members are almost like family.

At least some post from the past.

[Laurai]

We too are selling and I got those instant replies wanting info from me. It was then I deleted their texts

Later I received a call from a guy claiming he could help me list our unit on eBay. He’s in Nebraska. A friend said she knows someone who bought a car on eBay so I know it can be done but I’ve not checked into it yet.

Any thoughts, insight?

[pmclemore]

I've bought and sold two using the classifieds on this forum. Ebay? Never is too soon..

Pat

[banderabob]

Up to no good. Had the same attempted scam several years ago selling our Bambi.

[Hoagie]

These scams are widespread when selling any vehicle, or anything else with a value in the thousands of dollars. A couple of years ago when selling a truck via ads in Craigslist, TruckFinder, etc. I had numerous contacts wanting to arrange a purchase, contacts that just "smelled funny."

My favorites were the guys offering to "have their agent come by" with a cashiers check because they were traveling, but wanted to make sure they got the truck. Often their offer was for a few hundred more than my asking price, cuz everybody wants to offer more than your asking price, right?

Any time someone offers to pay via a cashiers check, personal check, even large sums of cash, I just say "Sure. Meet me at my bank at this address and we'll conclude the deal there." End of conversation. I wouldn't trust a PayPal transaction for that amount either.

[Mollysdad]

PayPal favors the buyer.
Six months later, he can request his money back. And he'll get it.
No personal checks, cashier checks, bank drafts.
None are secure. They only indicate the money WAS there when the draft was printed, no guarantee it's still there.
A secure transaction is a wire transfer.
As Hoagie said, "Meet at my bank or yours and we'll just do it there."

[GeGe]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Thanks for that move, GeGe.

Peter

PS -- Great moniker . . . "Hail on wheels!"

Thanks.

[GeGe]

Originally Posted by Mikebrady62

At least some post from the past.

Thanks so much

[Ray Eklund]

Buyers must also be aware. Titles need to be confirmed if available or where is the title being held? The trailer could be stolen or being financed and no clear title.

NO title... move on. Salvage Titles... check it out with an attorney.

SELLERS. Deal through THEIR BANK or YOUR BANK. If the Buyer wants to pay in CASH... go to your Bank or theirs. The buyer purchases a Cashier Check while you are standing there. Then you deposit the Cashiers Check into your account. You need to be present at all times.

Wire Transfers are secure and confirmed from Bank to Bank. Pay the small amount your bank wants to do the... service. You will sleep much better.

Sell at YOUR Location on YOUR Terms. Even ask your local Police to come by and 'check out and verify the serial number on YOUR trailer'... as a way to get some confirmation. Explain to them what you are doing... selling a trailer to a stranger.

If the stranger needs to get 'something to eat and will be back'... you saved yourself some grief.

Our 2015 25 foot International had the sale completed at the Buyer's insurance company and they gave me the check directly.

Do not trust anyone with anything selling, that you do not know. Even if you know them as a casual friend... this is a Business Transaction friend or stranger.

If a buyer shows up to look, ask for their driver's license and insurance card so you can copy them. If they balk... as why and then be asking more questions.

Selling local is preferred any time. Check in the mail... ho ho ho.

I have been in the Buying, Selling and Trading business for most of my life. One bad check for $87.50 a long time ago cured me. I can show you a $1400 'Cashiers Check' from a University in southern California.... that the University said... "IT is a FAKE". Do not be embarrassed to check references and call the buyers Bank...

Good luck and play it... SAFE. My education was for $87.50.

[Ray Eklund]

To add: The Check is in the Mail... customer.

How does this person know you have a Trailer or if you do, is it as you say?

Never change the price on a Bill of Sale for anyone. Whatever you accepted as the price is what you write. Many will ask you to write a number, always less for what the actual transaction was for. Now YOU are at risk, IF or WHEN things go sour.

(I am working in the yard and come up with these other caveats.)

Be careful of an Open Title, where you do not put the BUYER's NAME on the title as the purchaser. He is a middle man. If they are in an accident... you had better have some information indicating THE BUYER is the current OWNER.

[SilverFire]

International wire transfers are often a major business to a business source of fraud and are not secure. If you are given a fraudulent wire account from say North Korea, even though it is a bank to bank transaction it is not secure and there is no remedy and no bank offers no protection for International wire transfers. Read the small print of any International wire transfer form at your bank. There is no protection.

Domestic wires are safer, however, if it is a fraudulent routing number and actually a foreign account you can again be burned. You can look up all routing numbers and determine the location of the financial institution. However, some small banks do not have their own routing numbers and use an intermediary bank. Again certified funds or cash drawn at local sellers or buyers bank offers the greatest protection

Cashier's checks (certified funds) not drawn locally may be phony too, so going directly to your bank or the buyer's bank to execute the cashier's check is sound. Cashier's checks are certified funds.

Good luck.

[GeGe]

Originally Posted by SilverFire

International wire transfers are often a major business to a business source of fraud and are not secure. If you are given a fraudulent wire account from say North Korea, even though it is a bank to bank transaction it is not secure and there is no remedy and no bank offers no protection for International wire transfers. Read the small print of any International wire transfer form at your bank. There is no protection.



Domestic wires are safer, however, if it is a fraudulent routing number and actually a foreign account you can again be burned. You can look up all routing numbers and determine the location of the financial institution. However, some small banks do not have their own routing numbers and use an intermediary bank. Again certified funds or cash drawn at local sellers or buyers bank offers the greatest protection



Cashier's checks (certified funds) not drawn locally may be phony too, so going directly to your bank or the buyer's bank to execute the cashier's check is sound. Cashier's checks are certified funds.



Good luck.

Thank you so much!!