Good Morning all,
I just want to remind everyone that If a deal seems too good to be true it probably is. Recently I saw a ad for a 2k FD. Naturally I followed up on this possible tasty lead and contacted the seller. I received a response about it being her dead husbands car and needed a quick sell. (alarm bell one). Second it wasn’t actually in state but in storage but would be shipped at sellers expense (alarm bell two). Also Jane Doe wanted to perform the transaction via Google Checkout to offer 100% protection by holding the payment for a 5 day inspection period(Alarm Infinity).

I want to clarify a few of these warnings signs for those not used to purchasing online as you are the target of these scammers.
The tale tell signs in this case:
-Alarm One: Urgent need to sell
-Alarm Two: Under Craigslist’s admission they warn that offers to ship cars are virtually 100% fraudulent.
http://lascruces.en.craigslist.org/c...&category=cta/
-Alarm Infinity: In this case the seller wished to complete the transaction with Google Checkout to allow a 5 day inspection on the buyers part and offer 100% protection for buyer and seller. There are a couple of things wrong here. First Google has never has offered a escrow service as part of Google checkout. In layman terms this would be a Third party (Google) holding payment until the terms of sale are agreed upon and completed. Once again Google Checkout does not offer any service like this. Second It is easy to make a fake payment pages. Scary easy. All the form fields can be copied and URLs faked to make it look legit while beneath the surface it’s just a mockery of the original. Upon your submittal all your account info is sent to the fake page manufacturer. This isn’t limited to just Google Checkout as other escrow services and even PayPal can be imitated. Also be wary of companies or individual sellers that request wired funds via Western Union, Moneygram or any other service provides a wired fund service.

Below I have copied a few tell-tale signs of fraud with originating links attached at the top. Good luck shopping out there in the warzone that is the internet. I want to leave you one more thing that a noted at the top of the article. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
-DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts on craigslist.

-NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.

-FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.

-CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"

-NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)

-AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

 

Let's try again. Thanks for posting this info. I have bought online, but never sold online because of my fear of being scammed. However, I'm considering putting my 88 Turbo up for sale, and I have a question. Has anyone dealt with the following online brokers: Gullwing Motor Cars.com; Hemmings.com; Capital Classic Cars.com; ClassicCars.com; etc? If so, I'd appreciate your feedback. More generally, I'd appreciate any advice concerning marketing, shipping and payment. I want to cast a wide net, but I have zero experience. Thanks in advance.