Craigslist, Ebay and other online buying/selling scams.
#164016 by Glovebox Mon Apr 29, 2013 4:43 pm
If you see a too good to be true offer for an Audi A4 S Line, it is too good to be true and avoid at all costs!!

We were scammed on eBay! They basically get you to contact them on an email address as they can't answer any email sent to the eBay account. When you message and tell them you are interested they remove the listing and send an email similar to the one below. They say you will be protected through eBay and that by giving your eBay ID and full name and address they will get eBay to contact you regarding the purchase! It's not eBay that sends you emails its them!! The eBay emails have the logo and look very real but it's not eBay!! They ask you to wire money to an eBay managers account and that the money will only be released to the seller once you receive the car, there is no such thing!! All you are doing is wiring your money straight to there account and never receive the car!! They are still currently trying to sell the same car but with different number plates but they vary the car price and mileage on eBay so be very careful!

The email addresses they have used are as follows:

Sarah T Helton <[email protected]>
[email protected]
Katie Faulkner - [email protected]

This is the first message you will receive!

First of all I want to thank you for your interest in my vehicle: 2009 AUDI A4 S LINE TDI.This vehicle is in excellent working conditions,NO accidents, slightly used in 100% working and looking conditions,ONLY 136,000 miles, is always garaged and rarely used and it has HPI clear.It has full service history.The final price that I want for this vehicle is £7,400(including shipping and handling).My husband died 3 months ago (he had a heart attack) and this vehicle brings me bad memories and that's the reason that I want to sell it. I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and we moved to my sister in Stockholm,Sweden.Unfortunately I can't conclude this transaction personally because my work involves a lot of travelling but I left everything prepared for the sale. From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I request ONLY secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay Motors Shipping Company services so both of us can be protected.
I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon!

Thank you and have a great day!

If you respond asking where the listing is you will receive a message similar to this:


The car is not anymore on the website because of an eBay error and they assure me that will be up is the next 48 hours.The car is already at eBay Motors Shipping Company (ready for delivery) in UK .I asked them to allow viewers to go there and inspect the car but their reply was "We are not a showroom!" .The transaction will be fully under eBay's surveillance, giving us both security and insurance that nothing will go wrong. They will be the 3rd, objective party involved in the transaction. This way you will actually pay for the car after you will receive and test it, because eBay will hold the funds in an bank transfer and release it to me only after you accept and confirm the delivery. After the car reaches your address you will have 10 days to test it. Within this period you have to decide if you purchase it or not. If you decide to take it you will have to contact eBay and let them know that, so they can release the payment to me. If you won't like it you will have to ship it back to me within the 5 days and eBay will refund you. The shipping back will be done on my own expense, but I am sure this will not be the case.
If you decide to buy the car,please include the following information in your next email.
-Full Name;
-Shipping Address(postal code,full address)
-Phone Number
-eBay user id
Please get back to me at your earliest convenience.

Another sign is that the grammar and spelling is very bad!! You usually find the seller is female!

Really hope this helps others to avoid their scam and a lot of money which you never get back!!
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#164020 by Scott Mitchell Mon Apr 29, 2013 5:15 pm
Glovebox,

Sorry to hear you were scammed. Thank you for posting, having the scammers contact information will help serve as a warning to other potential victims. You are right about the grammar being poor, the way the messages are written strongly suggest they came from Western Africa.
#164067 by TerranceBoyce Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:04 am
It's a horror to hear that you lost so much money Glovebox.

Did you pay the scammer by Western Union or Moneygram ?

CAR ADVERTS - If a car seller mentions escrow - he's scamming you Never ever for any reason pay anything until you have seen and inspected the vehicle
#173154 by Bryon Williams Sun Aug 04, 2013 2:35 pm
Scammer Ebay listing for a vehicle.
Sarah T Helton
henry1todd

Red Flag #1 Seller taking you off Ebay and collecting email addresses for fake 2nd Chance Offers.
ATTENTION :

DO NOT BID WITHOUT ASKING MY PERMISSION FIRST! I WILL CANCEL ANY UNCONFIRMED BID!!!

I"M NOT ABLE TO REPLY FROM MY EBAY ACCOUNT SO YOU CAN REACH ME
DIRECTLY TO MY EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]

Buy it now price: £5400



If you respond to the listing writing to the email address on the listing you will receive this or a similar email. The scammers listing is forbidden and is not allowed on Ebay. Ebay does not allow sellers to post email addresses nor outside links. This is to protect buyers. If you see a listing like this report it to Ebay on the sellers ad. Only respond to Ebay buyers and sellers through Ebay mail. Only accept/send payment through Ebay/Paypal. Once you receive notification from Ebay or Paypal log into either by going directly to the site without clicking any links. Verify on the site that you received payment. Also check the address of all emails you receive to verify they are from Ebay/PayPal. Scammers have some very convincing screenshots of Payment Made. In doubt call Paypal or Ebay with the code they will give you at their contact tab.

Sarah T Helton
[email protected]

Hi Xxxxxx,

First of all I want to thank you for your interest in my vehicle: 2009 MINI Cooper 1.6 Cooper D 3dr.This vehicle is in excellent working conditions,NO accidents, slightly used in 100% working and looking conditions,ONLY 38,324 miles, is always garaged and rarely used and it has HPI clear.It has full service history.The final price that I want for this vehicle is £5,435 (including shipping and handling).My husband died 3 months ago (he had a heart attack) and this vehicle brings me bad memories and that's the reason that I want to sell it. I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and we moved to my sister in Stockholm,Sweden.Unfortunately I can't conclude this transaction personally because my work involves a lot of travelling but I left everything prepared for the sale. From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I request ONLY secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay Motors services so both of us can be protected.
I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon!

Thank you and have a great day!

Please contacta moferatorstor if you have a question or information about this post.



Please do not tell the scammer he is posted here.


Please remember the fallen. https://www.odmp.org/
#173168 by Bryon Williams Sun Aug 04, 2013 6:10 pm
Sarah T Helton < [email protected] > wrote:

Xxxxxxxxx,

The car is already at eBay Motors Shipping Company (ready for delivery) in London .I asked them to allow viewers to go there and inspect the car but their reply was "We are not a showroom!" .The transaction will be fully under eBay's surveillance, giving us both security and insurance that nothing will go wrong. They will be the 3rd, objective party involved in the transaction. This way you will actually pay for the car after you will receive and test it, because eBay will hold the funds in an bank transfer and release it to me only after you accept and confirm the delivery. After the car reaches your address you will have 10 days to test it. Within this period you have to decide if you purchase it or not. If you decide to take it you will have to contact eBay and let them know that, so they can release the payment to me. If you won't like it you will have to ship it back to me within the 5 days and eBay will refund you. The shipping back will be done on my own expense, but I am sure this will not be the case.
If you decide to buy the car,please include the following information in your next email.
-Full Name;
-Shipping Address(postal code,full address)
-Phone Number
-eBay user id
Please get back to me at your earliest convenience.

Please contacta moferatorstor if you have a question or information about this post.



Please do not tell the scammer he is posted here.


Please remember the fallen. https://www.odmp.org/
#173250 by John Barry Mon Aug 05, 2013 2:15 pm
And after that you get an "invoice" from Ebay
eBay [email protected] via yahoo.com
11:21 PM (19 hours ago)

to me

Your name is included to show this message originated from eBay ( no- its included because Sarah asks you for it!!)


The Buyer should follow the instructions in order to proceed with payment!

An Regional Manager is automatically designated for every transaction performed through eBay Motors Purchase Protection Program.

All information about eBay Regional Manager designated for your transaction are listed bellow.


The more sharp eyed amongst you will have spotted that the invoice isn't from Ebay but from [email protected]

Payment is then supposed to be sent
To submit the payment, provide your bank with the information listed below:
Bank Name: LLOYDS TSB BANK PLC
Account Holder: Grzegorz Marian Glink (eBay Regional Manager designated for your transaction)
Sort Code #: 30-96-18
Account #: 47990568
Iban #: GB30 LOYD 30961847990568
Swiftbic #: LOYDGB21
Bank Address: Chelmsford Legg St OSC, 1 Legg Street, Essex CM1 1JS, United Kingdom
Amount : £6,765.00
Company: eBay, Inc. (DO NOT USE as Beneficiary Name as payment will not clear eBay Motors Regional Manager account as it may be directed to our main/primary account and this will delay the transaction)


Unusually you are supposed to send the money to a Lloyds Bank account, rather than the usual Barclays one. One thing never changes though- the account is in the name of an eastern European person.
#176642 by Geeboy Wed Sep 18, 2013 3:58 am
They posted as an advert for an 2010 xc90, £6,700. by Volvo from new, 7 seats, taxed and MOt Mar 14, FSH from 12 different locations. In the gumtree picture they put the contact address and that they could not be contacted through gumtree account.

This was their response when asked the location of the vehicle,
Jenine Johnson <[email protected]>

16:06 (16 hours ago)

to me
Hi Steve,

First of all I want to thank you for your interest in my vehicle.
There are no issues with this vehicle, she has been diligently maintained by a careful dealer and has been regularly serviced, it has full service history and HPI clear. The price includes shipping and handling. My husband died 3 months ago (he had a heart attack) and this vehicle brings me bad memories and that's the reason why I'm selling it. I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and we moved to my sister in Stockholm,Sweden. Unfortunately I can't conclude this transaction personally because my work involves a lot of travelling but I left everything prepared for the sale. From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I request ONLY secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay Motors Company services so both of us can be protected.

Thank you and have a great day!
#176647 by TerranceBoyce Wed Sep 18, 2013 6:52 am
Welcome to Scamwarners Geeboy and thanks for the post.

It's nice to see any variation in the excuses fraudsters give as to why you can't see their imaginary car, and the sick lie that the husband had a heart attack is one of the lesser used ones.

Luckily scammers tend to lay it on so thick that their lies alone will put you on alert. Female seller, husband died, in emotional distress, moving to Sweden - really ?

Real people don't include a potted biography as part of their sales pitch and all it is, is an attempt to make you pay out without seeing the vehicle they don't have.

Unfortunately in the UK, it's easier to open a scam bank account than arrange a same day GP appointment and, if you pay money in to one of these bank accounts, it's very unlikely you'll get your money back.

CAR ADVERTS - If a car seller mentions escrow - he's scamming you Never ever for any reason pay anything until you have seen and inspected the vehicle
#179485 by troopy Thu Oct 24, 2013 11:54 am
Hi everyone,

First time on the forum - just googled the email address [email protected] and came across this post.

I am selling a car on Autotrader and I got an email from this individual saying they live 400 miles away from me and they want to come and see the car.

Sounded dodgy from the start so I didn't get any details to them, but just to let everyone know not only is this person attempting to sell non-existent cars but also take real ones from other people as well.

I'm guessing they would have come to have a look at the car, said they had transferred the money and it wouldn't clear. They'd then say oh I have to get back to my town (400 miles away to put the pressure on me) and they think they would be able to drive away with my car! Bunch of jokers.

Put my car on Autotrader and all I have had so far is 3 attempts at defrauding me. 45 quid well spent? :shock:
#213569 by happyfamilia Wed Aug 06, 2014 5:33 am
hi,

the same seller has the same one yesterday for sale Camper van...I have it posted on this forum.

First of all, I want to thank you for your interest in my camper van : 2009 VW T5 Camper van 1.9 TDi.This camper is in excellent working conditions,NO accidents, slightly used, and in 100% working and looking conditions,ONLY 28,209 miles, is always garaged and rarely used and it has HPI clear. It has full service history.Tax until Dec 2014 and MOT until May 2015. The final price that I will accept for this vehicle is £9,550 (including shipping and handling).

My husband died 3 months ago, and this camper brings me bad memories, and that's the reason that I want to sell it. I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and we moved to my sister in Stockholm,Sweden.The camper van is already at Shipping Company-www.CDS-Express.info (ready for delivery) in Middlesex.

The transaction will be done by the shipping company CDS-Express, due to the fact i'm overseas and I can not meet with you in person.I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon.

Thanks

First of all, I want to thank you for your interest in my camper van : 2009 VW T5 Camper van 1.9 TDi.This camper is in excellent working conditions,NO accidents, slightly used, and in 100% working and looking conditions,ONLY 28,209 miles, is always garaged and rarely used and it has HPI clear. It has full service history.Tax until Dec 2014 and MOT until May 2015. The final price that I will accept for this vehicle is £9,550 (including shipping and handling).

My husband died 3 months ago, and this camper brings me bad memories, and that's the reason that I want to sell it. I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and we moved to my sister in Stockholm,Sweden.The camper van is already at Shipping Company-www.CDS-Express.info (ready for delivery) in Middlesex.

The transaction will be done by the shipping company CDS-Express, due to the fact i'm overseas and I can not meet with you in person.I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon.

Thanks

Payment Terms:
Payment method accepted: Bank transfer, Electronic transfer, CHAPS/BACS payments
The payment will be sent to our company account.
The Buyer should submit the payment within 48 hours since the payment Invoice was issued.
If the Buyer is unable to proceed with payment as requested he should notify CDS-Express.



Account details for payment:
Bank Name: TSB BANK

Account Name: CDS-Express
Account number: 00201468

Sort code: 77-72-61

BIC: TSBSGB21436

IBAN:

GB62 TSBS 7772 6100 2014 68


Additional instructions: Reference Transaction #562415746

The Buyer must confirm the payment.
Fax the bank receipt to 44 2076811991 or scan it and send it via e-mail ( [email protected] ).

* IM GLAD MY WIFE TRIED TO FIND WAYS ON HOW TO CHECK THE EMAIL ADDRESS ONLINE AND WE FOUND YOUR POST...AND ITS ALL SIMILAR AND THE ADVERT ON EBAY IS GONE.
#221040 by Maria GotYourAss Wed Oct 01, 2014 8:50 am
Hi Maria,

First of all, I want to thank you for your interest in my car: 2008 BMW 1 Series 118 2.0 Diesel.This car is in excellent working conditions, NO accidents, slightly used, and in 100% working and looking conditions, ONLY 44,200 miles, is always garaged and rarely used and it has HPI clear. It has full service history. Tax until Jan 2015 and MOT until June 2015. The final price that I will accept for this vehicle is £3,550 (including shipping, handling and insurance). My husband died 3 months ago, and this motorhome brings me bad memories, and that's the reason that I want to sell it. I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and we moved to my sister in Athens, Greece. The motorhome is already at Shipping Company Hellas-shipping.com (ready for delivery) in Portsmouth, Hamshire. The transaction will be done by the shipping company Hellas Auto Shipping, due to the fact i'm overseas and I can not meet with you in person. I will wait your answer if you are interested to buy.

Thanks, Sofia Greaer

www.Hellas-shipping.com it's real ? http://Hellas-shipping.com

It's this a scam ?
#221041 by Maria GotYourAss Wed Oct 01, 2014 8:52 am
" Sofia Greaer " < [email protected] >

Hi Maria,
First of all, I want to thank you for your interest in my car: 2008 BMW 1 Series 118 2.0 Diesel.This car is in excellent working conditions, NO accidents, slightly used, and in 100% working and looking conditions, ONLY 44,200 miles, is always garaged and rarely used and it has HPI clear. It has full service history. Tax until Jan 2015 and MOT until June 2015. The final price that I will accept for this vehicle is £3,550 (including shipping, handling and insurance). My husband died 3 months ago, and this motorhome brings me bad memories, and that's the reason that I want to sell it. I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and we moved to my sister in Athens, Greece. The motorhome is already at Shipping Company Hellas-shipping.com (ready for delivery) in Portsmouth, Hamshire. The transaction will be done by the shipping company Hellas Auto Shipping, due to the fact i'm overseas and I can not meet with you in person. I will wait your answer if you are interested to buy.
Thanks, Sofia Greaer
#221042 by TerranceBoyce Wed Oct 01, 2014 9:12 am
Welcome to Scamwarners 'Maria GotYourAss'.

Yes it is a scam. I have one rolling thread in this part of the forum listing similar examples of fraudulent adverts and many other threads as well.

The scammer has mixed up the wording and you'll note that although he refers to a BMW 1 series 118 he later refers to a motorhome. :laugh-s:

The scammer is active on many ad sites and offers hundreds of vehicles for sale every night. It is a major criminal organisation and I follow their activities closely. I recognise the story they're using and I often pretend to by their vehicles so that I can learn the different lies they use. In this case they have mixed up two different stories.

Never ever buy any vehicle that you haven't seen and inspected yourself. When a seller talks about using an escrow or shipping company - he's lying.

Any money you pay to this person will be stolen from you.

CAR ADVERTS - If a car seller mentions escrow - he's scamming you Never ever for any reason pay anything until you have seen and inspected the vehicle
#221859 by Maria GotYourAss Mon Oct 06, 2014 3:50 pm
Can you please tell me on what websites it's doing his job ? Because I want to hunt him down and report all the ads .. I have all time to do this because I' m really angry :bondage: he take from me like 500 pounds deposit for that car
#266740 by KieranYo Mon Sep 07, 2015 7:02 am
I just stumbled onto this thread by googling the name "Sarah T Helton".

I was interested in this advert so called the number.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201508306481434
Screenshot (in case the advert gets taken down):
Image

and got this message to my phone
Image
(text for SEO - Hi, i am the owner of the VW TOURAN, i can't call you because of my deafness disability, please email me for more info [email protected])

So I emailed them at [email protected]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for messaging me. Is your Touran with the trailer still for sale?

Many thanks,
Kieran

and got this reply…

Hi Kieran,

First of all I want to thank you for your interest in my car: 2009 VW Touran 2.0 TDi With Custom Built Trailer.This car is in excellent working conditions, slightly used in 100% working and looking conditions,ONLY 72,000 miles, is always garaged and rarely used and it has HPI clear.It has no damage, no scratches or dents, no hidden defects. It has full service history. The final price that I want for this car is £6,300(including shipping and handling).

My husband died 3 months ago (he had a heart attack) and this car brings me bad memories and that's the reason that I want to sell it.The car is already at Shipping Company- http://www.TD-Distribution-Motors.uk/ (ready for delivery) in Cheshire.

The transaction will be done by the shipping company TD-Distribution, due to the fact i'm overseas and I can not meet with you in person.I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon.

Thanks


I'm going to report the Ad to autotrader shortly.

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