Craiglist scam?

matthinnant

matthinnant

New member
So I found this tacoma on craigslist for $2800 dollars and it seems to good to be true I emailed the woman who posted it and this is the sap story I recieved let me know what you think and have you seen anything similar to this. hers her reply to my email.





Hi,

Thank you for your interest in my 2000 Toyota Tacoma (151,126 miles). Is in absolutely perfect condition and well maintained. I sell it at this price ($2,800) because I just finished the divorce with my husband. When the divorce was finished I owned this truck. Anyway in this situation I can only watch it. I have some financial problems right now so I want to sell it asap and a fast sale can be done only at a low price. Unfortunately for me my daughter is in hospital and I can't do this transaction personally, the transaction will be made through eBay protection program for the safety of both of us. The total price is $2,800 and it includes delivery to your address. If you want to buy it I just need your full name and address so I can open a case. You must know that eBay will contact you without any obligation to buy it or fees.
Please reply me asap if interested.

For more pictures Click the link bellow.
Pictures by 2000_Toyota_SR5__4x4 - Photobucket

Thank you,
Stacy Collins



ME----> I was wondering why you are selling your truck for so little??
 
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ANY time someone replys with anything referring to a 3rd party I assume scam. they get pretty creative with stories and names of organizations (i have heard of ebay's name being dropped too). I would steer clear, if she needed money that bad, any dealership around would give that much.
 
Yeah this has everything that leads me to believe it's a scam. It will most likely be flagged later today if it hasn't already. When I was selling my Integra I got a couple of spam emails where they actually asked for my SSN and other personal information. It's usually pretty easy to tell when it's a scam, but a second opinion is always nice.
 
I would really wonder if she has clear title to the truck (if it is not a pure phishing scam). That would make a dealer sale impossible if she did not.

In any case, the phrase e-Bay 'case' is a red flag. Unless it is a true e-Bay auction sale, there is no buyer protection. I'd be prepared for some sham e-bay site/e-mails if you did go forward.

Ask for a VIN and/or Carfax, and see what happens.
 
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Read Ebay's protection program site and it says that it only applies to ebay auctions, they don't offer service for any sales outside of ebay.

This scam isn't even subtle.
 
Scam or not. Poor english is a deal killer for me. If you cant bother to speak correctly you most likey cant maintain a truck correctly either.

But in this case, its a scam 100%.
 
4-Ripcord said:
Scam or not. Poor english is a deal killer for me. If you cant bother to speak correctly you most likey cant maintain a truck correctly either.

But in this case, its a scam 100%.
Click to expand...

Really? No offense meant, but that statement is just stupid. Think about what you typed versus what you might have meant to say instead.
 
I'd walk away. But I'd also suggest, if you are on the hunt for a used vehicle, to buy something like carfax or autocheck for a period of time, unlimited VINs, and run every VIN you consider before even talking to someone any further. It's good peace of mind for 30 to 40 bucks. I also wouldn't try to buy a vehicle from someone that wants to do a deal via email. If they don't list their phone number, I often just skip the ad and move on. Best case, I email and request a phone number or leave my number for them to contact me. If they are serious about selling, and not trying to hide anything, they should be willing to talk voice to voice and provide the VIN for the vehicle.
 
I had a similar deal on a 03 camry 80,xxx miles leather $2700.
The guy sent me 60 pics of it looked brand new I asked where we could meet up to look at it he tried some of the same stuff you are talking about.

I'd stay away from it could be a ruff $2800 lesson.
 
Anytime anything is $2800 on craigslist, with huge pictures and a different/bold Font? It sure as Hell IS a SCAM!!!!

At least that's what I am used to seeing here...
 
4-Ripcord said:
Scam or not. Poor english is a deal killer for me. If you cant bother to speak correctly you most likey cant maintain a truck correctly either.

But in this case, its a scam 100%.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. It says a lot about the person, how they type that is. A few typos and whatnot are fine but you can just tell from the ad alone what kind of person owns the car.

In this case, that is most definitely a scam. They are getting crafty these days. They way they open it up to you now with "Is IT still for sale?" really makes me want to punch a hole in the wall. They don't even know what IT is.

Then my favorite is when they seem all interested and want to pick IT up. Then they say their kid dented the minivan, but it's okay because they work at home, making insane money! And you can too!

My God I hope I run into one of these people somehow, someday, when I am in a really bad, PMSy mood.
 
Things to look for.
Really nice pictures of a car in immaculate condition. Extremely low price for the vehicle, 2-3k seems to be a favorite of scammers. Phrases like "this car is perfect! It needs nothing at all super mint absolute best car in the world!!!" is a big clue.
Scammers will not put a phone number to reach them, ever. If you email them you get the sob story and reason for getting rid of the car so cheap, notice it won't say your name. They will not answer specific questions that you may have asked such as, is the timing belt done recently? What you will get is junk like, this car is perfect, it needs nothing!!! Blah Blah Blah.

The car will also never be in the area that they posted it.
You can email them anything you want and will get a canned response back. You can ask what color their favorite Popsicle and it will be totally ignored.

Just a few things to watch out for.
 
The red flags on that listing are all over the place. Run, don't walk away from this one.

A big flag to me is why would any guy want to give his wife the Tacoma in a divorce???
 
I agree with the grammar and spelling being terrible. When I see that type of thing on a "too good to be true" type of deal..I steer clear.
 
Google her email address and or fake name, if she has ripped anyone off and and they have posted it on any forum or on the net it will come up.
 
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