CAR BUYING SCAM - CAR ADVERTISED ON GUMTREE

[bobandtina]

i advertised a car on Gumtree and received an email from - a Lisa Woosnam who after being told car was still for sale said:-

Great please consider it sold as I am willing to pay your full asking price because I need to buy it for my cousin asap. I have read through the advert and I am totally satisfied with it, sadly I would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and me being in a wheelchair.  I have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and I'll pay you via PayPal today.  Where is the pick up location so that I can inform courier agent about it now.

I told her it was a requirement for new registered keep to sign documents and she emailed back saying she would give all details to courier.  Looked on this site and found it was a scam.  Thank you all and hope this helps some other poor person not to be scammed.

[tkolpaczek]

Just got similar e-mail: Thanks for the response,I would have loved to call you directly but due to the nature of my work we do not have access to phone at the moment,which is why I contacted you with internet messaging facility. I am buying it for my for my holiday and i want it delivered before my arrival ,Does it have any history I should be aware of? and why are you selling if you don't mind my asking. I don't mind adding an extra £100.00 for you just to take down the posting..I am already in talks with freighters that will handle the pickup and delivery .I will really appreciate if you can email more info Due to the nature of my work i am a very busy man working all day,am a sailor am presently on-board, i don't have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here but i have my Halifax bank account link up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through PayPal to your nominated bank account or better still is if you have a PayPal account ,please get back to me with your account name, account number and your sort code or PayPal Address so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it my ware house .Await your reply Email is from : Dolby Woods (dolbywoods at gmail dot com) Stay safe people! Tom.

[IngeC]

Just received this after an initial text reply after posting an ad for a car on gumtree: Hi, I am Charlie Edgar, Thanks for getting back to me, and I really appreciate your respond as well. I'm satisfied with the condition as advertised on the site so, I will like to make a deal with you and I will be offering you £50 extra to the asking price to keep it off from all other offer and consider it sold to me alone as I'm serious with the purchasing and you can just confirm the total price am paying now. I would have come for the inspection and make the transaction done in person but I couldn't, due to the nature of my work. I have came to to use a pick up agent that will be coming for the pick up after the payment has been sorted and will also sign all the necessary paper work with my power legally on my behalf. I need some pictures as soon as possible since I can't make an attempt to see it. And more so, I'll like to know the following: (1.) How long have you had it? (2.) I will like to know the reason why you are selling it. (3.) Hope I'll enjoy it? And for the payment, I'll send the money to your account first and after you get the money in your account, the pick up company will come there for the pick up, (The money will be send to you asap I got the payment details from you without delay). Lest I forget, I would be transferring the total funds to your account through my PayPal account. Note that I'll be responsible for shipping and handling. Thanks so much, I will be looking forward to read from you soon. Best regards, Charlie Edgar. Sounded too much like a scam

[Alif84]

Hi I just got the exact same message from Charlie Edgar!!! Has it been confirmed as a scam?

[tricks]

Yep roughly the same emails from Tammy Bullock and Charlie Edgar! The standard of English made me think it was a scam! Very annoying but glad I googled this! 

[thegymshoe]

This happened with me today too.  Dodgy English is a dead give away.

[Arul009]

Hi, I had same type of email but different name and similar reason, in my case she was deaf and had heart surgery recently. She forced me to open an PayPal account even though I was not comfortable but after many emails I asked her to send me her disable badge photocopy and after that no emails at all. It almost tempted me to sell her but I was careful, the way she use to email and without asking she told me that she is deaf and had heart surgery. I think I one would be comfortable to say that without even asking. So be carful guys with these frauds !!!!

[mmccartin]

I received a similar, generic email today regarding my car for sale:

Hi, I am Charlie Tullett, 

Thanks for getting back to me, and I really appreciate your respond as well. I'm satisfied with the condition as advertised on the site so, I will like to make a deal with you and I will be offering you £50 extra to the asking price to keep it off from all other offer and consider it sold to me alone as I'm serious with the purchasing and you can just confirm the total price am paying now. I would have come for the inspection and make the transaction done in person but I couldn't, due to the nature of my work. I have came to to use a pick up agent that will be coming for the pick up after the payment has been sorted and will also sign all the necessary paper work with my power legally on my behalf. I need some pictures as soon as possible since I can't make an attempt to see it. And more so, I'll like to know the following:

(1.) How long have you had it?

(2.) I will like to know the reason why you are selling it.

(3.) Hope I'll enjoy it?

And for the payment, I'll send the money to your account first and after you get the money in your account, the pick up company will come there for the pick up, (The money will be send to you asap I got the payment details from you without delay).

Lest I forget, I would be transferring the total funds to your account through my PayPal account. 

Note that I'll be responsible for shipping and handling.

Thanks so much, I will be looking forward to read from you soon.

Best regards,

Charlie Tullett.

[livefats]

Ditto - just got a text from "Booksy" - "Do you still have the BIKE for sale? I'm interested in buying it. So. Kindly email me your last asking price and send photos to ( charlie.tullett-at-aol.com )" (I've replaced the "at" sign with -at-)

Capitals for "BIKE" rung alarm bells, as did the English slips. The number from which the text was sent was 266579 - not suprisingly, replies are undeliverable.

I am selling a bike, but would never use PayPal for vehicles as others have said. MCN have an app called "MCN Wallet", available for Apple and GooglePlay, which allows secure and free transfer of funds.

[Sisi10987654321]

Alerted by the whole story ( wheel chair, deafness , courrier, PayPal , full asking price etc ) I decided to google . I'm very grateful to the community for sharing their experiences and confirming the notion that this was dodgy .The details and Erica Campbell's (AKA) modus operandi were identical to other community members

[Slammamonichio]

Can confirm this account tried to buy a car from me. I asked them to call me to verify as their text message and email wording was a bit strange. Glad I came on here.

Their email:

Where is it located at the moment?what's your final price?Why are you selling it?does it need anything to be replace or repair?I'm a Squadron leader at Royal Australian Air Force and i have been currently deployed .I have limited phone access and that's why i prefer the sales through email.Regarding the payment, I can pay you through direct bank deposit (EFT),using PayPal instant bank wire transfer service.I will need your Account name,BSB and Account number. If you are not comfortable with that, you can set up a PayPal account properly at PayPal and I will make the payment through PayPal,this way, all I will need is your PayPal email address.

I have also contacted my courier who will come for pick up and deliver it to my place in Darwin after the whole fund has been cleared into your acct.With the issue of my details,transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the pick up agent.If you are not comfortable with that, you can cancel the registration and i will buy Unregistered.

Await your reply

Their 2nd response is below:

Regarding the payment ! Hope i can trust you ?

I am happy to proceed with the payment by transferring the amount of the price listed,can you assure me i will not be disappointed?i have a little problem with the freighting arrangement,the freighters said i will need to pay for the freighting fees before they can schedule pre-shipping/ pickup date,they charged $1,100 for the pick up and delivery with some papers they need to sort out for the transport, but the problem is they only accept western union money transfer as form of payment which is sent to their Head Quarters in China where they confirm all Commission Payment schedule for suitable Pick Up Date. ,as you what you are well aware of, I am away and do not have access to western union money transfer,I tried to pay online but i will need a credit card which i didn't bring along,you can make the western union transfer at any western union office or post office nearest to you or online at X,they usually have western union section there, you should have one around you,will it be ok with you if I add the $1,100 to the amount I am transferring? as soon as i have made the payment you can help me make the transfer of the freighting fees through western union money transfer? You are not obliged to help me, but i will indeed appreciate your help as I am a little incapacitated here .

Await your fast reply.

post edited to remove personal information.