buying from abroad... yahoo finance

Darlinbud

thanks everyone
We thought it must be a scam of some sort, but was hoping we were wrong!

bexstar

hi
please do not trust anyone on autotrader that is selling a car to cheap and they will ship from spain and you use Yahoo finance its a scam. i nearly sent 4k to them so glad i checked on here first
This is what they sent

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GT TDI 140!
Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Cadiz, Spain (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in you name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is GBP 4,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in the Spain is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Spain.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a well known company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.
Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

bigblackdog

i once was hooked with this scam , think it is called 'the emperors new clothes' , after some research it turned out to be quite common , i kept emailing them silly questions , and posted there replies on here , other members suggested questions to ask , it was quite fun baiting them but they dissappeared in the end .

harveybobbles

OP - can I have your bank details as I'd like to deposit £1,250,000 into your account.

Thanks in advance...

Parminder_Panesar

I too was intersted in buyng a car which was in Spain. Guess what the e-mail you got from the buyer was exactly the same as one i got, even down the poor grammer and punctuation. Definately a scam and one that nearly worked because of the official looking use of Yahoo Finance.
I am considering reporting this to the police and I thank the person for posting thier question over a year ago as had it not been for the remarkable similarity on the mails i would have seriously considered going ahead with this.

Once again the MSE web site has served a very useful purpose

Mango-16

I too found a fantastic deal only to find that the seller is in Portugal, he was extremely obliging in sending through links to Yahoo finance...luckily I decided to check it out with you guys, and hey the emails are almost word for word, thank you ME forum members.
This ad was on Motorhome & Caravan Autotrader who you think you would be safe with...:mad:

here is the emails I received:


On 19 January 2012 10:25, Mr Luke Hall wrote:
Hello again,

Due to the fact that i am located outside UK and we can not deal in person,i`ve contacted Yahoo Finance regarding this issue and they told me that they could offer to me a program that is created especially for international transactions that protects both of us. They agreed to supervise this deal.
You will send the funds to Yahoo Finance and they will keep the money until you receive the vehicle and test it.In this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction. They will hold and insure your money until receipt of the car in good condition. That is how their service is working. As far as the seller concerns, i will be glad to know that Yahoo Finance is in possession of the funds during the delivery period.
You will be given a 15 days inspection period from the day you receive the car at home( i will ship it to your address insured for full value to you ).
If you decide to keep the car, then you will have to authorize Yahoo Finance to release the funds to me, and the transaction is complete.If the vehicle is not as described ( perfect interior,exterior,mechanical condition ), you will be able to send the vehicle back through the same shipping company ( return postage at my expense ), and ask Yahoo Finance to return the money to you.

If you want to check the car here are the reg details #:

# Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM) FX56KSK
# VIN (chassis number) WV1ZZZ7HZ6H109910

If you want to read more about Yahoo Finance service please visit :
(sorry had to remove link)

If you want to get more info about their terms and condition please contact Yahoo Finance at: (sorry had to remove link)

If you wish to purchase it and agree to these terms i will need you to provide your full name and address. I will then notify Yahoo Finance and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your reply as soon as possible

Thank You!!

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:13:16 +0000
Subject: Re: VW camper van

Thank you again for saving me

[Deleted User]

If Yahoo don't have an escrow service, then how to you actually pay the money to them anyway?

:rotfl:

SUNNYJIM_2

Hi, I am so glad I found this forum before parting with £5000 for a VW Transporter. We really thought we had found the bargain of the year. The old saying "if it sounds too good to be true then it usually is" should really be taken heed of! Below are just two of the emails I received from a guy calling himself Aron Rankin, supposedly living in Portugal. It all sounded so plausible but we just couldn't quite believe it so thankfully googled and found this forum. The van was advertised on Van Trader, part of Autotrader but the ad disappeared the day after I made first contact witht he "seller". The phone number on the ad didn't work and despite 3 requests from me asking for a valid phone number I never actually got one, only emails.

Hello there,

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2006 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER 1.9TDI PD 84PS Van SWB. Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Portimao, Portugal (where my family is from) and the van is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this van from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The van meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the van.The vehicle is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised. The van comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the van in your name.If the vehicle is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is GBP 5,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the van is right hand drive in a country where all vans are left hand drive so in the Portugal is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Portugal.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.

I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a very well company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.
Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you!


Aron



Hello again,

Due to the fact that i am located outside UK and we can not deal in person,i`ve contacted Yahoo Finance regarding this issue and they told me that they could offer to me a program that is created especially for international transactions that protects both of us. They agreed to supervise this deal.
You will send the funds to Yahoo Finance and they will keep the money until you receive the vehicle and test it.In this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction. They will hold and insure your money until receipt of the van in good condition. That is how their service is working. As far as the seller concerns, i will be glad to know that Yahoo Finance is in possession of the funds during the delivery period.
You will be given a 15 days inspection period from the day you receive the van at home( i will ship it to your address insured for full value to you ).
If you decide to keep the vehicle, then you will have to authorize Yahoo Finance to release the funds to me, and the transaction is complete.If the vehicle is not as described ( perfect interior,exterior,mechanical condition ), you will be able to send the vehicle back through the same shipping company ( return postage at my expense ), and ask Yahoo Finance to return the money to you.

If you want to check the car here are the reg details #:

# Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM) RA06OJM
# VIN (chassis number) WV1ZZZ7HZ7H014288
# V5 Registration Document serial number BQ6200014
# V5 Registration Document issue date 19-Mar-2010


If you wish to purchase it and agree to these terms i will need you to provide your full name and address. I will then notify Yahoo Finance and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your reply as soon as possible

Thank You!!


I hope this stops anybody else being taken in by these thieves. We had a lucky escape!

forgotmyname

Word of warning the scammer has found this site also, So dont be fooled by messages from members saying the sale is OK.

Wonder where this vehicle is really?

Showing as a panel van not a motorhome though.

motorguy

bexstar wrote: »

hi
please do not trust anyone on autotrader that is selling a car to cheap and they will ship from spain and you use Yahoo finance its a scam. i nearly sent 4k to them so glad i checked on here first
This is what they sent

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GT TDI 140!
Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Cadiz, Spain (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in you name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is GBP 4,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in the Spain is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Spain.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a well known company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.
Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

I'm genuinely stunned that anyone could possibly think this is anything other than a scam, given its less than half what the cars worth and the strange way the transaction is to take place.

Shocking :eek: