We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Are we being scammed?
Options

miquaight
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hi guys, long time lurker who's always thought the forums on here were superb.
I was just reading other threads about scams on Car Buying.
We just put our car up on Gumtree and got an email asking if the car was still available. We said yes, and then got this email:
I was just reading other threads about scams on Car Buying.
We just put our car up on Gumtree and got an email asking if the car was still available. We said yes, and then got this email:
"Thanks for the response,i will take it for £9650 including PayPal surcharges since i am interested in the immediate purchase for my DAD.he just moved to the Malaysia,where this is needed and i will be making use of a shipping company to have this picked up from you and have it delivered to him .Further arrangements will be made with you in regards to the pick up once i have paid you or you can send me your Bank Details for the immediate transfer?
I would appreciate if you email me with more pictures (if available) too since i won't be be able to see this in person,what's the PayPal email to send funds to in order for me to pay you ASAP."
Now, the dodgy things:
- Quick response to new listing
- Offering more money than asked
- Shipping car abroad
- Wont be able to see car
Things making me less sure of a Scam:
- English isn't awful and talkng about love and heath for my loved ones
- Offering PayPal and Bank Transfer, not cheque
- Car is in very good condition and only 4 years old and has lots of the bells and whistles so is a very very good deal at this price, so shipping it IS *tiny voice* plausable. But it'd still cost an absolute fortune so i have to be honest and say i think this is weird.
Basically - our alarm bells are certainly ringing, but if we get the money via bacs or PayPal we can't work out HOW they would scam us....
Also - don't you need to have the V5 signed by the buyer???
Your opinions would be greatly appriciated.
At this point though i don't think we will be taking him up on the offer!!
0
Comments
-
I buy car parts from Malaysia frequently- it isn't worth it in reverse. Charges would be far too high.
It's a scam, and a fairly common one on Gumtree as well.0 -
Absolutely classic standard 419 'overpayment' scam.
No one overpays for something advertised for sale. Unfortunately one 419 scammer will reply to hundreds of ads on Gumtree and other sites in the hope of snagging one or two victims.
Most likely it's a Nigerian 419 scammer at university in Malaysia. Either you'll receive a counterfeit cheque, or receive spoofed mails claiming to confirm payment by paypal, then you'll be asked to pay their shipper (themselves) by Western Union so that he'll come and collect the car.
The scam doesn't work if you state at the outset that you'll never pay any money to third parties under any circumstances. In the heat of the moment it's easy to get caught, but there's never any need for you to make payments on behalf of someone else.
To the scammer it's a 'no risk' way to earn money just by spending some time in an internet cafe.
The shipping ploy is what enables the scammer to engineer his profit. He's not aiming to steal the whole price or your car, he's after the 'shipping costs', and he couldn't care less about what happens to the car. Did he mention what it is he's buying ? Often scammers send the same mail to hundreds of people selling many types of goods, so it won't mention specifically your item.
To imagine someone in Malaysia importing a second hand, right hand drive car, sight unseen from England is preposterous, and if you feel silly now, just imagine how you'd have felt if they'd suckered you.
A nasty scam that catches many people advertising on sites like Gumtree.Never ever give your card details to anyone over the phone, and check the reputation of any company you do intend to give them to.0 -
On the balance of probabilties this is a scam. When a buyer mentions the involvement of a shipping company in relation to a car purchase, the alarm bells should start ringing. Insist on a CASH ONLY sale, and you may find the buyer suddenly loses interest."You were only supposed to blow the bl**dy doors off!!"0
-
currently trying to sell my electric wheelchair
the emails from ppl about it were quite weird.
Once said she wanted to buy it as a wedding present for her boyfriend and wanted to keep it a secret, one wanted to buy it from bosnia.. as his was broken.. the shipping alone on that would of been expensive..
especailly as i stated cash only and pick up only0 -
Thanks everybody! I'm glad we were suspicious.
I'd fully expect if we said "yes, pay via paypal" there would be a "mysterious" error and they'd say "oh, sorry, my account isn't working, can I send you a cheque?" Lol
Thanks for giving us the back up we needed. I'll let him know he can come and give us it in notes or sod off0 -
maninthestreet wrote: »On the balance of probabilties this is a scam.
Indeed.
The probability of it being a scam is so close to 100% that it's not worth wearing out my '9' key trying to type a more accurate figure.There are two types of people in the world: Those that can extrapolate information.0 -
If you sent pictures of a different car in worse condition I bet he'd still want to proceed, as he's only interested in getting the shipping costs off you.Never ever give your card details to anyone over the phone, and check the reputation of any company you do intend to give them to.0
-
Oh my god I think I will HAVE TODO THAT. (Its a yellow car!):rotfl:0
-
It's a scam - don't even bother replying.0
-
'the malaysia'? that does it for me without the rest of the scam email!Target Savings by end 2009: 20,000
current savings: 20,500 (target hit yippee!)
Debts: 8000 (student loan so doesnt count)
new target savings by Feb 2010: 30,0000
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 350.8K Banking & Borrowing
- 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.5K Spending & Discounts
- 243.8K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.8K Life & Family
- 257.1K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards