Am I walking into a scam?

lordgaz

Aylesbury_Duck said:

lordgaz said:

It’s the payment part I’m worried about.. just sending money to an account for which they could say no payment received. I think to mitigate risk the seller must have their banking app open on their phone (so I can verify their bank details), and ensure names match etc and then send a test amount.. that should be enough I think. I do know that the vendor hails from a very well known scamming country which is spooking my spidey senses, but I know also that only a tiny  fraction of 218 million people are scammers…

An interesting statement. It's either a "well-known scamming country" or just a tiny fraction of its people are scammers.  It would struggle to be both. Which country is deserving of your prejudice?

ill thought out comment - I have removed the irrelevance

sheramber

if your bank  and their bank use Confirmation of Payment then you will know if it the correct name.

Will you be able to confirm the item works?

user1977

Any scenario could potentially be a scam - they could take cash and then not give you the item. Or the item could be a load of rubbish. If you really don't trust them then why deal with them at all?

lordgaz

sheramber said:

if your bank  and their bank use Confirmation of Payment then you will know if it the correct name.

Will you be able to confirm the item works?

I'll check names match - The item is new in an unopened box - I asked the seller to open the box and send me photos, but he said he would only open the box when viewed in person. I can understand the need to preserve the seal on the box I guess - Clearly I will not buy something unless I have seen it. If the item  is truly new and the box has not been opened, then there are plenty of indicators, once opened, to show me that the item is in fact new and unused. (Unused compressors of the brand come inside a sealed bag, with transit plugs and a few seals) - There's no mistaking a new compressor over a used one (I hope). Hopefully new = working. I am going to collect tomorrow - so I will report thereafter.

lordgaz

user1977 said:

Any scenario could potentially be a scam - they could take cash and then not give you the item. Or the item could be a load of rubbish. If you really don't trust them then why deal with them at all?

The problem is quite long winded - But in essence, the compressor part is special order from Europe online - 28 days lead time - Meanwhile my vehicle is blocking up a local mechanics space (where it broke down while collecting another vehicle!) and he wants it moved. - so I could do with a compressor right now. I am prepared to walk away from this one, but if it is what the vendor says it is, then it will really relieve some pressure.

born_again

lordgaz said:

It’s the payment part I’m worried about.. just sending money to an account for which they could say no payment received. I think to mitigate risk the seller must have their banking app open on their phone (so I can verify their bank details), and ensure names match etc and then send a test amount.. that should be enough I think. (edited to remove irrelevance)

There have been known cases of fake banking app, that will have correct details, but never show payments made.

https://www.makeuseof.com/fake-banking-apps-scam-in-real-life/

About halfway down page.

MalMonroe

lordgaz said:

user1977 said:

Any scenario could potentially be a scam - they could take cash and then not give you the item. Or the item could be a load of rubbish. If you really don't trust them then why deal with them at all?

The problem is quite long winded - But in essence, the compressor part is special order from Europe online - 28 days lead time - Meanwhile my vehicle is blocking up a local mechanics space (where it broke down while collecting another vehicle!) and he wants it moved. - so I could do with a compressor right now. I am prepared to walk away from this one, but if it is what the vendor says it is, then it will really relieve some pressure.

It all seems very weird to me. Why do you have to get the compressor part from someone in the UK who must have ordered it from Europe? Couldn't you have just ordered one from Europe yourself? What's the middle-man thing all about? Is it cheaper that way? If he hasn't opened the box, how does he know that the compressor is actually there and if it is, that it's in anything like good condition? 

I wouldn't allow myself to be pushed into the position of having to act quickly (impatient mechanic) and risk being scammed. But then again, the mechanic might start charging you storage for the car. It seems as if it's going to turn out to be quite expensive, one way or another.

I wouldn't buy anything from Gumtree, call me daft but not everyone on there is honest. And this particular sale - fishy. 

Ectophile

MalMonroe said:

lordgaz said:

user1977 said:

Any scenario could potentially be a scam - they could take cash and then not give you the item. Or the item could be a load of rubbish. If you really don't trust them then why deal with them at all?

The problem is quite long winded - But in essence, the compressor part is special order from Europe online - 28 days lead time - Meanwhile my vehicle is blocking up a local mechanics space (where it broke down while collecting another vehicle!) and he wants it moved. - so I could do with a compressor right now. I am prepared to walk away from this one, but if it is what the vendor says it is, then it will really relieve some pressure.

It all seems very weird to me. Why do you have to get the compressor part from someone in the UK who must have ordered it from Europe? Couldn't you have just ordered one from Europe yourself? What's the middle-man thing all about? Is it cheaper that way? If he hasn't opened the box, how does he know that the compressor is actually there and if it is, that it's in anything like good condition? 

I wouldn't allow myself to be pushed into the position of having to act quickly (impatient mechanic) and risk being scammed. But then again, the mechanic might start charging you storage for the car. It seems as if it's going to turn out to be quite expensive, one way or another.

I wouldn't buy anything from Gumtree, call me daft but not everyone on there is honest. And this particular sale - fishy. 

Because ordering it from Europe has a 28 day lead time, the car needs fixing, and someone in the UK has one sitting in a box now.

born_again

MalMonroe said:

lordgaz said:

user1977 said:

Any scenario could potentially be a scam - they could take cash and then not give you the item. Or the item could be a load of rubbish. If you really don't trust them then why deal with them at all?

The problem is quite long winded - But in essence, the compressor part is special order from Europe online - 28 days lead time - Meanwhile my vehicle is blocking up a local mechanics space (where it broke down while collecting another vehicle!) and he wants it moved. - so I could do with a compressor right now. I am prepared to walk away from this one, but if it is what the vendor says it is, then it will really relieve some pressure.

It all seems very weird to me. Why do you have to get the compressor part from someone in the UK who must have ordered it from Europe? Couldn't you have just ordered one from Europe yourself? What's the middle-man thing all about? Is it cheaper that way? If he hasn't opened the box, how does he know that the compressor is actually there and if it is, that it's in anything like good condition? 

I wouldn't allow myself to be pushed into the position of having to act quickly (impatient mechanic) and risk being scammed. But then again, the mechanic might start charging you storage for the car. It seems as if it's going to turn out to be quite expensive, one way or another.

I wouldn't buy anything from Gumtree, call me daft but not everyone on there is honest. And this particular sale - fishy. 

Which may end up with a nice customs & excise charge. 

TheBanker

Since you're paying him, any scam would involve him selling you an item that doesn't exist, is faulty/not as described or possibly stolen.

How did you find this person? Was he advertising the item for sale, or did you post a 'wanted' ad? It just seems slightly odd that he happens to have a brand new item, which is exactly what you need, when the items are not easy to get hold of. If you do collect the item in person, I would suggest taking a trusted friend or family member with you.

The advice is often to conduct these transactions in cash, but that's really to protect the seller. With a bank transfer, the buyer can collect the goods then report to their bank that they've been scammed. Even if they haven't been scammed, this can cause problems for the seller as their account could be frozen while it's investigated.

Personally, I would try to source the item from a business rather than a private seller, but maybe I'm over cautious. Maybe you've already done this, but I would have asked the mechanic if could source the part from any of his contacts quicker than importing one from overseas.