eBay/Craigslist Another tractor scam? Not ebay this time.

[jk96]

With all the posts about too good to be true tractor deals on ebay, here's a new twist.

I recently listed my DX33 on Tractorhouse.com. A few days ago I recieved this e-mail.

Hello,

We want to purchase your C-IH DX33 Tractor. Kindly advice us if it's still available and your last selling price. I do hope is in a very good shape and include some pictures while writing back.

Awaits your positive reply.

Thank you,

Williams Armstrong.

REEBORT GATE SERVICES.
CHEETHAM HILL ROAD
MANCHESTER U.K
M8 0PF
Tel : 44-703-189-5761 - Office ( call during UK working hours)
: 44-702-406-0081
Fax : 44-870-490-2829
E-mail : reobortgateinc@yahoo.de

My reply:

Recieved your e-mail regarding the tractor. It is still available, however I am located in the U.S., not U.K. Thanks.

Jeremy

Response

Hello Again,
I received your urgent responds on the farm machinery I inquired about, talk are on going with my shipping agent to have the Equipment pick up from you and more over i would prefer to make payment via Wire transfer get back to us with your full Bank details on the wire transfer. Please quote the specific amount you would want us pay on its. We are located in the United Kingdom.


Williams Armstrong.

My Reply:
William,

Please have your shipping agent bring a cashiers check from a U.S. bank for the tractor when he comes to pick it up. Please tell him he must schedule pickup during banking hours so I can call the bank and verify the validity of the cashiers check. My best price for the tractor is $17,500. Thank you.

Jeremy

So far I have not recieved any further correspondence. Not only is the grammer poor, but if you look at his company name and e-mail address Robert is spelled wrong and two different ways. Just thought I'd share.

jk

 

[jimainiac]

"...here's a new twist." You're kidding, right? Seems like just about anyone who has anything for sale on the internet has gotten one of these scams. You just headed them off with your specific instructions for their "agent" to appear in person before any monetary transactions took place. Normally they offer to send a check for more than the amount, if you would please be kind enough to send the difference back. You cash the check, send back the extra money with your good check and ship your tractor, then your bank notifies you that their check, or money order, or wire transfer was no good. Or something similar to that.

 

[Pushing_Tin]

Absolute 100% scam! However if you're bored you can mess with them for weeks and even get a cool bogus check!

 

[California]

The cutest one I saw was when a guy learned an overseas money order for his Mac laptop was bogus. He drew a sketch of a keyboard the long way on a sheet of paper, put it in a binder, painted an Apple logo on the binder cover, and mailed it off. It cost the scammer $65 in Customs fees to take delivery of the pretend 'laptop'. And the guy who sent him the worthless check wrote back and complained he was cheated!

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

We get this stuff though the equipment websites all the time. Infact, we probably get more scam emails and legit requests.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Hey California I like that idea of drawing a picture of a PC and then sending it. Maybe we can get some of our kids pictures of tractors and send them along with the charges for that item. Mess with them crooks at their own game.

 

[tallyho8]

My Reply:
William,

Please have your shipping agent bring a cashiers check from a U.S. bank for the tractor when he comes to pick it up. Please tell him he must schedule pickup during banking hours so I can call the bank and verify the validity of the cashiers check. My best price for the tractor is $17,500. Thank you.
Jeremy

Be VERY careful about ever accepting an out of town cashiers check. The scammers now all send fake cashiers checks that look perfect.

 

[texasjohn]

We in the USA are rapidly loosing our long held faith in our fellow man. Having traveled numerous times to Latin America and Europe, I have always been struck by the lack of trust that permeates those communities. I cannot speak first hand regarding other areas of the world, but suspect that the same distrust is rampant there. Exceptions seem to be Canada and Australia.

Elsewhere, huge personal resources of time and treasure are unproductively applied because of worry, body guards, protective measures for self and property, bribes, payoffs, etc. That is, constant life actions based on suspicion and distrust in all personal and business transactions.

Of course, in all those locations people have their trusted circle of associations while all others have to prove themselves trustworthy. Somehow in the USA the "innocent until proven guilty" concept has applied beyond the legal domain into the personal societal experience.

Now, in the USA our attitudes are changing because of phishing, spam, identity theft, illegal immigration, airport personal and property searches, etc. All these are requiring increasingly huge unproductive expenditures of personal time and funds... all because of the increasingly proven need to mistrust our fellow man. To me, this is the true attack on homeland security.

So, fellow TBN members, keep your plow in the ground, keep your tractor running, make good on your handshake and word, trust and verify your business associations.

 

[DonWorrell]

My Reply:

Be VERY careful about ever accepting an out of town cashiers check. The scammers now all send fake cashiers checks that look perfect.

If I took the cashiers check to the bank the cashed it and then the bank found it was forged who is going to lose, me or the bank who cashed it?

Just wondering. It might come to cash only transactions.

I know a bank draft is almost worthless. It is taken by your bank for collection. If the bank can't collect it then it is worthless. Most insurance checks for a stolen car are bank drafts. It give them a few extra day to find your car.

Don

 

[California]

If I took the cashiers check to the bank the cashed it and then the bank found it was forged who is going to lose, me or the bank who cashed it?

You. No matter what it is, if the bank can't collect from the apparent origin of that check, they will reverse your deposit as if you never made it.

They will probably stamp UNCOLLECTABLE or VOID on the face of the check too, so good luck trying to cash it even at the originating bank. That happened to a friend when he paid a weeks lodging in advance overseas with legitimate travellers checks. An hour later the hotel clerk came up to his room with the traveller's checks all stamped VOID and told him sorry, that chain didn't take that brand of traveller's checks. It took him days to get replacements.