Overhaulin'

Is this a possible scam?

I'm trying to buy this car online. I found it on Craigslist and I saw some pictures of it. It's a NICE I mean REALLY NICE car and he's selling it dirt cheap. This car has to be worth at least 20,000 and he's selling it under 10 grand. I emailed him for more info and he sent me this back.... "My car is in great shape, no engine problems, damages or hidden defects. It was always garaged and never smoked in.It has no scratches or any kind of damage. I'm a pilot on cargo flights. My wife broke up with me recently because I'm always away from home. We just sold our house and split the money. This is the last thing I need to sell and split the money with her. Because I'm away most of the time I will not be able to deal in person But I've already arranged the shipping and the title transfer anywhere in the US. At this point I am in Calgary, Canada at my parents due to my father's situation, he's going through a hard time with his illness. The car is located in Helena, Montana, if you want to buy it. Also i can ship you the car for free anywhere in USA.I will have the car shipped from Helena by DAS (the car has been crated and is ready for shipping because the loan of my previous buyer didn't get approved) so there won't be any additional shipping costs. Full price is $2,900, shipping included, and all the documents will be provided along with it.The car will arrive at your door in 4-5 days.I want the payment to be handled by eBay Financial Department. They will keep the money until you will receive and inspect the car. You will have 10 days of inspection period. If the car is not like described you will have to ship it back on my expense and they will give you a full refund. This way, you will be able to inspect the vehicle before committing to buy it and I know that you have the money and you aren't just fooling around. I want to tell you that I do not sell my car in payments and I do not trade. Giving the nature of this transaction please note that my sale terms are final and nonnegotiable. In order to move forward I will need your full name, address and phone number so i can register the deal at eBay Financial Department.After that eBay will send you the payment instruction." Does this sound sketchy? I've never done anything on ebay so I can't tell if this is right or not. Any input? Sorry this was long...

Public Comments

1. There are so many red flags there, that listing could have its own parade. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100601173016AAynQrN http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38696 http://www.fightthescams.com/2010/07/04/2005-acura-tl-scam-scammed-by-paul-william/
2. i dont know if it is a scam, it could be a seller that is un-aware of what they actually have. I was wondering do you live in the same city/state as him/her because you would want to do a test drive, bring maybe your dad or someone good with cars to come check it out for yourself, i don't know what else you could do in this situation. And yes this does seem sketchy, i think as long as you keep the email as proof of him saying this 10 day period, if its not what you wanted then go for it and send it back if you dont like it =)
3. "I will need your full name, address and phone number" Translated: "Come children to my old rusty van, I have candy that is VERYYY special..."
4. This sounds weird. I would not buy this car. Craigslist has a help section to avoid being scammed. I have included the link for you. This does sound like a scam. "AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION. " Quote is from craigslist.
5. Its a scam, don't even think of sending him info or money
6. I wouldn't trust it, don't bother dealing with him.
7. SCAM why does every single Craigslist Autos page have a huge warning across the top in big blue letters saying OFFERS TO SHIP CARS ARE 100% FRAUDULENT because they all are. At least 60% of car listings on Craiglist are nigerian scams wanting you to pay money for a car that doesnt exist. They cant be any clearer in their warning so why do people think they are not going to get scammed when thousands of others alreaday have If you cant see the car and test drive it, it doesnt exist. I can send you hundreds of car pictures stolen off any dealers site it doesnt mean the car is mine Ebay doesnt have a financial department. Ebay only deals with cars listed on Ebay within 100 miles of your location, you have to win the auction and pay through Paypal, and still requires you to pick up the car in person.Why would Ebay have anything to do with Craigslist which is their direct competitor when it comes to selling online? Did you even google the lines of the email you got to see how many other times this scam exact language is used in scams - different car, different location, everything elsethe same http://www.fightthescams.com/2010/07/04/2005-acura-tl-scam-scammed-by-paul-william/ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100607141433AAurVH2 http://www.grandprixforums.net/f37/bs-craigslist-posts-30517.html http://www.impalaforums.com/automotive-discussion/251099-scam.html