FREE Boat Buying Scam

[Sean Torsney]

Guys, just want to let you know there is a scam going on targeting boat sellers. I just went through it and sniffed it out before I got burned. I got an email within a couple of hours of listing my boat on Boat Trader. The email address is [email protected] and he and I went back and forth with some very basic Q&A about the boat. He then made me an offer almost my asking price which I said ok to. No survey, sea trial, or even look at the boat-suspicious! Then it got very suspicious when his phone number was in Miami, he gave me an address in Austin which was a UPS/Western Union store, and when I called him out on it he sent me a picture his fake TX drivers license. I told him to call me and he replied that he was deaf. I said i'm not selling him the boat. Then today the check shows up via USPS for $5500 more then the asking price. Here is how the scam works - he said he's sorry but his financier (who the F has a financier and what is a financier) over paid and the $5500 was supposed to go to the shipper. He said to deposit the check and then said to mail the difference to the shipper. I never got to the point of contacting the shipper but I called Landmark Credit Union where the check was from and gave the person the check number and it wasn't from them and a scam. She said they have had a lot of scammed checks.

 

[findtuna]

Assholes. Thinking that we were born yesterday or just plain stupid. At the end, wasting our time with bogus questions. Sadly, I bet there are ppl that fall for these kind of shit. Good that you did your homework and realized that it was a scam. Ty for sharing with BD.

 

[Sean Torsney]

Assholes. Thinking that we were born yesterday or just plain stupid. At the end, wasting our time with bogus questions. Sadly, I bet there are ppl that fall for these kind of shit. Good that you did your homework and realized that it was a scam. Ty for sharing with BD.

No worries. I just don't want anyone to fall for this.

 

[Spaulding4181]

No worries. I just don't want anyone to fall for this.

Guys, just want to let you know there is a scam going on targeting boat sellers. I just went through it and sniffed it out before I got burned. I got an email within a couple of hours of listing my boat on Boat Trader. The email address is [email protected] and he and I went back and forth with some very basic Q&A about the boat. He then made me an offer almost my asking price which I said ok to. No survey, sea trial, or even look at the boat-suspicious! Then it got very suspicious when his phone number was in Miami, he gave me an address in Austin which was a UPS/Western Union store, and when I called him out on it he sent me a picture his fake TX drivers license. I told him to call me and he replied that he was deaf. I said i'm not selling him the boat. Then today the check shows up via USPS for $5500 more then the asking price. Here is how the scam works - he said he's sorry but his financier (who the F has a financier and what is a financier) over paid and the $5500 was supposed to go to the shipper. He said to deposit the check and then said to mail the difference to the shipper. I never got to the point of contacting the shipper but I called Landmark Credit Union where the check was from and gave the person the check number and it wasn't from them and a scam. She said they have had a lot of scammed checks.

There are two posts on Craig’s List right now for a 243 Everglades priced way too low. Different price and different city for the same boat. Very phishy...

 

[Yella1]

Yep, someone tried the same exact scam on us a few years ago when we were selling my wife's car. We didn't fall for it, either. There are some terrible people in this world. Thanks for bringing it to everyone's attention.

 

[jgy]

Someone tried to do that to me on boat trader. I knew it was a scam right off the bat when the person wouldn't accept my calls. So I played along for a few days and posted it on THT. Apparently, he saw my THT post on how I'm fucking with the guy and he threatened to kill me.lol

 

[Capt.C.Delany]

It's called check kiting. Dude tried to do it to me about 5 years. Sniffed it out real quick when I called the business that supposedly wrote the check.

People that do this are complete piles of shit as are anyone that takes advantage of other people. I think most are pretty aware in this day and age but it makes me sick to think about elderly. I could totally see my dear sweet mother falling for this just trying to be the honest person, "oh he sent me more than he was suppose to so I gave it back to him."

 

[pacificscout]

Gotta' bridge in Brooklyn for sale...

 

[Tesoro]

Sad fact is that these scammers get people all the time with these tricks. They play on greed by offering more than one would expect to make on the sale. Interesting part is that they are nearly all foreigners and thats why they have just had throat surgery or, in this case deaf, so you cant talk and hear their accents. Scumbag bottom feeding mofos

 

[MYNomad]

The 23 year old son of a family friend got taken on a variant. The kid was looking for any kind of job and was "hired", sight unseen, to be the "local" personal assistant to a celebrity (no one I had ever heard of but enough to thrill this kid). The reason they hired him, they said, was because he had a "can do" (or die trying) attitude -- they knew they could count on him to solve problems, not create drama. All he had to do was make reservations, pick stuff up, etc. Gets paid twice a month. Anyway, a few days into it he is to pick up a Mac laptop at fries the next day. The check doesn't arrive, but he says "no problem, I will put it on my credit card and you can reimburse me. He buys it, overnight fed-ex's it, and is an instant hero. Took him two missed paydays (which were supposed to include his check) to figure out he had been scammed. They really played him, and the sad part is they were looking for desperate (unemployed) naive people who would not have the moxie to question them. It wasn't cheap, but he got a good education.

 

[One_Leg]

How to avoid shit like this should be taught in Elementary schools.

 

[SeaAddict]

Those scammers are everywhere, one good place is craigslist,
Ill send more money in a cashiers check and you pay and cover the shipping when they arrive. I had the guy send me the check and then I acted like a flake and those text messages werent as friendly no more. I had the courtesy of asking him that i would send the check back , he had the balls to say Ill tell you what to do with the check. He wanted me to cash it and send him the money , I googled craiglist scammers and its a real common issue on there .

 

[miaf]

Here’s a good tip in life. Any business deal that involves Western Union, over payments for products or reimbursement via gift cards is a scam. There’s many more, but this should get you started.

 

[OnoEric]

The one where the IRS calls you to tell you the police are on their way to arrest you for taxes past due unless you drive to Walmart and immediately pay over the phone using Walmart gift cards is my favorite.

 

[Salmon King]

Selling stuff online, especially bigger ticket items, attracts tons of scammers.

The last car I sold was on Autotrader.com and about 2/3 of the contacts were scammers.

 

[Duong_ha_1]

Some people falls for these kinda scam...because they think their super lucky to have such deal....
Wake the f up people.....ur not that lucky.

 

[brokenseal]

Good on you.
Also remember even if phone number is local it could be a google voice number which can be linked by another scam.
I was selling something recently and I thought it was fishy. They went on and said thier is a lot of scams out there so they wanted to verify me (the seller). WTF sent a google voice verification code. Asked me to share the 6 digit # to verify I’m real.
The scam is once you give them the six digit code they use your number linked to Google voice. They now have your phone number to use for Nefarious ask

 

[brokenseal]

Good on you.
Also remember even if phone number is local it could be a google voice number which can be linked by another scam.
I was selling something recently and I thought it was fishy. They went on and said thier is a lot of scams out there so they wanted to verify me (the seller). WTF sent a google voice verification code. Asked me to share the 6 digit # to verify I’m real.
The scam is once you give them the six digit code they use your number linked to Google voice. They now have your phone number to use for Nefarious ask

https://howtoremove.guide/google-voice-code-scam/

 

[efx]

do yourself a favor, become the scammer to the scammer. Tell them you really don't own the boat, its your buddies and he lost the title. They can pay you full in a cashiers check and you call take it to the bank to confirm it. Then he can pick up the boat from a buddy in yuma arizona. why not? also, if the background trees look like Michigan, obviously the boat is not located in monrovia

 

[apogee]

It was the Prince of Nigeria...

 

[40Grit]

The worst are targeting the elderly. Your grandson is in jail in Mexico

 

[Cortez Life]

Think of the akward conversation when the actual Prince of Nigeria tries to contact someone in the US to sell something...

 

[ltran0614]

Wait so are you guys telling me that the Prince of Nigeria really did NOT just email me?!?!?!?

 

[shinbob]

also, if the background trees look like Michigan, obviously the boat is not located in monrovia

I see this a LOT -- especially Lunds (which are rare in SoCal). And they aren't even smart enough to cover up the State ID on the boat registration numbers. In fact, there's a "Lund" on CL right now, supposedly in Arcadia.

 

[Dan G.]

I usually just ask them to call me so that I can record our conversations for law enforcement...I never hear from the scammer again