Charger Scam?

FourSpeedRT · July 06, 2009, 09:32:42 AM

I have had my '68 RT for sale and I have been approached via e-mail from a fellow from England by the name of Greg Gilbert. He is a broker of sorts. Anyone here heard anything about him or his company? It all sounds too good to be true. Thanks.

oldrock · July 06, 2009, 10:00:47 AM

99 times out of 100, offers to buy overseas are scams. Maybe this is the one time it is legit but I would never risk it.

cpthowdy1369 · July 06, 2009, 10:55:43 AM

When he sends you the check for the car, call the bank that is on the check and ask them if the check is real or not. Dont ship the car until the check is verified as real. Then you will know if he is legit or not.

73chgrSE · July 06, 2009, 11:02:17 AM

they have a scam now where the check is real. and the money is there. but you find out later it wasn't his money he used to buy your car. don't be a sucker. even with a cash transaction, now more than ever, you have to be sure they're not conterfit bills. i got stuck a few months ago when a client paid cash to an employee and they were fake bills. really good fakes though.

Nacho-RT74 · July 06, 2009, 01:06:22 PM

Quote from: oldrock on July 06, 2009, 10:00:47 AM
99 times out of 100, offers to buy overseas are scams. Maybe this is the one time it is legit but I would never risk it.

I can't be agree on this. Maybe lots of them but DEFINITELLY not 99%

ACUDANUT · July 06, 2009, 02:08:10 PM

In Today's economy, I bet it's a SCAM. DON'T FALL FOR IT. If by chance you do, cash the check and wait two weeks just to make sure.

lisiecki1 · July 06, 2009, 03:47:06 PM

Quote from: ACUDANUT on July 06, 2009, 02:08:10 PM
In Today's economy, I bet it's a SCAM. DON'T FALL FOR IT. If by chance you do, cash the check and wait two weeks just to make sure.

+10000000....cash that check and tell him the car doesn't ship until the money is converted to cash in hand!

1968_Charger · July 06, 2009, 03:58:48 PM

ive dealt with overseas buyers twice. both times worked out fine. just get all the info you can and make sure he understands that the car isnt shipping until the check fully clears for several weeks. some checks will clear right away and then weeks later they come back no good. just be carefull but dont right it off as a scam unless they are offering tons more than its worth!

lisiecki1 · July 06, 2009, 04:29:26 PM

or tell him to send you a money order.....or wire transfer maybe?

mikepmcs · July 06, 2009, 06:18:22 PM

ask him who he works for and his phone number and see what he says.

http://www.omm.com/greggilbert/

FourSpeedRT · July 06, 2009, 07:40:05 PM

Here is a copy of his last e-mail......sounds legit, but I am very wary. I have sold a Harley to Japan, and had no problems,but this "feels" different. I am going to ask a few more questions to be sure....

From: Greg Gilbert (ggbertautomobile@yahoo.co.uk)
Sent: July 6, 2009 5:48:30 AM
To: Dave Armitage (spitfire265@hotmail.com)

Hello Dave,

Thank you for updating me with complete Car details,i have reached agreement with my client that the Car is good enough for him and to let you know,my client is ready to purchase the Car, at your bottom price of $35,000 Cd.also i need you to know that we do not have any representative in Canada but we can pull the deal through with your maximum co-operation..please read along and provide the desired account number for payment to be proceeded asap. i am not asking you for commission as my client has all that covered.

Due to amount involved,the buyer suggest using the security provided by ROYAL BANK OF CANADA via its electronic wire transfer into Royal Bank Account which you will be required to provide. In my opinion this is the safest way to handle the transaction. You will have the Car fund wired into your royal bank account before the Car is released for shipping.

Secondly, you will receive all appropriate information required for the change of ownership from the shippers agent who will arrive Canada for the Car inspection after complete payment has been made.Naturally, I will sign the purchase documents,however the shippers agent have my authorization to sign off the Car after proper inspection.

This is how it works:

1. The Seller will open the transaction which is already in progress.
2. The buyer has to wire the money into your royal bank of Canada account.
3. the seller confirms to the buyer that the amount has been received.
4. Seller performs the required services (prepares the Car for shipment,make arrangement for the change of ownership with the help of the shipper agent).
5. Buyer performs the required services(shipment, and signing of change of ownership via the shippers agent)

As you can see, you will receive the money BEFORE the Car is released for shipping ,If, for some reason, the transaction is not concluded (I assure you that is NOT going to happen since my client likes the Car because it's in IMMACULATE condition inside and out) the bank which is the third party will perform the refund,while 5% of the fund will be paid to you for inconvenience.

From the moment you receive the fund we have 7 days to ship the Car to my clients buyer. if its not okey by you, please be free to ask question and i will gladly respond.
Please Provide Asap.

Royal bank of Canada account number.
Bank Transit Number .
Name of account holder.
Address of Seller
Phone Number/Fax.
sellers Full Name.

Let me know if you will reserve the Car for my client,and if you need anything else.if you are calling from outside the UK please include +44 702 404 7850.anticipating your call soon.

Thank you!

Greg.

lisiecki1 · July 06, 2009, 07:53:03 PM

it sounds like a scam to me.

mikepmcs · July 06, 2009, 07:58:24 PM

If he is from England, he sure doesn't write like it. The broken language, the caps on certain words in the write up are screaming scam to me.

Sorry, I'm thinking scam after reading this.

wayfast1500 · July 06, 2009, 07:59:36 PM

IMO I would not do it, I've received some emails like that and I just delete them. The way I look at is if I had the cash to buy overseas, I'd have enough to fly out there and inspect the product and hand the seller cash.

Silver R/T · July 06, 2009, 08:21:09 PM

SCAM!!! Run away!!!

teamroth · July 06, 2009, 08:35:52 PM

Someone posted this in the off-topic once before. Take a look at some of the posts on here. This is a site dedicated to destroying these scams. Some of the Language in your email sounds similar.

http://www.419eater.com/

suntech · July 06, 2009, 10:22:44 PM

I really dont know, but it sounds like you are not taking ANY risks on it!

Why not just set up that account, as he asks you to? That is for free, right? just a couple of phone calls!!!!
Then see if the money arrives to that account, and if it does, the shipping guy will come to inspect it.
You gotta let them see the car in person since you putted it up for sale, right?
Then, transfer the money to your " normal" own account, get comfirmation of it in your bank, and wave the car goodbye :-)

If the money does NOT arrive.......wave the "buyer" goodbye!!!!

Use checks, and wait for them to clear, and all that crap is stoneage!!!! In Europe, nobody younger than 30 has even seen a checkbook

It sounds a little strange that they didnt just transfer the money to the guy that would show up to inspect it, but maybe they feel safer with not giving out the money to local companies before the car actually IS inspected!

I am European,from Norway, and has dealed a lot of times in the states, without any hassle.
Honestly, i think some of you has seen to many reruns of Conspiracy Theory

The car is not leaving the lot before you have the money, right?
So tell me.........what is YOUR risk here? The cost of an overseas phonecall??

We have seen comments here, where people in Europe has been stiffed, and the car they bought turned out to be a rustbucket, and people say:
"Who cares, it is going overseas anyway". So i dont blame buyers, regardless of where they come from, to take precautions

mopar73 · July 06, 2009, 10:32:54 PM

set up some sort of escrow account with a neutral party, preferrably a bank.

Ghoste · July 06, 2009, 10:33:20 PM

I don't either suntech but I agree with Mikepcms, the syntax in that e-mail just doesn't seem "British" to me in some intangible way. If this buyer who has never seen the car in person but is so sure the deal won't go bad because the car is immaculate inside and out has a shipper who can come to Canada and inspect the car, then he surely must have the money to retain some sort of North American agent who can act on his behalf? Maybe I'm naive here about how this works with these kinds of transactions but I'd want to hear from the mystery buyer too.

suntech · July 06, 2009, 10:53:04 PM

Quoteset up some sort of escrow account with a neutral party, preferrably a bank

That is EXACTLY what the "buyer" asks him to do!!!

FourSpeedRT · July 06, 2009, 11:34:33 PM

Thanks for all the input folks.....I am going to call his number tomorrow and see where it goes...I will keep you posted.....

Cooperman · July 07, 2009, 02:30:58 AM

For what it's worth, I'm in England, and I bought my Charger from WV and sent the money via money transfer (bank to bank).

Hey Fourspeed, want me to give him a LOCAL call and sound him out?

charger Downunder · July 07, 2009, 05:53:14 AM

Scam and he is trying to tell you how it works. come on.

Sergeant · July 07, 2009, 06:52:54 AM

So some guy sees your car for sale and decides to pay a broker to get if for him rather then contacting you directly.... Really you know its a scam but dont want to dig hard enough to actually prove it to yourself since you want the money. Honestly how hard is it to validate? If this guy is a business broker why do you think he is mailing you from a friggin yahoo account? What is the business name and where is it located? Is the business actually publicly listed anywhere and can you actually contact him through it and not some random phone number he gives you directly

lisiecki1 · July 07, 2009, 06:54:08 AM

Quote from: Sergeant on July 07, 2009, 06:52:54 AM
So some guy sees your car for sale and decides to pay a broker to get if for him rather then contacting you directly.... Really you know its a scam but dont want to dig hard enough to actually prove it to yourself since you want the money. Honestly how hard is it to validate? If this guy is a business broker why do you think he is mailing you from a friggin yahoo account? What is the business name and where is it located? Is the business actually publicly listed anywhere and can you actually contact him through it and not some random phone number he gives you directly

+1000000

oldrock · July 07, 2009, 08:39:23 AM

My first hunch was scam but now that I have more details, it sound totally legit to me... NOT!

This is clearly a scam and no point messing with it. I see these all the time and they are almost always scams.

451-74Charger · July 07, 2009, 10:52:10 AM

I had a similar email once, As I was originally from Warwickshire, I replied that my cousin still lives nearby and would happily handle the transactions.
I never heard back, even after several contact attempt. odd eh?

FourSpeedRT · July 07, 2009, 01:34:56 PM

Hey Cooperman, if you want to give it a go and call the fella, the number given to me is +44 7024047850. It may well be a pizza place...who knows? I have e-mailed him today with my phone number and we will see if he calls. Thanks!

lisiecki1 · July 07, 2009, 01:59:03 PM

the phone number usually goes through to the scammer so you can contact them, but they use a forwarding service.

FourSpeedRT · July 07, 2009, 04:15:25 PM

Here is the reply I got when I told him I have no account at the Royal Bank of Canada......he also states that it should be done very soon...and his spelling is getting worse too I think....he is not acting like a professional should in my opinion.....
I DONT SEE THAT TO BE A PROBLEM.ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS HEAD STRAIGHT TO THE NEAREST ROYAL BANK BRANCH AND SET UP AN ACCOUNT ASAP AND EMAIL THE ACCOUNT INFORMATION.

ALL I CAN ADVICE IS THAT YOU REQUEST THAT THE ACCOUNT BE MADE LIGIBLE FOR ONLINE PAYMENT IMMEDIATELY.

LET ME KNOW ASAP AS TIME IS NOT ON OUR SIDE.

GREG.

mikepmcs · July 07, 2009, 04:18:48 PM

"Time is not on our side" yeah..... because the more time the more chance of getting caught.

Definitely not English.
Verdict is in. Either try to catch him somehow or just let it go.

lisiecki1 · July 07, 2009, 04:25:29 PM

ask him if he can send an additional 10,000 dollars and you can keep 8,000 for your trouble and forward the rest to his shipping agent.

Ghoste · July 07, 2009, 04:25:47 PM

Let it go, when a buyer threatens you with time not being on your side, then the "time" is time to walk. Even a legit buyer standing in front of you with cash in hand shouldn't try that one on you.
E-mail him back and tell him you are really truly and deeply sorry but since time isn't on your side you have decided that he is the wrong buyer and you refuse to sell him the car now no matter what.

Charger666 · July 07, 2009, 04:31:38 PM

Quote from: teamroth on July 06, 2009, 08:35:52 PM
Someone posted this in the off-topic once before. Take a look at some of the posts on here. This is a site dedicated to destroying these scams. Some of the Language in your email sounds similar.

http://www.419eater.com/

The fellow that posted would be me

Yeah, this definitely sounds like a scam.
And although the "419" scams are technically isolated to Nigeria, these dudes caught on and now scammers everywhere are doing the same thing.

I'd drop the transaction if I were you.
The language is the same, for sure.

Just be careful!

FourSpeedRT · July 07, 2009, 04:47:03 PM

I did not like the "feel" of this thing from the start.....so, I am going to drop it........Thanks for your help guys! I may let this fella twist in the wind for a while tho.....dangle the carrot on the string for a while so to speak......could be amusing...

Cooperman · July 07, 2009, 05:39:11 PM

I tried the number this evening. Within the UK the number is 01702 404 7850, but it went through to an answering service the couple of times I tried it.

Shame, I was looking forward to a nice chat with 'Greg'

I agree the best course of action would be to drop it immediately.

suntech · July 07, 2009, 09:10:30 PM

When you have a phone #, can´t you just call information, and get name and adress from there? We can at least do that here in Norway

Just a thought!

Why not set up that account, and give him 5 days to have the money on it, an if not, tell him

hemi-hampton · July 07, 2009, 09:32:38 PM

Sounds like a Scam to me. Dont do it

LEON.

Rubberduck · July 08, 2009, 09:06:26 AM

I´m sure it´s a scam.

I live in Germany and I sell differnt cars here with ads on the internet.
On each ad I run in the internet I get at least 10 emails like that.
It´s always the same story like yours. Sometimes they even go one step further:
I call the seller here just Mr. B
Mr. B offered a car for 8000,- Euro. He got an email like you.
The buyer offered to pay the seller before he picks up the car.
For some reason the buyer is not able to send a check about 8000,- Euro
but of 10000,- Euro. The seller should give the overpaied 2000,- Euro
to the guy who picks up the car. So far so good. He got the check of 10000,- Euro.
Next day they picked up the car and Mr. B gave them the 2000,- Euro.
Less than two weeks later it turned out the check wasn´t clear.
He lost his car and paid for that 2000,- Euro.

This is true and still happens from time to time.
Otherwise these crooks wouldn´t try it so often.
This is why I sell cars only for cash.

Mario

Dads73Charger · July 08, 2009, 12:58:24 PM

Well, I have a Royal Bank account and I have done transactions where the buyer deposits the money into your account with no problems. Once the money is there, you can withdraw and put it into whatever account you wish. They do need the transit number of your bank and your account number to direct deposit the funds, however. Just my .02 Al

FourSpeedRT · July 08, 2009, 01:03:07 PM

I have sold two of my old Harley Davidsons overseas, one to Japan, and one to Germany, and had no problems at all. This guy is a scammer for sure....things like this make it bad for the real enthusiast wanting to buy a car.

aussiemuscle · July 09, 2009, 01:07:37 AM

Quote from: Sergeant on July 07, 2009, 06:52:54 AM
So some guy sees your car for sale and decides to pay a broker to get if for him rather then contacting you directly.... Really you know its a scam but dont want to dig hard enough to actually prove it to yourself since you want the money. Honestly how hard is it to validate? If this guy is a business broker why do you think he is mailing you from a friggin yahoo account? What is the business name and where is it located? Is the business actually publicly listed anywhere and can you actually contact him through it and not some random phone number he gives you directly

well if someone called up and said, "i'm Jay Leno, and i want to buy your car", you'd either say 'yer, right! scam!' or 'JL is rich, he can afford to pay more'. most famous people use agent's for that reason.

LeadfootBob · July 09, 2009, 07:35:06 AM

Without a shadow of doubt a scam. Standardized mass-email for an initial contact, then a sloppy hand written follow-up in all caps. I wonder how many of those these bastards throw out each day... There are plenty of used car ads to go vulture on.
Another classic in Sweden is to call the seller, tell him that they are a "car broker", with "clients" interested in buying the car... Of course, the car has to change owners, "temporarily", you understand (I'd sure trust a guy with 10,000 dollars worth of car after talking to him for 10 minutes on the phone!), and you won't receive any money until the deal has been finished on the other end.... Sounds like a good deal, right? Right?!

oldgold69 · July 09, 2009, 10:04:20 AM

my nephew was selling a car on craigslist guy said he would send a cashiers check . it came ups he was going to cash it my brother took the check to the bank they said it was a canceled check because it had a banks routing numbers on it . my brother took it to the police they said it was fake. and that when the guy contacts you that he should have the scammer call this cop he wants to talk to him have not heard from him since

cpthowdy1369 · July 09, 2009, 11:56:24 AM

When in doubt, PULL OUT!

RamchargerMopar · July 09, 2009, 01:56:01 PM

Quote from: cpthowdy1369 on July 09, 2009, 11:56:24 AM
When in doubt, PULL OUT!

And don't accept her phone calls the next day...oh wait wrong subject matter...

Ghoste · July 09, 2009, 10:23:49 PM

Really? The same verb gets applied to both activities.

TylerCharger69 · July 10, 2009, 10:47:49 PM

Say!!! FYI The people we just bought my new house from are a military family, who was transferred to Norfolk VA. In the process of trying to rent a house there, via the internet, a guy named Greg (didn't hear the last name) was advertising a house. He had said he had moved to England, was in the medical profession, and offered them the house with a picture and the whole nine yards. Well....things to them seemed on the up and up, so they sent a large deposit for the house. Long story short, someone was living in the house (the REAL owners) and it turned out to be a total scam and they were out all of their money. Just a coincidence that "Greg" and "England" were involved?? Perhaps.....but I'd figure I would give y'all a heads up on recent experiences and consider it another scam.......some people's children. It's only speculation, of course, but better to speculate then to lose your ASSets.

chargergirl · July 12, 2009, 07:58:37 PM

if it walks like, quacks like a duck...its a duck! that wealthy he could bring himself over, send the agent to inspect and then you could all happily trot to your bank with the money. When someone rushes you they are rushing their own purchase and that is not something most people would do. i didn't jump on my Charger until i saw it and the deal was right and my last thought on this...trust your "woobie". that's the internal voice that tells you something might not be right here. good luck.

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Charger Scam?