[summer]

FL's atty general, Charlie Crist, distributes a very informative newsletter with consumer alerts, like this one. You can subscribe by clicking the article link.

[summer]

FYI.

[deport]

Yep.... my daughter got one of these offers on a car she was selling... The purchaser claimed to live in London and was going to wire enough to pay for the car plus shipping via his agent which my daugther was to pay when the agent came to pick up the car.

I told her to tell the buyer that to forget all the money transfers and wire the money to his agent and have the agent bring some $100 bills and they could go to the bank verify the bills and have the papers signed and notarized. She heard not another word.

This scam is on Snopes also.

[patj]

bump

[Tarpon]

After the funds clear, he can have the excess back :)

.. and the car too.

[BlueNgold]

My Brother-In-Law had to be talked out of getting caught up in this one. He thought sure we were just trying to keep from selling his vehicle (which he has customized nicely). That was here in CA, and recent.

[MarineBrat]

A friend of mine was approached when he tried to sell his flat-bottom race boat. Offer from Spain, legit looking money order came, for an amount greater than the asking price. He went to deposit the money order and the teller decided to call the bank it was issued from.... it was not legit.

The scammer was seeking to have the friend "forward" the "excess" funds to a 3rd party.

[summer]

From the end of the article:

The Attorney General’s Office offers the following tips to avoid falling prey to this scam:

- Know who you are dealing with. Independently confirm the buyer’s name, address and telephone number. Keep in mind that most legitimate buyers would want to see a car before buying it.

- Never accept payment for more than the purchase price of the item, no matter how tempting. Never wire money to the buyer or a third party at the buyer’s request. If the buyer insists that you wire back funds, end the transaction immediately – legitimate buyers won’t pressure you to send money.

- If possible, accept only cash. If you do accept a check for payment, do not turn over the car until you verify that the check has cleared the issuing bank.

- Request a check drawn on a local bank or a bank with a local branch, which allows you to make a personal visit to make sure the check is valid. If you cannot get a check from a local bank, call the bank where the check originated and ask if it is valid. Get the bank’s phone number from directory assistance or an internet site you know and trust, not from the person who gave you the check.

- Resist any pressure to “act now.” If the buyer’s offer is good now, it should still be good after the check clears the issuing bank.

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I think the best advice concerns CASH ONLY. Put those two words in your ad and let the scammer pass by your ad.  

[Clemenza]

This is an old scam, common among the Roma (aka Gypsys). Caveat Vendor.