Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Craiglist scam

My husband and I have been talking about getting a new vehicle, possible a Toyota SUV. So, I was looking around on Craigslist and I find this:

Highlander Toyota 4-Speed Automatic - $3400 (Birmingham)


I thought that this was too good of a deal to pass up, so I emailed the guy saying I was interested and I tell Felix about it. Felix wanted to see the posting, so I went to email it to him, only the post wasn't there anymore. It mysteriously disappeared. So we thought that maybe the person that posted it made a mistake on the price and deleted it once they saw that the forgot to put a 1 in front of the 3. It was just too good to be true. But this morning, I got an email response. Here's a short version:

Hello and sorry for the late reply. Hope I'm not too late and you didn't already purchased another car.
(skip info about car already in the original post including vin number)
I`m in Hillsboro, OR and the Toyota is here with me prepared for pickup. If you can`t make it here there is the possibility to ship the suv.This car needs nothing and comes with a CLEAN title.
I want this transaction to be smooth and I don't have much time at my disposal to waste my time with endless discussions. I believe $3,400.00 (not negotiable) is more than a fair price.

Thank you,
Mrks, David

OBVIOUS SCAM!!! Notice that the post says BIRMINGHAM. And what does "Mrks" mean? Anyway, I decided to email a reply. I thought I was quite clever, so here it is:

Reasons I think this might be a scam:
1. The price is too good to be true. If it is in the condition you say, it is listed in the Kelly Blue Book at more than $11,000.
2. Your post said "Birmingham" and now you say you're in Oregon. I'm sure you can find someone in Oregon or a neighboring state to take it off of your hands at only $3400.
3. There is a great big warning at the top of the page on Craigslist: [ OFFERS TO SHIP CARS ARE 100% FRAUDULENT ]
4. Your post mysteriously disappeared after I sent you an email.

So, no I am not interested. What did you think I would do? Send you a money order so you could "ship" it to me? I'm not that stupid, and I hope you don't find anyone that stupid. If you do, I hope you get caught. I know money is tight right now, but if you get caught, you could earn yourself free room and board at your local penitentiary. I hope you choose to make your money in an honest way. May God bless you.

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