Here's the local ad



1970 Chevrolet El Camino=#=#= Great Car - $3500 (Rhode Island)



Date: 2010-06-15, 8:34AM EDT
Reply to: see below







1970 Chevrolet El Camino

The car is like new, in perfect condition, no marks or need for additional repairs what so ever.
It has no scratches, no special marks, no need for additional repairs what so ever.
The real miles onboard, a great car ready to be yours. It has no accident or any engine problem.
THIS IS A RUST FREE TRUCK WITH ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL BODY PANELS.
BUMPERS ARE PERFECT, NEW VINYL TOP, ALL THE POT METAL PARTS ARE PERFECT,
WINDOW AND DOOR TRIM ARE ALSO PERFECT, GLASS IS THE ORIGINAL.
DOORS SHUT WITH A GOOD SOLID CLUNK, ALL HOOD AND TAILGATE AND DOORS HAVE PERFECT LINES.
INSIDE OF THE BOX IS VERY CLEAN AND SOLID. SIMPLY PUT STRAIGHT LOOKING, SOLID SURVIVING VEHICLE UNTOUCHED.

INTERIOR:

THIS IS WERE IT EVEN GETS BETTER!!! -
THE DASH IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST I HAVE SEEN IN SOME TIME
IT IS SIMPLY NEAR PERFECT! ALL GAUGES AND LITES WORK PERFECT,
IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE NEVER TURNED ON!
SEAT HAS BEEN RECOVERED, NEW HEADLINER. IT HAS THE ORIGINAL DOOR PANELS WHICH ARE ALSO NEAR PERFECT!
THE INTERIOR LOOKS AND SMELLS NEW PERIOD!

Sounds good - looks good - rides good!
If you want more pics and details let me know:
trudyjbrandow@msn.com



Location: Rhode Island
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
http://images.craigslist.org/3k23pa3l25Q15U25P3a6l98dc0f90642c1e19.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/3o33p23l95T15Z45X1a6l50b6009c79581192.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/3k83p43l15V65O35X5a6l1ed8b9d1d94d176f.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/3n13k03o35T35Z35U0a6lf346f43f00ca1f36.jpg

PostingID: 1792786279




So I send them an e-mail:


I'd like to come and look at your El Camino ASAP. I'm in southern RI. Can you give me a phone number to call to make arrangements. What is a good time to call?


They just sent this back:


First of all I want to thank you for your interest for my car. I sell it at this price because i have just finished with my divorce . The divorce was finished six months ago and the car is mine now . After the divorce I had to buy a new house .
Following the financial crisis I can not afford to pay the bank and I decided to sell the car.
This car is in excellent working conditions, with no scratches, flaws or any kind of damage. The car comes with a clear title in my name .
The car has 36521 miles.
From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I only request a secure pay method , I prefer the payment to be done using eBay services.
We will use a safe payment method because I am affiliated with eBay and I have a purchase protection account.
The final price that I want for this car is $3450. I will support shipping costs.
If you are interested in buying the car , please give me your full name and address so I can initiate the deal through eBay.
I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon.
You can see more photos here : http://s923.photobucket.com/albums/ad71/trudyjbrandow/

Dr. Trudy Brandow


This smells very fishy to me. How about you? I also saw the exact same ad posted in the Boston Craigs list.

So I just baited a hook and sent them this:


Yes, I am very interested. Where and when can I view the vehicle? Do you need a good faith deposit by paypal?

Yea its a total bull**** ad, as I am a avid craigslist junky I have seen it a thousand times. If its too good to be true it is. You just know from how the ad is written as well, they always request to be emailed to some bull**** address. I dont blame you for trying, we always wonder what kinda hot deal we can get lol.

Pics show 2 different interiors. Plus, the photo bucket pics show an Elky with a bed cover, while on the CL ad, you can see the chrome bed trim thru the back window, so no bed cover. E-mail reply reads like an automated, canned response, as if they never read your first e-mail. Looks scammy to me.

yeah its a scam, they usually take other peoples pictures and do it, had to tell my mom that it was a scam too. http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams nearly same as 2nd actual scam emails:poke:

I saw that ad too. What, no mention that is an SS? Or a 454? If she is a doctor (meaning smart then) she must realize what the Elky is, especially with the "description" (pot metal). And just for giggles, her name does not have a hit in Intelius anywhere in the country, let alone RI or MA. It is a scam I'm sure. Oh well.

Of course it's a scam... just flag it and move on.

I saw that add on craigslist this morning, I emailed her and got the same response that you did. I then asked her if I could come see the car, I thought it was for sale here in Va. She wrote back and said that it was at a shipping center in Atlanta, and that she could send me an invoice from ebay if I wanted it. I also tried to open the photo bucket address and I never could, and I looked for it on ebay and it wasn't there. I smelled a rat and I told her that I would pass......merc

Hey..........seen this same wording many times before and you learn the "if its to good to be true" thing applies , sad thing is people "bite" on this hook and some poor sucker-suckers send them money and get screwed ..........................:dontknow:

same add here in Raleigh, had some of the guys who work internet fraud in my dept run the IP address. Coming from overseas. Got to give them an A for the effort.

A friend came across the same "safe pay" on Ebay and Ebay says they don't do the special account mentioned. SCAM!!:twisted:

They even run ads in small towns like South Boston, the other month I saw a older car in our paper and called the 1-800 number, (should have been my first clue), of course got this crazy recording and I gave them my e-mail. I received a pictures of this car. I could only buy it outright and they would paid to have it shipped to me. Right, told my buddy and laughing all at the same time. THE END OF THE STORY Michael (rango):smileyb::smileyb::smileyb::smileyb:

I noticed this same add on Jonesboro, Arkansas Craigslist on June 20th! It's a scam!

Yes, I know it's a scam. I just want to play with them. Here is their reply:

The car is already at the shipping company in Atlanta GA ready for shipping.
I have a contract with eBay so this deal must go through eBay Vehicle Protection Program.
I'm very busy with my job and I'm out of town ( i am doctor in US Army , deployed in Afghanistan now ) so I can't meet you in person , this is the reason why I chose to sell my car on the Internet. According with the eBay you have 5 days after you receive the car to inspect it and decide if you want to keep it or not.
Here is how it will work:
1.First of all I will need the following details from you:
- Full Name
- Full Shipping Address
2. After I will receive the details from you, I will forward them to eBay.
3. After they will process your info, they will send us both invoices. You will receive the invoice with the details on how to make a refundable payment.
4. eBay will contact me and I will ship the car to you. After you receive the car you will have 5 days to test, verify and do whatever you need to the car. If you will decide to buy, then I will get money from ebay .
5. If you will decide that you do not buy the car, eBay will refund your payment and I will contact shipping company to pick up my car from your address . If you wish to make the transaction, please send me the necessary info so that we can proceed. I look forward to hearing from you .

Thank you


So, I sent them this. :twisted:

My information is:
Carl Yastrzemski
1075 Main Street
Coventry, RI 02816-5700


Yaz was a famous Boston Red Sox player in the 60's and the address is that of a local police department.

LOL...nice. Way to toy with the scammers. :poke:

haha, give the scammer what he deserves. reminds me of someone who did the same thing, take time to read the story - its worth it! link: http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/

Haha that's great! If only there was video of when the scammer opened up the box to find the binder laptop

I think I got a bite. Here is their latest canned response.

Hi Carl,

Thank you for the info, I have already forwarded your details to ebay in order to receive your purchase invoice and move further with our transaction, I hope after you will received we can move to the next step ASAP, as you know you will have 5 days return-policy to test and inspect the car prior to make any final purchase.
Please check your email (also spam junk folders) you shall receive the invoice very soon,I Hope you have the funds available and if you kindly get back with an answer and let me know when is possible to make the payment to ebay, so I can consider the vehicle sold to you and stop my negotiations with other customers.
Thank you very much for your time and interest

I traced the source of the e-mails and it's an AOL dial up connection in Kansas.

Found the same scam under Baltimore's listings too. I flagged it.

haha, give the scammer what he deserves. reminds me of someone who did the same thing, take time to read the story - its worth it! link: http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/

I read that whole story! Pretty googd, but what if he was going to pay???

to add to the story.
The guy that sold me the pink (I mean metallic Rasberry) s10 seen this on ebay. He lowballed the guy at $10,000 and he seen the bids go as high as $22,000 not meeting the reserve. Later he received an message from Ebay saying he had a second chance offer saying that the guy would sell it to him for the $10,000. He didn't feel comfortable about it and declined it. He then received this Email today
First the link to the car
http://www.brownssales.com/hudson42coupe.htm
Now the Email from today


Hello -----

how I told you in my previous email, I'm a very sick person and I spend almost all my time in the Hospital, so I have no time for meetings. Of course, your idea sounds great for me, but you know, the health is first of all ! I hope that you understand.
So, eBay, like a third part, is only way acceptable for me, to conclude this business !
Here is displayed all steps to close this transaction:
1= I will open a case at eBay regarding our deal
2= eBay will contact you with the invoice with all the payment details
3= You will deposit the funds at eBay
4= eBay will secure the funds in their bank account
5= I will send you the car and you will test it for 10 days (the testing period will start once you will receive it), the delivery time is not longer than 5 working days after the payment was done.
6= After you will see that the car is like I described you will notify eBay to release me the funds and we have a complete deal.
If the car doesn't match with what I described or there are something wrong on it you can simply refuse it and they will refund you the full amount, including the shipping taxes too.

Sincerely,
David M Brown

Now what I don't understand is this is an American address? The phone number is a 800# could be anywhere. Also he first posted it on EBAY as a 1934 Ford?
What do ya'll think?
Donny

So, eBay, like a third part, is only way acceptable for me, to conclude this business !



Nigerian scammer! Nobody talks like this! Run!

Now what I don't understand is this is an American address? The phone number is a 800# could be anywhere. Also he first posted it on EBAY as a 1934 Ford?
What do ya'll think?
Donny


Oh yeah, was going to answer this part too. The person posting on Ebay and who sent the email is not the person who really owns the car, pretty common scam.

Thanks thats what I thought!
Donny

Well here are my payment instructions.


Item Description: 1970 Chevrolet El Camino
Case ID: 3021W45F2656C


Dear Carl Yaztrzemski,

Please tell us if you have received the invoice for payment.
Once we receive the fax from you that will include the payment details as explained above, we will instruct the seller to start the shipping process. We will hold the payment until you send us your confirmation that you are satisfied with the product you received. As soon as we receive your confirmation we will release the payment to the seller.
You will receive further details regarding the shipping process (courier information, tracking method, expected delivery date) after the payment confirmation.

For security reasons please DO NOT release the reason for the transfer to the Western Union
employees or any other unauthorized person.
Also when you send the funds please use Money In Minutes option , do not use Quick Collect.
All the transaction , payment and personal information is considered confidential and will not
be released under any circumstances.
Vehicle Protection Program security measures are constantly reviewed and modified given evolving
circumstances globally.
Our main and constantly priority is the safety of our customers.
*NOTE It may occur that your e-mail doesn't support HTML language and that is why you haven;t received the invoice from us. Please check your bulk/junk/spam/ messages, the invoice may have ended there because of the ever increasing filters of the e-mails nowdays.



Thank you,
eBay Financing Center Customer Support
Vehicle Purchase Protection Program


So I sent Trudy this:


Trudy, I received an e-mail from ebay that refers to

Item Description: 1970 Chevrolet El Camino
Case ID: 3021W45F2656C.

But it asks if I have received an invoice and I have not received an invoice yet. I checked my spam folder and it's not there either. I guess I didn't get it. I do not have any instructions on how to make this payment. Is there a way that you could have them send me the invoice again? Did you receive a copy of the invoice. If you did can you send it to me? I'm really anxious to get this vehicle. Thanks

Carl

O.K., nice string along 87ElCamino!!!
Heres what I got today. Tomorrow I'll have to call paypal cause I don't have a clue about this
Quote:

Hello DONNY TRIPLETT,
Torrey Zook (shannon_zook@yahoo.com) canceled the following money request:
-----------------------------------
Money request details
-----------------------------------
Amount: $215.00 USD
Date: Dec. 16, 2009
Subject: PayPal money request from Torrey Zook
Note: I waived the 4% and we will throw in some flowers for her since it is a special occasion. Please call me to confirm time and let me know payment was made.
Thanks,
Torrey Zook
Sincerely,
PayPal


What the Hey????? This has no meaning to me. But I hope if someone died they get flowers from someone (just not me!!!)
Any ideas what this scam is?
Donny

So I just receive an official looking ebay invoice and they want me to go to my nearest Western Union and send payment to this guy. Now I have his name and address.

eBay Financing Center Agent*:
First Name: Fabian
Last Name: Alessio
Address: 165 E 56th St
City: New York
State: NY
Zip: 10022
Country: United States

I googled the address (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=165%20E%2056th%20St%20New%20York%2010022&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7SNNT_enUS380US380&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl)and there are several Jewish and Ethopian organizations in the building. The FAX number they want me to confirm payment to is an unpublished landline in Brooklyn, NY.

I sent them a ficticious Western Union MTCN Number(Money Transfer Control Number) of 4Q2X-L0L-GFY. Let's see what their response is now.

haha good one 87ElCamino.. let me see if i can decode that MTCN number; 4Q2X-L0L-GFY = For (mr) Queer double time - Laughing Out Loud - Go Fu** Yourself!

LOL...this is gettin' better all the time. :nanawrench:

This is a good lesson for all. Please let us know the final verdict.
I liked the de-coding of the #.

let me see if i can decode that MTCN number; 4Q2X-L0L-GFY = For (mr) Queer double time - Laughing Out Loud - Go Fu** Yourself!
Almost, but you don't quite have the first four correct. The first are 4Q (four-Q) say it fast 5 times and you'll get it. The next say 2X meaning twice.

They just sent me another message:


Hello Carl ,
please fax the payment receipt.


Thank you,
eBay Financing Center Customer Support
Vehicle Purchase Protection Program


I replied to them:


I have tried to FAX the payment receipt several times. I keep getting a busy signal. Can you please check your FAX machine. Do you have another FAX number that I can send it to? When will I get the details regarding the shipping process? I'm really getting excited about this.
Thanks
Carl

Two minutes after I sent the above message I got an e-mail response:


Hello Carl , as we said please fax the receipt at +1 3474369193


I can see him salivating over his keyboard thinking that my $3500.00 is almost in his hands. I'm going to let the bozo suffer overnight and not respond to him until tomorrow.

I just sent him this e-mail.


I just finished trying to FAX the receipt to you three times and I can't get through. Can I just copy it and mail it to you, or do you have another FAX number that I can send it to? This is very frustrating for me. I have $3500 tied up here and this sale seems to be delayed because of your FAX machine not working.

Carl

He sent me another e-mail.


Ok Carl , please scan the receipt and send it through email.
Thank you,
eBay Financing Center Customer Support
Vehicle Purchase Protection Program


I thought my ruse was over because I really don't have a receipt. However, thanks to Google and http://www.scambuster419.co.uk I was able to obtain a blank Western Union receipt for my ficticious MTCN #. I just sent him this.

http://members.cox.net/87elcamino/pictures/receipt.jpg

lol, thats great! a fake receipt!!!! lol i wish i could see the guys face when he tries to cash it in :You_Rock:

This is very entertaining. LOL :popcornsmiley:

Hey Ernie remind me not to buy or sell anything to you!!!! I think it would cost both ways:poke:
Keep us updated!!!:nanawrench:
Donny

this is getting good,

[/URL]
Same ad here in Atlanta under auto parts.

[URL]http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/pts/1791987980.html (http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/pts/1791987980.html)

Well, my little scammer did not like the fake Western Union receipt that I sent him. He sent me this e-mail:


Hello Carl ,
this is fake. The transaction was cancelled.
Thank you,
eBay Financing Center Customer Support
Vehicle Purchase Protection Program


So I sent him this:


Well, it’s been nice toying with you. But now that I've had fun at your expense, you can go and crawl back into whatever hole you crawled out of in the first place.

All of your fake corespondence has been forwarded to the proper federal agency and the NY police department. You are a scumbag leech who lives in the lowest gutters of society. You will soon get what's coming to you. And when it happens you will regret trying to scam money from hard working people. I hope you enjoy your stay in prison. Just think, you’ll have plenty of time to think up some more scams when you’ve been locked up in jail where you belong... when you’re not too busy being used as a sexual plaything by the large, sweaty, frustrated men you’ll probably get to share your cell with.

Finally, may I suggest that you consider looking for an alternative career... one more suited to your obviously limited mental capacities? There must be plenty of toilets that need cleaning in New York, or maybe sweeping pigeon dung off the streets, or cleaning up after farm animals. They may not be the best jobs in the world, but they suit your abilities. What must your poor mother think of you? I’ll bet she’s terribly ashamed that her son has turned out the way you have. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that she’d disowned you.

Best regards,
Carl

You brought his mother into it? Great Job!!!!:nanawrench:
Donny

Way to go Ernie. Thanks for sharing, been interesting.....

Well, when one ruse ends another one must begin. I just sent my scammer another e-mail, this time from a 60's Red Sox Hall of Famer, shortstop Rico Pertocelli.

do u have n e more pics you can send. where can i see it. i'm vary intrested in buying it.

There appears to be another variant floating around. I found this listing a few days ago:

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/ctd/1808899825.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/ctd/1811993748.html

If the car is that clean... the price is definitely too good to be true. Turns out it's on various CL city sites all around the mid-east region here too. In each city, the story was every so slightly different, but it's obviously the same person(s).

http://annapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1820775838.html
http://richmond.craigslist.org/ctd/1815186994.html
http://delaware.craigslist.org/ctd/1821074832.html

I even found a reference in Delaware from yet another similar posting, but with the guy claiming he was in Montana (but notice the format of the posting is nearly identical).

http://delaware.craigslist.org/ctd/1784979782.html


I was thinking of registering a new gmail account in order to inquire on it... It could be for real... but I doubt it.

Carl if you are not interested in purchasing the El Camino I'd like a crack at it. Thanks, Willie Mays.

There appears to be another variant floating around. I found this listing a few days ago:

I was thinking of registering a new gmail account in order to inquire on it... It could be for real... but I doubt it.

Well.... did it. We'll see how far this one goes.

Using searchtempest.com, I found this guy's postings from North Carolina all the way up to New York City and out to Ohio. Definitely a scam. Let's see if I get the same BS story about being out in Montana.