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Buying a used car can be a major headache. In some cases, it leads to a variety of problems aside from those mechanical gremlins.
A friend in California was searching for a good used car for her daughter and ran across an ad on Craigslist for a 2003 Toyota Corolla with 57,000 miles for the bargain-basement price of $2,950.
Although suspicious -- this car should sell for more than three times that asking price -- my friend sent an e-mail to the seller. I've deleted names to protect the guilty, but here is what she received in response:
"This '03 Corolla is in perfect working condition. This vehicle engine runs very, very smooth. No electrical problems on this beauty. This detailed vehicle makes the exterior looks like it just came off the assembly line. The car has 57k miles. VIN Number: jtdbr32e130038947.
"As I know that my current situation is pretty special, I want the deal closed only through eBay's Buyer Protection Program in order for you to be 100% protected. You will make the payment to eBay and they will hold the money until you receive the car. ONLY AFTER you receive the car and you inspect it (for 10 days) eBay will release the payment to me; in this way we are both protected.
"Anyway, I am sure that if you will don't be satisfied about the car I will surely find another buyer in your area and there will be no need for you to ship the car back.
"I am located in London, United Kingdom, and I was sent here to improve the military relationships between USA and UK. One months ago, my wife moved here with me and brought the car with her, but now we have to sell it back in the United States because we can't register it here; it has US specs and everything, and registering it here in Europe will take for ever.
"My final price on it is US 2,960 $. If you will take it for this price, I am willing to handle the shipping. It will be shipped from here by plane with US Air Military Cargo so it will not cost me anything. You will get it to the nearest airport in your area and then it will be trucked forward to your place.
"You will receive the car in about 3 days.
"Please get back to me asap if you decide to buy, and include in your e-mail your full name and address where you want it shipped so I can start the deal with eBay. You will receive all the transaction payment and shipping details from them."
What an incredibly ingenious scam!
Where to start with all the warning signs? First, this car was listed on a Craigslist bulletin board in California without adding the slight detail that the car -- if it exists -- is in London.
And how about the little patriotic tug: This a serviceman (he identified himself as a sergeant) caught over a barrel who just wants to get rid of his car.
Then there's the deal about using eBay's buyer protection program so the buyer will feel protected. First, eBay's buyer protection program is open to items sold on eBay, not on Craigslist. If someone bites on this, they would have likely received an e-mail from what would look like eBay but in fact was a money transfer site set up by the seller.
That would have been the last the buyer would have seen of her $2,950 and there would have been no Corolla forthcoming.
Of course, there are other clues that this deal is phony: Military personnel transferred overseas can drive their cars without having to convert them to local specifications and the military doesn't routinely ship unwanted cars back to the United States and especially not by air transport and not in three days.
Fortunately, my friend didn't just arrive from Mars, so she quickly deleted the e-mail and resumed her search for a good used car.
Ultimately, there are two lessons here:
While the Internet has been a great tool for buyers and sellers in the used car market, it has opened up yet another avenue for thieves.
And then there's the adage that predates the Internet by a couple of centuries but still holds true: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
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