Craigslist ATV Scams - Beware!

[Ajmboy]

So here is the latest scam on craigslist I came across today... bunch of ads by MadelineCook1988 @gmail .com and some others

If someone is selling an ATV too cheap, 90% of the time its scam!

Here's some of the correspondence with this seller...

Quote

Hi, happy to see you're interested in my 2015 Polaris Sportsman 570 EFI, my name is Madeline Cook and I'm a flight attendant.The price for the atv is $1,200 firm including delivery at your address. It has only 40 miles and 23 hours, 570 cc engine, 4x4, 2500 lb Winch, 66" Glacier Snow Plow and power steering. It was gently driven, never taken to off road parks or abused, is in great shape overall,never had any problems and the title is clean as well, under my name. The only reason for selling is that I don't really need it, I won it after the divorce with my ex-husband.

Because of my work schedule as flight attendant I'm away most of the time and I can't manage this sale myself and I want to do this through eBay Motors.

 

Quote

Hi again, now I'm in Bismarck, North Dakota back with my parents after the divorce and the atv is already at the eBay warehouse here in Bismarck along with title and all the paperwork and they will handle the transaction regarding shipping, payment and paper exchange. You will have free delivery and 7 days to inspect it before I receive any money, the atv arriving at you in 3-5 days.
If for some reason you won't like it (I know this is not going to happen cause it's in excellent condition) it will be shipped back to me on my expense and eBay will refund your money. So if you want to make this deal just reply with your first and last name, delivery address including zip code and phone number and I will forward your info to ebay so they can send you all the details.

 

Here's some more listings. When they list an email address, its a sign that its a scam...

[mikeexplorer]

I have heard of that one about it being handled through "Ebay Motors" and such. I came across one of those "great deals" years ago and got a similar line of bull.

I told them I only do Paypal through Ebay so if they had the Ebay transaction number. Poof! never heard back

 

[Ajmboy]

5 hours ago, mikeexplorer said:

I have heard of that one about it being handled through "Ebay Motors" and such. I came across one of those "great deals" years ago and got a similar line of bull.

I told them I only do Paypal through Ebay so if they had the Ebay transaction number. Poof! never heard back

Its amazing how many of these types of ads are on craigslist. 

[mikeexplorer]

You notice how most of the scams are Gmail addresses?

I actually never use craigslist, too riddled with scams and people fishing for information.

Mike

 

[davefrombc]

Craig's  list  can be a great source  if   you  can  pick up  your  purchase in person  and be paid in cash for sales.  be  wary of  cashiers checks, bank drafts and of  course personal  checks. Both  bank drafts and  cashiers checks can be  fakes .  My sister found out the  hard way  that a  bank draft  can be a fake that   a bank  will  cash  and then a week  later find out from  the clearing house  it is a fake  and charge  back  your account. Bye bye  item , bye bye  money  and  if  payment  was in foreign  currency  you end up losing even  more  because banks  charge  a fee to  convert  the currency  into  your  dollars and you  don't  get  that  back when  they  charge  back for the  fake

[Ajmboy]

3 hours ago, mikeexplorer said:

You notice how most of the scams are Gmail addresses?

Yep

17 minutes ago, davefrombc said:

Craig's  list  can be a great source  if   you  can  pick up  your  purchase in person

That's the only way to prevent a scam, in person.

[JacobSlabach]

I’ve lost $3500 to a scam when I was 13.  Same deal as@Ajmboy came across.  So yes, if it’s too good to be true, than it isn’t.  Never ever send any money for any reason thru money gram or Walmart transfer or by taking pictures of eBay gift card and sending them to anyone.  Always buy in person.  No handshake, no deal is my rule.

[Impala_ss]

This is the same thing as Facebook Marketplace.  Thousands a day between vehicles and trailers and Facebook won't do anything.  If the deal is too good to be true it is a scam.  Also if the pictures suck, cropped, background does not match climate, or an email in the picture (usually gmail) it is a scam.  Also anything they want money before product it is a scam.

[David Strutz]

NEVER send money up front for anything hoping they will deliver it to you. Cash on delivery when you see the vehicle only, as there are more crooks than you can count. Also never buy through Facebook advertisements, you order and they send some worthless POS in return, and to return that worthless item to china is way over what it's worth hoping to get your money back. Note: E-bay Motors does not handle transactions between you and the seller, It's only an advertising medium.

[Ajmboy]

Just crazy...a little off topic but kinda the same, we’ve been looking for a puppy and if you look on Craigslist, it’s nothing but scam after scam.

One of the sellers was selling a shihtsu puppy for a decent price but asked to email them with a phone number to avoid “scammers”. Ok, so I send him a phone number and then get a text saying something like. “This is the seller with the puppy, are you real?” I say “yes”. They then say “please tell me the verification code from a separate text to validate you are real”.....hmm

So basically, this person is trying to add your phone number to their google voice and google sends you the text to validate and take control of the number, which they’ll then use for more scamming. Sneaky, but luckily I’m up to date on these things. He then texts, “don’t worry not scam”. 

I have google voice also and proceeded to add his number on my end so he would get a verification text....he went away.

[JacobSlabach]

14 hours ago, Ajmboy said:

Just crazy...a little off topic but kinda the same, we’ve been looking for a puppy and if you look on Craigslist, it’s nothing but scam after scam.

One of the sellers was selling a shihtsu puppy for a decent price but asked to email them with a phone number to avoid “scammers”. Ok, so I send him a phone number and then get a text saying something like. “This is the seller with the puppy, are you real?” I say “yes”. They then say “please tell me the verification code from a separate text to validate you are real”.....hmm

So basically, this person is trying to add your phone number to their google voice and google sends you the text to validate and take control of the number, which they’ll then use for more scamming. Sneaky, but luckily I’m up to date on these things. He then texts, “don’t worry not scam”. 

I have google voice also and proceeded to add his number on my end so he would get a verification text....he went away.

i had something similar to this..

had a craigslist ad up a year or so ago and a guy txts me asking me to give him a verification code to make sure i was real and i get a g-xxxxxx code txt that you get when you forget your google account password and have to enter a code they txt to your phone to make sure its you.

so basically if i had given him the code then i would have been locked out of my google account and he would have access to my card number and passwords to pretty much everything.

i actually messed with him and gave him a wrong 6 digit code several times and said i messed it up when he said they were wrong and had him send it again and again.. just cause i like to waste as much of their time as possible since i lost 3500 to them.. maybe piss them off enough theyll at least leave me alone

Edited November 30, 2020 by JacobSlabach