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MG MGA - Is this a con?

In response to an advertisment on the MG Enthusiast website to sale my 1960 MGA I received the offer below after some cursory questions about the car. This sounds too bogus to me?

----- Original Message -----
From: XXXX
To: Danny Jacob
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 11:48 AM
Subject: PAYMENT AND SHIPPER...


Thanks very much for your response,am ok with the
price, i will buy it about the shipping i have a
reputable shipper in the united kingdom that will
handle the shipping and for the payment i will
instruct one of my associate in the state to issue out
a certified cashier check of $17,500 .and as soon
as you receive the check you deduct your cost price
and send the remaining balance to my shipping agent
via western union money transfer so that he can come
for the pick up of the car,so to issue out the check
to you ,i will like you to forward the following
details to me so that i can forward it to my associate
that will issue out the check to you ,
your full name..
Home address..
post code,
state& country....
i want it arrange this way,so that will be written on
the check and your phone number ,your urgent response
will be highy regarded am located in united kingdom.
Best Regard to your response.
Danny Jacob

Sure sounds like a con to me. Very similar to the Nigerian scams that have been going on for years. You could always take a chance, just don't send any money until the check clears for at least a couple of weeks and your bank says it's good. I would think that any reputable buyer would send seperate checks, one for you in the exact amount and one for his agent. He's trusting you with his money, would you trust anyone with yours in such a deal?
Bill Young

STOP!!!!
watch out!!!!
I almost had a scam happen to me, looks like the same deal. Almost got me for $5000.00 for a mga twin cam engine. Ask for more photos of your purchase. Tell him you would like a buddy with the MG club to look at it. See what happens. I will bet he gets pissed.
Don
D.M. Black

It appears very bogus... a scam that has plagued the Internet for years. By the time the "buyer's" check bounces, the victim has already (and irretrievably) sent them the "difference" in cash via Western Union. This scam is right up there with the "former government officials" from Nigeria who want to deposit millions of dollars into your bank account. I have had several of these types contact me for various items I have had for sale on the Internet. If you even respond (and you may not want to) insist in your one response that:
1) You will sell the item for the sale price and no more;
2) You will not make payment of any kind or refund any overpayment to any third party or to the buyer;
3)The buyer must agree to either wire-transfer the exact sale price into your bank's escrow account OR they have to allow 45 days for their check to clear their bank (no matter that it is a cashier's check) before you release the car or transfer title;
4)The buyer must arrange their own shipping. Period.
5)Never send them any personal info (phone number, address, and certainly not your personal bank account numbers.

In the end they won't agree to an arm's length business deal. When they come back and try to negotiate your position, say you cannot do business with them and end the discussion.
Frank Nocera

Danny - it's a well known scam. Turns out "cashier's checks" are not really solid in today's society. Scroll down on this link and see the details:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

- Ken
Ken Doris

Do it and I bet you get cheated. Another way around this scam. Tell the buyer to send the money...deposit the money in your bank account...DO NOT ship the car...DO NOT return any money....just wait and see what happens. I bet your bank will be calling you with some service charges for the NSF check. If not in two months and the check is good, call the buyer and tell him to send his shipper over to get the car and YOU will pay the shipper personally.
Gordon Harrison

At least this one is for a car....

I had exactly the same offer.

I was asked to wrap it up and after forwarding the cheque to the 'transport company' have the item available for colection.

Catch was - The 'item' that I was selling was a house!


Ian F
Ian Fraser

Another point is that most banks will charge you a fee for depositing an international check that comes back bad. I had a friend that was playing with the scammers, and having a big time until he got charged $88 for one check from Canada that was no good. He made a copy of the check for me to look at, and it was absolutely perfect, even the bank said so. But three weeks later they still hit him for a $88 bank service fee, as was allowed in his operations agreement with them. Very sorry, they said, but deducted their "confirmation costs" from his account, anyway.

He still lets the scammers send him checks, but doesn't deposit them anymore - Take Care - - Alec
Alec Darnall

Con.
Bob Muenchausen

Definitely a con - it is a well known scam in UK - don't have any contact with the scammer at all - several of our club members have had this tried on them over ebay cars . The money order is not worth the paper it's printed on. Cheers Cam
C Cunningham

This thread was discussed between 26/01/2006 and 27/01/2006

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