RC Viper
Enthusiast
Overthe past few weeks I have been looking for a new Viper and have come upon three instances where someone was running a scam. The ads have been on Auto Trader and I have reported them.
Here is the reply to the note that I got back when inquiring about a 2006 Viper Coupe.
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Hi Randy,
The car is still for sale. The asking price is $34,700. It is located in Sugar Land, TX and the VIN is 1B3JZ69Z96V100738. The car is registered on my name and the title is clear (no lien). It is in great condition, no dents or scratches. It was always garaged and the regular maintenance was done in time. It wasn't involved in any accident and has never suffered any kind of damage. Also this is a non-smoker car. If you have any questions regarding the car or you want extra photos or the CARFAX report (for free) just let me know!
I'm a pilot on cargo flights. My wife broke up with me recently because I'm always away from home. We just sold our house and split the money. This is the last thing I need to sell and split the money with her.
Because I'm away most of the time I will not be able to deal in person. But I've already arranged the shipping and the title transfer anywhere in the US. I will pay the shipping fees.
I want the payment to be handled by Yahoo! Shopping Buyer Protection. They will keep the money until you will receive and inspect the car. You will have 7 days of inspection period. If the car is not like described you will have to ship it back on my expense and they will give you a full refund. This way, you will be able to inspect the vehicle before committing to buy it and I know that you have the money and you aren't just fooling around.
Giving the nature of this transaction please note that my sale terms are final and nonnegotiable. In order to move forward I will need your full name, address and phone number.
I don't want to offend you, but the car is priced for a fast sale so please if you intend to apply for a loan or financing do not reply to this message!
Kurt Larsen
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This was the first one. I have received two others for Vipers and one for a Z06 Vette.
They all have a pattern.
-The price of the car (Viper/Vette) is about 15K below KBB.
-The number that they have in Autotrader does not work, or is not answered so you are encouraged to send them an email. In one case it terminated to modem tone.
-The note you receive back has a sad story why the car has been discounted and why the sale needs to be quick.
-The seller wants you to put money in Yahoo Shopping Buyer Protection. This will allow you to receive the car and inspect it before authorizing the release of the funds.
-The seller offers to pay for the tranport of the car AND to transport it back if you don't want the car.
-The VIN number is a good number; its just someone elses car!
In this case, I kept sending notes asking "Kurt" to call me. When he finally did, he had a spoofed number show up on my phone. When I asked for his number he actually gave me one (and repeated it twice to make sure I got it) and told me to send someone by to look at the car. This number was a non working number of course. This guy not only had balls, he also must enjoy messing with people.
In addition to this, I saw a case where the same picture of a unique looking Corvette posted in two different ads on Auto Trader at the same time. The car was located in two different parts of the country. Problem is that that exact car had been sold on Ebay the day before!
Bottom line is that the deal looks too good to be real it probably is! Don't trust an escrow service unless you are sure it is real. There was a story on-line a few days ago that said that the scammers had built an authentic looking Yahoo web site. I'm sure that is what I was going to be directed to.
I would like to thank all of the members of the Texas Viper clubs that offered to go out an look at the car for me. I only wish there was a car to look at!
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Here is the reply to the note that I got back when inquiring about a 2006 Viper Coupe.
**********************************************************
**********************************************************
Hi Randy,
The car is still for sale. The asking price is $34,700. It is located in Sugar Land, TX and the VIN is 1B3JZ69Z96V100738. The car is registered on my name and the title is clear (no lien). It is in great condition, no dents or scratches. It was always garaged and the regular maintenance was done in time. It wasn't involved in any accident and has never suffered any kind of damage. Also this is a non-smoker car. If you have any questions regarding the car or you want extra photos or the CARFAX report (for free) just let me know!
I'm a pilot on cargo flights. My wife broke up with me recently because I'm always away from home. We just sold our house and split the money. This is the last thing I need to sell and split the money with her.
Because I'm away most of the time I will not be able to deal in person. But I've already arranged the shipping and the title transfer anywhere in the US. I will pay the shipping fees.
I want the payment to be handled by Yahoo! Shopping Buyer Protection. They will keep the money until you will receive and inspect the car. You will have 7 days of inspection period. If the car is not like described you will have to ship it back on my expense and they will give you a full refund. This way, you will be able to inspect the vehicle before committing to buy it and I know that you have the money and you aren't just fooling around.
Giving the nature of this transaction please note that my sale terms are final and nonnegotiable. In order to move forward I will need your full name, address and phone number.
I don't want to offend you, but the car is priced for a fast sale so please if you intend to apply for a loan or financing do not reply to this message!
Kurt Larsen
**************************************************************
**************************************************************
This was the first one. I have received two others for Vipers and one for a Z06 Vette.
They all have a pattern.
-The price of the car (Viper/Vette) is about 15K below KBB.
-The number that they have in Autotrader does not work, or is not answered so you are encouraged to send them an email. In one case it terminated to modem tone.
-The note you receive back has a sad story why the car has been discounted and why the sale needs to be quick.
-The seller wants you to put money in Yahoo Shopping Buyer Protection. This will allow you to receive the car and inspect it before authorizing the release of the funds.
-The seller offers to pay for the tranport of the car AND to transport it back if you don't want the car.
-The VIN number is a good number; its just someone elses car!
In this case, I kept sending notes asking "Kurt" to call me. When he finally did, he had a spoofed number show up on my phone. When I asked for his number he actually gave me one (and repeated it twice to make sure I got it) and told me to send someone by to look at the car. This number was a non working number of course. This guy not only had balls, he also must enjoy messing with people.
In addition to this, I saw a case where the same picture of a unique looking Corvette posted in two different ads on Auto Trader at the same time. The car was located in two different parts of the country. Problem is that that exact car had been sold on Ebay the day before!
Bottom line is that the deal looks too good to be real it probably is! Don't trust an escrow service unless you are sure it is real. There was a story on-line a few days ago that said that the scammers had built an authentic looking Yahoo web site. I'm sure that is what I was going to be directed to.
I would like to thank all of the members of the Texas Viper clubs that offered to go out an look at the car for me. I only wish there was a car to look at!
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