craigslist scam?

Hi all,

This is my first post here so forgive me if I mess something up. I've followed the sticky topic instructions and looked around a few scam checker websites i got from you guys but I'm still unsure about this. I found this used BMW on craigslist that has a suspiciously low selling price.

Here's the craigslist add:


Automatic=====2001 BMW 5 Series - $2200 (knoxville )

Date: 2012-05-27, 2:49PM EDT
Reply to: [email protected]

I need the money and it has to go.
---

Here's my email:

"Hey do you still have the BMW for sell? That's a pretty low price. I know you said you need the money but does it have any issues? What's the mileage?

Thanks"
---

Here's the full header of their response followed by their actual response:


Delivered-To: *********
Received: by 10.182.15.227 with SMTP id a3csp84759obd;
Sun, 27 May 2012 18:58:23 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.236.184.102 with SMTP id r66mr6234546yhm.46.1338170303319;
Sun, 27 May 2012 18:58:23 -0700 (PDT)
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Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 65.55.34.83 as permitted sender) [email protected]
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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Return-Path: [email protected]
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X-Originating-IP: [208.92.1.254]
From: Jayne and Mike Latimer <[email protected]>
To: **********
Subject: RE: Bmw
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 18:54:55 -0700
Importance: Normal
In-Reply-To:
<CAEsT_ktB4X63g4GVV8NEQzRnnZ2fE1gOexQ+D3_CBo86wrH4DQ@mail.gmail.com>
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Hello,

The car it's still available, has 122,000 miles, Automatic transmission. It's in perfect condition, no
engine problems (6 Cylinde), no accidents/liens/loans. Exterior no scratches, never been
repainted, interior no rips/tears/stains, never smoked inside. I have all the car's manuals, 2 spare of
keys, clean title, documents. This 2001 BMW 5 Series was my son's car, he loved it very much,
but he didn't enjoy it...He died in a bike accident 9 months ago and now...I don't need it anymore. It
brings very bad memories to me and I want to get rid of it....The price is $2,200.00
Me and my husband travel a lot with our business and we want to make this deal through eBay's Vehicle
Purchase Protection Program. I just need your full name, full shipping address, along with your
home/cell # so I can open a case (with no further obligation or fees). eBay will contact you with all
the Transaction/shipping details you will need.
We hope to hear soon from you.

For more pictures copy or click the following link:
http://imgur.com/a/plNup
May God Bless you every day.
Jayne and Mike Latimer

P.S: Here's the VIN # WBADS43401GD86039 so you can run a CARFAX Report just to make sure you know
exactly what you're buying!!!
---

I checked that vin on google and saw it pull up this car for sell at a dealership in Lumberton, NJ but it said it had been sold. I wasn't able to see when the car had been sold though so i couldn't really see if this conflicted with the sellers story. Anyway's here's my response to their email:

"Thanks for the reply. I'm very sorry about your son. I don't mind to go through ebay, but I'm very hesitant about giving my personal information online. Could I see the car in person before we got to that point please?

Thanks"

I figure if it's a scam they would want me to give that information and then they would contact me pretending to be ebay and con me. Also I checked that one website that checks email headers and it says they're in Pomona, CA. They say in the craiglist ad they are located in Knoxville, TN. But they also say they travel..

Any advice is appreciated.

I get Tustin, CA, with the whois program. At least the IP address isn't in Africa.

Googling the misspelling doesn't bring up any scam-related sites on the first page except this thread. I suggest you go ahead, but be alert for any signs of scam, such as a PayPal payment that says it won't show up until the item is shipped. Seeing it in person is a good idea.

I get Pomoma in the US, googling the email address only brings this post up, so the email address is not associated with scams.

This is not to say that it is not a scam, as Vonpaso has suggested, I would go ahead, but watch out for irregularities.

Hi chuck23gurus! Welcome to Scamwarners!

The points that vonpaso xlura made are valid. However, reading your post just now screamed scammer to me. The dead son? That's a classic scam scenario. Then the mention of eBay's Vehicle Purchase Protection Program somehow made me feel uneasy. I know that it is often used by scammers to inspire trust. Yes, it's a valid program but often abused. Because I don't know much about it, I just googled "eBay's Vehicle Purchase Protection Program". The most important thing that I learned is this:

How to identify the eBay VPP scam

1.
What is eBay VPP?
VPP exists inside of eBay

The eBay Vehicle Protection Program does exist, but it is only available to eBay users on eBay Motors. If you are not placing a bid or using the Buy It Now feature on an eBay site, the VPP does not guarantee your transaction.
eBay does not hold or ship merchandise

The eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection scam occurs outside of eBay. Scammers assert that eBay is holding or facilitating a sale, and send you fake eBay documents via email to back up their false claims. Here are easy ways to identify this scam:
The eBay VPP scammer
1. will not let you buy the item on eBay or eBay Motors
2. will not have an eBay ID number for the item that you can look up
3. will not let you see the vehicle prior to sale
4. will tell you the vehicle will be shipped
5. will ask that you send money using moneygram or another wire service
6. will advertise his car outside of eBay on craigslist, kijiji or some other site

I found this used BMW on craigslist that has a suspiciously low selling price.

I believe that this is a scammer.

When you google this bit:

no accidents/liens/loans. Exterior no scratches, never been
repainted, interior no rips/tears/stains, never smoked inside. I have all the car's manuals, 2 spare of
keys, clean title, documents.

You'll get lots of hits of reported scams, including on our Scamwarners forum like this one:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13677

I recognised the script immediatly. The thing with this scam is that the non existing car needs to be shipped to you, even when the original advert said that the car is only five miles away. But when you agree to the scammer to buy the car, then it suddenly is far away, and you'll be asked to send money via western union to a non existent shipping company. There are some variations on how the shipping part of the scam goes, but basicly this is the way this scam goes.
I also get Pomona when checking the headers, but it is known that there are scammers active in the USA too.

You guys are awesome. I'm convinced it's a scam now after reading that script in the thread David Jansen posted. They haven't replied back to me yet but I would bet their reply would be similar to the reply from the people posted in that thread.

Thanks guys

Okay, so it's a scam. I looked for "cylinde" and a few other words; the previous scam has it spelled correctly.

Tustin is about 50 km south of Pomona. Both are near Los Angeles.

I inquired about the car last night, anonymously and safely, and received the exact same reply as chuck23gurus has posted:

Hello,

The car it's still available, has 122,000 miles, Automatic transmission. It's in perfect condition, no
engine problems (6 Cylinde), no accidents/liens/loans. Exterior no scratches, never been
repainted, interior no rips/tears/stains, never smoked inside. I have all the car's manuals, 2 spare of
keys, clean title, documents. This 2001 BMW 5 Series was my son's car, he loved it very much,
but he didn't enjoy it...He died in a bike accident 9 months ago and now...I don't need it anymore. It
brings very bad memories to me and I want to get rid of it....The price is $2,200.00
Me and my husband travel a lot with our business and we want to make this deal through eBay's Vehicle
Purchase Protection Program. I just need your full name, full shipping address, along with your
home/cell # so I can open a case (with no further obligation or fees). eBay will contact you with all
the Transaction/shipping details you will need.
We hope to hear soon from you.

For more pictures copy or click the following link:
http://imgur.com/a/plNup
May God Bless you every day.
Jayne and Mike Latimer

P.S: Here's the VIN # WBADS43401GD86039 so you can run a CARFAX Report just to make sure you know
exactly what you're buying!!!

Delivered-To: one of my scambaiting [email protected]
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X-Originating-IP: [24.26.94.141]
From: Jayne and Mike Latimer <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Bmw
Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 06:06:09 -0700
Importance: Normal
In-Reply-To:
<CAAy71OSo5RB6=7g0m__8uZiABSFj+oovsS4Fw1Th4cotqzFwVA@mail.gmail.com>
References:
<CAAy71OSo5RB6=7g0m__8uZiABSFj+oovsS4Fw1Th4cotqzFwVA@mail.gmail.com>
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Mod edit: took out html coding. DJ

This time the originating IP traces back to Florida. The scammer must be using some kind of trick to hide his true Ip address...

Header Analysis Quick Report<br>Originating IP: 24.26.94.141<br>Originating ISP: Road Runner<br> City: Lakeland<br>Country of Origin: United States<br>* For a complete report on this email header goto ipTRACKERonline