Craigslist tractor scam

Hi Gary, welcome to Scamwarners.

There certainly does seem to be cause for concern.

Please do post the emails from this person with your own information removed, without seeing some more and without time to investigate right now, I dont want to say that it is definately a scam, it certainly looks like it though

While waiting for a better answer, please do not reply further to this person, if you have sent money, it is most likely too late now but stop payments if possible.

If you have more questions, please ask

I can see Ralph really was in a hurry
There is absolutely no doubt it is a scam. While the changing location, inability to provide a serial number, and unrealistic price are all strong scam indicators, the absolute proof of scam is right here:

I have three days after it arrives to approve its condition and have ebay release the money.

.

ebay's payment service has a name: Paypal. Although Paypal is owned by ebay, its name hasn't changed. All money transactions would go through paypal, so any specific information regarding payments would come from paypal, not ebay. And, more importantly, paypal is not an escrow service. Payments are not held pending inspection of the item. Vehicle purchase protection (which doesn't cover tractors by the way) and the general buyer protections mean that you can request a refund of your payment. Neither plan includes withholding payments pending inspection.

Please do post the correspondence you received from this scammer to help alert others!

Craigs list:
Albuquerque
Milwaukee,
Portland
Alaska
Delaware
Richmond

2008 Kubota BX 24 Diesel 4X4 Loader Backhoe Mower - $5800

All the same picture, wording, etc. Inquiries all get the same reply:
=======================================
Hi,
Thanks for being interested in buying my tractor. It is in a good condition, no scratches, no damages, no problems at the engine, runs very well. The price is not negotiable, $5800 firm. The price includes shipping and insurance to your address. I will ship it via a reputable shipping company and it will take almost a week depending of your location.
Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks
=================================
The tractor is in El Paso, TX.
I want to finish this deal through eBay International Trading. They will hold your payment and release it to me only after you will receive, inspect and agree with the tractor. I will give you 3 inspection days.
I will start the shipping in the same day with the payment confirmation.
The delivery process to your location will take 5-6 days.

Tell me if we can get the ball rolling and I will contact eBay regarding our transaction. after that they will send you the information of the purchasing.
==================================
Dear customer,

My name is Joshua Turner and I am from the customer support department. I will help you to close the transaction in a quick and safe way.
We will insure you 100%.
According to our Policy Transaction Agreement / Sec.5, Alg.32, the transfer must be available before instructing the seller to start the shipping.
The payment details are confidential and will not be released under any circumstances.eBay International Trading security measures are constantly reviewed and modified given evolving circumstances globally, drawing on both internal assessments and the support of government agencies.
In order to proceed with the transaction we need your name and address for shipping.
Please reply with any question.

Sincerely,
eBay International Trading Customer Support
===================================

I need to sell it quickly to can pay my loan. I have contacted eBay regarding our deal, they will send you the details of "how to purchase the tractor" in a short time. email me as soon as youll hear from them so I'll know we are on the right way.
==================================

Please contact the eBay they will send you all this details. They will do always for us!

It would be natural for you to want confirmation that it's been regularly serviced.

The seller, especially a scammer is bound to answer 'yes'. You can then ask for name and address of servicing company so that YOU can look up the phone number and confirm details with them. Such an enquiry would knock out the majority of scammers without you even having to make a phone call.

I am sorry to say that me and my husband fell for the same scam. We were lucky enough though to figure it out and was able to get our money back through western union because they had not bothered to pick it up yet! We have learned our lesson and if it sounds too good to be true then it is!
Thanks

Removed quote of complete post by martyup to make it easier to see whats going on - Ralph

Hi9 Gidget, welcome to Scamwarners.

You are extremely lucky indeed, it is rare to be able to beat the scammer to your money so that is great news.

If you have any emails or details from the scammer that are different to what has already been posted could you please include it here, the more einformation we have the greater chance there is that we can keep people from being scammed.

If you have any questions please ask

I responded to an ad on Craigslist (Portland, OR) for a 2003 John Deere model 790, priced at $5200.

He/she responded that the tractor was in Madison, WI. The rest of the email was verbatim to the one received by "earth energy" on 6/22/10, regarding the sale of a Kabota tractor for $5800.

I initially became suspicious when the tractor, supposedly in Madison, WI, was not listed on Craigslist for that city. Further research showed the ad had been flagged and removed in numerous other cities around the country. The email address is [email protected].

Does anyone ever get caught and actually go to the big house over these scams?

Welcome, swiftybob. I'm glad to hear you figured out the scam early. Thanks for posting this information. Can you post the full email from this person so that any of the details will show up in searches?

Scammers do occasionally get caught but not very often. They hide behind the anonymity of the internet and there are jurisdictional issues with law enforcement agencies as well as corrupt law enforcement in some countries where they operate.

i have received a couple emails from [email protected] and said the tractor is in madison, wi and i have asked both times for a phone number to be able to talk to him. I emailed him back this last time to let him know i have a friend that lives by madison and could come and take a look at it. he has not responded back to me yet. he said he wanted to finish this deal through ebay international trading to ensure the protection of both parties. i told him i would drive the 8 hours also to pick it up myself and i will see if he is willing to let me get it. I am sure this is a scam.

Here are three more email address' these scammers are using.
Brian Doherty [email protected]
Christian Harper [email protected] and [email protected]

Is it possible for the scamwarning "circle" to set up an informal but swift alert support system with/for msn or verizon so they either trace these crooks or cut off their email on day one? More folk will engage and take action if we know our effort might land a lump on one of these clowns.

This Chris Harper character tried to pull us in with an ad for (someone else's) shiny "John Deere 3720 with Cab and Lots of Attachments - $5700" posted on the Portland Craigslist. Price being about $10K short of the honest mark, we figured surely stolen or scam.

Here is my exchange with our friend "Christian" (Pigeon Candidate being substituted for my name.)


------ Forwarded Message
From: Christian Harper <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:52:48 -0600
To: pigeon candidate
Subject: Re: To purchase your JD 3720

I've chosen to close the deal trough eBay because I am not in the country right now and I cannot close a face-to-face deal, I am sorry for the inconvenience.
The tractor is in the shipping company's custody and they will handle the delivery for me, eBay will manage the payment process.
Under these circumstances, this is the only way for me to do business. Let me know if you're still interested.
Thanks!


----- Original Message -----

From: pigeon candidate

To: Christian Harper <mailto:[email protected]>

Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 2:25 PM

Subject: To purchase your JD 3720


Chris,

We would like to proceed on this. We will need an email confirming that I have a short but exclusive option to buy your 3720 at your price, that expires at 5pm on Friday. That will justify my sending a technician to inspect the tractor today or Friday, or whenever you are available to show. Tomorrow being Turkeyday that is not very practical.

We will transfer the funds once the machine has been inspected.

Thanks for the swift response.

Pigeon

------ Forwarded Message
From: Christian Harper <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:09:24 -0600
To: pigeon candidate

Subject: Re: 2007 John Deere 3720 with Cab and Lots of Attachments.

I live in Havre, MT and the tractor is there. It will be shipped from Havre
and I'll pay the delivery costs.

I want to close this deal through eBay. They will keep the amount paid until
you'll receive, inspect and agree with the tractor. I'll start the delivery
process in the same day with the payment's confirmation. It will arrive at
your address in 5-7 days. I will give you 3 days for inspection.

Tell me if you are still interested and I will contact eBay regarding our
transaction. Then they will send you the information about the purchasing.
Thanks!

________

[Pigeon's footnote:]

For the record, this almost pigeon called a John Deere outlet in Havre MT, figuring they would know where most of the JD hardware in this class was working. They just laughed!

Is it possible for the scamwarning "circle" to set up an informal but swift alert support system with/for msn or verizon so they either trace these crooks or cut off their email on day one? More folk will engage and take action if we know our effort might land a lump on one of these clowns.

We actually don't want to close their free email accounts. As long as they continue to scam under the same name/email address, the information is here and easy to find when a new potential victim googles the scammer's name and/or email.

As long as there are hundreds of free email services out there, when one account is closed, the scammers will simply open a new account in a matter of minutes, and they will keep going. When the scammers target new victims with the new information, the new name/email will not trigger a response, and the victim is more likely to proceed, thinking it is not a scam.

Unfortunately, even if the corporations were willing and able to perform an immediate trace on the scammers, they also have no power to take legal action--and the scammers are operating in countries whose governments are not exactly known for enforcement.

Dotti, Thanks for straightening me out on this. Obviously it is better to track & post a known fraud address.

Are there any country/company partnerships that DO trace (even catch) any of these people?

Has some kind of bounty system been tried? Money being the motus, surely the scammers would get busy scamming each other (while scamming the bounty provider, of course.)

Or are we constrained to scamwarning, scambaiting & caveat emptor?