New (to me) scam on Craigslist

[Christbiker]

As some of you know I buy and sell Valkyries on CL.  Have been doing such for 5 years now with good success and have met some fine folks in the process.  I currently have an ad in Austin, Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Yellow/cream with beetle bags.  I am being emailed from the ad trying to lure me in deeper before asking for a vin report.  Wanting me to provide a report (usvinresearch.com) before they anxiously want to give me $$.  I've not experienced this prior and am old and slow but not stupid (although some here on the Texas chapter may disagree).  Starts with the typical casual inquiry then dives from there.  Don't know about other areas of this great country but wanted to give a "heads up" to those who may use CL.  Scammers are gravy sucking varmits. 

Blessings,

Woody   

[baldo]

Woody,

There was a thread on here a little while ago about this very same thing.

You're right, scammers are among the lowest form of life...

Bob

[rhubarbray]

Just wondering how this is a scam? Might be different here in Canada but could they not be using the VIN to search for leins, accidents, write-offs, salvage titles, etc?

[hubcapsc]

I googled around some... it costs some money to get the vin report. The
scammer isn't going to buy your car/bike/whatever, but if they can get
you to get your vin report from the company at the URL they provided
you, they get a commission. If you don't use their company, or don't
get a vin report, that's fine with the scammer, they're busy fishing
craigslist for more people to send the scam to.

-Mike "what a way to make a living..."

[The emperor has no clothes]

I googled around some... it costs some money to get the vin report. The
scammer isn't going to buy your car/bike/whatever, but if they can get
you to get your vin report from the company at the URL they provided
you, they get a commission. If you don't use their company, or don't
get a vin report, that's fine with the scammer, they're busy fishing
craigslist for more people to send the scam to.

-Mike "what a way to make a living..."

No kidding ! Sounds like a lot of work to me.
Here is the earlier post about it.
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,86509.0.html

[Christbiker]

have received the following from three different losers.  Exact wording.

I'd just really appreciate it if you can get report and that you get it from usavinresearch.com because i'd like to repay you for it if we make a deal, and they're cheaper than carfax, and you know how it is, every dollar you save counts. I don't want to get it myself because if it's bad then i just wasted my money,but you can still use it however it turns out. I would like to see bike tomorrow if you are free (and if everything is ok with history report).
Looking forward to hearing from you, Jill.

[Psychotic Bovine]

I googled around some... it costs some money to get the vin report. The
scammer isn't going to buy your car/bike/whatever, but if they can get
you to get your vin report from the company at the URL they provided
you, they get a commission. If you don't use their company, or don't
get a vin report, that's fine with the scammer, they're busy fishing
craigslist for more people to send the scam to.

-Mike "what a way to make a living..."

No kidding ! Sounds like a lot of work to me.
Here is the earlier post about it.
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,86509.0.html

It's not work at all.  They use a program to scan CL ads which then sends mass emails out. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

I googled around some... it costs some money to get the vin report. The
scammer isn't going to buy your car/bike/whatever, but if they can get
you to get your vin report from the company at the URL they provided
you, they get a commission. If you don't use their company, or don't
get a vin report, that's fine with the scammer, they're busy fishing
craigslist for more people to send the scam to.

-Mike "what a way to make a living..."

No kidding ! Sounds like a lot of work to me.
Here is the earlier post about it.
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,86509.0.html

It's not work at all.  They use a program to scan CL ads which then sends mass emails out. 

I should have clarified. for a dumbass like me it would take forever.

[mike72903]

I purchased my bike (Desdimona) from Woody on eBay after a scammer tried to con him with the high bid.  I forget the exact story but it was a typical scam at the time requiring shipping, etc. anyway, I was second high bidder and we agreed to a continue the deal.  I had seen the bike listed here and PM'd Woody a couple of times and then it popped up on eBay.  Still happy to have gotten it.

[pipecvr@comcast.net]

Same deal happened to me.  I have a Suzuki C109RT for sale on craigs list.  I was emailed by an individual claiming to be interested in the bike and wanted a vin report.  Wasn't happy with the company I used and insisted on one from a certain company.  Once I paid for the report never heard from him again.

[bg]

same thing happened to me......wording was verbatim from the google search i did for craigslist scammers.
my understanding of the scam is they get a kickback from the vin search company for every one they can get to fall for this scam.
i didn't research it to see if it's true but that's just what i heard.
i told him to come with money for the bike and we'd do a vin search on his phone when he gets her.........never showed up and never heard back from him.

[solo1]

Scammers are always coming up with new ways to make money.

A person that is really interested in buying a vehicle will do his homework himself.

I purchased a vin searcher (not CarFax) when I looked for a Miata.  It was well worth it. After running through 25-30 cars I found exactly what I was looking for. 

[dreamaker]

As some of you know I buy and sell Valkyries on CL.  Have been doing such for 5 years now with good success and have met some fine folks in the process.  I currently have an ad in Austin, Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Yellow/cream with beetle bags.  I am being emailed from the ad trying to lure me in deeper before asking for a vin report.  Wanting me to provide a report (usvinresearch.com) before they anxiously want to give me $$.  I've not experienced this prior and am old and slow but not stupid (although some here on the Texas chapter may disagree).  Starts with the typical casual inquiry then dives from there.  Don't know about other areas of this great country but wanted to give a "heads up" to those who may use CL.  Scammers are gravy sucking varmits. 

Blessings,

Woody   

Thank You for the heads up, I leaned a long time ago to beat a criminal, you must think like a criminal, the trick is not to become one. That way you can be one step a head of them, important not to get angry about it, because generally one will do something stupid when they are. I have to confess I have a touch of Evil in me, sometimes. Many times people call me, trying to pull their crap on me, like they really care.  Sometimes something clicks in my head and I have fun, and I act like I am really interested, and act excited, I get them all pumped up, and as I am asking them a positive question to their product, I click the button. I have a phone blocker, I put their number in what is called the Black List.  At that point, they can call my number 3000 times if they want, my phone will never ring, ever!

[baldo]

As some of you know I buy and sell Valkyries on CL.  Have been doing such for 5 years now with good success and have met some fine folks in the process.  I currently have an ad in Austin, Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Yellow/cream with beetle bags.  I am being emailed from the ad trying to lure me in deeper before asking for a vin report.  Wanting me to provide a report (usvinresearch.com) before they anxiously want to give me $$.  I've not experienced this prior and am old and slow but not stupid (although some here on the Texas chapter may disagree).  Starts with the typical casual inquiry then dives from there.  Don't know about other areas of this great country but wanted to give a "heads up" to those who may use CL.  Scammers are gravy sucking varmits. 

Blessings,

Woody   

Thank You for the heads up, I leaned a long time ago to beat a criminal, you must think like a criminal, the trick is not to become one. That way you can be one step a head of them, important not to get angry about it, because generally one will do something stupid when they are. I have to confess I have a touch of Evil in me, sometimes. Many times people call me, trying to pull their crap on me, like they really care.  Sometimes something clicks in my head and I have fun, and I act like I am really interested, and act excited, I get them all pumped up, and as I am asking them a positive question to their product, I click the button. I have a phone blocker, I put their number in what is called the Black List.  At that point, they can call my number 3000 times if they want, my phone will never ring, ever!

I need one of those. We get calls from the same numbers, usually at the same time, every day.

[The emperor has no clothes]

As some of you know I buy and sell Valkyries on CL.  Have been doing such for 5 years now with good success and have met some fine folks in the process.  I currently have an ad in Austin, Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Yellow/cream with beetle bags.  I am being emailed from the ad trying to lure me in deeper before asking for a vin report.  Wanting me to provide a report (usvinresearch.com) before they anxiously want to give me $$.  I've not experienced this prior and am old and slow but not stupid (although some here on the Texas chapter may disagree).  Starts with the typical casual inquiry then dives from there.  Don't know about other areas of this great country but wanted to give a "heads up" to those who may use CL.  Scammers are gravy sucking varmits. 

Blessings,

Woody   

Thank You for the heads up, I leaned a long time ago to beat a criminal, you must think like a criminal, the trick is not to become one. That way you can be one step a head of them, important not to get angry about it, because generally one will do something stupid when they are. I have to confess I have a touch of Evil in me, sometimes. Many times people call me, trying to pull their crap on me, like they really care.  Sometimes something clicks in my head and I have fun, and I act like I am really interested, and act excited, I get them all pumped up, and as I am asking them a positive question to their product, I click the button. I have a phone blocker, I put their number in what is called the Black List.  At that point, they can call my number 3000 times if they want, my phone will never ring, ever!

I need one of those. We get calls from the same numbers, usually at the same time, every day.

Isn't there a national Do Not Call list that you can keep all of them from calling ? Except the scummy politicians exempted themselves from it.

[dreamaker]

I have been on the Do Not Call List for many years on my home phone and cell, for me it is as useful as lips for a chicken. Non-profit Org. are exempt. I got the unit below off EBay a while back, and not hard to use, there are two lists, a White List and a Black List. White List is for the people you want to get through, the Black List is a slight problem, it only holds 9,999 numbers. With the white list, the calls go through like nothing is there, like normal.  In the black list there is a massage  before it goes through of instruction.  If turned on, it has three different languages, English, Spanish and German, often I will click it on German, just to piss off the telemarketers, they don't know what to do. Also you can turn it off, if a important call needs to come through, even in the off position, the black list people can't get through. Something I have been noticing lately, there are Tele' calls that are not human, nearly impossible to detect, unless you know what to look for.  Sounds exactly like a human, generally happy, up beat, but when it asks a question and you answer, there will be a slight pause, very slight. When I suspect I may ask a off beat question, or asks if I am talking to a computer.  Generally after asking my question they disconnect.  I am willing to bet, that you have got one and didn't even know it.  Anyways below is like the one I got, it s worth its weight in gold!  Black list could call 4000 times and your phone will never ring. Keep in mind there may be other brands out there also.


http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=sentry%20phone%20blocker&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

[hubcapsc]

Sounds exactly like a human, generally happy, up beat, but when it asks a question and you answer, there will be a slight pause, very slight.

A lot of the time I wait for the other end to say something, I don't say hello
myself... the other end pretending to be an actual person doesn't work
too well if you do that.

-Mike

[3fan4life]

As some of you know I buy and sell Valkyries on CL.  Have been doing such for 5 years now with good success and have met some fine folks in the process.  I currently have an ad in Austin, Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Yellow/cream with beetle bags.  I am being emailed from the ad trying to lure me in deeper before asking for a vin report.  Wanting me to provide a report (usvinresearch.com) before they anxiously want to give me $$.  I've not experienced this prior and am old and slow but not stupid (although some here on the Texas chapter may disagree).  Starts with the typical casual inquiry then dives from there.  Don't know about other areas of this great country but wanted to give a "heads up" to those who may use CL.  Scammers are gravy sucking varmits. 

Blessings,

Woody   

Thank You for the heads up, I leaned a long time ago to beat a criminal, you must think like a criminal, the trick is not to become one. That way you can be one step a head of them, important not to get angry about it, because generally one will do something stupid when they are. I have to confess I have a touch of Evil in me, sometimes. Many times people call me, trying to pull their crap on me, like they really care.  Sometimes something clicks in my head and I have fun, and I act like I am really interested, and act excited, I get them all pumped up, and as I am asking them a positive question to their product, I click the button. I have a phone blocker, I put their number in what is called the Black List.  At that point, they can call my number 3000 times if they want, my phone will never ring, ever!

I need one of those. We get calls from the same numbers, usually at the same time, every day.

I've been told that the call blocking is a Samsung only feature.

I use it all of the time to block unwanted calls, it 's a GREAT feature!

[3fan4life]

same thing happened to me......wording was verbatim from the google search i did for craigslist scammers.
my understanding of the scam is they get a kickback from the vin search company for every one they can get to fall for this scam.
i didn't research it to see if it's true but that's just what i heard.
i told him to come with money for the bike and we'd do a vin search on his phone when he gets her.........never showed up and never heard back from him.

That would be my approach to someone like that.


I usually buy my cell phones on Craigslist.

After hearing about a scam where people sell you a working phone and then report it as stolen, I've been asking the seller to meet me at an AT&T store so they can verify that the ESN is good.

Lately,  I've had several break off contact after me asking them to do this.

[gwan2cruz]

I received the same request for the VIN on that same site, it is a scam according to a google search just to get your VIN number and $ 19.95.  BTW the "interested" party was Debbiet. I told her to come look at it and make an offer first. That was the last Craigslist request from "her."