I'm assuming this is a scam....

[Hellcat707]

What about wiring the money to the sellers account?

 

[Fermion]

I always do car transactions where a check is involved at the buyer's bank. I bring the title and I watch as they get the check from the teller and we sign over the documents right at one of the bank's desks.

It is really really hard for a bank teller to scam you this way.

 

[Rianne]

Exact same thing happened to us with a TRUE treadmill. High end treadmill. Long story, no question, a scam

 

[Bir48die]

I was an idiot and almost got scammed. Not this exact scenario but I am damn lucky someone overheard me in a conversation about selling my wife's car. I luckily was able to fix it. I've always been a bit cynical. Now I'm like the old curmudgeon.

 

[Sunset]

What about wiring the money to the sellers account?

Why would the buyer not want to see the car/item to be sure the seller is not a scammer ??

 

[pb4uski]

Cashier's checks are too easy to counterfeit. Cash only! It's a scam.

What I did is meet the buyer at my bank, which is located in a tiny "mall" with a gas station, small grocery store and the bank... they inspected the car and we went for a test drive... he made made an offer and I accepted... we walk into my bank and he hands me the purchase price and I hand the cash to the teller and she deposits it to my account... then I sign over the title and handed the signed title and the keys to the buyer.

I don't even bother to respond to the obvious scam responses anymore.

 

[NW-Bound]

I always do car transactions where a check is involved at the buyer's bank. I bring the title and I watch as they get the check from the teller and we sign over the documents right at one of the bank's desks.

It is really really hard for a bank teller to scam you this way.

I have bought vehicles this way. I went with the seller to my bank, and asked for a certified check from the teller. Sellers were happy to hand me the title in exchange for my check, inside the bank where everything is in front of the teller and recorded on their security camera.

PS. If I withdrew tens of thousands in cash at the bank, they would report me to the government. And carrying that much cash around is not safe.

 

[TrvlBug]

What I did is meet the buyer at my bank, which is located in a tiny "mall" with a gas station, small grocery store and the bank... they inspected the car and we went for a test drive... he made made an offer and I accepted... we walk into my bank and he hands me the purchase price and I hand the cash to the teller and she deposits it to my account... then I sign over the title and handed the signed title and the keys to the buyer.

I don't even bother to respond to the obvious scam responses anymore.

What we did was meet the buyer at a local Costco. They inspected the car, test drove it and we agreed upon a price. Met again the following day at the same location, they turned over the cash & we signed over the title and off they went with my 'baby' (a beautiful '94 cobalt blue Camaro, 15 years old, always garaged, no accidents/scratches with only 80K miles!). Had the car been worth much $$$, we would have met them at the bank for the transfer.

 

[NW-Bound]

When my son sold his car while still living with us, the buyer was paying in cash and it was only a few $K.

However, the title was not pre-signed, so there would be some delay. The buyer suggested to us that we could call a notary public to come to our house right at that moment. I did not know that such service existed. It cost $50 or something, and my son was happy to pay the fee to get it done.

 

[Amethyst]

That is actually a great tip-off to a scam buyer. They are so eager! They want the item so badly that they will pay you sight unseen!

On Craigslist? Gimme a break. Everyone wants to kick the tires, even on things that don't have any tires!

Why would the buyer not want to see the car/item to be sure the seller is not a scammer ??

 

[audreyh1]

I have bought vehicles this way. I went with the seller to my bank, and asked for a certified check from the teller. Sellers were happy to hand me the title in exchange for my check, inside the bank where everything is in front of the teller and recorded on their security camera.

We sold a vehicle exactly this way - went to the sellers bank and saw the bank issue me the check.

 

[pb4uski]

What we did was meet the buyer at a local Costco. They inspected the car, test drove it and we agreed upon a price. Met again the following day at the same location, they turned over the cash & we signed over the title and off they went with my 'baby' (a beautiful '94 cobalt blue Camaro, 15 years old, always garaged, no accidents/scratches with only 80K miles!). Had the car been worth much $$$, we would have met them at the bank for the transfer.

I wasn't confident in my ability to differentiate between real and fake $100 bills... which is why I asked the buyer to meet me at my bank... if the teller accepted the bills and gave me a deposit slip then at that point I figured that it was their problem.

 

[TrvlBug]

I wasn't confident in my ability to differentiate between real and fake $100 bills... which is why I asked the buyer to meet me at my bank... if the teller accepted the bills and gave me a deposit slip then at that point I figured that it was their problem.

Excellent point!

 

[Finance Dave]

So I'm selling a pickup truck. Listed it on Nextdoor and Craigslist. Lots of interest because it's a fully tricked out, albeit vintage, 4x4 toyota.

The legit buyers are all asking questions about the suspension and arranging when to come see it.

This one person texts and says he'll pay full price is a certified check ok. I offer to show him the truck, and that I'd prefer cash or cashiers check. Then he says he'll send me a cashiers check for more than the amount, and arrange for movers to pick up the 4x4. I'm supposed to pay the movers with the extra money.

Um.... no...

While I suppose there is a chance this is a legit transaction, too many odd ball things... it stinks. I responded that I'd be happy to show him the truck and do the transaction in person.... No mailing of checks and *me* paying the movers.

Definitely a scam...we get that all the time when we run "for sales" in local paper. If you want to double check, tell them that you require to talk to them in person before going any further and ask them to call you....they won't.

 

[OldShooter]

A friend got this kind of scam contact, recognized it, and decided to play the game for a while.

The cashier check was a beauty! Absolutely genuine looking although the buyer was in the Southeast and the check was drawn on a bank in Montana. From the bank address it looked like it was at the far end of a goat trail -- trying to get more time clearing before it bounced.

Dave called the bank. The guy laughed and said "we've been getting a lot of those lately."

 

[Gumby]

The last time I bought a car in a private sale, I went to the guy's house in New Jersey, looked at the car, agreed on the price and wrote him a personal check on the spot. He handed me the signed title. I then went back home to CT, leaving the car with him. I got a temporary registration in CT and went back to NJ to pick up the car about two weeks later. In the interim, he had deposited the check and it had cleared my bank. He handed me the keys and I drove the car home. Easy peasey lemon squeezy.

 

[pb4uski]

I'm glad that when you got there the second time to pick up the car that he and the car had not moved out with no forwarding address.

 

[NW-Bound]

Scammers expect to find gullible people, and they have to find some occasionally.

When I was looking on craigslist for a specific vehicle, I found one advertised at an attractive price. I contacted the seller via email as instructed. He replied that he wanted me to send him money to pay for it. The car was in another state, and being a master sergeant in the US Air Force, he would put it on a USAF cargo plane to send to me. I could then inspect the car, and if I refuse to buy it he would refund the money.

Can anyone believe the above BS?

 

[FrankiesGirl]

Similar to NW-Bound's post:

This scam that seems to crop up all the time on the local Nextdoor (and I'm sure craigslist and FB marketplace) is someone posting for a friend/family member. Vehicle is in great shape, an popular make/model, only has one or two photos tho. On closer look, doesn't have any license or inspection tags - generic photo.

And it usually is the IMAGE that contains all the details especially the contact info in text overlay, for a email that doesn't not match the poster, or their relative/friend's name if mentioned at all. And the real kicker is this popular, well taken care of vehicle is always a SUPER CRAZY low price.

The scam part is that of course they aren't selling anything and they don't have any vehicle at all. They say are moving out of state/ military/relative died/friend needs fast cash so if you will paypal or zelle or otherwise send them money, you can pick up this vehicle at X address or they'll ship it to you if you pay for the shipping and they'll refund the costs if you don't end up buying it, but they don't have time to meet up otherwise... they're counting on people being too dazzled at the low price to realize it's a scam and get them for several hundred each at minimum.

 

[rodi]

Had a similar scam but needed to ship the car to the Craiglist warehouse.

I pay over listed if the pup and I can spend December and January in your Casita!

I think our long term tenants might have an issue with this. LOL

 

[rodi]

Since I seem to collect old 4Runners I'm curious what vehicle the OP was trying to sell.

It was my dad's 'baby'... a 97 toyota 4x4 v6, with jacked up suspension, big off road tires, lots of customization. Local off roaders appreciate that it is standard cab, short bed - shorter means less risk of getting stuck on a turn in a narrow canyon like they have in back country baja. He had to special order it to get short bed, standard cab. It's a beast.

I'm getting lots of legit interest but apparently some wives don't want their husbands buying something like this. One guy drove down from LA today, only to have his wife veto... he was really excited to buy it. LOL. I have a few more coming to see it tomorrow.

 

[NW-Bound]

I'm getting lots of legit interest but apparently some wives don't want their husbands buying something like this. One guy drove down from LA today, only to have his wife veto... he was really excited to buy it. LOL. I have a few more coming to see it tomorrow.

I wonder why he did not obtain "permission to purchase" before making the trip.

 

[rodi]

I wonder why he did not obtain "permission to purchase" before making the trip.

No kidding. We'd texted back and forth a lot - with him asking for specific pictures (tire tread, axles, suspension, etc.) Seems like he went pretty far down the path without permission.

I was annoyed and amused at the same time.

My dad bought a 1970's toyota land cruiser on a whim from a coworker one day and brought it home without consulting my mom.... My mom was *not* happy. That was his first 4x4 and started his passion of off roading. I was in high school at the time and still remember the 'discussions' following that purchase.

 

[RenoJay]

100% scam. Block his number ASAP. (I got same offer last time I listed a vehicle for sale online.)

 

[Clone]

I would like to purchase your item for full price. It is a gift for my father. I am serving on a submarine, so communication is difficult.

Really? You are buying a plow as a gift for your father??