A New Scam

 
Damn, it's hard to sell a motorcycle these days.

The latest weird response to my ads for the Venture is a guy claiming
to want to buy the bike, sight unseen, for his dad. He is suggesting
he will pay for it by PayPal.  

Aside from the obvious, how would a scam using PayPal work?  Once
PayPal transfers funds to my account, can the transaction be reversed?

This is about the fifth email I have received from this guy. I have
been playing along until I can figure out the endgame.  I have to
admit the PayPal thing threw me a curve.  

I use PayPal for minor stuff, Ebay purchases etc.  I have never used
it for a high ticket item.  I will have to do a little research to see
what protections are built in and identify the fees associated with a
large transaction.

Anyway for your reading enjoyment here is the most recent email I have
received related to my ad for the Venture.

*******
Thanks for the response,I receive your mail along with the pics,i want
you to understand that am okay with price and i have spoken with my
shipping agent about the Bike as well, the are working on all
necessary arrangement for the pick up of the Bike.


I am to buying the Bike as a birthday gift for my dad,as i am at sea
at the moment because i am a marine engineer and i really want the
Bike to be a surprise gift for my dad.


So he is not aware that am buying Him a Bike..until the Bike delivered
to him , i am sure he will be more than happy when he see it.I
insisted on paypal because i don't have access to my bank account
online as i don't have internet banking.


But i can pay from my paypal account, as i have my bank a/c attached
to it...As soon as i got your paypal email address along with your
address details i will work on your payments.


I want you to know that i will be offering you $6,500.00 and i will
also be including the sum of $1,150 along with the payment for the
shipping duties,as soon as you confirm the payment my shipping agent
will come and pick the Bike up at your location.


Do get back to me with your PayPal account if you are comfortable with
this arrangements.


Best Regards.


Mr. Kerry Anderson.
*********

 
Contact PayPal directly for the official answer to that.

I bought a bike on ebay once and paid via PayPal.  It was
seamless for both me and the seller.  But then again I'm not
a scammer.

--
TJH

tjhiggin.at.hiwaay.dot.net

 On Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:25:50 -0500,
ernest.p.worrell@vernal.equinox.edu (T.J. Higgins) wrote:


I will do that.

Wanna buy a Venture? <g>

 Calgary (Don) wrote:

Who cares?  Really?  All you need to know is it's some sort of scam.
I can't waste *any* time playing with scam artists, it's fruitless
and faintly degrading, to be honest.

Only way I sell bikes is a stack of hundred dollar bills or we go to
a bank or credit union and I see the teller produce a check.  No
fake cashiers checks that the buyer brings to my house, nope.

 wrote:


While it reeks of scam, to date I haven't seen how it is a scam. Given
I would really like to sell this bike, I will keep the door open until
gets slammed shut, although I have not ordered that Road Glide just
yet. [1]


I am not sure I agree with you there.  There is a certain morbid
curiosity at work here. I would like to find out how the scam will
unfold.  As for time, well I have spent more time writing about it in
Reeky than I have answering his emails, and _that_ is time wasted. ;-)


I paid for my Harley with a bank transfer.  I know people who have
bought bikes through Ebay with certified cheques.  In fact I have been
admonished by my banker for withdrawing several thousand dollars in
cash, to purchase a bike.

You just need to know how secure the chosen method of payment is and
how long you have to hold it until it clears. Even that stack of
hundred dollar bills could have been printed in the buyer's basement
the night before. <g>

[1] I have confirmed the wind buffeting issue with the Road Glide.  I
wasn't able to make it for Calgary Harley's demo days, but I rented a
2010 and took it for a long ride.  The buffeting around my helmet was
significant.  Not consistent but it happened often enough to spoil the
ride.  I read a review on the 2011 models and while the fairing and
lowers of the CVO version are aerodynamically the same as the less
pricey model, it does not suffer the same level of turbulence.
Apparently there is an additional bit of plastic added to the CVO
which limits the air flow between the tank and the fairing.  Now I
need to test ride a CVO.  

I wasn't overly impressed with the 2010 Road Glide.  In stock form it
didn't seem to have more get up and go than my RK and I didn't notice
the improved handling the stiffer frame is supposed to deliver.  The
sixth gear was nice though.