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Another SCAM

F

Faster horses

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
30,475
Location
NE WY at the foot of the Big Horn mountains
I replied to an ad (too good to be true, of course) on Craigs list on a JD tractor that was supposed to be in Gillette, Wyoming. I got this reply:

Hello there,

First of all I want to thank you for your interest in my tractor. The 2007 John Deere 4720 is still available and the price of $7,400.00 includes all the shipping costs and insurance, so you won't have to pay any extra charges. The tractor has 58 HP/50 HP PTO, 4WD, eHydro transmission, looks and works like new, comes with a 448 Backhoe and 400CX Self Leveling Loader. It only has 190 pampered hours on it.
I'm selling at a low price because I have opened a farm two years ago in Eugene, OR but the farm is not working anymore and I decided with my partner to cover some money by selling all the units that we have. The tractor will be shipped from here through Dependable Auto Shippers and it will take around 3-4 working days. Giving the nature of this transaction we can escrow the payment with Google Checkout, and this way you're not buying something sight unseen. If you are not aware of this program you should know that it will allow you to test drive and inspect the tractor before paying me. You will have a 15-days inspection period to decide whether you want to keep the vehicle or not before they release the funds to me.
I hope that you will understand my situation. Please get back to me and let me know if you are interested in the purchase.

------------
I responded:

We are interested in the tractor/loader.Where is it located? We have a 1-ton pickup and
32' flatbed gooseneck trailer, so we could drive over and look at it and haul it home when
we found it as represented, if that would work for you. However, our weather isn't very
good for travelling right now. It has rained, then snowed and now is in the 20's.

Thanks for your reply.
-------------
And then this from the seller:

Hi again,

Thanks for getting back to me. The tractor with all the attachments is already at the shipping company in Eugene,OR packed and ready for the shipping. I have a contract with Google Checkout so this deal must go through them. According with Google Checkout you have 15 days from the time you receive the tractor to inspect it and decide if you want to keep it or not (not your case). Shipping will be my part, I will handle it through DAS (Dependable Auto Shippers) and it will take no more then 4 days top(depending on your exact location). Here is how it will work:

1.First of all I will need the following details from you:
- Full name, Full shipping address
- Phone number, preferably cell number
2. After I will receive the details from you, I will forward them to Google Checkout, they will process your info and send us both invoices. The invoice will contains payment details, terms and protection policy. The payment will be done via bank-to-bank wire transfer.
3. After you receive the tractor you will have 15 days to test, verify and do whatever you need to the tractor. If you refuse the tractor Google Checkout will send you a full refund. I will get paid only after the inspection period is over. If you wish to make the transaction, please send me the necessary info so that we can proceed.

Looking forward to hearing from you,
-------------------

Anyone here ever heard of google checkout???


 
Nope.

RUN!!!!!

I've seen those before and gotten them after posting stuff i was selling on craigslist.
As soon as I see that first response I never contact them again and delete and block their e-mail.
 
Oh, I know....it was so funny on the second reply from the seller, the words
'Google Checkout' was like it was fill in the blank--it was much smaller
font size than the rest of the email.

Mostly I just thought I'd share because we've talked about these type
of scams before. And that's why I said we could come and get it--just
to see what the response would be.

And I wondered if anyone had heard of Google Checkout. I never had.
 
FH, glad you figured this scam out from the get-go and are keeping your money.

Since you asked, Google Checkout works well for online shopping, but certainly isn't intended for the use your scammer describes. I think Google originally intended Checkout to be a viable alternative to PayPal.

Anyway, Google Checkout simply stores your shipping address and credit card information (password protected), and allows you to pay for online purchases with "One Click" (not really a single click, but certainly faster than typing everything in). They might have escrow services and be able to provide credit card merchant accounts for vendors, too.

For what it's worth, for folks that do a lot of shopping online it can make sense. For the rest of us mere mortals ... probably less of an advantage... :D

Cheers!
 
These are a dime a dozen on some of the "internet sales" sites-- 4 wheelers, snowmobiles, horse trailers, Bobcats, and tractors seem to be the top ones they are trying to sell...
The comedy for me is that many of them list some out of the way site in Montana (Alzeda or Eureka) as their home spot (thinking they have way less chances of anyone being close)--- and when you call someone in that area you know- they've never heard of these folks... :roll:
All you have to tell them is you live close by- and will come look at it- and haul it yourself-- and usually won't get a response back....... :lol:
 
FH, that was interesting because just yesterday, I replied to a craigslist ad for a Polaris Ranger (price was incredibly low!) and received the following reply this morning: (Google Checkout)

Hi,

I spoke with 2 trucking co and the lowest price to get it shipped to your
location will be 360$ . The price is so low because the trucking co has another transport to your location this week and they gave me a discount since both orders will be shipped in the same time .

So , if you will offer me 6700$ we have a deal . In this price are included the shipping and insurance costs .

The sale will be managed by google checkout for our own protection as they act as a neutral third part. google will keep the payment until you inspect/drive the vehicle and decide if this is the right machine for you. In this way the sale will be just like a local sale.

This is how the purchase protection program works:
1. I will contact google service with all the details about our deal.
2. Once the transaction is approved google service will contact us with the
confirmation of our deal and all the instructions.
3. Google checkout will keep the payment until you receive , inspect and decide to keep the ranger. They will not be able to release the payment until you give them your written agreement that the ranger is as described and you accept it.


Remember you have 5 days to test it. If for any reason the vehicle is not as described or if you find any problems with it I will have to pay the shipping both ways but I'm sure it won't be the case because I kept it in showroom condition.

If you wish to purchase it please provide me with your full name and shipping address so I can initiate the transaction through google and they will contact us one the transaction is approved.

Best Regards, David Cullen

C/O Hillshire Water Farms

Libby, MT 59923

[email protected].
 
Gee, liveoak, we had 15 days to decide, you only have 5!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

I googled Hillshire Water Farms in Libby. Guess what? Nothing came
up. :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol:

But we're not surpirsed, right? All these people wanting something
for nothing, Too bad they don't put that creative energy to work
for the good instead of the bad.

Thanks for sharing that transaction. The foreigners usually spill the
beans on themselves through their language or something. The
dollar sign behind the amount of money kinda gave this one away
along with the Google Checkout.


I never replied back to the ad I posted and I've never heard anything
else from them. When you want to go look in person, they probably
realize that the jig is up.
 

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