I recently came across this scam and thought it would be a good idea to inform others about it. I doubt if anyone will fall for it but you never know. At the very least it may save some time in corresponding with these people.
This is the URL of a Grandcruiser van for sale. http://www.simpletrade.com.au/cars-bikes-and-boats/caravans-and-motorhomes/caravan/FOR-SALE/VIC/grand-cruiser-caravan/800282291
After contacting the seller (phone number is false) then having them call me after I emailed them I had no hope of understanding what they were saying, accent is NIGERIAN I reckon!
Anyway, the price looked good to me and was not quite in the 'unbelievably good value' range that these scams are normally in. Worth a look anyway, I thought. After much too-ing and fro-ing, they would not provide me with the rego number, VIN number or details of the registration. Then as far as me viewing the van before I paid for it, the only available time was 9:30 at night! Not a convenient time to get the bank manager out of bed to sign a bank cheque really, nor to view the van in any great light.
Bottom line was, they were prepared to have a 'friend' to tow the van from Mildura (despite the ad saying Omeo) to Canberra for me. Of course I would have to pay 50% ($15,000) BEFORE they towed it up and if I liked the van I was then to pay the remainder.
I have reported the scam to the site owner (no reply) and to the ACCC Scam Watch web site. I suppose there are more of these hoax adverts around so beware.
If you want to have some fun, you can email them and play along with it for a while. They don't reply via the same email address that they have given.
I don't think that they are into spam, they are tricksters who want to defraud people, not just annoy them. Once I let them know that I was onto them, that's when they changed personas from a hard-working nurse and her sister to something more sinister.
Sounds like the same group who scammed a friend of mine out of a similiar amount earlier this year. If you had paid over the half deposit you wouldn't get it back. She didn't. Unfortunately she didn't realise it was scam until it was too late.
