Too good to be true? Is this a scam???

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ronhix

ronhix

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 3, 2007
Posts
60
Location
Chicagoland
I have found several RV's in the Orlando area that are priced a full $20K to $25K under what I would consider fair market value.  Too good to be true???

For example:

1999 Monico Diplomat - $32K
2000 Monico Diplomat - $39K

One of the owners has returned my inquiries and says the unit is stiil available.  He sent pics and A LOT of details on the unit including the VIN.  I have the cash to go get this thing right now, BUT...

HOW CAN I PROTECT MYSELF IF THIS IS A SCAM????





 
Ron,
I'm not sure if rv's are covered by these services, but I'd certainly run the VIN with Carfax or something similar. Should show any accident/title/ownership discrepancies. Make sure the title is clear and is not a salvage title which may be difficult to get registered for regular use. Should also show if it were ever sold as an auction vehicle, which means it probably wasn't good enough for a dealer to keep as a trade-in and try to sell on his lot. Good luck!
 
ronhix said:
I have found several RV's in the Orlando area that are priced a full $20K to $25K under what I would consider fair market value.  Too good to be true???

For example:

1999 Monico Diplomat - $32K
2000 Monico Diplomat - $39K

One of the owners has returned my inquiries and says the unit is stiil available.  He sent pics and A LOT of details on the unit including the VIN.  I have the cash to go get this thing right now, BUT...

HOW CAN I PROTECT MYSELF IF THIS IS A SCAM????
Click to expand...
 
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GOTTA BE A SCAM.

I've asked him to call me repeatedly, he only sends emails. 
I am running from this one like it's got the plague.

Here's the last email he sent back to me:

Ron,
The mh was owned by my father, he died and that is the reason I am selling it. Title is clean, no accidents, leaks, mechanical problems or damages. No pets, no smoking, no other odors.
I am in the military and now I am in the base in AZ.
I am not allowed to leave the base without a strong reason. I also came up to Orlando a few weeks ago to meet someone who told me he is very interested in my motorhome, I took 3 days off to meet him, but he never showed up, he told me that something interfered and he is no longer able to buy the motorhome. So, I made all the trip for nothing.
I will not take another 3 days off to meet you without a serious proof that you really want to buy the motorhome.
So here is how we will proceed:
please make a  10% deposit  on your name,  here, in Orlando FL  and as soon as I get the deposit confirmation, I will ask my superiors for 3 days off and meet you and have all the things done.
As I mentioned, I am a military contractor and it is very hard for me to take a permission to leave the base. If I have this strong proof that you are interested, I will be sure that I won't come for nothing.
So, here is how we will proceed:
Please go to wwwwesternunion.com and you will see there a button " FIND AN AGENT"
Please click on it and you will see where is located the nearest Western Union office from your place.Please ask a close friend to go to your nearest Western Union and place the deposit on your name, in ORLANDO FL. The friend will be the sender of the deposit and you will be the receiver of it. That way, the two of you  will be the only persons who will have access to the funds.
Once the transfer is done, please email me the following details:
- the Money Transfer control number - a 10 digits number
- Sender's name and address, as on the transfer receipt (the person from your family that will make the deposit)
- Receiver's name (your full name, as on the transfer receipt), in Orlando, FL.
- Amount sent.
Or you can simply scan the receipt of the transfer from western Union and email it to me, so I can check the transfer's availability.
As soon as I can do that, I will take 2 days off and meet you and have all the deal done.
If you like the motorhome, we go together to a western union office and you pick up the deposit and handle it to me, together with the remainingg amount.
This will be a enough proof for me to take a plane ticket and meet you in Orlando and have all the deal done.
You will have to confirm me the date when you will be able  to arrive in Orlando after I will provide you the available  flights so I can buy my plane ticket too.
When you come in Orlando, you test and inspect it and also we go together to a service or dealer to confirm you that the rv runs perfect.
If something goes wrong with the motorhome and if it isn't as I have described it to you, then I will pay for your trip and for the time that you will lose.
We will have all the papers done  on your name and after that we go together to a Western Union  Office in Orlando and you pick up the deposit.
I also have to tell you that you will pay a fee to make the deposit via Western Union, but when we will meet in FL, I will substract it from the total amount...
Let me know if this is fair with you, i would hate to come to FL again for nothing, that`s why i`m making sure we have a deal.
Will not accept an alternative to my terms and I do not have any relatives in  FL that could manage the transaction besides me.

A fast answer will be gladly apreciated!!!
Thanks

 
That reads like a typical 419 scam letter.  Would be an interesting exercise to trace the headers of that email.
 
Yeah, if the words "Western Union" are in a payment request... RUN!

Send this guy a 1-line e-mail and say "I have the cash, give me a call so we can discuss some more details".  If he doesn't call, well there's your sure answer.  If he does and seems sincere, tell him how skeptical you are and see what kind of response you get.  An honest seller will understand and have some explanation(s), with more detail than what is in that message you quoted.  I'd want to know what base he's assigned to, what kind of contract work he's doing, and how you can verify that through a 3rd party (i.e. by calling the company he works for, or calling the base direct). 
 
RUN RUN RUN.....as a military member I know there is nothing we can do to hold a military contractor on base.....it is not within our authority
 
As others have said "RUN RUN RUN." The grammar and syntax are of a non-English-speaking person. And at one point he says "I am in the military" and then later says that he's a military contractor. And if you lived in Arizona and were trying to sell an RV, wouldn't you keep that RV in Arizona where you were rather than in Florida?

Stay far, far away from this sale.
Wendy
Pahrump, Nevada
 
I wonder how much this dude has already brought in? Ernie- son bought a 2001 Diplomat for $79,000. Thought that was a deal!
 
As the others have said, definitely a scam.  Seen too many of them.  You are wise to run.  Anytime anyone asks for money through Western Union up front, before meeting, calling, or anything, it is a scam.  Plus this guys English is pretty poor throughout the mail.  Another tell-tale sign. And even if he was active duty military, if he has leave, there's usually very little that would hold him 'restricted" to the base.  Just plain and simple, a scam.
 
This is why you go through PayPal when dealing with purchases on ebay, especially large ones. Vehicle buyers are protected from fraud up to $20k.

I bought our used MH off ebay for at least $10k for what I think comparable rigs get and so far we're very pleased. I say that with fingers crossed, off course. I'm a novice RV'er but a long-time planet-dweller and my guess is when gas hit $3.25 a gallon, this seller received substantially less bidding action than he expected and decided to take my sure thing.

But, as others have said, i wouldn't sent ten cents to anyone through Western Union. Sounds like a set-up.
 
This sounds like the typical "Nigerian" type scam.

Contact the FBI Internet Fraud division and send them the emails.

Jeez, these guys are everywhere!  I wonder how many people get taken every year by these yokels.
 
motojavaphil said:
Ron, How do I say this gracefully?  If you buy that rig I have this bridge I will sell you.  Enough said, keep the shiny side up.
Phil
Click to expand...

Sweet!  Is it the one that is right outside San Francisco?  I have had my eye on that one for a while!  ;D
 
Ron, I have a number of good bridges you might like.  There is this one in Brooklin and then another well...I also have a Jay Leno Jet Engined motorcycle that melts the bumpers off of Toyotas at stoplights.  All of this for a special price just for you.  Please send me your downpayment via Western Union.  They will all go with that MH from the Army guy who is my brother.
Phil ;D
 
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