This is day two of me wasting a scam artist's time. After seeing how much fun my friend Barrett was having with his scammer from Nigeria I had to play, too. He also sent me a link today to these guys at 419 Eater who have been turning the tables on scammers as a hobby. Thanks for the link, Barrett!
Yesterday I replied to a person by the name of Kate Toncray (the dead actress) who was obviously trying to scam me out of money for a car they do not even have. I actually received a response to my email that busted them but apparently they didn't get the message. This morning I received this email:
Here is what you have to do:
First i will register you with Yahoo Autos as
the legitimate buyer for the vehicle
Second you will have to make a deposit
of at least 35% from the price of the vehicle or the full amount. The deposit or
full amount is refundable in case you don't like the vehicle. The deposit or
full amount will go to a secure Yahoo Autos account.
Third Vehicle will be
send from it's current location to a near by airport in your area with all the
documents, owners manual and 3 keys. To move forward provide the following:
-
e-mail address
-Full name
-Airport nearby (for delevery)
-Fax
number
Kate
---
Kate,
I spoke with my bank and they will only release enough
funds for a 20% deposit. You know how silly banks can be with their rules! Will
a $1,600 deposit be enough to hold the car? I really hope so since it is a
beautiful Acura and I know my wife would love it.
If 20% is enough please let me know and I will have the
bank wire the money to you.
Thanks!
James
---
Ok i will accept a deposit of 20% i will wait for the info .
Thanks
---
Kate,
I just spoke with a friend of mine who lives near
Sacramento and he has offered to test drive and inspect the vehicle for me. Can
you give me the location and the contact information for the person (your
lawyer?) who has the keys so I can let him know?
As a savvy consumer I like to make sure what I am
purchasing is in good working order before I send any money. Thank you for your
help!
James
---
For your friend to come and see the car i need yo be there to sign some papers
and relese the car and i cannot do that.
---
Hmmmm. So how do we make that happen? Can your lawyer
fax over some papers for me to sign? I really want this car but I'm going to
need confirmation first that it is in good working condition.
Also, you mentioned that it would be shipped to the
airport. What airline ships cars to my city? Isn't that expensive?
Thanks again,
James
---
My last email to the scammer was several hours ago so they may be dropping me as a potential customer. I was really hoping to hear back about which airline flies cars around at an affordable price. Maybe the scam artist will return in six months like Barrett's did.
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