Figuring out a Scam?

[perchjerker]

Originally Posted by Gilligan

Is it hot???

My buddy Eyedoktr's new 9.9 4 stroke kicker was on Ebay at an awesome price... after it was stolen off his boat!

Think I would be checking serial #'s and asking Mercury who owns/owned it prior.

my guess was it never exsisted. The whole thing was a fake

[awdiwo]

I'm a state trooper that deals with these ebay and CL scams constantly. There are many variations on this scam and too many to explain, but any offer to ship a boat or car, or selling at an absurdly low price is a dead giveaway of fraud. Anyone who insists on using a wire service (Western Union, et. al.) for payment is going to rip you off. These wire payments can be picked up anywhere in the world if the receiver has the routing number for that payment, even if they tell you to route it to a certain location. Use common sense and trust your instinct that this is a rip off.

You buy stolen property you will lose possession of it if the police recover it, and you will not get reimbursed by the scumbag thief that sold it to you.

[bob1]

Good advice awdiwo!

[muskyman73]

Also watch out for the thieves when your boat is for sale. I had a guy come by my place after he had called me about my boat. Looking back at things, he did not ask the right questions, and just wanted to know if I would hold it for him with a $500 personal check. I said no. Then he left. 2 days later, during the middle of the day, he showed up in my driveway, this time with a buddy, backing a pickup truck into my driveway. My truck was parked behind my house, he had no idea I was home. He did not call or anything prior to showing up. The irony about this was the fact I was cleaning my 12 guage on the back patio. Imagine his suprise when I was sitting there in the lawn chair with my dog and my remington. It was priceless.

so ya, if anyone you know is selling a nice boat - DO NOT show the boat at your own house. Take it to a shopping center and let them look it over there.