So.... after an interesting thread about a 94 Turbo Supra that was way too good to be true,
http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116042,
I thought I should post the details of this scam so if anyone else finds this Supra they can be aware of it....
I first found a "1994 Turbo Supra"...T66 conversion with a whole shit-pile of mods for $3300 in Vancouver, BC. I figured the price was a typo but curious enough to ask about it. The first email was interesting - quick response, lots of detail, the english was pretty good bla bla bla. But there's a catch - he live in the UK. The second email he decides to tell me the car is really in Charlottetown, PEI and "in the car of eBay Motors, so my presence is not necessary". He then tells me he needs my full name and address and phone number and he will forward it to eBay and they will contact me.:nono:
At this point I called bullshit and did some snooping around.
I checked eBay and the car was nowhere to be found. I talked to eBay and they had no record of the car OR the "seller". They advised me that this 94 Supra had been scammed on eBay in the past (one poor sap got taken for almost $7000 and got stuck with the debt).
I also checked all the listings I could find in PEI and nothing. A google search for "Supra Scam" reveals that there have been a pile of 94 Supra's for ridiculously low pricing, all with a similar story to what I was told. It also named a few named involved with the scam, and a VIN number that showed up in a few instances, registered to car in New Jersey.
So I sent the seller an email with the following:
"Hi Mathew,
So, good news, let's make a deal! I was able to track down some more information on the car, and I talked to a couple of associates of yours who are also trying to sell this 1994 turbo Supra (Greg Atkins and Myrna J. Larsen). Apparently they've been trying for a couple years, but no such luck, so I guess that explains the amazing price! I also obtained the VIN (JT2DE82AXV0037273) and the carfax report comes up clean and clear. It was last registered in New Jersey, but I'm sure that's not a problem. As you know, our Canadian import laws are very lax.
I tell you what, because you seem like a good guy and I know you wouldn't be trying to scam me, arrange to have the car shipped to my shop COD (cash on delivery), with all of the necessary documents and I will inspect, drive and verify the car within the 5 day time-frame. If I find it to be satisfactory then I will arrange to have $3300 CDN transferred to your account. If the car does not meet expectations then it will be sent back, at the seller's expense.
Thanks for your patience Mathew; I look forward to concluding a deal with you."
Have yet to hear back from the guy. Interestingly enough, the autotrader.ca listing that was current yesterday has now been removed. Weird, huh?
Here's the details I want to pass on to SM:
This scammer went by the name Mathew Stevens and his email is mathew_stevens@gmx.com
Another interesting note, apparently gmx.com is a very, very common email in all of those Nigerian 419 scams (winning a foreign lottery, rich dead relatives, they need someone to handle the funds etc...); common enough that I found a hundred or so different email addresses.
On a side note, I'm thinking I should wait a couple weeks and then use this guy's email address to sign him up for a pile of violent gay porn and bestiality sites.... whaddya think?:naughty:
http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116042,
I thought I should post the details of this scam so if anyone else finds this Supra they can be aware of it....
I first found a "1994 Turbo Supra"...T66 conversion with a whole shit-pile of mods for $3300 in Vancouver, BC. I figured the price was a typo but curious enough to ask about it. The first email was interesting - quick response, lots of detail, the english was pretty good bla bla bla. But there's a catch - he live in the UK. The second email he decides to tell me the car is really in Charlottetown, PEI and "in the car of eBay Motors, so my presence is not necessary". He then tells me he needs my full name and address and phone number and he will forward it to eBay and they will contact me.:nono:
At this point I called bullshit and did some snooping around.
I checked eBay and the car was nowhere to be found. I talked to eBay and they had no record of the car OR the "seller". They advised me that this 94 Supra had been scammed on eBay in the past (one poor sap got taken for almost $7000 and got stuck with the debt).
I also checked all the listings I could find in PEI and nothing. A google search for "Supra Scam" reveals that there have been a pile of 94 Supra's for ridiculously low pricing, all with a similar story to what I was told. It also named a few named involved with the scam, and a VIN number that showed up in a few instances, registered to car in New Jersey.
So I sent the seller an email with the following:
"Hi Mathew,
So, good news, let's make a deal! I was able to track down some more information on the car, and I talked to a couple of associates of yours who are also trying to sell this 1994 turbo Supra (Greg Atkins and Myrna J. Larsen). Apparently they've been trying for a couple years, but no such luck, so I guess that explains the amazing price! I also obtained the VIN (JT2DE82AXV0037273) and the carfax report comes up clean and clear. It was last registered in New Jersey, but I'm sure that's not a problem. As you know, our Canadian import laws are very lax.
I tell you what, because you seem like a good guy and I know you wouldn't be trying to scam me, arrange to have the car shipped to my shop COD (cash on delivery), with all of the necessary documents and I will inspect, drive and verify the car within the 5 day time-frame. If I find it to be satisfactory then I will arrange to have $3300 CDN transferred to your account. If the car does not meet expectations then it will be sent back, at the seller's expense.
Thanks for your patience Mathew; I look forward to concluding a deal with you."
Have yet to hear back from the guy. Interestingly enough, the autotrader.ca listing that was current yesterday has now been removed. Weird, huh?
Here's the details I want to pass on to SM:
This scammer went by the name Mathew Stevens and his email is mathew_stevens@gmx.com
Another interesting note, apparently gmx.com is a very, very common email in all of those Nigerian 419 scams (winning a foreign lottery, rich dead relatives, they need someone to handle the funds etc...); common enough that I found a hundred or so different email addresses.
On a side note, I'm thinking I should wait a couple weeks and then use this guy's email address to sign him up for a pile of violent gay porn and bestiality sites.... whaddya think?:naughty:
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