selling a used car, did someone try to hustle me?

[Tron_fdc]

So I listed my car on kijiji the other day, and other than the constant "trade" offers I'm getting, I actually got a phone call from "AMG Financial". Has anyone heard of this before? Is this a scam? The conversation was something like this:

The caller identifies himself as "Ben", then starts asking questions about the car (mileage, mods, accidents, all the normal stuff), but then tells me he's some kind of "high risk" money lender, and has a client interested in my car, but they're out of stock on that model. He says he will send the client out, and if he likes it, will issue me a cheque for the agrees upon amount.

I start asking questions about my risk exposure, and tell him his clients financial situation has nothing to do with me, and I'll take a certified cheque from a major Canadian bank only, no strings attached. He assures me there isn't any strings, and it's a clean transaction. I start getting nervous, because it's sounding like there's more to it than just some randon dude coming out, looking at my car, and handing me money.

He then asks where I came up with the price, I tell him it's what I think it's worth, and that in reality I have 2 offers on the car (which I do) and that I'm considering both, as there are strings attached to those (financing, etc).

The guy then cuts me off and says "When you're done dealing with tire kickers and lowballers, give me a call back" and promptly hangs up on me.

Can anyone clue me in to what this guy is all about? Was it a scam? What's the angle here? Is he going to send out an Amway salesman or something? Wtf????

[Frank MetaMusil]

Looks like a scam

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?threadid=301076

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39...ing-group.html

Don't give them your CC information, whatever you do.

[T@T]

He probably wouldn't have had the chance to hang up on me. your the seller, take offers and treat BS with zero respect.

[CaptainCrunch]

I won't release the car until the check clears.

I don't care if its a certified check or money order, they can be forged.

Pay me cash, or wait for the money to sit in my account until clearance.

[Tron_fdc]

Man, this is the second time in a week some ad agency has called me. In each occasion, I specifically asked if there was any commitment whatsoever on my part, and they said no.

What a serious waste of time.

[Crazy Bacon Legs]

It is a scam. Do not get sucked in.

They will end up charging you money and not providing any real service. Their "interested" client is a shill to get you to pony up dough. The deal will mysteriously "fall through." Once you reatin their "services", they will do absolutely nothing to sell your vehicle. When you try to get a refund (they likely have a "30 day guarantee"), you will quickly discover you have to jump through more hoops than Fifi the wonder-puppy. You will be unable to track down a physical location for them and your correspondence will go unreturned.

I wouldn't touch this with a 10 foot pole, and would tell anyone who will listen the same thing.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Crazy Bacon Legs

It is a scam. Do not get sucked in.

They will end up charging you money and not providing any real service. Their "interested" client is a shill to get you to pony up dough. The deal will mysteriously "fall through." Once you reatin their "services", they will do absolutely nothing to sell your vehicle. When you try to get a refund (they likely have a "30 day guarantee"), you will quickly discover you have to jump through more hoops than Fifi the wonder-puppy. You will be unable to track down a physical location for them and your correspondence will go unreturned.

I wouldn't touch this with a 10 foot pole, and would tell anyone who will listen the same thing.

Yah. I fell for that BS a few years ago when selling a vehicle. The guy called and said that for ~$100, he'd find me a buyer within 30 days or my money back. And if I found the buyer myself in that 30 days, my money back. I found the buyer and called him on his promise, and of course there were suddenly all these different ways out for him. Never got the $100 and I'm williing to bet another $100 that the guy did absolutely jack sh*t to attempt to sell my truck.
Total scam. I can't believe I fell for that. I was moving far away, so I was antsy about selling. Maybe that's why I fell for it.

[Hanni]

I had my car listed 3 months ago and got about a dozen of these calls. All claiming to have X number of requests for my exact car (what a coincidence!). They wanted to charge a fee ($500 I think) and they guarantee a sale. I told them to send me a contract saying I would pay them a finders fee once they found a buyer, not before. For some reason none of them were willing to do this (wonder why). At this point they tend to get very condescending and try to belittle you into it.

Also, prepare to keep getting these type of calls weeks after the ad is removed, it gets very annoying.

[Flashpoint]

Don't think just because a cheque clears that you are safe.

I was selling some stuff on Craig's list last year and encountered a frequent scam. You are contacted by an out of state buyer who will take the merchandise unseen. He'll mail you a cheque. It arrives, and you cash it no problem. You send the merchandise (or a "cousin") comes to pick it up. Then about 2 weeks later you are contacted by the bank, and they inform you you have passed a fraudulent cheque and are opening an investigation into you.

Dude has disappeared. You are left holding the bag.

It happens often enough that Craigslist has a full section on it, and encourages everyone to only sell stuff locally to people who they can meet face to face (which is what I told the guy who wanted to send a cheque - who I then never heard from again).

Good read for people selling stuff.
Various Scams to avoid

* DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.
* NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
* FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
* CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
* NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
* AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

[Zee]

I would suggest placing "No Solicitors!" on your ad. When I was selling my vehicle, this seemed to cut the calls down from 1-2 a day to one every couple of weeks.

[Poison]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Don't think just because a cheque clears that you are safe.

I was selling some stuff on Craig's list last year and encountered a frequent scam. You are contacted by an out of state buyer who will take the merchandise unseen. He'll mail you a cheque. It arrives, and you cash it no problem. You send the merchandise (or a "cousin") comes to pick it up. Then about 2 weeks later you are contacted by the bank, and they inform you you have passed a fraudulent cheque and are opening an investigation into you.

Dude has disappeared. You are left holding the bag.

It happens often enough that Craigslist has a full section on it, and encourages everyone to only sell stuff locally to people who they can meet face to face (which is what I told the guy who wanted to send a cheque - who I then never heard from again).

Good read for people selling stuff.
Various Scams to avoid

Im confused as to how the bank would pass this through and cash it and then doubleback and say its fraudulent, its either one or the other, no?

[burn_this_city]

I always laugh these guys off the phone. I had one get so pissed off, after I called him a scammer and told him to stop insulting my intelligence. Its amazing, they have a buyer lined up, then why isnt this prospective buyer contacting me?

[yads]

Originally Posted by Poison

Im confused as to how the bank would pass this through and cash it and then doubleback and say its fraudulent, its either one or the other, no?

They'll make the funds available to you earlier than they actually move the money. Then when it comes time to actually move the money, it will be found fraudulent.