Sounds Strange to me?

[Reefmagnet]

It's just a run of the mill advance fee scam. They will need you to pay their shipper, pay fees, pay taxes etc to third parties using western union whilst you'll never see one dollar of the supposed payment. If they do pay, by chance, it will be via a hacked paypal account or simply a forged receipt emailed to you.

The main giveaway the email is a scam is the inability to talk face to face (because of poor English and accents, no doubt) because of "security" whilst having untethered access to the real world via the Internet? Sounds likely - not!

Sent from my SM-G900I using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[jrbogie]

jeez man. a private in the army old enough to have a son to buy a boat for his birthday and the means to pay for it and you don't see the scam?????

[Cheechako]

It's a scam. One often used by the way.

[Training Wheels]

My pappy always told me, never trust a person who has 2 first names!


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Three Sisters]

Originally Posted by Splash of Lime

I have my 41' CHB for sale on this site. Someone has emailed me and wants to use Paypal to pay for it. First communication. This all sounds kind of scary to me, I do want to sell the boat, but i don't want to get ripped off. does any body else like this deal???? So here is what I got in my email...???






My name is Eric Robert! I'm in the (U.S Army-E-3 Private First Class) and am not in town for the moment as am currently in base for now. Also we are not allowed to make or receive calls frequently because we are having mandatory blackout for security reasons but we have internet access and that is our major means of communication to the outside world. I want to buy this for my son as a birthday surprise gift and he's not aware of this. So can you assure me i wont be disappointed buying this from you ?
HERE IS MY SECOND EMAIL....FROM HIM.....???

It nice reading back from you I am ready to purchase the vessel , so you can take the add off Site. I'll have my carrier agent come for pick up/storage and sign all necessary documents transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the hauler agent on my behalf after I make payment also i would love to assure you that the vessel wont leave your side until the money is in your account and clears i will be patient with you as am an honest man and a man of my word so once all this is done then we can now both schedule the pickup time and date... so kindly get back to me now with info so i can proceed with the transfer...will be looking forward reading from you...Thanks

NEXT EMAIL....????

I understand your concerns, but I'm deployed as at now and there's no way I can pay you in cash or wire money to you at the moment. Instead, I would use PayPal for payment as I have funds in my PayPal account and my bank account is attached to it hence the reason I opted to pay you through PayPal. I'm honest with you and I expect same in return. If you want to setup PayPal account you will attached your Bank account or your Credit card/Debit card and after PayPal verify it, you can withdraw from it or request money when ever you want to purchase with PayPal, i will only need your email address to make the payment to your account, immediately you will see the notification in your email you use for the registration. PayPal secure their customer, just go to http:// www. paypal. com and get it set up while you kindly give me the email address you used so that i can pay in right away and PayPal will notify you as soon as i made the payment while you proceed with their instruction. I can only feel secured sending my funds via paypal due to there various security measures at ensuring safe and secured transaction between buyer/seller.I will cover the PayPal charges so that your full asking amount will be credited to your Bank account. Looking forward to do business with you. Thanks

WHAT does anybody else think of this deal. Would you do this?, is there anyway he can rip me off here???

NEXT EMAIL. . . Please let me know what you think, thanks readers....??? Here is his last email...>>> Let me know... thanks.

One payment has been made and clear then haulers will be coming for the pick up and it going down to Idaho in Boise Okay

Weird the way the sentences are put together.

The hauler is also the buyer's agent.

Good luck !!

[Thorne]

This is a real easy scam to shut down. Just ask for the name of the base their at or the persons commanding officer's name.

Tell them you have friends in the military and are going to just check them out, nothing personal.

No phone numbers needed. You will just look up the main number for the base and you can ask for the CO or personal dept.

You will never hear from them again.

Course what's the fun in that?

The scam is that any information about you or your bank account or your pay pal account, your "Full Name" your address, what time you answer emails, your dogs name, "ANY Information about a real person" is of value and can and will be sold to people who pay for that type of info.

Hackers have to have real info, the more the better.

[ghauslinger]

US servicemen speak English. This guy just tries.

[GPSocal]

If you want to give away your boat, never see it again and never see any money, this "E-3" is the right buyer.
This is an interesting twist on the letters/e-mails from Lagos Nigeria telling you about a huge sum of money that the sender needs your help in getting out of the country for which you will receive a substantial commission. Seems like the creative internet crooks have migrated into the boating world.
Recommended action: No response, ignore.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Splash of Lime

I have my 41' CHB for sale on this site. Someone has emailed me and wants to use Paypal to pay for it. First communication. This all sounds kind of scary to me, I do want to sell the boat, but i don't want to get ripped off. does any body else like this deal???? So here is what I got in my email...???






My name is Eric Robert! I'm in the (U.S Army-E-3 Private First Class) and am not in town for the moment as am currently in base for now. Also we are not allowed to make or receive calls frequently because we are having mandatory blackout for security reasons but we have internet access and that is our major means of communication to the outside world. I want to buy this for my son as a birthday surprise gift and he's not aware of this. So can you assure me i wont be disappointed buying this from you ?
HERE IS MY SECOND EMAIL....FROM HIM.....???

It nice reading back from you I am ready to purchase the vessel , so you can take the add off Site. I'll have my carrier agent come for pick up/storage and sign all necessary documents transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the hauler agent on my behalf after I make payment also i would love to assure you that the vessel wont leave your side until the money is in your account and clears i will be patient with you as am an honest man and a man of my word so once all this is done then we can now both schedule the pickup time and date... so kindly get back to me now with info so i can proceed with the transfer...will be looking forward reading from you...Thanks

NEXT EMAIL....????

I understand your concerns, but I'm deployed as at now and there's no way I can pay you in cash or wire money to you at the moment. Instead, I would use PayPal for payment as I have funds in my PayPal account and my bank account is attached to it hence the reason I opted to pay you through PayPal. I'm honest with you and I expect same in return. If you want to setup PayPal account you will attached your Bank account or your Credit card/Debit card and after PayPal verify it, you can withdraw from it or request money when ever you want to purchase with PayPal, i will only need your email address to make the payment to your account, immediately you will see the notification in your email you use for the registration. PayPal secure their customer, just go to http:// www. paypal. com and get it set up while you kindly give me the email address you used so that i can pay in right away and PayPal will notify you as soon as i made the payment while you proceed with their instruction. I can only feel secured sending my funds via paypal due to there various security measures at ensuring safe and secured transaction between buyer/seller.I will cover the PayPal charges so that your full asking amount will be credited to your Bank account. Looking forward to do business with you. Thanks

WHAT does anybody else think of this deal. Would you do this?, is there anyway he can rip me off here???

NEXT EMAIL. . . Please let me know what you think, thanks readers....??? Here is his last email...>>> Let me know... thanks.

One payment has been made and clear then haulers will be coming for the pick up and it going down to Idaho in Boise Okay

Sounds like a scam looking to clean out your bank account. Run!

[captain58sailin]

I had the same contact when I was trying to sell a generator. When I emailed them back and told them my Wife had already sold it, they called me a liar, which I thought was funny coming from them.

[Moontide]

If anyone can get access to Paypal online they can get to their bank and order a wire transfer or check. ALos, the writer has not spoken english his entire life as is obvious when reading the emails. The scammer shouid have said he was a officer of middle to higher rank to show income. Interesting reading of the scams on Craisglist and Paypal after googling as suggested by an earlier poster.

Good for you for being skeptical enough to ask CF about it.
Bill

[Dave22q]

I don't understand the scam. If he pays by pay-pal before I do anything including providing any information it seems to me that the money is safe. I can verify directly with pay-pal and don't see how he could get the money back. What am I missing? I sold some chain to a guy from England that way. His son came by took some photos, verified length and negotiated price. When he returned after lunch I verified payment and he took the chain. I provided no info and the transaction was smooth. Very different from the usual certified check which bounces after he leaves type of scam.

[SV DestinyAscen]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

I don't understand the scam. If he pays by pay-pal before I do anything including providing any information it seems to me that the money is safe. I can verify directly with pay-pal and don't see how he could get the money back. What am I missing? I sold some chain to a guy from England that way. His son came by took some photos, verified length and negotiated price. When he returned after lunch I verified payment and he took the chain. I provided no info and the transaction was smooth. Very different from the usual certified check which bounces after he leaves type of scam.

These types of cons usually start with legit payment options, then switch at the last minute due to "technical" reasons. The trademark is the TMI that no buyer or seller particularly cares about at this point in the process.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by DDabs

scaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Well, he could ask to talk to the kid's CO. If kid does not pay, the CO will take it out of the kid's pay.

[hellosailor]

Read carefully, the odd grammatical use in the email says that the sender is not a native English speaker, which means it is unlikely they are in the Army. Their use of phrases like "at base" rather than "on base" confirms they never spoke English in the US military, either. No one NEEDS to use PayPal for anything, when they could mail you a bank check or ask the bank to send a wire transfer. And yes, there are normally ways to get and send cash from military bases. You know, because even soldiers get paid. A real soldier would know how to do that. Maybe he wants your Paypal account name, so he can then try a dictionary password attack on the account of a rich Yankee Yacht Owner. Queer is queer. Xenophobia is a survival skill.