In the thread about used cars Welch mentioned Nashville as a source of decent relatively cheap cars. So, on a whim, I check it out.
I found this. $1,000 Ranger
Seems too good to be true. Anything that sets off warnings, aside from the cheap price?
I looked up the name used in the e-mail contact. Seems to be a real person. Gmail makes me leary.
The $1000-9 makes it look like a typo to me. Gmail may or may not be a scam just like any other e mail.
The exact price of $1000 in the title (Yet, an inexplicable $9 as the actual price) the photos that have a border added to them, the word salad of key words that are desirable, yet don't quite fit together (3.0L engine very reliable and economical and automatic transmission; Adult owned, one owner. Fleet maintained truck), but especially the gmail address spelled out in the listing.
Oh, and the exact same listing was in Orange County, California yesterday. (and flagged)
Well, like I told my brother when I asked his opinion, if I get a flood of boner pill and Russian hooker emails, we know the ad was bullE36 M3 .
In reply to Cooter :
Ahhh, E36 M3. Though it was too good.
If there really was a Ranger in any kind of shape available for a kilobuck, it would have been sold in the time it took to make the post here.
At least that's how it works around here.
Around here that is a 5-10k asking price truck.
Even my 250k mile, 25 year old, 2wd Ranger is worth a few grand now.
Not a $1000 truck.
Most of us are pretty knowledgeable car guys here, if you think it's a scam, it's most assuredly a scam.
I know it happens, but it's very rare someone is that clueless as to what they have.
It's clearly a scam.
The tip off, aside from the price is the email address in the main body. The CL protocol is that communications go through the disguised CL email address. The seller then doesn't know your real email address. If you just try to write an email address the CL software will redact the email address. Notice to get the email to show up they had to use unique characters to spoof the CL software. The CL software also doesn't let you write in phone numbers for same reason.
Email phishing/farming. Boner pills coming your way!
Just out of curiosity, why did they choose to include among the few pictures one of the passenger door opened showing the hinge area? Is there something to see there that I'm missing? If you're going to take 5 pics of the truck, why that one?
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
They didn't take the pics, they lifted the pics from some other listing. The Ranger doesn't really exist. I would guess the oddity of the picture is to encourage you to write and ask the question.
My guess is that someone else's original intent of the door jamb was to highlight "rust-free-ness"
Strangely, I looked up the name spelled out in the email, and the area and its a real person, or at least was.
Am I safe to assume they were farming legitimate Emails ?
They're likely not fishing for emails but rather trying to get people to send money for the truck in order to hold it or buy it and it'll be shipped to them (except of course not really). They ask you to pay with "eBay Motors escrow" or something like that except it's their scam site done up to look like an eBay page. So they get your money and you get nothing. They're usually out of town or in the hospital or on deployment in the cover story.
In reply to dculberson :
You are correct sir!
Below is a sample of how the CL software redacts if you straight write in your email or phone number to the body of the test. See the lasst line of words that says, "show contact info."
1988RedT2 said:Just out of curiosity, why did they choose to include among the few pictures one of the passenger door opened showing the hinge area? Is there something to see there that I'm missing? If you're going to take 5 pics of the truck, why that one?
Whoever took the original photos was probably trying to show how rust free the truck is. It's not uncommon to show areas like that, or rockers, cab corners, etc
I personally think the Verification Code Scam is more common these days.
But since this isn't text related, it has a good chance to be a version of the Email Recovery Scam, which is likely how they got the email address of a real person in the first place.
1988RedT2 said:Just out of curiosity, why did they choose to include among the few pictures one of the passenger door opened showing the hinge area? Is there something to see there that I'm missing? If you're going to take 5 pics of the truck, why that one?
Usually the photos are stolen from a very large group of a high quality photoset, either on eBay, or with a dealer or major listing service. The borders are added so the photos can't be reverse image searched. Whoever made the fake listing grabbed one or two random detail photos to go with a couple main ones showing the whole truck.
Just got this. Boy, they make it tempting don't they?
Always ask to see it in person, see the title, drive it.... and pay cash in person. Most of these scams want you to wire a deposit, send venmo, etc. The my husband just died and I want it gone immediately is pretty common. Almost as common as a Nigerian price.
I only know of a too good deal happening once. A long time ago in Houston a lady sold her husband's Porsche for $1. They were divorcing and she was ordered to sell it and split the money with him....... it was big news when it happened.
Any time you get the "my husband died" line, it's a scam. Any time you get a formal response that thanks you for your interest in [product], it's a scam. Any time you see a $9000 vehicle for $1000, it's a scam.
I just sold a 1994 Fordzda Branger for $4500, if that provides you any comp reference.
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