Whats the scam?

[Lubbock hunter]

Craigslist is becoming a scammers haven. I was trying to buy a travel trailer from there and the guy said he had moved to the UK. The property was supposedly, in Colorado, but i had to send the money through western union, Via a third party company responsible for handling the transaction. Luckily I was smart enough to understand the red flags and did a alittle research, only to find out that the scammer had already gotten several people to send the money. So I called western Union and Craigs list and let them know what I had uncovered. So I don't think It would hurt giving them the VIN, I think there just being cautious. GOOD LUCK selling the car.

[Bill]

I use CL all the time to buy and sell.

Face-to-face transactions, only. My wife has finally gotten through my thick skull that when somebody comes to our home, I now have the item in the driveway before they arrive, my garage door is closed, and the nearest bathroom should they need one is at the Starbucks in the local shopping center.

I've not had any problems so far, thank God.

Running a carfax is reasonable, but it should logically be done after seeing the car, not before actually viewing it. Otherwise it's a scam.

[cosmiccowboy]

I buy and sell on Craigs list all the time...you just have to be smart about it.

I really don't see any problem with the guy asking for the VIN #...he can run the value of the car and see if it's priced appropriately before he wastes time looking....example, you can buy a new F150 for $15,000 or $35,000 depending on what equipment/options it has...the VIN gets them in the ballpark of what THAT vehicle is worth.

[flurryoftexas]

dont fall for that scam they will send you a contierfeit cashiers check and if you cash it you are the one in trouble!!!!!

I got another scam sent to me via Craig's from several people stating they wanted to buy the item and that they would mail me or send a check over via third party person because they were "Moving". The scam was they were passing bad checks and by the time the bank would discover it they would have the item and be on there merry way and YOU had to cover the funds the bank paid out!

Craigslist has become a real haven for scams, so beware. I always post that its CASH ONLY period. No exceptions.

[flufster]

with all the bad storms and flooding in the surrounding areas these last couple years i think there is more checking through carfax than normal....wouldnt know it with as dry as things are now, though

[stan]

A knowledgeable car guy can tell a lot about a car from the VIN#, including engine , transmission type, and other things "original" to that auto. Shouldn't be a problem passing it on.

[TBoat]

Will I sent him and email with all of the vin# except the last two numbers, told him he would have to call me if he wanted the last two...... Called in about 1/2 hr later. Sounded like a good ol boy. Guess no scam for now.

[Haulinbass02]

dont fall for that scam they will send you a contierfeit cashiers check and if you cash it you are the one in trouble!!!!!

I just had someone try this on me. He was too "busy" to look at the item but would send a check and then his "movers" would come and get it after the check cleared. I told him cash only, in person.
I also had a Nigerian scam of sorts from Craigslist too, told me they would pay for the item plus an extra $50 for international shipping via Paypal. I got the paypal "email" which said that to get the funds released I would have to send them shipping confirmation. I thought this was weird and called Paypal, they said that they never hold funds and told me not to do anything. The email they sent looked just like a paypal reciept, few minor differences that if you weren't paying attention, you'd easily overlook.
Beware, its getting bad on there.

[Bill]

If you want to see a guy who has made an art form out of messin' with the Nigerian scammers, see his web site.

https://www.ebolamonkeyman.com

The "thank you" section is classic and NSFW.

[BrianL]

You don't need the VIN to get approved for a loan or determine the value, but you would need it to get a carfax. A lot of the people that don't know if they can get a loan, can't. VIn will not tell you most options, only things like year, make, reg ext or crew cab, 2 or 4 wd. All things they could ask or probably in the ad.

[Bill]

A vin plus carfax can tell you if vehicle had been in a major accident with repairs, and at least in Cali it has the dates of your smog tests plus the mileage on the vehicle at the date of testing. It shows prior owners so somebody who claims he's had it since it was new may not be telling the truth.

I found it useful when I bought my pickup used, confirmed the dealer's story that it had sat on a lot for 10 months (that was true).

[Dejashoot]

keep in mind also that anyone can walk up to your vehicle in a parking lot and get the VIN off the dash. Nothing secret about it.