Boat selling scams.

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AlumCat

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I am selling my 37 ft. Aluminium Sailing Yacht.
I have had several offers of purchase from Saudi Arabia, they ask for my bank details, so that they can send me the money. I treat this with suspicion, but I send them my bank details anyway, but of course nothing comes of it.
My question is, does anybody know why they want bank details, they are only of use for putting money in ?
 
AlumCat said:
I am selling my 37 ft. Aluminium Sailing Yacht.
I have had several offers of purchase from Saudi Arabia, they ask for my bank details, so that they can send me the money. I treat this with suspicion, but I send them my bank details anyway, but of course nothing comes of it.
My question is, does anybody know why they want bank details, they are only of use for putting money in ?
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There are two options - one is a very early stage of an attempt at identity fraud, where you gradually get asked for more and more personal details.

The other option is a pure scam - the usual way it works is for them to pay into your bank a demand draft, on a foreign bank, which will appear to clear. It is common for this to be for more than the agreed price, and for them then to ask you to pay the difference back to their "shipping agent" or similar, to cover transport or customs clearance fees.

You pay this with real money, and a few days or even weeks later (and it can take weeks for a draft on really obscure or distant banks) the demand draft, which was forged, fails to be honoured, at which point your bank "unclears" the money supposedly deposited. You are out the cost of the difference you paid back. Your bank points you to some very very small print that says they are not liable for your loss.

These fake buyers do not usually want your yacht.

As brokers, we see these foreign offers to buy virtually daily. Just occasionally one is genuine - but it is one in every hundred or two - we sold a boat sight unseen to a Frenchman living in La Reunion, and when all the banking and paperwork was done properly, he turned up and sailed it away, delighted with his purchase.
 
AlumCat said:
I am selling my 37 ft. Aluminium Sailing Yacht.
I have had several offers of purchase from Saudi Arabia, they ask for my bank details, so that they can send me the money. I treat this with suspicion, but I send them my bank details anyway, but of course nothing comes of it.
My question is, does anybody know why they want bank details, they are only of use for putting money in ?
Click to expand...

Don't underestimate the vast amount of information you leave on the internet - freely available to anyone who cares to spend a few minutes searching. You're right to treat these people with suspicion.
 
It's deffinately a scam last one i heard of was being run by a student in York university posing as a rich arabic buyer he'd contact alsorts of classifieds to get bank details

Dave
 
And contact the police and they don't want to know! (at least here).

Had the same person try it on me twice. Offered to hand it to the police so that they could find the perpetrator but all I got was a lecture about online security. Hi guys I've been involved with that for years, which is why I'm giving it to you.
 
received today

Hi

I'm new to the forum, and wanted to alert as many people as possible to a fraudster, on the basis that if somebody googles his details this will come up.

The usual type of thing, and wants to but my boat without seeing it:

Thank you for your e-mail.

I wish to pay you with a cash at hands.but right now I'm not within your reach that i could not easily comes over for the payment and pick-up the item once.

I'm from Aberdeen in Scotland in UK,But i live by the sea side in PORTUGAL cos am a SAILOR. I always come home ( Aberdeen in Scotland in UK) every 4 Months and travel back to my place of work in Porto

I will be contacting my Account Officer to pay you by Certified banker Draft/ Cheque from my Bank, As for the price is okay by me for £ 4950.. I would be offering you £5300 for the item only the shipping cost does not included. I would have love to come personally for viewing but am not around for now, so am buying the ITEM in good faith and trust, Draft/Cheque will take only 3-4 days to your account which will be sent to you by early next week.

The following information is required to issue the Draft/Cheque to you:

1, Full names
2, Full Address
3, Telephone numbers

Reply
Frank



His details are:
frank john magasland@yahoo.co.uk
07024085741

I hope it saves somebody from losing bucket loads of money!

Linda
 
The last posting purporting to be from a person in Aberdeen, Scotland uses "strange" english, which a scotsman would not use. It is grammatically incorrect, suggesting that the person writing it is using english as a second language.

I would never give my bank account details, and insist on a posted bank draft which is irrevocable once drawn.

If its a scam, you wont hear from them again
 
Hi,

No, I definitely won't hear from him again......not after my reply!

I wasn't posing a question as to whether or not it was genuine, rather making a statement that it wasn't and hoping to alert the less experienced.

Lindy
 
pappaecho said:
The last posting purporting to be from a person in Aberdeen, Scotland uses "strange" english, which a scotsman would not use. It is grammatically incorrect, suggesting that the person writing it is using english as a second language.
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So how different from a Scot ? :D:D

Boo2
 
Boo2 said:
So how different from a Scot ? :D:D

Boo2
Click to expand...

lol . That right I know this as am scottish self, yes. :-)

Like most cities, Aberdeen has it's fair share of residents that originate from non speaking countries. The oil industry brings people from all over the world. So the guy could reside in Aberdeen. However, I agree with everyone else that great care is required.

I had money paid in to an empty account and then they tried to withdraw it the next day. Two amounts of just under 10,000 pounds each were paid in. The bank contacted me about it to see if it was me. I never heard any more. I reckon they were paying in false drafts and then somehow trying to get real money out again before the drafts bounced. Not sure who would have been liable if they got some money out. I thought I was safe as the account had no money at all.
 
Surprised a scam emanating from Saudi! My Saudi friend (from his student days) has houses in Orlando, Bali and a couple in Saudi!
 
AlumCat said:
I am selling my 37 ft. Aluminium Sailing Yacht.
Click to expand...
This is Karnian, right ? As advertised on the yachtsnet archives and basically nowhere else ? It's up to you, of course, but why not advertise her on apolloduck and boatsandoutboards ? People on these forums who've sold boats successfully often suggest putting up a website with all the detailed info and pointing the apolloduck etc advert at that.

Best of luck,

Boo2
 
I've had many scam emails and some I lead on. On one occasion it got as far as delivering the yacht. The scammer asked how much the boat weighed so he could tell the courier company. Another said he would pay through Pay Pal. None of them have ever wanted to see the boat. It's a bit of a waste of time but if you want a few laughs it's worth leading a few on.
 
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