Scam? Seems like a good one if it is.

eidolon

eidolon

eidolon

Soldato
Joined
31 Oct 2002
Posts
13,892
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne
Just got this in response to my Pistonheads advert. It actually sounds legit however I have to admit that I'd very suspicious of foreign buyers after all the scams that happen.

I've tried googling for his name as it does sound familiar for some reason, anyone know anything about this guy? Is he doing the round on other car forums or am I just being too suspicious?

Dear Steve,

I am french. I have bought my first Lotus Elise in England - Yeovil in Somerset. I have sold this car last week and I would like to buy a 111R. The reason to buy in England is the favorable rate change Euro/£.
It is not a problem for me to drive with RHD.

Could you confirm me you have full Lotus history, and the car is in mint condition? Never used on track?

About price, I propose you a bank transfert thursday 14th or friday 15th next week. Only when you'll have receive the integral payment, I will pich up the car on your location, perhaps next week-end. Could you confirm me you are available next week-end.

About price, could you make an effort 16.500 Gpb (Help for travel, french immatriculation)

Is there a train from London to your city or near? I will take Eurostar from Paris to London or Ferry boat.

Really, you have no risk with the transaction, because you will receive integral payment on your account before I will pick-up the car. When I have bought my first Lotus Elise, I have paid it with cash but it is dangerous to have a lot of money when you travel. I prefer bank transfer, more easy. Another solution, with PayPal if you have an account. As you want.

I wait your position and confirmation. If you are agree, I call you by phone this morning. (But my english is not perfect and it is more easy for me to write than to speak...)

Best Regards,
Franck BERTUZZI
Click to expand...
 
Doesn't sound in the least scammish..

Offering to have the money in your bank account before he picks it up seems exactly what you want..

If he said he'd pay by Bankers draft and someone will drop the draft off/pick the car up and drive it back to him in france, and offer you £5K over the asking price, then I'd smell a rat (dodgy bank draft)..

The exchange rate means that it's probably a bargain for him!
 
Probably perfectly legit, a lot of Europeans are taking advantage of the £/€ rate and cars like an Elise would be something ideal for someone French to buy. If it was someone Scottish then you wouldn't bat an eyelid about them getting the train to look and it will take this French dude a lot less time to get to you on the train than it would someone Scottish.
 
Hmm, doesn't seem like your average scam but I would definately speak to them before doing any kind of deal even if it is a difficult task due to his broken English. Are there any reliable payment methods apart from cash that he could use? Not sure how reliable a bank transfer is and I wouldn't consider PayPal for this sort of money.
 
Forgive my bluntness, but the text looks less to me like the attempts of a frenchman, and more like those of an African.....of the Nigerian variety.

Phone your bank and ask them if a bank transfer is as fallible as a cheque is,
i.e. the money shows up in your account initially only for the banks to reclaim it once they realise the scammer has duped them.
If the money cannot be reclaimed then go for it..
 
The_Dark_Side said:
Forgive my bluntness, but the text looks less to me like the attempts of a frenchman, and more like those of an African.....of the Nigerian variety.
Click to expand...

No it doesn't?? :confused:

Is the 'Nigerian' suddenly going to do a French impression allo allo style when eidolon talks to him on the phone? :D
 
The_Dark_Side said:
Forgive my bluntness, but the text looks less to me like the attempts of a frenchman, and more like those of an African.....of the Nigerian variety.

Phone your bank and ask them if a bank transfer is as fallible as a cheque is,
i.e. the money shows up in your account initially only for the banks to reclaim it once they realise the scammer has duped them.
If the money cannot be reclaimed then go for it.....or ask for a bankers draft instead.
Click to expand...

Is this possible? I ask because I've always assumed bank transfers are infallible and relied on that for most of my car sales!
 
The_Dark_Side said:
There are a few areas of "his" grammar that worry me, but then I'm a sceptical man.
Click to expand...

I don't blame you, I'm pretty much the same these days!

I would say that from my quite un-professional opinion, I thought bank transfers where pretty much infallible as funds must have been available somewhere to be transferred to you, but a bankers drafts are forged these days, (I will phone the issuing branch of bankers drafts to confirm they issued one to me that day, and try to get a quick 'yes' out of them if I mentioned the amount!).

I guess if someone hi-jacked someone elses bank account, did the transfer from that, what would happen in the aftermath?
 
Demon said:
I don't blame you, I'm pretty much the same these days!

I would say that from my quite un-professional opinion, I thought bank transfers where pretty much infallible as funds must have been available somewhere to be transferred to you, but a bankers drafts are forged these days, (I will phone the issuing branch of bankers drafts to confirm they issues one to me that day, and try to get a quick 'yes' out of them if I mentioned the amount!).

I guess if someone hi-jacked someone elses bank account, did the transfer from that, what would happen in the aftermath?
Click to expand...

I'm in total agreement with you matey, but then I always thought that when a cheque cleared the money was safe in your account.....and that the banks can't come back a few weeks later and reclaim the money as the cheque hadn't really cleared, until it happened to a friend of mine.
I'd play the cautious card and phone my bank (mentioning the bank this guy is transferring the money from as well) and outline what this transaction entails, that way you've covered all of the bases.
 
On the other hand, if you were the buyer would you send £16k of your hard earned to someone you didn't know in another country, only to show up and find out that the car you wanted to buy is falling to bits, or worse still, the seller has made off with your money?

I'm not sure I'd buy a car that way but hey, if Mr. Franck (whats with the c?) Bertuzzi (Italian?) wants to do it that way, so be it!
 
I would want cash simple as, its a lot of money, bank transfers can be claimed back if not legal I would have thought.
If he wants the car that much I am sure he can bring the money with him, if he is that worried he can bring a mate to escort him.
Edit I have read it again (more closely) its total rubbish I dont believe him for a second not even a french name, dont even think it was written by someone french.
 
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Just don't release the car until you have phoned the bank and confirmed that the funds have cleared and are secure.

Or bullion. I like the bullion idea :)
 
eidolon said:
Dear Steve,

I am french. I have bought my first Lotus Elise in England - Yeovil in Somerset. I have sold this car last week and I would like to buy a 111R. The reason to buy in England is the favorable rate change (Exchange rate, someone french would've got that right IMHO.) Euro/£.
It is not a problem for me to drive with RHD.

Could you confirm me you have full Lotus history, and the car is in mint condition? Never used on (lack of "the") track?

About price, I propose you a bank transfert thursday 14th or friday 15th next week. Only when you'll have receive the integral payment, I will pich up the car on your location, perhaps next week-end. Could you confirm me you are available next week-end.

About price, could you make an effort 16.500 Gpb (Help for travel, french immatriculation)

Is there a train from London to your city or near? I will take (lack of "the") Eurostar from Paris to London or Ferry boat.(Hmm)

Really, you have no risk with the transaction, because you will receive integral payment on your account before I will pick-up the car. When I have bought my first Lotus Elise, I have paid it with cash but it is dangerous to have a lot of money when you travel. I prefer bank transfer, more easy. Another solution, with PayPal if you have an account. As you want.

I wait your position and confirmation. If you are agree, I call you by phone this morning. (But my english is not perfect and it is more easy for me to write than to speak...)

Best Regards,
Franck BERTUZZI
Click to expand...
The over-complication worries me too, using words like "immatriculation". The lack of "the" concerns me especially when translating from a language like French that places such an emphasis on objective gender as does "Integral payment" which looks like the choice of a scammer with a thesaurus IMHO.....but again I'm very sceptical where my money is involved.
 
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The Paypal angle is a new one on me though.
Exactly how much protection do you have against fraud with Paypal?

Edit, looking at the Paypal site now and found this.
Can anyone more familiar than I am with the ins and outs of Paypal explain what this means:-

Key rules of Seller Protection off eBay

Only transactions between UK, US or Canadian buyers and sellers qualify.

Is this cause for concern?
 
Get freefaller to have a word with him. French is his first language isnt it?

Sure he'll be able to sniff out a scam.
 
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