Scam and a half?

So, I found this insane deal on a 2005 X-star, 25K. Didn't seem real right? The guy who listed it was actually a teenager who goes to Caltech, I did lots of searching, including facebook, to find said guy. So, shortly after I emailed the person via usedboats.com, and messaged the guy on facebook, the ad was removed. Then I recieved this email from him, at a hotmail account. Turns out it is not the guy who was named on the website, and supposedly someone else.

Hello,

If you are interested in the boat please read this e-mail carefully!The boat is still for sale, but not for long, I hope. The price is $25,000. Anyway, the boat is in perfect working condition,with no rust or bondo on it and a laser-straight body. My experienced technician has fully checked the boat and gave it a special highrating, it has a CLEAN and CLEAR TITLE, great history and without any mechanical problems, safety check and pre-delivery inspection, along with a fresh servicing before I ship or deliver the boat.My problem is that in the meanwhile, i got divorced, and I had to move with my kids in Bulgaria where I got a new job as a construction engineer. I've left the boat crated in a warehouse back in US and my intention was to have it shipped here, but when I found out about the very high import duties here, I have made up my mind and decided to sell the boat.
So, if you want to buy it, I am covering the cost for shipping and will include insurance for the trip. The delivery will take between 5 and 8 business days (with insurance and 30 days return policy).

The payment will be completed using SquareTrade secure pay services o we can both be protected!

Let me know if you are interested. I have reserved the boat for you,but I will need your answer in the next couple of days.

Thank you,

P.S: If you want pictures of the boat please let me know!

The boat is in florida, and I am in Virginia. If there were a way for me to prove it's existence, this is something I'd jump on. It seems as though the ad was removed to hide the deal from the public, so that he could "hold" it for me. But the fact that he has "moved to Bulgaria" is ridiculously suspicious. I'm calling it a scam, has anyone else seen something like this?

Scam

Clone of Bill K prior post. Same suggestion. Send him on a treasure hunt for his money!

It's a scam. Lead the guy on a bit & make him think your seriously interested in the boat. But make him work for it. Ask for pics of the rear flooglebinders. Or pics of the transom bones. Stupid things that don't exist on boats. You'll be shocked how many hoops these guys will jump thru if they think you have cash. Tell them your the heir to the Trojan condom fortune & looking for a gift for your nymphomaniac girlfriend. Ramble on with aimless questions for him to answer. Just waste his time.

For more info Google "scambait" or "419 scam". This is a sport that quite a few people do..... to screw them before they screw someone else. One tip, use a Yahoo or Hotmail account & never use your own name or phone number. Usually their from some foreign country but theres a chance it's someone from the US. Better safe than sorry. Have some fun with it & let us know what happens.

Where exactly would someone be concerned about "rust or bondo" on a fiberglass boat? Pretty obvious he knows nothing about what he is supposedly selling.

it said rust or bondo cause he used a boilerplate letter that he uses for the cars he's running the same scam on

Ask him if the boat's got any fiberglass filler anywhere!

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/530202.html?1198737515

Looks like that settles that...

Wait, i'm behind, Nick already posted in that thread! Hah!

Oh well. Fun scams, still.

(Message edited by tonality on December 28, 2007)

Where is the link to the boat.....I want it

The boat is in Cake Town, at the bottom of a cotton candy filled pit of doom. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNqiSkd1M6k)

I haven't had the chance to email him back... Courtesy of working nearly constantly. But lots of money for when I finally talk my dad into buying a wakesetter, so I can afford the accessories....

Time to email him back...


Here's the email that I sent him.... Let's see what happens....
Yes, I need some pictures first. To begin, I need pictures of the hull, as to make sure that no logs were hit or the boat was not run aground. I also need to see the boat's actual ribbing, to make sure that there are no chances of the boat losing it's structural integrity. The Tower needs to be photographed extensively, as I have personally seen water officers give tickets for very minor details in regards to the tower itself. I also need picture's of the boat's ballast system, every possible picture that you can provide would be amazing. Since the boat is in lockup, and I cannot inspect it myself, these are critical questions. Also, does the boat have any kinds of fiberglass filler anywhere on it? Also, what is a special high rating? What kind of quality does this kind of rating entail, and what was the name of the marine mechanic that you used, I must make sure that he is a reputable mechanic, as quite often the mechanics that check out boats can be poor, or just not feel like doing their job properly on that specific day. Thanks for your time.

-James


(Message edited by wakeboardern1 on December 28, 2007)

HEhehehe, easy buddy. You might scare him off with so many requests right off the bat. Start off with telling him how rich you are. Maybe how well this boat would compliment your family yacht you keep off the coast of Florida. Maybe how your purchasing it for your sexy girlfriend. Peak his interest. Then when he thinks he's got a trust fund baby on the hook, lay the requests on him..... a couple at a time. Drag it out over multiple emails. And always give him something to drool over...... like how much money you make, or some ridiculous expensive item you just purchased.

You got the idea. Just gotta learn not to yank so hard when he's still just nibbling on the hook.

Right. Next email I'll mention selling an 80 dollar Sea Ray cabin cruiser... And I used to yank hard when the fish nibbled... I caught a lot of fish... =P Chances are good that this will scare him off, but oh well...

We have a reply...

Hi James,

Look here some details regarding my boat.

Type:Ski/Wakeboard
Use:Fresh Water
Make:Mastercraft
Engine Type:Mercruiser
Model:X-Star
Engine Make:Mercury
Year:2005
Engine Model:MCX
Length (Feet):23.0
Primary Fuel Type:Gas
Beam (Feet):7.0
Fuel Capacity (Gallons):51-75
Hull Material:Fiberglass
Hull Identification Number:mbcnlbd9g405
Trailer:Included

The boat is being shipped from the Canada.
It is already packed and ready to ship. I need a fast deal managed in a secure way by them.
So, if you're really interested and do want to purchase the boat, please reply asap with the info requested (full name and complete shipping address).
So the deal will go in basicly 3 easy steps
1-i register the deal with them
2-you make the payment and confirm it to SquareTrade.
3-receive the boat , inspect it , accept it , and SquareTrade will release
the payment informations to me
(They will take care of the title transfer etc ..)
They will contact you after that with more info on how to proceed.

Let me know what your intentions are

Thank you,
Anthony Smith

P.S.I've attached you some pics.

Mercury engine in a MC huh? And he is not sure on the fuel tank size too. At least he put a hull # that ended in 05. How were the pics that he sent you. Specifically the ones of the ribbing? HAHAHA

Nah, he just sent me some pics of what he had up on the ad on usedboats.com. Any further ideas anyone?

Right on. Sounds like he didn't read a lot of your email though. Should be interesting to see what the pics are he sent you. Keep on him telling him how interested you are in the boat & to get pics of those funky non-existant parts for you. Sounds like a special "rare" MC with a Mercury motor to me...... ;)

Heading out on an ATV trip for a couple days. Looking forward to seeing how you do when I get back. Good luck!

Let him know how rich you are and you will only do a COD. 10 times out of 10 this will scare them away as they don't have the boat. Tell him you are very busy and don't have time to mess around with his Square Trade company. If he says no then bump the price a few grand to do the COD. Good luck, but this is a scam.