Beware of internet SCAMS! - Ducati.ms

j3anph1l1dd3 · Oct 8th, 2011, 1:53 pm

Hi everyone, I'm on the market for a used Ducati. More specifically, i want to discuss your opinions about this bike for sale on kijiji: New and used sport touring motorcycles for sale in Windsor Region. Ducati, harley, bmw touring motorcycles on Kijiji.

So I sent an email:

Hi, would you mind sending additional pictures. im looking for is tyre usage, pictures of any aftermarket eqpt, the mileage on the odometer.

Aside from that i've got a few questions,

Are they the original tyres?

Do you still have or were there add-ons installed on this motorcycle?

When an what was the last maintenance?

Should i decide to buy your motorcycle, Would you mind if we brought it to a mechanic for an inspection (ie the dealership)?

Regards, Jean

Within a day the ad was removed. On saturday i recieved this:

Hi Jean,
I am emailing you regarding the 2004 Ducati with 5321kms.My bike has always been garage kept, never down and is in immaculate condition.I am selling it at this price ($2,800) because I just went through a divorce with my ex-husband and when it has finished, I remained the owner of this bike. I have some financial problems right now, so I want to sell it asap and a fast sale can be done only at a low price.If I forgot to add anything, if you have any further questions regarding this bike, or you are interested in the vehicle, do not hesitate to ask. Please do not email me for any other reason other than interest in purchasing this bike.

For more pictures here is a link to the bike photo gallery:
Check out my photos!

Sincerely,Margaret

Now if you google this persons address, many links address the subject of fraudulent activities. margys.margaret72mm@gmail.com

My last activity was to reply and ask for a phone number. What do you guys think? Should i let Let this one go?

mfranzdorf · Oct 8th, 2011, 2:21 pm

Yes, let it go. Selling a bike does not need to sound this shady

Decreasing Dave · Oct 8th, 2011, 2:32 pm

Pretty much everything "she" tries to sell is $2700 or $2800.

Stay away from this one and report it.

Dave

j3anph1l1dd3 · Oct 8th, 2011, 2:38 pm

Whats that saying? if its too good to be true, it probably is?

Gilly · Oct 8th, 2011, 3:41 pm

I would be EXTREMELY weary of buying off of some craiglist.
Unless it is someone in your town, where you can visit or know someone who knows the person... you get the idea.

If you are shopping for a bike, the bulletin boards are a great resource. You can tell how long a person has been a member. Look at posts they have done in regard to the bikes' history/upgrades.

Chances are also that if you are too far away from where a bike is, there are fellow board members who would gladly check out a bike for you.

When buying a bike site unseen. It can also be a great help to get the local dealer where the bike is located involved. Throw them a little cash to be the middle person. I did this with my S2R.

I FedExed my bank check made out to the seller, along with a check to the dealer. The seller dropped the bike off at the dealer. Dealer verified the bike was legit. The dealer handed over the check to the seller. Shipping company stopped by dealer. Picked up bike and delivered it to me. I had no worries about this transaction. It did help that the dealer was the same one who serviced the bike for the seller as well. Everyone ended up happy.

Getting a new bike is exciting. You cannot let that excitement blind you into making errors in judgement.

DaC · Oct 8th, 2011, 7:26 pm

No offense, but don't be a fool and listen to what your brain is already telling you.

I know what it's telling you because you wouldn't have posted here if it were not.

The key to these scams is GREED. Are you going to let GREED blind your common sense?

The low price point is bait for your greed, which makes things very easy for the scammer. Once you let greed into the equation, you are willing to overlook clear and obvious warning signs and risk losing your money for fear of missing out on a deal that is too good to be true (and it is).

jssport · Oct 8th, 2011, 11:48 pm

If you cant go and look at it, whay are you considering it ?

Decreasing Dave · Oct 9th, 2011, 1:35 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by jssport

If you cant go and look at it, whay are you considering it ?

I bought my Hyper without looking at it. I had pictures, but that was it.

However, I bought mine from a dealership, a Harley dealership, but a dealership just the same.

That said, if I had found out that the dealership had an email history like the one in question by the OP, I wouldn't have even considered it.

Makes you wonder why he is.....

Dave

j3anph1l1dd3 · Oct 9th, 2011, 9:08 am

Thanks for your words. The comment on greed is most pertinent. It's true i was most interested by the price. i estimate that an st4s with those stats should be asking for about 8k-10k. When i saw it at 2800$ i was stunned for a few seconds. i thought it might be just a typo for 12800$. But you never know!

I'm still curious about the purpose. Was it fraud, phishing, or just someone trying to lower the price of used bikes?

hopefully these scams don't get anywhere too often. I'm bothered that someone would even try this in the first place. Even moreso that i could possibly be one of thier victims. What i ended up doing is sending an email to the canadian anti-fraud centre.

Oh, and i'm still looking for a bike

**scott** · Oct 9th, 2011, 11:09 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by j3anph1l1dd3

I'm still curious about the purpose. Was it fraud, phishing, or just someone trying to lower the price of used bikes?

The purpose of these kinds of scams is that they get people to send the $2800 to a supposed "escrow account" with the claim that they will ship the motorcycle, car or whatever other BS they are claiming to sell to your door for a inspection and approval of sale then the transaction is complete if you are happy. The sting is that the escrow account is really someone's bank account in Russia, China or Nigeria. They get $2800 and you get nothing