Have you been scammed on craigslist or ebay? Read this.
A friend of mine fell for the craigslist scam. The one where they offer to have an ‘ebay agent’ hold the money while the transaction goes down. He sent them $2900 by MoneyGram, to Philadelphia, PA. It was cashed near Wooster, Ohio, right across the border. After a few days, he began to think he had been scammed, so he came to see me. (I’m one of them ‘computer nerds’)
I noticed the email address of the ‘ebay agent’ was ebay-vpp@inc-support.com . Because this was not a gmail or yahoo account, I assumed they must have registered the domain. Running a ‘whois’ on the domian uncovered little. They have a private registrar, but they cheaped out on hosting – opting to get a ‘free’ site from homestead.com. I went to his site and their account is expired – with a big message giving away their username – “MSlabaugh”.
I knew it was a long shot, but I went ahead and plugged “MSlabaugh” and “Wooster, OH” into the engines. What do you know, there happens to be a Mel Slabaugh who calls himself the ‘laziest’ marketing champ in the world, and brags about making easy money online with his fellow miscreants. He resides in in Wooster, Ohio. This can’t be a coincidence.
I plug his name into google, with more specifics, and viola… now I have a phone number and address. “Mel Slabaugh” – 330-839-1159. 418 N. Buckey Street, Wooster, OH 44691. At this point, I decide to see how much I can find out about him.
His myspace account - http://www.myspace.com/melslabaugh
His twitter account - http://twitter.com/melslabaugh
A “Mel Slabaugh” of Wooster OH, posted on http://www.paynoincometax.com/testimonials.htm . Pay no income tax? Well you didn’t work for the money, so why pay tax on it, right?
Apparently he has a brother, who posted a video of him on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2io3vQYyB4
He’s the owner of Slabaugh.us - http://www.who.is/whois/slabaugh.us/
As I discovered he owns the scammy site ‘poker arcana’, I already discovered another address in his name -http://whois.domaintools.com/pokerarcana.com
420 Gasche St., Wooster, OH . His domain name servers are ns1.workforkeith.com . That sounds fishy.. let’s do some digging.
Apparently Mr. Slabaugh doesn’t like to follow the law, because he’s got a record. This also gave me his exact age – born 6/16/1976.
Arrested – 2-11-1996 - http://courtsweb.waynecountycourthouse.com/PA/pa.urd/pamw2000.o_case_sum?11432015
His license plate # was N668WP then, and he lived at 187 N FIRESTONE RD, in Wooster, OH.
Arrested 11-9-1998 - http://courtsweb.waynecountycourthouse.com/PA/pa.urd/pamw2000.o_case_sum?27850558 - Now his address is 514 BELL RD, in Wooster, OH. Still the same license plate, though.
Arrested – 6-3-2005 - http://courtsweb.waynecountycourthouse.com/PA/pa.urd/pamw2000.o_case_sum?24019340 – Now he’s living at 418 N BUCKEYE ST. He also changed his license plate # to DCW7351
As of 2/2/2010, he owes the city of Wooster 232.38 on his 420 Gasche Street Address – Apparently they list past due balances publicly. - http://www.woosteroh.com/docs/current_wc_utility_balances.pdf
If all of that is not enough, there’s a few more nails in his coffin -
http://www.malwareurl.com/listing.php?as=AS7018&active=off – According to this, he’s hosting malware. Why am I not suprised?
Here’s a discussion on scam.com, about ‘hometypers.com’ - http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?p=126871 , They’ve uncovered it as a scam, and GUESS WHO is running it? A Mr. MSlabaugh.
Now, as I said, it was my friend who was scammed, not me. This means I can’t press charges, but he can.
If anyone out there has been victimized by this ring of craigslist scammers, I hope this information will reach you and allow justice to be served.
Melvin E. Slabaugh, if you see this… get in touch with me, and get in touch with me fast. If I found you, you can find me with ease, because you’re an internet super-guru, right?
I’ve got your Military Records, (Iraq, way to go, too bad you’re a scumbag). I’ve got your school transcripts, I’ve got your parents names and the address of that little patch of farmland you’ve got tucked away in southern Ohio. Hell, I even know where you went to Elementary school.
All I set out to do was get my friend’s money back, and if that happens, you will never hear from me again.
If that doesn’t happen, Melvin, then it definitely… definitely… sucks to be you.
Scam reported at FightTheScams.com
kilynne1623 says:
ok brainstormjoe you are awesome!!! I would love to do the same investigative work o my email..
Re: lincoln NavigatorWednesday, February 24, 2010 10:35 PM
From: This sender is DomainKeys verified”Micheal Owens”
I am not local but that does not make me a scammer! I am not a scammer and this is a legit transaction. Shipping, insurance and ebay fees have been paid since the previous transaction. I am in Camp Pendleton MC Base in training, getting ready for Afghanistan. The car and its documents are in the DAS auto shipping warehouse from Montana, waiting to be delivered. My wife just gave birth to my forth kid, I need all the money I can get to leave to her. Also, I hope to sell the car before we deploy to Afghanistan. The car is fully paid for, fully functional, the title is clean and clear. You can contact me at 206-309-3205, ask for Sgt. Micheal Owens. If nobody answers, please leave a message with your name and phone number and I will get back to you. I had the car listed on eBay and the auction ended at $5150. I opened a transaction with the winning bidder, he was from Alaska. I’ve arranged the shipping and I waited on him to complete the payment to eBay. He could not complete the payment and eBay could not ask me to deliver to Alaska. In the meantime I had to return to the base to start the training for Afghanistan. The car remained with the shipping company, the eBay transaction remained opened for the transaction amount of $5150 and I have no buyer for it. What I want to do is register you as the buyer to the existing eBay transaction and have the vehicle and its documents along with a notarized bill of sale delivered to you for inspection. eBay will request that you pay a deposit before I start the shipping procedures to your location. Before being requested to deposit the money, eBay will send you all terms and conditions that must be accepted in order to move on with the transaction. At that point you will decide if you wish to engage in this transaction or not. Your decision to buy the vehicle or not will come ONLY after you have performed a detailed inspection of the vehicle at a mechanic of your choice. Reply with your full name and shipping address so ebay can contact you regarding the payment and shipping process.
Many thanks!
Here is the link with the pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MWRCD555/2006LincolnNavigator4x4Ultimate?feat=directlink
Here is the CarFax report:
February 26th, 2010 at 11:53 am
brainstormjoe says:
Hi, the carfax report didn’t carry over. All I had to go on was the anonymous picasa web album… but… here’s what I got for ya.
His album username is MWRCD555, so I searched for that… theres that name @gmail.com, who was selling a lincoln navigator – google cache http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=clnk&cd=1&ved=undefined&url=http%3A%2F%2F74.125.155.132%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dcache%3AtFZbw1xLkpkJ%3Awww.carsonlinefree.com%2FsearchCars%2Fdetails.cfm%253FvehicleID%253D153333%2BMWRCD555%26cd%3D1%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus%26client%3Dfirefox-a&ei=xpuMS4rjPIiKswPmq7HAAw&usg=AFQjCNEINIdWqEcVU0rE5w_0MW5azgXiLw&sig2=IsJldxMNPRoUH33GrHERUw
On google’s cache, it says his name is Micheal Owens of Houston TX, but I got a phone # – 206-309-3205 (Seattle Washington). I did a reverse-lookup on that phone number, and someone was using it to solicit for their ‘affiliate marketing’ scheme. It’s in the google search, but the page was taken down –
(206) 309-3205 -OR- email: mja1CL@PayMeDailyNow.com. Hiring Organization: Emja Enterprises. Location: ? Sacramento Area ?; Compensation: up to $100 to …
Bingo!… we have a real email address. PayMeDailyNow.com . That website is registered to a Michael Aadnesen, phone number 916-220-0914 (Folsom CA) .
There’s also a username of “BigMikeAA” in the source code, so michael aadnesen might be his name.
I went on www.greatcareerplan.com and signed up… with fake information. It would have been a shame if some computer nerd set up a back-door for anyone to mess up his site. Just for the heck of it.. go to that site, sign up… log into your control panel.. and then type /admin/ after his URL… see what happens.
Michael Aadnesen is old – Here’s his facebook – Michael Aadnesen
and his youtube account (he IS from California) – http://www.youtube.com/user/BigMikeAA#p/a
I’ll keep looking.. I just didn’t want the post to get too long…
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:49 am
brainstormjoe says:
someone named ‘raindmr’ is the absolute BIGGEST ‘pusher’ of that greatcareerplan.net site… their names are Will & Brandy Couch 254-212-1955.
Name – brandy, email raindmr@gmail.com – Username Velexxie http://www.cafemom.com/group/106848/forums/read/9953016/WEBINAR_OCT_3rd_Dont_miss_it
Apparently something happened to his site.. because now i can’t log in or sign up.. everything is errors.
These guys are talking about bank accounts, storing numbers, etc – http://news.dbase.com/newsgroups.php?art_group=dbase.getting-started&article_id=8195 it’s always the same email address. Can’t be a coincidence.
Here’s brandy again w/ pic – http://raindmr.superpokepets.com/
and here – http://www.connectingsingles.com/email-for-free-raindmr.htm , ugly, from odessa texas.
Brandy Jo Couch, is a social worker from texas. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=5&ved=0CBYQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dshs.state.tx.us%2FSocialWork%2Fsw_lmsw.xls&ei=VqqMS7exEo6csgOAsdTfAw&usg=AFQjCNGxQyu-ucw5tot6NvFd60t63X6xTw&sig2=fvd2TPDCfoaepkKT25kQkg
She graduated with a masters in social work from – http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=3&ved=0CA8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theshorthorn.com%2Fstatic%2Fpdfs%2F2007%2Ffall%2FGradedition_F07web.pdf&ei=VqqMS7exEo6csgOAsdTfAw&usg=AFQjCNHca2PuNOMKGJSf61nozJCkBzgaXQ&sig2=aD8uwHnCFE0k_hTlqMUGXw
According to this – she either owes money or was given money from the state comptroller of texas. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=4&ved=0CBMQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.window.state.tx.us%2Fprocurement%2Fhub%2Fhub_report%2Ffy8%2Fagydet%2F530_agy_det_web.txt&ei=VqqMS7exEo6csgOAsdTfAw&usg=AFQjCNHiVnT3oK2-IxXOaqh64O28Ab1HKQ&sig2=NNyqIoeKp7n9LoBTUMomKw
Here’s her myspace.. she’s big into the affilliate marketing stuff.. those are always the scammers. http://www.myspace.com/raindancedmr
Hopefully thats enough info to put you on the right track.
I should do this for a living, haha. (as of 1:15 am… that guy’s site is still down)
March 2nd, 2010 at 1:15 am
Erinekern says:
Funny i got a story very close to that. He simply copied that last reply and changed a few names and a few figures. Hello,
Here is the message.
Shipping, insurance and ebay fees have been paid since the previous transaction. I am in Camp Pendleton MC Base in training, getting ready for Afghanistan. The Pickup truck and its documents are in the DAS auto shipping warehouse from Montana, waiting to be delivered. My wife just gave birth to my forth kid, I need all the money I can get to leave to her. Also, I hope to sell the Pickup truck before we deploy to Afghanistan. The Pickup truck is fully paid for, fully functional, the title is clean and clear. You can contact me at 206-309-3205, ask for Sgt. Greg Cormier. If nobody answers, please leave a message with your name and phone number and I will get back to you. I had the Pickup truck listed on eBay and the auction ended at $4,860.00. I opened a transaction with the winning bidder, he was from Alaska. I’ve arranged the shipping and I waited on him to complete the payment to eBay. He could not complete the payment and eBay could not ask me to deliver to Alaska. In the meantime I had to return to the base to start the training for Afghanistan. The Pickup truck remained with the shipping company, the eBay transaction remained opened for the transaction amount of $4,700.00 and I have no buyer for it. What I want to do is register you as the buyer to the existing eBay transaction and have the vehicle and its documents along with a notarized bill of sale delivered to you for inspection. eBay will request that you pay a deposit before I start the shipping procedures to your location. Before being requested to deposit the money, eBay will send you all terms and conditions that must be accepted in order to move on with the transaction. At that point you will decide if you wish to engage in this transaction or not. Your decision to buy the vehicle or not will come ONLY after you have performed a detailed inspection of the vehicle at a mechanic of your choice. Reply with your full name and shipping address so ebay can contact you regarding the payment and shipping process.
Many thanks!
Should i be worried that he now has my name, email, and phone number?
March 15th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
OceanGirl says:
Brainstormjoe,
I had this happen to me and I am still trying to get information om these people since the police aren’t doing anything. Can you help me?
March 17th, 2010 at 6:43 am
brainstormjoe says:
To Erinekern – No, you shouldn’t worry. It’s not like he has your SSN #. The worst he can do is pretend to be you (Identity theft/fraud), which is a crime that law enforcement takes much more seriously.
To OceanGirl – I just received this message today, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll need any information you have on them, names they used, e-mail addresses they send from, headers of e-mails, etc. Private-message me if you need me to explain that a little better.
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:30 pm
scammedinpa says:
it sickens me that so many people are falling into the same scam that I did…Brainstormjoe, I have another one if you are at all interested in doing some more tracking…
Re: 2000 Jeep Wrangler $2800?
From: helen thompson (helenthompson40@gmail.com)
You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as junk
Sent: Mon 3/22/10 8:27 PM
Thank you for your interest in purchasing my car,2000 Jeep Wrangler. The car is in perfect condition – like new! with only 74032 miles. If you decide to buy it, you’ll receive all the papers (clean title), owner manuals, keys, a buy-sell contract already signed by me and the clear title. For this transaction I want to use eBay because I want to provide you a fast and very secure way. They will handle the transaction for me. You will make the payment to eBay and they will hold the money until you receive and inspect the car. ONLY AFTER you receive the car and you inspect it (you have 5 days for inspection) eBay will release the payment to me or in case you dislike it for any reason ebay will pick up the car and refund you with the full amount, but I know you’ll like it for sure. The inspection time period will begin as soon as you receive the car at your address. Meanwhile eBay will hold the money into a trust account. So, this is not a blind transaction, you can see the car before you decide to buy it. This way we are both protected : i will know that i have a serious buyer who has the money to pay me and you will be able to see and inspect the car before buying it .The car priced to sell quickly and the final price that I’m asking for it is $2,800 including shipping and handling costs. My husband died 2 months ago and I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and the car and move to my parents. I can’t afford to take days off my work for this sale so I’m trying to sell it online.
If you are really interested in purchasing the car please use the “Buy it Now” option on ebay; and Ebay will give you all the details regarding the shipping and payment.
P.S: This is the web link to my add. If you decide to buy it please click on Buy It Now and ebay will inform how to buy it. thank you
htp//cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2000-jeep-wrangler-4weebbbuhhfccffccccfx4-v_W0QQitemZ130361923312QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item1e5a2d16f0kii=-ecf
March 26th, 2010 at 10:50 am
justlookin4atruck says:
brainstormjoe,
I love the work you’re doing to try and bring these scammers to light. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind doing a little background and hunting on the person who tried to scam me. I’ll post the last email he sent me along with all the information I have on the guy.
“Hi again,
Here you can find more pictures of the truck: http://s838.photobucket.com/albums/zz310/chevy_pics/
As I’ve told you, at this moment I am in Alaska in a military base. I do a special training program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or give calls whenever I want. The reason I’m selling this vehicle way below market value, is because I would like to help ease the burden of my sisters medical expenses, which she has acquired do to a serious illness. The shipping will take 3 to 5 days and it’s not a problem because I will have the truck shipped by an Air Force cargo plane so there won’t be any additional shipping costs. Also I will arrange for a truck to transport the vehicle to your home address. You will receive it along with all the documents including title, bill of sale, 2 set of keys, full service records and more. Because it is a large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third part like eBay because I already prearranged the whole process with them, using their Vehicle Purchase Protection Program. The truck is located in their warehouse in Anchorage (ready for delivery). The money must be sent first to an eBay agent and will be kept safe until the buyer receives and inspects the vehicle. I will offer a 5-day period to inspect the truck from the moment you receive it (and the option to accept or reject the vehicle on my expense), before I’ll have your money. I think this is more than fair for both of us.
If you are still interested just send me your full name and shipping address. I will forward your info to eBay and they will notify you about our deal.
Regards
Matthew”
He claims to be Staff Sergeant Matthew Hulsman of the U.S. Air Force stationed at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska. His email address is matthew_hulsman@gmx.com
I appreciate any help you can give me.
April 10th, 2010 at 11:19 am
dontbuythetruck says:
Can anyone help identify that scam for the 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 listed on this page? Thanks.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
gjmech19 says:
damn brainstormjoe hell you should charge to do the investigative work. can you track down a gloriastephen233@gmail.com this is all the emails i have dont know if its enough.
Hi ,
Thanks for being interested in buying my car. It is in a good condition, no scratches,no damages,never been implicated in any accidents,no problems at the engine,runs very well. The car has a clear title, it is a perfect car. The price is not negotiable $2.700 firm.The only thing I am selling it is that I divorced with my husband and after the divorce I own this car.And to be honest with you I don`t need it, because I don`t have driver license…So we will use only eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection to complete the sale. If you are interested and you have the funds available email me your full name and shipping address.
Thanks.
-Mileage:49,552 miles
-Vehicle Information
-VIN:1J4GW48S82C275167
-Features
-Body type:SUV
-Engine:6 Cylinder
-Exterior color:Gray
-Transmission:Automatic
-Fuel type:Gasoline
-Interior color:Black
-Drivetrain:Four Wheel Drive
——————————————————————————–
Date: Wed, 5 May 2010 12:11:44 -0700
Subject: Re:
From: gloriastephen233@gmail.com
Hi,
The car is located in Boise ID (i just moved here with my new job),like i told we will use eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection,so we can both be protected and insured.I just need your full name and full address so eBay can send you the invoice in which you`ll see how to make this transaction.The shipping is free i will take care of it and i will send the car with all the papers( vehicle registration, warranty papers,transfer papers etc ) i am just waiting your full name and address to complete the shipping papers and start the delivery process.
Thanks,
May 6th, 2010 at 10:08 am
brainstormjoe says:
Sorry for the long delay – birth of my daughter took priority. Apologies to those of you I couldn’t help, sometimes if it’s just an e-mail with no correspondence, I can’t do anything. The best thing to do is bait these idiots along… tell them “ok, have ebay contact me..” then they will e-mail you from a non-gmail address. If it’s a registered domain, it will have records and I can get access to those records.
justlooking4atruck- Mathew Hulsman exists, his home town is St. Anthony, Indiana. He was a senior airman in 2006, and at that point he had been enlisted for 2 years, which would make him roughly 24 years old now. He really did serve in Alaska. There is, of course, the possibility that some scammer is simply using his name.
This is a pdf, it’s a newsletter from 2006, alaska, elmendorf air force base – mathew hulsman is mentioned in it – http://www.elmendorf.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061227-040.pdf
The more research I did into him, the more and more I saw that one particular vehicle over and over, and continual use of the ‘mathew hulsman’ name. Normally professionals will use MANY different names/addresses… the fact that he sticks to just this one name/vehicle combo makes me think he is new to the game.
He is also mentioned on this page, he was named “Outstanding Airman of the Year”. This just does not seem to me, like the type of thing an ‘outstanding airman’ would do – http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/September%202008/0908NatRep.aspx
If anything, tell him ‘sure… have ebay contact me’ and see what e-mail address they hit you from.
gjmech – I wasn’t able to find out anything about that @gmail address, it’s most likely a throw-away account. Here is the link to the original dealership listing, though I don’t know if it will help – http://www.goldenrulecars.com/cgi-bin/showroom.cgi?d_id=1413&id=514485&mode=show
May 9th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
KrisCombs says:
I think she or he has changed to a new MO now heres the email i got…
Smith, Elizabeth SSgt. Elmendorf AFB to me
show details 4:53 PM (21 hours ago)
Hi,
Thanks for replying to my ad. I’m in a hurry to find a buyer because I have a family emergency and I need to sell it before July 20th. My name is Elizabeth. I’m an Air Force Staff Sergeant stationed at the Elmendorf AF Base, Anchorage, Alaska. The car is here with me.
I am the original owner. It has no damage, no scratches or dents, no hidden defects. It is in immaculate condition, meticulously maintained and hasn’t been involved in any accident…I do have the title, clear and free of liens, under my name.
This 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle GLS Sport has 73,150 miles, Silver Metallic w/ Gray leather, 5 Speed Manual, 4 Cylinder Turbo Gasoline. Driver Air Bag, Anti-Lock Brakes, Air Conditioning, Alloy Wheels, Cruise Control, Passenger Air Bag, Rear Window Defroster, Power Seats, Power Door Locks, Power Mirrors, Power Windows, Power Steering, Side Airbags, Sunroof/Moonroof, Tilt Wheel.
Here you can find more pictures of the car: http://s925.photobucket.com/home/NEW_BEETLE02/index
(if the above link does not work copy and paste it into a new web browser window).
It is still available for sale if interested, price as stated in the ad $2,980. If you want to buy this car I will take care of shipping. Shipping will be door to door, to your home address and I will offer 5 days to inspect the car from the moment you receive it, before I’ll have your money. So if you need further information please get back to me as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Smith
**** and here is the second one!
Hi again,
The car is registered in California. I attached the carfax report to this email.
As I’ve told you, at this moment I am in Alaska in a military base. I do a special training program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or call whenever I want. The reason I’m selling this vehicle way below market value, is because I would like to help ease the burden of my sisters medical expenses, which she has acquired do to a serious illness.
The shipping will take 3 to 5 days and it’s not a problem because I will have the car shipped by an Air Force cargo plane so there won’t be any additional shipping costs. Also I will arrange for a truck to transport the vehicle to your home address. You will receive it along with all the documents including title, bill of sale, 2 set of keys, full service records and more. The title and the bill of sale will be already signed by me. Because it is a large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third part like eBay because I already prearranged the whole process with them. The car is located in their warehouse in Anchorage (ready for delivery). The money must be sent first to an eBay agent and will be kept safe until the buyer receives and inspects the vehicle. I will offer a 5-day period to inspect the car from the moment you receive it (and the option to accept or reject the vehicle on my expense), before I’ll have your money. I think this is more than fair for both of us.
If you are still interested just send me your full name and shipping address. I will forward your info to eBay and they will notify you about our deal.
Regards
Elizabeth
- Show quoted text -
this is all i have they are still contacting me. so if anyone wants all the info I have let me know my email is hippieliving@gmail.com
July 2nd, 2010 at 1:08 pm
dannies says:
justlookin4atruck
- its a scam heres what i got:
Hi,
Thanks for replying to my ad. I’m in a hurry to find a buyer because I have a family emergency and I need to sell it before July 30. My name is Elizabeth. I’m an Air Force Staff Sergeant stationed at the Elmendorf AF Base, Anchorage, Alaska. The car is here with me.
I am the original owner. It has no damage, no scratches or dents, no hidden defects. It is in immaculate condition, meticulously maintained and hasn’t been involved in any accident…I do have the title, clear and free of liens, under my name.
This 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle GLS Sport has 73,150 miles, Silver Metallic w/ Gray leather, Automaric Transmission, 4 Cylinder Turbo Gasoline. Driver Air Bag, Anti-Lock Brakes, Air Conditioning, Alloy Wheels, Cruise Control, Passenger Air Bag, Rear Window Defroster, Power Seats, Power Door Locks, Power Mirrors, Power Windows, Power Steering, Side Airbags, Sunroof/Moonroof, Tilt Wheel.
Here you can find more pictures of the car: http://s769.photobucket.com/home/beetle_new02/index
(if the above link does not work copy and paste it into a new web browser window).
It is still available for sale if interested, price as stated in the ad $2,980. If you want to buy this car I will take care of shipping. Shipping will be door to door, to your home address and I will offer 5 days to inspect the car from the moment you receive it, before I’ll have your money. So if you need further information please get back to me as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Smith
then:
Hi again,
As I’ve told you, at this moment I am in Alaska in a military base. I do a special training program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or call whenever I want. The reason I’m selling this vehicle way below market value, is because I would like to help ease the burden of my sisters medical expenses, which she has acquired do to a serious illness.
The shipping will take 3 to 5 days and it’s not a problem because I will have the car shipped by an Air Force cargo plane so there won’t be any additional shipping costs. Also I will arrange for a truck to transport the vehicle to your home address. You will receive it along with all the documents including title, bill of sale, 2 set of keys, full service records and more. The title and the bill of sale will be already signed by me. Because it is a large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third part like eBay because I already prearranged the whole process with them. The car is located in their warehouse in Anchorage (ready for delivery). The money must be sent first to an eBay agent and will be kept safe until the buyer receives and inspects the vehicle. I will offer a 5-day period to inspect the car from the moment you receive it (and the option to accept or reject the vehicle on my expense), before I’ll have your money. I think this is more than fair for both of us.
If you are still interested just send me your full name and shipping address. I will forward your info to eBay and they will notify you about our deal.
Regards
Elizabeth
&&& finally:
The car is registered in California. I attached the carfax report to this email.
I wish this deal was you and I met face to face, give you the key and you give me the cash, but it is very dificult for me to face the problem. I chose to make the whole transaction with eBay because i have worked with them and i’ve been pleased. I already prearranged the whole process with them. The money needs to be sent per ebay’s instructions, you will then give payment details to ebay only. After they verify funds, I will be notified to proceed with the shipping instructions. Upon the delivery and verification of the correct vehicle, you will notify ebay of a sucessfull transaction, so they can release the funds to me. Will arrive with all the papers and documents required for registration and the keys. The title and the bill of sale will be already signed by me. If the car is not as advertised and decide not to keep it eBay will refund you the money, no questions asked, and shipping back the car will be my concern…but I’m sure that won’t be the case…so i will open a case at eBay motors just to make sure they accept the case, if you are still interested please send me your complete name and address in order to open a case with eBay. They will let you know what you have to do for the payment.
Regards
i got these emails from :
smithelizabeth75@aol.com
and
smithelizabeth75@gmail.com
July 12th, 2010 at 12:42 am
Nadz86 says:
Hi Brainstormjoe!!
i was looking for an apartment in zurich, switzerland, because im moving there in a few weeks, and i found a couple of listings, of which one in particular appealed to me…
i sent the author an email, asking for pictures and a more thorough description of the apartment, and he answered about two hours later, all good… now, ive been looking for apartments in zurich for the past month, and this one is larger, yet less expensive than most of the others ive seen, despite being very central… now, im either just lucky, or theres something up… the pictures he sent me were very good, looked almost like the pictures of a hotel room catalog, everything super neat and in order…
ive even talked to him on the phone, and his spoken english has an accent (im guessing indian or smth), but his written english is very good.
he said the apartment belongs to him, but that he’s been relocated to england (he listed me two english numbers that work) for a while because of work, and thats why he wants to rent it out. he asked me for legit info, like my data and a scan of my passport, and he said he forwarded everything to his lawyer who will draw up a contract, and then after theyve been signed, he would send me the keys by dhl, and we would transfer the money to a bank… not by moneygram or paypal or so… he told me the only thing he asks of me is to treat his stuff nicely and with care, and he said to only wire him the first months rent, and the security deposit which is another months rent… so its not really that much money to make a scam worth it… but you never know…
so he sounds quite legit, but it would be extremely fantastic if you could work your magic and maybe help preventing me from making a huge mistake…?
his email address is : kaarokellyam@rocketmail.com
and his name is Aaron Lam.
the phone numbers he listed are the following: +447045730253 and +447011173785
if you could get back to me asap, i would be extremely grateful!!!
thanks so much in advance!!
nadz86
August 9th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Shearpretty says:
Hi,BrainstormJoe I am a college student and I was in desperate need of a car so I went on craigs list and came across an add which happened to be a scam. The money I was scammed out of was loaned to me and I pray this happens to no one else.I see that you have lots of people that want help just as I do so if you could send me instructions or even take a look at my situation it would be great since this happened just last week. I was sent two emails from Ebay and I was sent adresses to where I sent the money! If it was rue I really do not know what to do and I feel like the police are not going to be of any help! Hope you this soon!! Thanks!
November 23rd, 2010 at 1:02 am
workingmomma1 says:
HELP PLEASE!!! BrainstormJoe, I am a single mother of 3 just lost my job the day before Turkey Day, after 6 yrs I was laid off due to down sizing of the practice. I am NOT looking for sympathy by no means but, I was just involved in craigslist/ebay scam and feel really stupid more so, I just used my X-mas money and my bill money for the next month that I had saved because my car has 264,000 miles on it and I have to drive an hour or more for a decent job when I get a new one. I had 2000.00 that is all to my name and well now who the hell ever has it, I hope they need it more than my kids and I. I did report to local police Dept. but they said not really much they can do and of course the monies was Western Union to Houston, TX. I hope this site is legit and well…I hope you can give me some advice and help IF possible! I called Houston, TX police Dept also myself and they damn sure are NOT gonna do anything from the man I spoke with.
December 8th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
brittanystewart says:
hey could you please email me asap I was involved on a scam and I need some information quickly. tianca_stewart@yahoo.com
March 30th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
akashay108 says:
Hey brainstormjoe i was wondering if you help me find out if i been scammed, please email me at akashay108@gmail.com it would be very appreciated if you could help me out.
July 13th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
lovinmy2 says:
BrainstormJoe,
I just got scammed out of 2800.00 from a craigslist dealer name sarah stapley (mave55@msn.com) & a “ebay agent” name steven belford (ebay motors) please contact me at lovingmytwo51@gmail.com I want to c if you can find out some info on to who an where these people really are please!
October 20th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
almostscammed says:
BEWARE I just got this:
Hello,
Thanks for replying to my ad. I’m in a hurry to find a buyer because I have a family emergency and I need to sell it before November 15th. My name is BIll. I’m an Air Force Staff. Sgt. stationed at the Elmendorf AF Base, Anchorage, Alaska. The vehicle is here with me.
I’m the original owner. It has no damage, no scratches or dents, no hidden defects. It is in immaculate condition, meticulously maintained and hasn’t been involved in any accident…I do have the title, clear, under my name. Non-smoker. It is rust free, salt free and has a clean undercarriage (see pics).
This 2001 Toyota Tundra SR5 has 82,699 miles, silver with gray interior, Automatic, 4 wheel drive, 4.7 Liter, 8 Cylinder Gasoline. Loaded with power equipment like power windows, power door locks, tilt steering, power steering, cruise control, am/fm/cassette/cd stereo, air conditioning, 12v powerpoint, power side mirrors, reclining front seats, tinted glass, drink holders, folding rear seat, sliding rear glass, bedliner, tow hitch, factory aluminum alloy wheels, owners manuals. Extra Keys and more…
Here you can find more pictures of the vehicle: http://s1121.photobucket.com/albums/l515/toyotatundra20001/
(if the above link does not work copy and paste it into a new web browser window).
It is still available for sale if interested, price as stated in the ad $2,410, including shipping from Alaska and delivery to your home address.
So if you decide to buy this car or need further information please get back to me as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Staff Sgt. BIll Cenna
November 8th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
almostscammed says:
And their reply:
Hi again,
As I’ve told you, at this moment I am in Alaska in a military base. I do a special training program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or call whenever I want. The reason I’m selling this vehicle way below market value, is because I would like to help ease the burden of my sisters medical expenses, which she has acquired due to a serious illness.
The shipping will take 3 to 5 days and it’s not a problem because I will have the vehicle shipped by an Air Force cargo plane so there won’t be any additional shipping costs. Also I will arrange for a truck to transport the vehicle to your home address. You will receive it along with all the documents including title, bill of sale, 2 set of keys, full service records and more. Because it is a large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third part like eBay because I already prearranged the whole process with them. The vehicle is located in their warehouse in Anchorage (sealed and ready for delivery). The money must be sent first to an eBay Attorney and will be kept safe until the buyer receives and inspects the vehicle. Please take into consideration that I will get paid only after you receive the car and make sure everything is as agreed.
If you are still interested just send me your full name and shipping address. I will forward your info to eBay and they will notify you about our deal. They will let you know what you have to do for the payment. Like this you’ll be able to talk directly with them and ask all you want to know.
I will appreciate an answer as soon as possible.
Regards
So I replied:
Bill
I work with Title companies everyday and they don’t charge as much as ebay to escrow money. Please arrange shipping to
930 Skyline Dr. Harriman TN 37748 (Not the right address)
I will arrange an escrow agent to save you some money to further help your sister. When the money is escrowed (tomorrow) you can ship the truck with confidence. I will have that business contact you
Thanks for serving our country.
November 8th, 2011 at 8:22 pm