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ATV Scam: Buyer BewareScam artists target unsuspecting ATV buyersFebruary 27/04 Written by Greg When we're looking for a used quad, one of the best sources is our local Buy&Sell newspaper, which is also conveniently available online. Everyone's looking for a good deal, but our resident Scam Busters noticed some deals that appeared to be too good to be true. The basic M.O. (modus operandi, or method of operation) of the scam is this: • The crook places an ad in an online publication, which means he can be located anywhere in the world. • The image has been stolen from an eBay ad or some other online source. • The asking price is well-below fair market value, supposedly because he has financial obligations requiring immediate attention. • The quad is not local to the publication (ie. it's in a different province). • The seller wants the money sent Western Union. • The seller will not give out his address or phone number, usually saying he "just moved" and doesn't know it, or that he's at work and cannot take calls. For Sale, 2003 Rincon, $3000!(Jan 20/04)Our first case involves an ad that appeared in the Buy&Sell, a 2003 Honda Rincon for Cdn$3000 obo. Holy sheep, that's CHEAP for a 1-year-old quad! Better get right on it before somebody else does... As most of us know, this quad sells for around $13000 new. So what's going on? Maybe it has high mileage, REALLY high mileage. Maybe there's a mechanical problem, or maybe it was rolled a few too many times. After some investigation, Catnip discovered the problem. To paraphrase the bald kid in the first Matrix movie, "There is no quad." Here's a link to the thread in our Discussion Forum, including a transcript of an MSN Messenger session with the seller. Note that the seller has agreed to sell the quad to BOTH of our Scam Busters! Oh yeah, and the price included shipping because the seller knew somebody... For Sale, 2002 Polaris 500, $2800!(Jan 29/04)Okay, now that we were aware of the scam, this little gem aroused the suspicions of our Scam Busters. This one claimed to be located in Ontario. Canucklehead posted it first; it was bright yellow and it sure looked sweet. However, Catnip found the exact same photos of the exact same quad in the exact same garage in an eBay auction, with different seller info and location (Auburn, NH). We figured that the scam artist had merely stolen the photos from the eBay ad as the eBay ad appears to have been legit, and the seller had positive feedback. Again, the price was an unreasonably low price, the quad was located out-of-province to the publication's target market, and the "seller" wanted the "buyer" to send money via Western Union. And again, the "seller" agreed to sell the quad to TWO different Quads.ca members. See the ads, MSN Messenger transcripts, and fake receipts on Catnip's website. Well whaddya know, it's the same guy! Here's a link to the thread in our Discussion Forum. For Sale, 2001 Foreman Rubicon with plow, $4600!(Feb 26/04)Another too-good price plus a poorly-worded ad once again aroused the suspicions of Canucklehead. The ad said the seller was travelling "out of state", and listed an Ontario phone number. Catnip mentioned that he remembered the very same quad posted on ATVTrader.ca about a month ago; same photo and price, but located in Vancouver. Catnip had phoned the Vancouver number and got a fax machine. When he emailed the seller, the first thing the seller wanted to know was his location, and when he said "Vancouver" the seller changed his tune and said he was in Ontario, and that his cousin posted the ad, and that he couldn't give Catnip his new phone number because he had just moved and he didn't know it... hmmm, that tune sounds familiar! Mar 2/04: Green Dragon found the source of the image; it was stolen from a Cycle Country snowplow ad. Here's the first ad, as copied from ATVTrader.ca. Here's the second ad, as copied from the Buy&Sell. I copied the ads because they get deleted as soon as the publications are informed that they are fraudulent. These ads appear on this site for education purposes only. Here's a link to the thread in our Discussion Forum. Protect yourselfSo, if the deal seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. The scammers rely on people's greed and gullibility. Canucklehead wrote: "Not one of us would ever be stupid enough to give something away like this, yet when we see it advertised our greed (or opportunism) makes us think stupid and we want to jump all over it before the next guy. Think twice. And no, it's not the urban myth about the guy who po'ed his wife so she's selling his atv (or Corvette, or Rolls), or the granny who's son died and doesn't know what she's selling." You can protect yourself from being scammed by doing the following: • If you cannot touch the quad, do not consider buying it. This is not only due to scammers, but also in the event there are mechanical or other problems with the quad. • Insist on getting a phone number for the seller. If the seller is legit, he will provide it. • Do not send money! Make the deal in person, or get a trusted friend to do it for you. • Watch for the above-mentioned M.O. • Check our "ATV Scams" Discussion Forum for the latest news on ATV scams. • Read more info on Catnip's ATV Scam page. Don't be afraid to post in the ATV Scams forum if you have any questions or concerns. UpdateMay 19/04: The ATV scams appear to be quite widespread. People are reporting the scammers operating on eBay and in local publications around the world. In the international scams, the scammer is located in London (England) or somewhere else in Europe, such as France. They request money be sent to them via Western Union, and as always, the price is way, WAY too low. How does US$6800 for two brand new Raptors and two spare wheels sound to you? That's what this scammer is offering, with his very own website called Quads Shop located on a free server in India. Apparently, he's in France, and even includes shipping to North America for that price. What a deal! NOT. Here's a link to the thread in our Discussion Forum. March 10/06: The scammers are still hard at work. A quick check of Rincons for sale on eBay turned up more scams than real auctions. Also, the scammers are posted the same ads in multiple online publications. The wording is invariably the same; there's a description of the quad that sounds like a poorly-worded synopsis of the manufacturer's specs, the mileage is always low, the quad is always mint, and of course the price is always unbelievably cheap. Escrow ServicesAn "escrow service" is an independent third-party which acts as an intermediary between buyer and seller. While the use of an escrow service is a good idea, do NOT under any circumstances use an escrow service suggested by a seller who meets any of the above-mentioned criteria. The scammers have taken it upon themselves to register domain names and create fake escrow-service websites! They will send you an email saying they have secured the quad, and that's safe for you to send your money to them. Pretty sneaky, but fortunately we are wise to their antics. This "escrow scam" activity is well-documented on the 'net. May 22/06: The scammers are also calling their fake escrow sites "third-party holding" and "cargo-forwarding" sites. After doing some searching on the net, I found 59 fake escrow/cargo-forwarding sites. Have a look at these sites and learn to spot the signs of a scam. Notes• We are not singling out any particular advertising publication or medium; the above situations are from our personal experience and are occuring in publications all over the world. We find our local Buy&Sell to be a valuable source for used equipment. • Neither the names nor the email addresses in the scammers' ads have been changed to protect the guilty. • When you find a fraudulent ad, post it in our forum to let our members know, and either flag the ad or send an email to the publication warning them about it. If this article has saved you from getting scammed, please post a note in our ATV Scam forum.
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