Interesting that both are way underpriced, too - both at £3,600. Both caravans were listed with the initials J W - John Walls and Jonathan Wraight - I've just emailed to see what comes back.
Found this site whilst checking number plate etc of the above van. We have also received the same e-mail requesting info etc. We sent a non-commital reply requesting CRIS and are still awaiting reply - very unlikely. We will post if anything comes back. We actually live quite close to CROOK in Co. Durham, hence our initial interest. But quite clearly a con.
Bit gutted really - but guess too good to be true!
Dear cambridgecockney (neil.p.thompson at hotmail.co.uk),
We can see that you've had contact with alib261 through eBay recently.
We think this eBay account has been used without the account owner's permission, so we're now restoring it to them. To protect this member's privacy, we can't share any more details about their account.
People sometimes misuse eBay accounts by sending emails from them. In these emails, they invite you to buy or sell outside eBay, or ask questions that have nothing to do with eBay. They do this in the hope that you'll respond and give them your email address.
We strongly recommend you treat emails from this member with caution and don't respond if you hear from them again.
Tips for safe trading on eBay but as you know he will do it again.
Also can i just add. I been playin about on the Net and have found two other items listed on Ebay - Namely a BMW car and an Audi A4 car with the same phone number. But in two different locations again. Im such a dumb twat.
Item numbers 330286577386 and 300273088997
I emailed the seller of these cars - and guess what - got exactly the same reply:
Hello, You have contacted me for my 2003 BMW 320D - 300273088997 that I have for sale at £3,600 on ebay. At this moment the car is stored in London and it will be transported to the buyer, to any address in the UK as i am paying the shipping. No scratches, no dents, no pets, non-smokers and meticulously maintained. I am working for Hilton Hotel and I have started a new contract for two years in Madrid, Spain and I am forced to handle the transaction from here and that's why I sent the car in London so it can be transported on my behalf. The transaction will be done through eBay and they will assist and help us during the transaction. If you are interested in purchasing it i will need your full name, email address and the delivery address so we can get the ball rolling. I will look forward to hearing from you regards, Keith Sutton
I've also reported these to ebay - and hope they will be removed before some poor soul loses their money. It's too easy for these scammers to do this sort of thing. Perhaps we could start an anti-scammers forum on UKCS!!!
Just keep reporting the scammers, it's just like having a uninsured driver on the road, or a drug dealer, report them and whatever the scam it gets ended, if nobody reports anything it carries on.
------------- Doing as little as possible for as much as possible...
looks like eBay may have done something about it. I emailed the seller through the end of a previous auction they had asking about the caravan and telling them if it wasn't them then someone was using their account. eBay have just sent me an Alert telling me that they think someone has used the owners account without their permission - what a surprise, we have been telling them that haven't we. Still it looks like they may be doing somthing about it.
Sorry Cambridge just realised you already posted it. That's the message I got too.
Quote: Originally posted by TonyC52 on 17/11/2008
... although you can pay (a lot) to use a number out of area.
That's no longer true. Using VOIP, you can have a geographical number for many parts of the World for just a few quid a month. For example, I'm in Cornwall but I can have a Birmingham number using a service like this. You could even have a Birmingham number if you lived in Nigeria. I guess that you can no longer reliably infer anything about someone's location or that they're credible sellers from their phone number.
Thankfully, the item that started this thread has now been pulled.
I've just heard from ebay that the email accounts used for the Audi and BMW have also been 'misused' and now restored, so hopefully that means these items have also been pulled off ebay. That's three scams prevented, hopefully! Yes, just checked and both have been removed - great!!
What is it that they're after? Are they really hoping someone will stump up the money without seeing the goods? Or do they just want personal details from potential customers? Or something else, what really is the intended scam?
The first number's write-up looks more genuine - as if it's been written by someone who has owned, used and loved it etc. The description is very detailed and personal. The write-up could have been pinched from a genuine seller of course to give it a more authentic feel. You're right in that the price certainly doesn't stack up against this van. I have emailed asking for the Cris number. If it's another automated reply then it's worth reporting it for definite!
The second number isn't recognised. Has that one been removed already?
The second number was the Netherlands version of ebay - and only came up if you 'googled' Lunar Quasar 615 - and was sold back in October. It was that one that had the original description (a very good, genuine caravanners' description, as you say), and a price of £8,750 which is much more realistic, so I suspect that was the original and genuine van for sale. The new listing (first number) was obviously a copy of that listing, with a price to attract 'punters'. The third number was for an Eldis Superscirroco (their spelling) at some absolutely ridiculous price for an eighteen months old van!
This was the reply to my email about the Quasar:
"Hello, I will start my email by telling you that I'm currently out of town so pick up isn't an option. The van is located home and I will get somebody to deliver it to you.. no problems.. The price total including delivery for it is £4,100. The deal will go strictly according to eBay Classified Ad rules and policy. To start the official transaction, I need to know your details: - eBay user ID - full name and address ( for the invoice so I know where to send the van ) ... as soon as I have them I'll start the official procedure, and eBay will notify you about this. You'll also receive important guidelines + instructions from them ( please go through them exactly ). I'll handle the delivery, so this will be free of charge for you. Also, a refund policy will be included. Looking forward to hear from you. Please contact me further by email tonydasilva09(at)gmail.com . Thank you"
Both the Lunar (at £4000) and the Elddis Superscirroco have now been removed! Result! That was a very quick response by ebay!
We're getting good at this. I might continue to have a look for a day or two.
I've just heard from ebay that the email accounts used for the Audi and BMW have also been 'misused' and now restored, so hopefully that means these items have also been pulled off ebay. That's three scams prevented, hopefully! Yes, just checked and both have been removed - great!!
What is it that they're after? Are they really hoping someone will stump up the money without seeing the goods? Or do they just want personal details from potential customers? Or something else, what really is the intended scam?
yes, you stump up money, they won't deliver until its cleared. You never see caravan or your money,ever again!
there are similar scams on gumtree where they try to get people to pay deposits for flats etc up front before viewing flats.
We bought our caravan off e-bay lasy year, also the tow car. You need to check sellers throughly and use your instinct. We went and viewed both before we bought and took my brother in law who is a mechanic. There are some genuine people out there and its a shame others spoil it. We also sold our 1st van on ebay and had no hassle whatso ever.
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Topic: Caravan on Ebay
