escrow fraud? on kapaza

[subo]

Hello,

yesterday i thought id found the deal of my life . So i contacted the seller and this is how he replied me.

Dear Sir ,

The bike is in excellent condition, has no technical damage at all, no scratches or damage, no hidden defects .I am the first owner of the bike.It comes with all the documents you need to register it on your name.You will not have to pay additional taxes for this (the bike is registered in Belgium and have belgium documents)It's my personal bike.I've listed the bike under this price so I can sell it faster.
I have worked in Belgium for the last 1 year and I've purchased the bike there.
My company wanted me back home, so currently I'm in England (UK). I've brought the bike home with me and it's now located in London , United Kingdom.I've decided that it's better to sell it because I don`t use it anymore , it `s a pity to keep such a bike and not to use it. Now I'm trying to sell it back in Belgium and because i want to sell it fast i sell it for this good price .
I tried to sell the bike in UK, but nobody want`s to buy it with belgium documents .My bike is already at the "www.escrow-europa.com" at their local representant.
(I PAID THIS COMPANY TO TAKE CARE FOR THIS TRANSACTION,THEY PROTECT INTERNET TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN BUYER AND SELLER).
We can have a deal if you are really interested to buy it.
The price is correct and it's not negotiable and it also include the transport for all world-wide countries.
If you are interesed to buy the bike please contact me ( WRITE IN ENGLISH ) .
Regards and i wait your e-mail ,
YOU CAN Translate on: http://babelfish.altavista.com/

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What do you guys think of this?
I find it fishy that the bike is allready at the local representant.
At first i didnt know what to think so i started to google a bit. Then i said most likely a fraud, but then i saw the site "www.escrow-europa.com" on your trusted list so i started doubting again.

[lightfair]

What do you guys think of this?
I find it fishy that the bike is allready at the local representant.
At first i didnt know what to think so i started to google a bit. Then i said most likely a fraud, but then i saw the site "www.escrow-europa.com" on your trusted list so i started doubting again.

Hello subo;

the mail text is one of the standard texts used by the scammers. So this is indeed a fraud; there is no bike and no "local representant". Your initial reaction was indeed correct.

Your are also correct that "escrow-europa.com" is a legit company. So how does this fit together?

I am very sure that once this guy will send you the link to the escrow company and asks you to register you will end up with a very different company (or you might be getting mails claiming to come from escrow-europe.com but in reality originating in some romanian internet cafe). There are some other techniques used by the scammers; for example pharming.

If you want to do the scam fighting community a favour please continue with the deal (of course with fake data; don't give away your real postal address) until things become clear. And don't open any attachments this guy might possibly send! Once we know the anatomy of this particular setup we can fight it much better.

Best regards,

lightfair

[subo]

hello, here im back again. So i decided to go on with the suspicious transaction, like you asked.

I mailed him back with this:

Code: Select all

Hello
I am interested in the bike but there a couple of things i’d like to know before going any further.
1)       chassis & engine number
2)       Belgian dealer where you bought or serviced the bike
3)       How the transfer will work ?

Best regards


this is how he/she replied

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Dear Sir ,
We will make the deal via http://www.escrow-europa.com/
This is how it works :
1.The seller will open the transaction with Escrow-Europa --> 2.The buyer has to make the payment to
the seller (but the seller will not receive any money ) and the buyer has to send Escrow-Europa the payment detalis
and Escrow-Europa will put the money into a safe account from them --> 3.The Escrow-Europa will receive the confirmation
that the payment is done and will start the transaction  --> 4.Escrow-Europa will
ship the motorcycle to the buyer and he has 5 days to test check it -->5.The buyer will contact Escrow-Europa to
tell them if he is satisfied or not with the motorcycle --> 6.Escrow-Europa will release the money to the seller(in
case the buyer is satisfied with the motorcycle ) and you will get the money back ( in case you are not satisfied )
.I hope you understood how it works.The conclusion is that i will get the money after you receive and check the bike
....I hope you agree withme,because I think that it is the best way to protect both(seller and buyer). If so,please
provide me your full name and address so i can contact Escrow-Europa and start the transaction.
Just email me back and let me know
Regards and i am waiting your e-mail ! 


As you can read, he didnt answer the Questions concerning the item. So how would i reply?

[lightfair]

Hello;

and thank you for getting back to us.

As you can read, he didnt answer the Questions concerning the item.

Yes, this is very typical. The scammers speak very little to no english; they have just a number of text blocks they use. Sometimes the results are very bizarre when comparing one's own questions to the replies.

So how would i reply?

He wants your full name and address. So you might again ask for the chassis and engine numbers, and at the same time include number and address (of course not your own!).

If he sends you any attachments: DO NOT OPEN!