ever seen this?

[btoddkelley]

Does this look like a scam any of you have seen? I found the jet ski's on ebay and emailed him because he required "approved bidders".



Hello,

This is Kevin McDermott contacting you about the two 2001 Yamaha GP
1200R
Waverunners I had for sale on eBay.
Unfortunately I was unable to take care of the auction until the end
because
I encountered some medical problems which forced
me to spend three days in a hospital. But thank God, my situation is
better
now.
The jet skis are not listed on eBay anymore, so I thought that I should
email you first to ask if you are still interested to buy
them, because I am flexible to a deal between just the two of us.
Now here is the story about me and my jet skis.
Me and my family are in Hawaii right now, at our new residence.
Unfortunately we do not have a cell or home phone here yet,
it would have been much easier to talk over the phone. But I promise to
answer your emails quick from now on. I will be back
on the mainland next Saturday June 4th.
Now let me refresh your memory about the jet skis in case you can't
remember
which ones I am talking about. Matched pair
of 2001 Yamaha GP 1200 R Waverunners.  Factory high performance exhaust
systems and stainless steel props with top speed
of 70mph.  Both boats are in excellent condition with less than 30
hours. 
Original Yamaha boat covers and tandem trailer
included.  Purchased new in June of 2002 and under warranty until June
of
2007.  Never operated in salt water.  Neither
boat has been wrecked and both have normal minimal surface scratches. 
Must
sacrifice due to medical condition.
I have clear titles in hand, for both jet skis and trailer.
My asking price for the jet skis and trailer is only $5,000. I can't
afford
to waste anymore time without selling them.
My loss is your gain.
In case you want to buy them, I will kindly ask you to send me a
refundable
50% deposit($2,500),due to the high number of clients
interested in my jet skis. The funds should go to Square Trade, an eBay
company which offers escrow services. I am a member of
their Seal Program and have over $10,000 deposited in a security
account
with them. They will hold the money until you get and
inspect the skis, and give your approval that they are just like
stated.
Only then they will release your deposit to me.
Because I am in the process of moving to Hawaii all my bank accounts
have to
move too. I am also having troubles with my
PayPal account. So Square Trade seems the best option for me, for the
moment.
So if you could arrange for the deposit, then you should consider
yourself
the new owner of the jet skis.
Next Saturday I could meet you in Joplin, Missouri if you wish to come
and
pick them up. But I suggest to let me ship them
to you. I have a brother in law who owns a transport company and he
will
take care of the transport for me, at a very good
price.
Payment for the remaining $2,500 could be made either by cash or check,
or
by Square Trade again. We will see about that.
If you have anymore questions about the jet skis or about this deal
feel
free to ask me.
If my terms are acceptable to you, then please send me your name and
address
to file a case at Square Trade regarding our
transaction. They will email you right after with the payment
instructions
for the deposit.
Thank you for your time and I will wait for your answer.

Best regards,
Kevin McDermott.


Thanks
For your opinions.

Todd

[HaRuMaN]

that has scam written all over it

[Jabba]

Looks like a scam to me tooo. Way too much information!

[jbox]

28s from first google: SquareTrade does not do escrow services.   

They do some sort of "quality guarenteed" nonsense, but the staggering insurance of a whole $250 they provide you wouldn't inspire me with confidence for the *real* SquareTrade either. 

Also, he is in such a "dire" medical condition that he has to "hock" his cherished possessions, but he still has $10,000 sitting around in a security deposit? 

[GGKoul]

SCAM!

He has no home or mobile phone but somehow he has internet access..

[btoddkelley]

Yea, I was thinking scam as well. First his email didn't start with my name but "hello". Second, it took him 24 hours to get back with me. If you really needed to sell......... and finally his brother in law has a "transport company" . I live about 3 hours from him so if he responds to my last email, i can drive out and pick them up. I told him i would not put anything on deposit but would pay the full amount on pickup. I also asked for the vin numbers to have a cop friend of mine run.

thanks
Todd

[paigeoliver]

The word "clients" should clue you in. In Nigerian English the word "client" is often misused, overused, or used in inappropriate situations, like the one above.

[JackTucky]

Run!  Run!

Are wave runners that hard to come by that you would have to buy them from some dude in Hawaii?

Art

[Stingray]

Keep shopping. This smells soooooo much like a scam.

-S

[missioncontrol]

Scam city

[RayB]

Any email like this that comes with a "story" , especially one peppered with attempts to gain sympathy (ie: being in the hospital) is a red flag. If YOU were to email a stranger, would you make it so personal and long when you don't even know if you'll get a reply?

[jcrouse]

Sounds like a hell of a deal to me. I'd jump right on that if I were you!

    
John

[EndTwist]

It all sounds too convienient to not be a scam...

[danny_galaga]

i think a good rule of thumb is that if it makes you raise an eyebrow (which this has done) just forget about it. better safe than sorry. they wont run out of jet skis! or whatever it is you want to buy.
the other rule of thumb naturally is to avoid anything with the word 'africa' in it

[DaveMMR]

the other rule of thumb naturally is to avoid anything with the word 'africa' in it

That's exactly why I never owned a copy of Toto IV.

[btoddkelley]

He never emailed me back. (no suprise.)
I guess that means it was a scam or he got a better offer.

Todd

[AceTKK]

be glad he didn't.  It was obviously a scam:

"because I am flexible to a deal"

every single example of the "nigerian" scams I've read about has included this exact phrase.   It is a little scary that with each story I read about this operation their English is a little more polished, and the scam a little bit harder to spot.  The FBI really needs to get involved in this.

-Ace-