Pat Dolan
Veteran Member
Generally speaking, I never sell our cars or trucks, we drive them until they are all used up. BUT: my wife inherited my Mother's Venza, and it is a vehicle for which we really have no use. So, I put it up on Kijiji and Auto Trader.
I was pleased to get some genuinely interested replies right away, but the next morning, I got a really strange call from a local number. The obviously NAC (Newly Arrived Canadian) started by introducing himself as "Alex", and I found that to be an odd way to open an inquiry about a used car. He asked a lot of questions (all of which were already answered in the add) sounding as if he was going down a list and had some reference material for what items would be in each option or feature. OK, maybe that's how he does his research, but I am hearing other calls going on in the background - and it starts to look like a call center. He ends the call with some comment about really wanting the V6. I tell my wife I think I had a phishing call, but can't figure out that using only the info in the add (includes VIN) what the scam is.
I get two more calls that day from different people with same MO. Cut them short. Hmmmmm. Caller ID on both wrong.
Well, this morning, "Alex" (yeah, right) calls back at 05:50 local so I know the caller is using a spoofed number. This time he is sobbing that there is some kind of disaster in his life and he needs to come over to buy our car. I won't put our actual address on Kijiji (used a nearby fake for this very reason) so I tell "Alex" that I will come and pick him up, just give me your address. His English is so bad, I can't make out much of what he is trying to say, so he puts someone else on - who of course can not tell me what city he is in. I guess they figured out that the gig is up, so they hung up.
I tried to keep them around long enough to figure out the scam, but no soap. Anyone have any idea what this one is and how it plays out?
I was pleased to get some genuinely interested replies right away, but the next morning, I got a really strange call from a local number. The obviously NAC (Newly Arrived Canadian) started by introducing himself as "Alex", and I found that to be an odd way to open an inquiry about a used car. He asked a lot of questions (all of which were already answered in the add) sounding as if he was going down a list and had some reference material for what items would be in each option or feature. OK, maybe that's how he does his research, but I am hearing other calls going on in the background - and it starts to look like a call center. He ends the call with some comment about really wanting the V6. I tell my wife I think I had a phishing call, but can't figure out that using only the info in the add (includes VIN) what the scam is.
I get two more calls that day from different people with same MO. Cut them short. Hmmmmm. Caller ID on both wrong.
Well, this morning, "Alex" (yeah, right) calls back at 05:50 local so I know the caller is using a spoofed number. This time he is sobbing that there is some kind of disaster in his life and he needs to come over to buy our car. I won't put our actual address on Kijiji (used a nearby fake for this very reason) so I tell "Alex" that I will come and pick him up, just give me your address. His English is so bad, I can't make out much of what he is trying to say, so he puts someone else on - who of course can not tell me what city he is in. I guess they figured out that the gig is up, so they hung up.
I tried to keep them around long enough to figure out the scam, but no soap. Anyone have any idea what this one is and how it plays out?