Posted 2007-06-25 12:42 PM (#62807) Subject: ripped off
Member
Posts: 7
Location: NM
1
My husband and i recently got scammed on a horse trailer. We are small town and had no idea what we were in for. It all looked good, we spoke to the guy all week and decided to meet him half way in Phoenix Arizona!! That was a 1200 mile round trip for us. We get to phoenix and he called stating he was running late and would be there in 6 hours! He never showed. We had sent $1000.00 to hold this trailer. I just want everyone to be very careful in shopping. Know your seller!!!
Posted 2007-06-25 2:02 PM (#62812 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Regular
Posts: 79
Sending a deposit to a dealer and to a private seller are two very different things. I cannot think of a reason why I would give a deposit to a private seller. Nor would I ever ask for a deposit on something I was selling personally.
I am sorry to hear this happened. I would be sick to my stomach if this happened to me. I do believe in the saying "what comes around goes around", though. He will get his payback in due time.
Posted 2007-06-25 2:29 PM (#62813 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 42 Location: Frisco,texas
where was the ad posted??? Do you have a phone # or anything? where did you send the deposit?I'm sure this is not the first time he has done this.... I would think you could catch this guy with a little work... Sorry to hear about that!
Posted 2007-06-25 2:34 PM (#62815 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 7
Location: NM
We had a phone # , address, e-mail you name it! We thought we had researched it enough. I guess you never can tell. We sent the deposit to hold the trailer. This person wanted to make sure we would show up and if we didnt like it he would refund the money! A lot of times that is normal in business. Believe me i will never do that again. The as was placed on this site and i have already spoke to them. They have since taken the ad off. I just didnt want this happening to someone else. He could have more ads placed under different alias.
Posted 2007-06-25 4:00 PM (#62822 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 7
Location: Waukesha, Wi
WOW - really sorry to hear about that, thank you for letting us all know - we too are horse trailer shopping and I'll keep your experience in mind when buying. that is really awful. gina
Posted 2007-06-25 5:02 PM (#62828 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 48 Location: Wadena MN
When I read this it just made my heart sink..I wonder everytime I see those ads how many people send the money. I would like to have the name, number and address so I can buy a trailer from them..please They will fear the day they try to do it again.. I think we should all send to their email, phone and any other way to contact them and make it sound like we plan to send them money..lead them on them stand them up..I sound evil, I'm not but just hate people like this. I feel for you. Marym
Posted 2007-06-25 6:21 PM (#62840 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Maryland
This is clearly a case of fraud, but several observations need to be made.
First, 'Covert Cowboy' stated that "nor would I ever ask for a deposit on something I was selling personally." This is a fine position, but what are you going to do in the case of someone like 'headlight' contacting you and asking you to hold the trailer? Hold it for a period of time (one week, two weeks, three weeks ...) passing up countless qualified purchasers until 'headlight' can see the trailer and then, what, perhaps decline to purchase? Perhaps instead you'll say that you won't hold the trailer and 'headlight' therefore purchases from someone else and it takes you months to sell your trailer for a much smaller amount. HINT: this is why they have cases in b-school. :-)
Second, for 'headlight', the large amount of the deposit (I confess I don't know how much the trailer was) and the "neutral" meeting ground would seem to send out some warning signs. In the age of the Internet, you don't really know phone, address and email is always changable. You therefore need to analyze third party signs - Ebay ratings, trailer company site the trailer was listed on, etc. "I'll meet you in Phoenix," together with the $1,000 deposit was a warning.
I would suggest that if a buyer wants a seller to hold a trailer essentially off the market for some period of time, a couple of percent, non-refundable deposit is reasonable. Both parties then know what they are getting into.
Posted 2007-06-25 6:26 PM (#62841 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 37
I wonder if Dave has enough on this guy to find him since he was listed on here.Was he listed as a dealer or just selling his trailer?The email address should be important as a key to track him down.Keep us posted on this.Thanks
Posted 2007-06-25 10:44 PM (#62847 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 7
Location: NM
The police have been notified, unfortunatly the chances of catching this guy is slim to none. Dave is doing his best,but i think the guy is long gone! As for the money we sent- yes we realize it was not so smart, but when you get caught up in the fact that you have just found the trailer of your dreams, and when you talk to this person for weeks you actually begin to trust them ! Sending the money at the time was resonable in our minds to make sure we had it tied up! This guy was so smart in his moves! We asked every question we could think of and he had an answer to it all. As to the meeting halfway it is not exactly unheard of. The seller was 1000 miles away. I too have a trailer to sell, and i would be happy to meet if someone was serious enough about it who lived far. That is just the kind of people we are. May sound crazy to you, but we try to think the best in everyone. I am not bitter anymore about what happened to me. It was a valuable lesson and I want to help people so this doesnt happen to them. Money was lost, but there is always more to be made. I just didnt like being taken advantage of.
Posted 2007-06-26 7:42 AM (#62857 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Regular
Posts: 79
dressagedad, it has always been my policy on privately sold items that it was first come first serve. I would not pass up anyone that showed up with cash in hand just because someone said "oh, I'm definitely coming to buy this!" We all know that 9 times out of 10 that person never shows up. If said person wants the trailer bad enough they will find a way to get it before anyone else does.
I'm in sales myself. If I had a nickel for every person that was "definitely coming back" that never showed I'd be a rich, rich man.
I can certainly understand how you could get caught up in something like this, though. You are right, you talk to someone for weeks and you begin to trust them. But in this day and age I don't think anyone can afford to do that.
Posted 2007-06-26 7:44 AM (#62858 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Expert
Posts: 1723 Location: michigan
Just a suggeston but if one ever puts a deposit on a item, horse or trailer, use Paypal as your money can be refunded if there is a case of fraud.I use it for ebay purchases and had one case of a set of romel reins that never came. After 30 days of not being able to contact the seller, I notified Paypal. They did a quick investigation and I got my money back.
Posted 2007-06-26 11:27 AM (#62871 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Maryland
Covert Cowboy - always taking first come first served will definitely solve one side of the problem and is probably the best policy. You're right that a couple of percent deposit will not compensate for keeping the trailer off the market and likely turning away potentially qualified buyers. There was potential hazard for the seller here - had he not been a con artist - that he would have driven 1000 miles to Phoenix only to have the buyer not show up. In this case a deposit was protection for both. Again your position therefore seems most reasonable - first come first served and all buyers must come to the seller's home location. If they really want the trailer, they'll find a way to do it.
Posted 2007-06-26 11:52 AM (#62872 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
I can see both sides, I don't sell trailers for a living, but I sell a couple of trailers a year that I have finished. I have met people as far away as 500 miles to sell a trailer, swapped a pile of cash and some paperwork in a parking lot and both folks go along their merry ways. So far so lucky, I wonder if there was any red flags that got passed up. Did you ask to see the paperwork on the trailer? I usually have to show that to the buyers before hand(I scan the title so they can get financing). True that could be fraudulent but it would require work(something a thief don't want to do). Did you ask to see additional pictures of the trailer?(would be hard to produce if he didn't have the trailer) I usually always have to send out some extra pictures, not sure if that's why or they just want to see other things. Lastley was the trailer to good of a deal to pass up? Most people including myself want to get what a trailer is worth, you just can't buy $40K trailers for $30K Or $10K trailers for $2K They just ain't out there. I may only have $20K in my trailer but if they are selling for $40K then you can bet I'm priced close to that.
Posted 2007-06-26 8:27 PM (#62904 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 7
Location: Northern Minnesota
Scams have been going on for a long time. Pretty simple to pick out.. althought they are getting better.
Most times they cant spell or type correctly. They always want more money sent to them by western union... and if youre still not sure you can always ask a question pertaining to what youre buying... most times they will not know what you are talking about, my favorite is to ask if they have pooper scooper holes in the floor for easy cleaning, any horse person would be like WHAT??? They act like its normal... BE CAREFUL.. ebay is full of scams also... AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
IF YOU THINK ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.... most likely it is!!
Posted 2007-06-26 8:41 PM (#62909 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Member
Posts: 12
Location: Wichita, Kansas
I see trailers listed on this site all of the time that have scam written all over them. New one on tonight, you just can't buy an aluminum LQ trailer for $6,500. Just like there are no mint condition old Corvettes left in some old ladies barn whose son died in the war.
Just called the number listed on the ad and it is a fax machine.
Posted 2007-06-26 11:59 PM (#62918 - in reply to #62915) Subject: RE: ripped off
Elite Veteran
Posts: 720 Location: Never miss a good chance to shut up.
It's easy for me to spot them but they prey on trusting people who aren't used to be lied to so blatantly. I did speak with the OP (original poster) about this particular setup. Here's some basic facts we've learned for the future. (Some may admittedly be a little UN political correct because of profiling but hey . . it's a real world.)
1. If you talk to the buyer/seller be wary if they have a foreign dialect, i.e. middle east or african
2. NEVER send a down payment to Moneygram, Western Union or other such "services".
3. Ask them a trick question to see if they are real horsemen. "Like making sure the trailer has tail hooks so the horse will not fall over during transit.
That should pretty much do it. The scammers are getting better with pricing etc. but they will ALWAYS be very insistent on getting your downpayment first . . . and you will be anxious because it's a deal that seems . . . too good to be true.
I've reposted the dialogue I had over the phone and by email with a scammer a few weeks ago.
Posted 2007-06-27 8:02 AM (#62925 - in reply to #62807) Subject: RE: ripped off
Regular
Posts: 79
I'd like to add one to that last...Scammers don't care about the price of the trailer. They will offer money for a deposit or offer to accept money before they know what they are getting and/or know the price of it.
I deal with people every day that have more money than they have places to put it... but you know what? They still want to know the price on what they're buying.
ripped off
