More On That Scam

I couldn't let the scam go by without participating so I filled in the form yesterday and said I'd like to see the vehicle. Here is the reply I received.

From Kevin Walber

To gigowiz@gmail.com

Date Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 5:53 AM

Subject RE: 2008 Yamaha grizzly 700 special edition


Hi,
Thanks for being interested in buying my quad. It is in a good condition, no scratches, no damages, no problems at the engine, runs very well. The price is not negotiable, $3800 firm. The price includes shipping and insurance to your address. I will ship it via a reputable shipping company and it will take almost a week depending of your location. Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks

> > To: markporter77@msn.com
> > Subject: 2008 Yamaha grizzly 700 special edition
> > From: gigowiz@gmail.com
> > Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:53:31 +1000
> >
> >
> >
> > I just moved to Colville, WA, and I'm interested in your Yamaha Grizzly. It would be very useful at my place. Is this weekend okay to look at it and can you give me directions to your place in the Priest River area, please?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Hank Greer

There are a couple things I'd like to point out. My form reply was sent to markporter77@msn.com and the reply to that email was sent from kevinwalber@msn.com. In spite of the obvious interest I expressed, he wants to know if I'm interested. Although I claim to live nearby, he ignores that and says he'll ship it. And that way-too-good-to-be-true price is not negotiable. So I answered back.

Yes, I am very interested. I'd like to come over this weekend and see it since Priest River isn't that far from me so there's no need to ship it since I can just take it home if I buy it.

Please tell me what time we can meet and give me directions. I look forward to seeing this machine.

Hank

And "Kevin" answers back with:

The quad is in El Paso, TX.
I want to finish this deal through eBay International Trading. They will hold your payment and release it to me only after you will receive, inspect and agree with the quad. I will give you 3 inspection days. I will start the shipping in the same day with the payment confirmation.
The delivery process to your location will take 5-6 days.

Tell me if we can get the ball rolling and I will contact eBay regarding our transaction. after that they will send you the information of the purchasing.

Thanks

Since this is such a great deal, I'm going to ignore that the vehicle has now magically moved from Priest Lake to El Paso, Texas. After all, the price includes shipping and insurance, right? Sweet! I am hooked and must pursue my quarry. So I send Kevin another email.

Okay. How do I get ahold of eBay International Trading?

Eager to make a sale, Kevin is being ever so helpful.

I have contacted eBay regarding our deal, they will send you the details of "how to purchase the quad" in a short time. email me as soon as youll hear from them so I'll know we are on the right way.

Thanks

And I received two other email, both from customer-support@ebay-ins.com. The first is from "Ray Stephens".

Dear customer,

My name is Ray Stephens and I am from the customer support department. I will help you to close the transaction in a quick and safe way.
We will insure you 100%.
According to our Policy Transaction Agreement / Sec.5, Alg.32, the transfer must be available before instructing the seller to start the shipping. The payment details are confidential and will not be released under any circumstances.eBay International Trading security measures are constantly reviewed and modified given evolving circumstances globally, drawing on both internal assessments and the support of government agencies.
In order to proceed with the transaction we need your name and address for shipping.
Please reply with any question.

Sincerely,
eBay International Trading Customer Support

The second email looks much more bonafide, complete with eBay logo and everything.

(click to embiggen)

They list Kevin Walber's address at 318 Montana St, El Paso, TX.

Does he live in the parking lot or the gas station?

Here is the registry information for ebay-ins.com.

Domain Name.......... ebay-ins.com
Creation Date........ 2006-06-29
Registration Date.... 2006-06-29
Expiry Date.......... 2011-06-29
Organisation Name.... Becky Eatmon
Organisation Address. 13164 Martin Road Spur
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. Northport
Organisation Address. 35473
Organisation Address. AL
Organisation Address. UNITED STATES

Admin Name........... Becky Eatmon
Admin Address........ 13164 Martin Road Spur
Admin Address........
Admin Address........ Northport
Admin Address........ 35473
Admin Address........ AL
Admin Address........ UNITED STATES
Admin Email.......... ard_americanu@yahoo.com
Admin Phone.......... +1.2053101973
Admin Fax............

Here is the underlying registry data.

Domain Name: EBAY-INS.COM
Registrar: MELBOURNE IT, LTD. D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLDWIDE
Whois Server: whois.melbourneit.com
Referral URL: http://www.melbourneit.com
Name Server: YNS1.YAHOO.COM
Name Server: YNS2.YAHOO.COM
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Updated Date: 27-may-2010
Creation Date: 28-jun-2006
Expiration Date: 28-jun-2011

What a surprise that this site has nothing to do with eBay whatsoever. This scammer and/or his modus operandi has been around for quite some time.

But this is such a good deal--I'm hooked, remember?--and I just can't let it slip out of my fingers. The official-looking faux eBay email said "Dear eBay member, If you agree with this transaction please reply to this email and provide us your full name and address". I really really really want this Yamaha Grizzly 700 so I followed the instructions and replied.

My name is Ted Kazynski and I live at 224 N Elm, Colville, WA 99114

How do I make the payment for the Yamaha? And I do I understand correctly that I'm only required to put $1900 down?

Thanks