Craigslist Scam - vinleaks
08-09-2017, 12:32 AM
#1
Pro
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Craigslist Scam - vinleaks
i had my 996 listed - got an email from someone interested - asked a few questions - seemed kind of legit - in hindsight I could have told from the questions the guy did not really know what he was asking - finally asked for a VIN report .... I told him I didn't have one - he said he wanted one before he wasted his time to come and see - told me Vinleaks.com was cheaper than car fax.
i ran the report (stupidly) - it does actually seem like a legit report - of course I never heard from the "buyer" again. I checked on Craigslist - this is a common scam - vinleaks is paying some sort of commission to people to get others to run the report.
i called it into the credit card company as "fraud" ... let's see what they say ....
08-09-2017, 08:26 AM
#2
Rennlist Member
i had my 996 listed - got an email from someone interested - asked a few questions - seemed kind of legit - in hindsight I could have told from the questions the guy did not really know what he was asking - finally asked for a VIN report .... I told him I didn't have one - he said he wanted one before he wasted his time to come and see - told me Vinleaks.com was cheaper than car fax.
i ran the report (stupidly) - it does actually seem like a legit report - of course I never heard from the "buyer" again. I checked on Craigslist - this is a common scam - vinleaks is paying some sort of commission to people to get others to run the report.
i called it into the credit card company as "fraud" ... let's see what they say ....
08-09-2017, 09:15 AM
#3
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i had my 996 listed - got an email from someone interested - asked a few questions - seemed kind of legit - in hindsight I could have told from the questions the guy did not really know what he was asking - finally asked for a VIN report .... I told him I didn't have one - he said he wanted one before he wasted his time to come and see - told me Vinleaks.com was cheaper than car fax.
i ran the report (stupidly) - it does actually seem like a legit report - of course I never heard from the "buyer" again. I checked on Craigslist - this is a common scam - vinleaks is paying some sort of commission to people to get others to run the report.
i called it into the credit card company as "fraud" ... let's see what they say ....
If it does then yes you were scammed for affiliate commission. But if it's the original URL I listed above then there really isn't a way for that person to get credit for the sale.
08-09-2017, 09:40 AM
#4
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OP, really?
The buyer asked you to use Vinleaks instead of Carfax or AutoCheck. You complied. You entered the VIN on Vinleaks, paid the fee for the service, received a legitimate vehicle report. Where's the fraud in that? That's not a case of fraud. It's a case of... "Hook, line, and sinker" in telemarketing terms.
ADVICE for next time...
1. Caller - Hi, I'm interested in your, errr, ummm... Porsche 996 Targa for sale on Craigslist.
2. Seller - Hello, it's a great car. How can I help you?
3. Caller - Can I have the "VIN report" on the car?
4. Seller - I assume you're talking about CarFax or AutoCheck?
5. Caller - No, I don't trust those two sites for a complete, comprehensive report. I only trust VinLeak.com
6. Seller - Ok, more power to you. The VIN is posted on the Craigslist ad. You're more than welcome to run it yourself.
7. Caller - But, but sir... Don't you know... VinLeaks Vehicle History Report is a compilation of all the information you need to know about American used cars and can be easily read by anyone. The report contains information obtained from loads of records and sources. You can find important records in the report such as all the motor vehicle departments in the United States and Canada, recall information, odometer readings, and car repair, service and accident history.Payments can be made via Paypal and credit card (Master Card, Visa, and American Express).
8. Seller - Sir, you're not really interested in the car are you?
9. Caller - I've very interested in the volkswagen... I mean BMW... uhhh... what is it?
10. Seller - (((Hangs up Phone)))
Now, instead of making a unjustified claim against Vinleak, make a pdf of your report and post it on the Craigslist ad.
Moving on!
The buyer asked you to use Vinleaks instead of Carfax or AutoCheck. You complied. You entered the VIN on Vinleaks, paid the fee for the service, received a legitimate vehicle report. Where's the fraud in that? That's not a case of fraud. It's a case of... "Hook, line, and sinker" in telemarketing terms.
ADVICE for next time...
1. Caller - Hi, I'm interested in your, errr, ummm... Porsche 996 Targa for sale on Craigslist.
2. Seller - Hello, it's a great car. How can I help you?
3. Caller - Can I have the "VIN report" on the car?
4. Seller - I assume you're talking about CarFax or AutoCheck?
5. Caller - No, I don't trust those two sites for a complete, comprehensive report. I only trust VinLeak.com
6. Seller - Ok, more power to you. The VIN is posted on the Craigslist ad. You're more than welcome to run it yourself.
7. Caller - But, but sir... Don't you know... VinLeaks Vehicle History Report is a compilation of all the information you need to know about American used cars and can be easily read by anyone. The report contains information obtained from loads of records and sources. You can find important records in the report such as all the motor vehicle departments in the United States and Canada, recall information, odometer readings, and car repair, service and accident history.Payments can be made via Paypal and credit card (Master Card, Visa, and American Express).
8. Seller - Sir, you're not really interested in the car are you?
9. Caller - I've very interested in the volkswagen... I mean BMW... uhhh... what is it?
10. Seller - (((Hangs up Phone)))
Now, instead of making a unjustified claim against Vinleak, make a pdf of your report and post it on the Craigslist ad.
Moving on!
08-09-2017, 12:10 PM
#5
Track Day
This seems to be a very common thing these Day's.
Quick check for Vinleaks - https://reportscam.com/vinleakscom/
I had similar story , just did not fall for it, avoided by doing quick google search before jumping the gun.
Searching for that Vinleaks.com , the first hits I get is major warning signs.
Below is my short story - selling Moto Guzzi :
Pot. Buyer i.e. Scammer : Hello,
I am looking for the bike and i've noticed your 2013 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer. Is it still for available?
Note - at least this one was not using the term “Item instead of Bike” - hence me replying
Me : Yes , it is still available.
Pot. Buyer i.e. Scammer : Sounds good. Can you just tell me something more about the history of your bike?
Me: I am the only Owner , bought the Bike at Newport Italian , it has always been garaged , and every Mod was done at Newport Italian. I have all the Paperwork for everything.
Let me know if I can provide more information.
Pot. Buyer i.e. Scammer : Hi, Thanks for getting back at me. Is it possible that you send me history report of your vehicle because i'd like to check out some things before I come over. I can recommend you runcarvin.com since i have used them number of times and they're pretty realible.If everything is fine with the report then i am definitely interested in taking the bike and plus i will repay you for report. I hope that is fair enough. I would like to see bike tomorrow if you are free (and if everything is ok with history report) Thanks for understanding
A quick search : https://www.scamadviser.com/is-runca...fake-site.html
Me: Hi , I already have a very extensive Carfax report . Please let me know where I can send this to you as it is about 697mb big PDF file in very high resolution and also includes information on mail order brides from Russia .
End of conversation
Quick check for Vinleaks - https://reportscam.com/vinleakscom/
I had similar story , just did not fall for it, avoided by doing quick google search before jumping the gun.
Searching for that Vinleaks.com , the first hits I get is major warning signs.
Below is my short story - selling Moto Guzzi :
Pot. Buyer i.e. Scammer : Hello,
I am looking for the bike and i've noticed your 2013 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer. Is it still for available?
Note - at least this one was not using the term “Item instead of Bike” - hence me replying
Me : Yes , it is still available.
Pot. Buyer i.e. Scammer : Sounds good. Can you just tell me something more about the history of your bike?
Me: I am the only Owner , bought the Bike at Newport Italian , it has always been garaged , and every Mod was done at Newport Italian. I have all the Paperwork for everything.
Let me know if I can provide more information.
Pot. Buyer i.e. Scammer : Hi, Thanks for getting back at me. Is it possible that you send me history report of your vehicle because i'd like to check out some things before I come over. I can recommend you runcarvin.com since i have used them number of times and they're pretty realible.If everything is fine with the report then i am definitely interested in taking the bike and plus i will repay you for report. I hope that is fair enough. I would like to see bike tomorrow if you are free (and if everything is ok with history report) Thanks for understanding
A quick search : https://www.scamadviser.com/is-runca...fake-site.html
Me: Hi , I already have a very extensive Carfax report . Please let me know where I can send this to you as it is about 697mb big PDF file in very high resolution and also includes information on mail order brides from Russia .
End of conversation
08-09-2017, 01:16 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
I'm in agreement with OP. That is shady business practice - regardless of whether it was an employee or affiliate of the company.
Luckily, consumer protection for credit card transactions is ridiculously good and favors the buyer. I'd be shocked if you don't receive a full refund. Plus, Vinleaks will get hit with a fee for the reversal. Maybe if enough people request chargebacks, they'll do something about the fraudulent business practice.
Luckily, consumer protection for credit card transactions is ridiculously good and favors the buyer. I'd be shocked if you don't receive a full refund. Plus, Vinleaks will get hit with a fee for the reversal. Maybe if enough people request chargebacks, they'll do something about the fraudulent business practice.
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08-09-2017, 09:59 PM
#8
When he told you about VinLeaks did he provide a URL? If so is it just https://vinleaks.com/en/ or does it have any other characters attached to it or even a completely different URL?
If it does then yes you were scammed for affiliate commission. But if it's the original URL I listed above then there really isn't a way for that person to get credit for the sale.
If it does then yes you were scammed for affiliate commission. But if it's the original URL I listed above then there really isn't a way for that person to get credit for the sale.
There could be a backdoor where scammers provide the VIN (from an ad) and when someone pays for a report on that VIN the scammers get a cut. Just guessing but it's possible.
One thing I learned long ago - Just because you can't figure out how someone is trying to screw you doesn't mean they're not trying to screw you. Go with your gut. It's usually right.
08-10-2017, 03:47 AM
#10
Race Director
Had a guy try to get me to buy one of those reports when I sold the purple Boxste' a couple weeks ago. Simply ignored him. Craigslist is full of scammers and BSers, so that is all part of the game, and is to be expected whenever selling on CL.
08-10-2017, 10:11 AM
#11
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OP, could you post the link to your Craigslist?
08-10-2017, 12:36 PM
#12
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Same thing has happened to me but it smelled fishy so I checked google instead of ordering.
I now invite the scammer to order a report if he would like one.
I now invite the scammer to order a report if he would like one.
08-10-2017, 12:47 PM
#13
A few years back while selling a Subaru on AutoTrader a guy asked me to structure an interesting transaction in order to facilitate the sale. Fast forward a few weeks and my $500 deposit was stuck in a Nigerian bank, the buyer was somewhere in Greece on holiday & my Subaru was still in the garage. Looking back, I still don't know where things went awry.
08-10-2017, 02:20 PM
#14
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