BuckeyeZ06

You may know that I have my Viper STO/ST1 race car for sale.

Well, received an email about a week ago asking questions about the car:

From: XXXXXXXX XXXXX@gmail.com
To: wrpinvest <wrpinvest@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Dec 21, 2011 9:09 am
Subject: STO Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe $65,000
Hello

Complement of the day.I'm writing regarding your placed ad,as i will like you to e-mail me the full detail,present condition(current photo if available),and please do get back to me with your final asking price and also let me know if you still have it available for sale

Funny “sounding” email, to say the least. But not “knowing” anything, only suspecting something, I replied in this manner:


On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 5:44 PM, David Pintaric <wrpinvest@aol.com> wrote:
Yes the car is still for sale.

Prepped and ready to go racing, as I am traveling to Sebring the first weekend of January for an SCCA double National.

I have pictures on my "home" PC (I am at work right now).
From my ad:

2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe (Suitable for SCCA STO/NASA ST1/NARRA USGT-U)
2010 SCCA STO Run Offs Champion, 2011 SCCA STO Run Offs Runner Up, 2011 NASA ST1 Champion

Gen IV ACR-X aero package & Gen IV hood.

Build and maintained by Kryderacing, Inc. in early 2010. Mark McMahan roll cage (one of the best in the business) that ties front and rear suspension in to cage. OMP Pista “halo”-style seat; 10-lb fire suppression system. Schroth FIA 6-point HANS compatible harness.

8.3 liter Gen III motor by JZB Engines. 11.75:1 compression, Diamond forged pistons, K1 H-beam forged connecting rods, JM Stage III cylinder heads, B&B headers, Gen IV oil pan and swinging pick-up. Custom 4 ½” right side exiting exhaust.

Tilton triple disc 7.5” metallic clutch, Tremec T6060 transmission upgraded by Rockland Standard Gear with CF syncros & micro polished gears (.80 5th); B&M Shifter; 3.73 rear gears (REMed) with Quaife differential.

Forgeline 18x11” front and 18x13” wheels GA3R wheels (silver center/polished outer).

Custom-built adjustable sway bars (rear are cockpit adjustable); Spherical rod end a-arms; Moton custom-valved triple-adjustable shocks;
Baer 2-piece rotors with Carbotech front and rear brakes, extensive custom built brake ducting.

Lap times: Watkins Glen (July 2010) 2:00.342 (track record with stock motor); Mid Ohio (club): 1:33.900; Nelson Ledges (July 2011) 1:07.800; Road America (September 2011) 2:15.246; Mid Ohio (pro) (September 2011): 1:28; Beaverun: (July 2011) 58.9, Daytona 1:52.9 (October 2011).

Asking price: $65,000.00. Spares package available (including motor, trans, rear axle, body parts, wheels, brakes, rotors.) at extra cost.

I know people think a posted price is a starting point for negotiations, but I am pretty firm at this amount. The car is arguable the best STO/ST1 car in the country, and very well prepared.

Let me know if you have further interest. As I said, it is ready to go racing right now.

Thank you,
His response:

From:
To: David Pintaric <wrpinvest@aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Dec 27, 2011 11:46 am
Subject: Re: STO Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe $65,000
Hello

Could you email me with the pictures for further proceedings

Thanks
Adam

Hmmm, OK, so I sent 4-5 pictures.

Another response:

-----Original Message-----
From:
To: David Pintaric <wrpinvest@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Dec 28, 2011 2:24 am
Subject: Re: STO Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe $65,000
Hello

Thanks for emailing me pictures of it as i do have few question for you ? Are you the original owner of the car ? If not How long have you had it and How long have you used it? Lastly why are you selling it and What would your final bottom price as of today ?

Please let me know

Thanks
Adam

So far, nothing too out of the ordinary. The final (or last) email says this:

Hello

Thanks for getting back to me. I will offer you $63,000 for it and i will like to inform you that i will be having our local transporters to come to your location for a test drive process on the boat and moreover I will have to make a down payment to you so as to make you reserve the boat for me for not getting it sold to other interested buyer's till the test drive and the sale will be done as it would take time to get all of that done

I will make a down payment of $4000 and also I will include the test drive fees which will cost for $3000 and mind you I want the payment made out to you by check and also as soon as the funds of $7000 have been cleared into your account I will like you to have the boat ready for the test drive process and also you will make the remaining funds of $3000 payable to the transporters to cover for the inspection/test drive fees and all other expenses during inspection

I will be looking forward for proceedings to you and also get back to me with the full names, mailing address and phone number the check can be made payable to you

I will be looking forward to hear from you

Regards
Adam

I replied “no.” This sure looks like a scam. I just don’t know what approach they would use, ie how would I be scammed?

I did check the person's name, and found someone by that name in Pittsburgh (about an hour from me). He even has a Facebook account.

Just thought I’d pass it on…

racerbob4

He forgot the Irish Lottery and the Bank transfers from hi country in Africa.

PushinTheLimit

I started when I read "boat" instead of car. Looks very similiar to the same type of emails that Oli had happen to him recently.

brkntrxn

Definitely sounds fishy. Either way, if he wants you to reserve a boat for transport and whatnot, that is WAY more work than necessary to sell a car. OR, he is simply copying and pasting an email as suggested. The first couple of emails blatantly sounds like a generic question/response.

Maynor29

It is a scam. Ive received several emails similar to that for Craigslist ads I've put up. Walk away.

Jason

Could be worse, they could be trying to give you a race car. That could really screw up your credit.

gmccreary

I've got a boat he can buy for $80K.

varkwso

Kubs

I have had several types of these emails when trying to sell on craigslist or something. I always tell them to call me (not email) so I know its not a scam and then the emails stop and I never hear back.

AU N EGL

Boat


I get these for selling HOUSES too. They want someone to come and test drive the house.

Too Funny

Olitho

The basic scam on this type of deal is that they send you a pretty authentic looking cashiers check for $7,000 or whatever the amount is. They always overpay you for some amount and then you are supposed to forward the excess to some third party, usually via Western Union to avoid mail fraud charges (amongst other crimes).

Then your bank sends back the bad "cashiers check" but by then you have already forwarded the $3,000 for the inspection.


Oli

jlutherva

I've seen this twice on ads I've placed on Craig's List. Cashier's checks are no better than personal checks nowadays.

Jim

Olitho

Hey Dave, I will buy your Viper, but he bank screwed up on my cashier's check request and they made it out for $165,000. I will send that over to you. You just wire me $100,000, OK?


Oli

racerwannabe

and i have a Nigerian fellow that wants to send 40,000,000.00 to my bank account,just send in the numbers...run away....

Johnny

WNeal

Please just deposit cash into my mail slot

BuckeyeZ06

It's funny how many potential scams are out there. Some of you know I run an investment firm. One of my guys got a call from some people saying they wanted to deposit $300,000,000 into three accounts. Look, I have a nice business, but people just don't call my guys out of the blue and deposit that kind of money.

The deal is that they do wire the money into the accounts, then use the accounts as collateral to secure a loan. The lending firm contracts with the investment firm to "secure" the collateral, but somehow the money is pulled from the account (I don't know how that is done) leaving the investment firm liable to the lending firm. I was told this second hand after my compliance officer talked to the local FBI office.

Darned criminals sure have imagination. My mind doesn't work in devious ways.

Bink

the blur

I would disagree on the wiring money scam. Once someone wires money into your bank account, it's YOURs. No way they can take it out without your expressed consent.

dfinke23

Hey Dave, what are you going to be racing next year?

varkwso

Only applies to people who don't break the law. What goes in electronically can leave the same way.