I am fairly sure there are some car enthusiasts amoung us here as Rock N' Roll and cool cars seem to go together so well. I've recently been made aware of a guy in Bulgaria who likes to pass himself off as a woman named Martha O'Doyle and try to sell non-existent vehicles online on the pretense that the unit is too expensive to ship to some new location and that's why it's going for a price well below book value. The name used is almost always Martha O'Doyle but apparently there are other names as well. The scam is usually the same and frequently involves the mention of using eBay Motors and PayPal for the transaction even though the ads are not on eBay as well as the mention of the vehicle being in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The guy does not limit his scams to Canada but it does appear the majority may well be listed here or perhaps he's burned too many bridges in US already. Not sure.

The following are some examples of how this dude works his operation:

http://kelowna.en.craigslist.ca/cto/2612128373.html

http://www.usafreeads.biz/automotive/cars/2008-bmw-335i-convertible-924.htm

http://www.vancouvermustangs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80140

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/boa/2613569988.html

If you see ads like these or something similar please use caution. The key to identifying the scam seems to lie in his (her) inability or refusal to allow you to see the vehicle. The commonly used reason is because the vehicle is already crated and prepared for shipping. The hook appears to be the attempt to make you forget your reservations at not being able to see or test drive because the price is quite low and you don't want to miss out on the great deal of a lifetime.

Caveat emptor

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Guy must have made thousands.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

It's not me. i'm in Australia. this dude thats scamming is in America

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Squier is the BEST part of Fender. Don't Kill it off!
Fender. WE love Squier guitars now they have got much better

I LOVE MY AFFINITY STRAT!

Either reading comprehension fail, geography fail, or some combination of the two?

Anyhoo.

So many of these vehicle scammers around, both selling and buying. A friend of mine lost about £6000 when the BMW M5 (conveniently owned by someone currently 'working abroad in France so viewing in the UK not available before delivery' and 'payment in full required before delivery, I promise you will be satisfied!') which looked too much of a deal to be true was indeed too much of a deal to be true. Not to mention never actually existing in the first place.

I'm not sure what hurt him most, losing £6000 or the resounding cries of "What the hell were you thinking?!?!?!?" from people when he told them!

Some people really need their internet licence taken away.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

hey Retro have you seen those LOLcats pictures?

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Squier is the BEST part of Fender. Don't Kill it off!
Fender. WE love Squier guitars now they have got much better

I LOVE MY AFFINITY STRAT!

I contacted an ad for a car that was a scam. The guy said he was in the military stationed somewhere else and the car was on the east coast of Canada. He told me to wire him the money and he would have the car shipped to me at his expense in a shipping container. Needless to say, that was the last contact I had with that person.

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Had similar with a 57 Strat and Deluxe amp years back. Advert in London 57 Strat for £1500. Yes there is no zero missing. SO I offer to go down there cash on collection. The guy is then in Valencia. Ok I'll fly out. No need to ship a guitar that rare to England. It can have its own seat on the plane. The amp can too. Then the guy is flying out to America that afternoon.

I even offer any currency the fella wants.

See I just don't E-transact. I go to the bank, take the money I need from my account, go and pay cash for what I want and walk away with it. Whether that be a tin of beans or a car. I don't borrow, I save.

Same con different object.


These people seem to do lots of miles.

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No no and no