new thread, finding housing and opinions (Fairbanks, Metlakatla: apartment, transfer, buyers)

[Gennaver]

Originally Posted by 1stimestar

Yea, what she said. Rent a car when you get here and find/test drive your own car.

The scammers are using real houses. Was it someone here even that looked up the tax records for one and it seemed legit but was still a scam?

Hi,
I amy purchase without a test drive. But the rental car is an option.
Jen

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Gennaver

Hi,
No blame, just acceptance. If they do not want to sell then that just stops the sale or purchase. They can do whatever they want. However, edit to add because I'd overlooked. If I suspect someone as being possible untrustrustworthy because they choose not to consider selling to me after having spoke with me, what do they care? I figure that we all project a bit of ourselves and if after speaking with me they project suspicions then, I suspect they may be suspicious. No matter, it doesn't phase me a bit. Its their life, their choice and I'm moving on.

Jen/Gen

Again, does the way you want to purchase a car involve the seller giving you their bank account number? I don't know of any other way to do a transfer, do you? And you consider someone untrustworthy because they won't give their bank account number to a complete stranger from CL? LOL.

Maybe they care because they don't want to see others fall victim to an identity theft scam.

Because that's exactly what this sounds like. There was someone recently on scammers.com trying to pull this same thing. Renting from afar...having the landlord "collect" the car...paying by money transfer.

This is how to do it if you're real....if you must buy a vehicle sight unseen, you get a cashier's check from a legit. bank and you overnight it to the seller. The seller then waits until the check clears before turning it over to you or to your landlord.

Anyway, I hope that explains to you why some people are hesitant to do business with you.

And I would advise anyone reading this not to give their bank account numbers to strangers. Seems like a given in today's world but there are still some pretty naive and too trusting people out there. Some Alaskans may be more trusting than most because identity theft really hasn't been much of a problem here.

[Marty Van Diest]

I did sell an old beater car to an out of state buyer through craigslist. I told him it needed brakes etc but he didn't care. He sent me a check. I cashed it and sent him the title and left it at Diamond Parking in Anchorage with the key under the mat. Never heard from him again.

But that was a $500 beater van that he wanted to drive to Kenai and live in for the summer. He really didn't care and only risked $500.

On the other hand, the internet an craigslist are scammer heaven. Most of these scammers do not live in Alaska. If they want you to send the check out of country...run.

Otherwise...good luck. I don't like to buy anything sight unseen.

[Gennaver]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Again, does the way you want to purchase a car involve the seller giving you their bank account number? I don't know of any other way to do a transfer, do you? And you consider someone untrustworthy because they won't give their bank account number to a complete stranger from CL? LOL.

Maybe they care because they don't want to see others fall victim to an identity theft scam.

Because that's exactly what this sounds like. There was someone recently on scammers.com trying to pull this same thing. Renting from afar...having the landlord "collect" the car...paying by money transfer.

This is how to do it if you're real....if you must buy a vehicle sight unseen, you get a cashier's check from a legit. bank and you overnight it to the seller. The seller then waits until the check clears before turning it over to you or to your landlord.

Anyway, I hope that explains to you why some people are hesitant to do business with you. edit to add. It is not an issue for me because I am putting a deposit/transfer/funds into the account to purchase. I feel that if someone isn't comfortable with that then, so be it. Trying to sway them or convince them is not even a consideration because I was the same way at first. I respect their choice. It doesn't bother me one iota. However, if they want to call me a scammer on the phone then I think they may have issues but, again, I don't care.

Moving on and buying a different car then, no worries.

And I would advise anyone reading this not to give their bank account numbers to strangers. Seems like a given in today's world but there are still some pretty naive and too trusting people out there. Some Alaskans may be more trusting than most because identity theft really hasn't been much of a problem here.

It is a non-issue for me. I am not bothered by it in the least.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Gennaver

It is a non-issue for me. I am not bothered by it in the least.

I didn't make that post for you. I made it to warn others that there are scammers out there trying to get their bank account numbers.

[Gennaver]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I didn't make that post for you. I made it to warn others that there are scammers out there trying to get their bank account numbers.

"Again, does the way you want to purchase a car involve the seller giving you their bank account number? I don't know of any other way to do a transfer, do you? And you consider someone untrustworthy because they won't give their bank account number to a complete stranger from CL? LOL. "

The above is a non-issue for me. I won't push someone, if they don't want a transfer that is perfectly respectable. I agreed for the first 15 years of online banking too. Thought it was crazy.

Gen

[Metlakatla]

Again, I didn't post it for you. I posted it for anyone considering giving their bank account number to a stranger from Craigslist. And I think it's flat out weird that you don't seem to want to consider another way.

[Alaskapat528]

What's wrong with a cashiers check sent overnight??

[RedJacket]

I should have saved the emails I received from swindlers when I put some items up for sale on CL.

You'd really have to be more numb than a frozen mukluk to fall for their shenanigans. That's more of a diss on the moronic scammers than it is on the people who may fall prey to their pathetic attempts to victimize you.

[losttechnician]

Originally Posted by Alaskapat528

What's wrong with a cashiers check sent overnight??

I owned several retail businesses in a small town for most of a decade, and I never, NEVER accepted a mailed in cashier's check. Never accepted one over the counter either, unless it was drawn on either of the local banks, who would vouch for the authenticity of the checks before I accepted them.

But then, no one would take the time to get a cahsier's check from a bank two blocks away when they could hand me the cash instead.

My accountant, and my banker both insisted on the "no cashier's checks" thing because of the high incidence of forged cashier's checks.

Same went for money orders, the only ones I ever accepted through my online business were postal money orders, as other flavors were a bit more likely to be forged.

It is a terrible thing to not trust something as simple and long lived as the cashier's check, but that is where the world is now.

Admittedly it is much more inconvenient to NOT accept that as a form of payment, but not near as inconvenient as losing several thousand dollars to a forged cashier's check.