Off Topic Does this sound fishy to you?

grimwau · Dec 13, 2010

Am I being naive here or does this sound dodgy to anyone else? The car is advertised in Auto Trader and within a couple of hours of going live I get the email below. Didn't see it to start with as the spam filter caught it and sent it to the naughty stair although it appeared to orignate from a personal email address, maybe it is cleverer than me, lol.

Any thoughts appreciated but my own instinct is to just ignore it. :shakehead:

Hello,
I'm still interested to buy your car. Can you tell me if the car has some problems or other? If I decide to buy it how you prefer to receiver the payment? Can you also tell me the reason of the selling? Last thing, I need to see some extra pictures(interior and exterior) with the car and if you can make one pictures with the VIN NUMBER.
I will wait your shortly reply.
Thank you
Marie

dave · Dec 13, 2010

yes, no one needs the vin, reg number they may need for hpi but not vin, sounds like they want to clone it or get a fake v5 printed before they come and nick it

RobW · Dec 13, 2010

sounds suspect the way it is written 'still interested

but you need the VIN number to do a full HPI check

dave · Dec 13, 2010

i dont

RobW · Dec 13, 2010

dave said:
i dont

you don't what?

Get your HPI Check

To get your HPI Check, all you need initially is the vehicle's number plate (VRM) and your payment card details. This will give you an instant online report about the vehicle's history.

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Start by entering your car registration here

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View a sample HPI report
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Completing and updating your HPI Check
If you don't have all the information required to complete your check straightaway, you can come back online and update your check for free within the next 30 days.

To complete your check, you will need to provide the vehicle identification number (VIN) as well as the mileage and V5 registration document issue date and serial number within the next 30 days.

Redeeming your pre-paid HPI Multichecks
When you buy an HPI Multicheck, your emailed results will have a promotional code on it. You will need to use this code to obtain your remaining prepaid checks.

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dave · Dec 13, 2010

i dont use that company, i use a trade account

RobW · Dec 13, 2010

dave said:
i dont use that company, i use a trade account

well the potential buyer won't have access to a trade account so your comment is a bit misleading...

lots of bona fide reasons why you need to share the VIN, servicing, parts

plus some cars show the vin in the windscreen so it is hardly sensitive info these days

ben · Dec 13, 2010

dave said:
i dont use that company, i use a trade account

But that isn't going to help Joe Public though is it .....

dave · Dec 13, 2010

ben said:
But that isn't going to help Joe Public though is it .....

public can use same company http://www.autochecknow.co.uk/?sc=379&gclid=CJTY1ZqC6aUCFcEhfAodoxCogA

dave · Dec 13, 2010

RobW said:
plus some cars show the vin in the windscreen so it is hardly sensitive info these days

didn't that get stopped because of cloning

grimwau · Dec 13, 2010

Cheers for the extra info Rob, (hope you noticed I incorporated your Evian palindrome in my post, lol.

)

However, I'm with Dave on this one, can't see any reason to ask for the Vin at this stage. After all, why would you want to HPI (if that was the reason for asking) a car before you have even seen it?

Thanks also to Andy and Ewan who have also taken the time to contact and caution me, Cheers guys.

306maxi · Dec 13, 2010

grimwau said:
Cheers for the extra info Rob, (hope you noticed I incorporated your Evian palindrome in my post, lol. )

However, I'm with Dave on this one, can't see any reason to ask for the Vin at this stage. After all, why would you want to HPI (if that was the reason for asking) a car before you have even seen it?

Thanks also to Andy and Ewan who have also taken the time to contact and caution me, Cheers guys.

I'm with Dave. If they want to actually come and look at the car and they can show they're serious then yes, show them the VIN, otherwise no.

RobinPJ · Dec 13, 2010

Isn't it particularly suspicious that they ask for a photograph showing the VIN number, rather than just asking for the number itself?

Also, whilst this thought is perhaps sexist (or worse) (i) how many women even know what a VIN number is, and (ii) doesn't "Marie" sounds like the sort of name that Nigerian scammers use because they think it sounds English and pukka?

Ringadingdoo · Dec 13, 2010

If YOU think it's fishy don't do it. Your the one selling the car, don't do anything you are uncomfortable with.

DraigFlag87 · Dec 13, 2010

Does sound dodgy to me, the VIN number is in the boot of the 500 is it not?

Can MOT test certificate and/or reg number not give enough info for a HPI check? When selling cars in the past, i've been asked for the MOT number so they could check what the car needed to pass. I appreciate the car may not be old enough for an MOT, but just saying

RobW · Dec 13, 2010

grimwau said:
Cheers for the extra info Rob, (hope you noticed I incorporated your Evian palindrome in my post, lol. )

However, I'm with Dave on this one, can't see any reason to ask for the Vin at this stage. After all, why would you want to HPI (if that was the reason for asking) a car before you have even seen it?
Thanks also to Andy and Ewan who have also taken the time to contact and caution me, Cheers guys.

i have bought several cars without seeing them on ebay Auctions

e.g. my 500 and i needed the VIN number to do the HPI check before paying

i know lots of people that buy cars on pics and description alone

JTD_Liam · Dec 14, 2010

I wouldn't be giving out the VIN in the form of a photo, no matter whether it's visible through the windscreen on a panel (like on many cars) or not.

Just the way the email is written sounds like it's from a person who doesn't speak English as a first language. By all means reply, detailing reason for sale etc, but don't give out the VIN or any other sensitive info.

I would guess that the moment you mention that youre not prepared to give out sensitive info, they'll do a runner.

grimwau · Dec 14, 2010

I think I'll ask for a photo of the cash they'll be using to pay for the car showing all the serial numbers for each note. :devil:

306maxi · Dec 14, 2010

grimwau said:
I think I'll ask for a photo of the cash they'll be using to pay for the car showing all the serial numbers for each note. :devil:

Bhindi · Dec 14, 2010

It sounds undoubtably dodgy to me. I recieved an almost word matching email when I was selling my motorbike. I did not respond.

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