Potential scam on motorhome sale?

[Albacore]

Hi, my brother is having to sell his Chausson Flash S3 for personal reasons he's only had it a year, which is a shame. He has it advertised on autotrader, and aside from all the Irish accented interested buyers he also has interest from a New Zealander who wants to buy and use on his holiday when he arrives in April. Whilst I appreciate some people traval afar and purchase motorhomes for their trip I am a bit dubious. The guy reckons he will have someone check it out, and if OK he will buy it, and my brother would deliver to a storage location between Heathrow and Devon (once funds cleared). Do you think this is a scam? I've told him to be careful. Has anyone heard of this story before?

Thanks in advance

 

[Simon Select]

Just get him to ring me.....
So many scams out there at the moment.
Lots of undesirables as well!

 

[Langtoftlad]

Yup - classic scam scenario

 

[PeterCarole29]

I have heard of Assies and New Zealanders buying a van and travelling round then selling again its a much cheaper way to travel
But as far as the arangements he made being careful is good advice

 

[DandJ]

Surely in a 'scam' like this NZ one...your brother holds all the aces. Someone comes and views it for the bod from NZ, agrees sale. Sale can be based purely on the money clearing your brothers acct before he takes the MoHo to the storage place. If the NZ bod is genuine, he will accept this as he doesn't need the MoHo for 2 plus months.

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[Albacore]

Surely in a 'scam' like this NZ one...your brother holds all the aces. Someone comes and views it for the bod from NZ, agrees sale. Sale can be based purely on the money clearing your brothers acct before he takes the MoHo to the storage place. If the NZ bod is genuine, he will accept this as he doesn't need the MoHo for 2 plus months.

Yes that's the plan as you describe but I wonder if they might somehow sucker him in and at last minute change payment method which is perhaps a bit less secure / revisible.... Maybe I'm being over cautious/paranoid.

 

[nicholsong]

Surely in a 'scam' like this NZ one...your brother holds all the aces. Someone comes and views it for the bod from NZ, agrees sale. Sale can be based purely on the money clearing your brothers acct before he takes the MoHo to the storage place. If the NZ bod is genuine, he will accept this as he doesn't need the MoHo for 2 plus months.

I agree, if there are cleared funds in the seller's bank the risk has passed, subject to insurance being place for the delivery to the storage place.

I think the buyer is taking more of a risk of the delivery being executed. If I were they buyer I would want his UK representative to be present at the time of transfer of fund and during the delivery trip.

 

[Albacore]

Just get him to ring me.....
So many scams out there at the moment.
Lots of undesirables as well!

Thanks, have passed your details onto him, he's not a million miles away from you.

 

[Puddleduck]

We had a similar tale when we were selling our Chausson. I told the "buyer" that as a reputable seller and concerned individual there is no way I would sell to anyone who hadn't looked at the motorhome in person.

I heard nothing else from the "buyer".

I traded in the Chausson for the current van which we are also in the process of selling but through a broker as I can't face having to deal with scammers and tyre kickers.

 

[Langtoftlad]

No you're not
If the potential buyer was coming from Nigeria?
Classic variation is the buyer is working offshore and can't collect personally

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[Kannon Fodda]

My immediate practical concerns would be

Will the money be transferred into my account in Pounds Sterling without any fees payable by me. As it's coming from overseas, are there any issues with money laundering checks?

Who is paying for my time to get it to the storage facility, wherever that may be, and how do I then get home again?

Where and when do documents get handed over?

Can you and how do you notify DVLA of the new keeper if they are not UK address?

 

[Puddleduck]

No you're not
If the potential buyer was coming from Nigeria?
Classic variation is the buyer is working offshore and can't collect personally

And the buyer or seller who is based at an army barracks and away on exercise.........

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Perhaps if the viewing comes to a fruition meet at a public location.
Mike.

 

[Boringfrog]

Would your Brother be insured to drive it once He has sold it?

 

[Puddleduck]

Would your Brother be insured to drive it once He has sold it?

That's a good point. A call to the insurance company?

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[headlight]

A few years ago a friend sold something, not a van, delivery subject to funds clearing in his account.
The funds showed as cleared so he had the item couriered.
2 days later the funds disappeared from his bank account.
The bank wouldn't help.
He went to the delivery address and it was an empty flat.
He lost £10,000.
Just be careful.

 

[Toady]

Just met a lovely couple from New Zealand who are travelling around Europe in a Chausson they purchased it in the UK.

They intend to sell their van prior to flying home. Again in the UK.

 

[chaser]

Surely there are plenty of buyers here without taking the risk.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Once funds are cleared . They need to be transferred to a different account to prevent a claw back.

 

[ontheroadagain]

2 days later the funds disappeared from his bank account

They need to be transferred to a different account to prevent a claw back

How does that work?
I thought that once a payment has been made there is no way of calling it back.

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[tonka]

While many scams and are out there . I have met people who have done just this and bought while still in Aus / NZ ready to travel in UK. Some buy new vans, use for 6 months and then ship down under.
I have a friend from the MCC who actually (pre COVID) offered a service where he would locate a van, check it for buyers and once funds sorted would collect van. He then kept it in storage and made it ready for when the people came over.

I once sold a past van to a guy who came over from Spain after transferring funds so there are genuine buyers. but always be aware

 

[TDub49]

Hi, my brother is having to sell his Chausson Flash S3 for personal reasons he's only had it a year, which is a shame. He has it advertised on autotrader, and aside from all the Irish accented interested buyers he also has interest from a New Zealander who wants to buy and use on his holiday when he arrives in April. Whilst I appreciate some people traval afar and purchase motorhomes for their trip I am a bit dubious. The guy reckons he will have someone check it out, and if OK he will buy it, and my brother would deliver to a storage location between Heathrow and Devon (once funds cleared). Do you think this is a scam? I've told him to be careful. Has anyone heard of this story before?

Thanks in advance

Lots of suspicion on this thread but what's to lose? If the guy is genuine (and it's not unheard of for travelling antipodeans to buy and sell vans - once upon a time you couldn't move in Earls Court for left-hooker VWs for sale) then you bank his money and wait to hand him the keys and stuff. What I wouldn't do is take a deposit - all or nothing in advance.

 

[Nanniemate]

Just met a lovely couple from New Zealand who are travelling around Europe in a Chausson they purchased it in the UK.

They intend to sell their van prior to flying home. Again in the UK.

It seems to be the van of choice with them from down under . There used to be a very active buy use sell on to next Aussie many of the deals were made from a distance
I think the scammers have made the world a less trusting place

 

[Albacore]

It seems to be the van of choice with them from down under . There used to be a very active buy use sell on to next Aussie many of the deals were made from a distance
I think the scammers have made the world a less trusting place

I was thinking that too

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Lots of suspicion on this thread but what's to lose? If the guy is genuine (and it's not unheard of for travelling antipodeans to buy and sell vans - once upon a time you couldn't move in Earls Court for left-hooker VWs for sale) then you bank his money and wait to hand him the keys and stuff. What I wouldn't do is take a deposit - all or nothing in advance.

Personally I thinks it's a potential good sale. But I would open a savings account and have all the money transferred to there and then as soon as its cleared transfer it to a different account . Then when that's safe. Move the vehicle to the buyers lockup.

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[PDrill]

One would think this "someone check it out" is someone the buyer knows and trusts, so why not sell it to that person and they can then do together the needed moves to get to car to the original buyer..