I am selling a motorbike and I replied to an emailed question re the asking price. Just got this in return:

“I am sorry for my late response. Your price is reasonable and considerable. Please get back with the details below for payment via Euro Travelers cheque as i am currently away for work in Cyprus.

NAME

ADDRESS

POST CODE

PHONE NUMBER

I will arrange for collection as soon as you receive my payment and cleared it. I hope to read from you soon.

Regards,”

I gave a lot of info in the ad but it seems a bit odd that he hasn’t asked any other questions. I haven’t replied yet.

Thoughts?

Thoughts?

tell them it’s cash on collection only.

Yeah! go for it! 😆

If you have to ask……

I know, I know but he’s saying the right things – e.g. he’ll arrange collection once the funds have cleared into my account. It’s easy to think the worst but there are some genuine people out there. I sold a bike a few years ago to a chap in France – arranged to meet ‘his mate’ off the ferry at Plymouth, which all sounded a bit dodgy. I turned up, met the bloke who handed over the full asking price in sterling and off he went, straight back on the ferry.

Cash on collection can be just as risky, unless the buyer is willing to meet outside a bank and wait while I pay the money in.

Tell him to pay direct into your account via a transfer.

There’s a bit of a history of fraud via fake travellers cheques. Don’t know the value of what you’re selling, but would have to wonder why anyone would have enough of these to buy anything major, particularly if they’re meant to be UK based but away only briefly in which case they’d have UK payment options.

That said, once they’ve cleared, they’ve cleared.

It does sound dodgy, but then recently I sold a load of old magazines to someone in UAE who sounded very dodgy at first, but in the end all worked out fine. £100 worth of magazines £250 postage!! (which he paid directly for once I’d got the quote).

Just make doubly doubly sure that the cheques have definitely definitely cleared!

Given he seems to trust whoever is collecting it with the bike maybe they could take the cheque clearance risk and present you with the cash at the bank?

Would anyone really buy a motorbike without viewing it first?

Wouldn’t touch it as it’s too polite and ‘trying too hard’ ie. Your price is reasonable and considerable + as has been pointed out ^^ re dodgy TC’s as they will take weeks to bounce!

Tell him to send his mate the cheque, then said mate can bring the cash round.

My understanding was that TCs were “like cash.” Is it possible that a bank teller would accept a TC and immediately credit you, and then reverse the payment when they were found to be forgeries at a later date?

It may be legit, but even if the scam isn’t immediately obvious I’m fast coming to the conclusion that any transaction that includes “my representative” is dodge city. Ditto non-standard payment methods that people aren’t generally familiar with.

The other shibboleth is that people who are in the UK but working away don’t generally say things like “your price is considerable, I hope to read from you soon.”

money laundering.
if you try and cash dodgy traveller’s cheques you will be culpable.

TBH I’m shaking my head at this – the fact that you’re actually having to ask is a bit, erm, worrying for a start.

Do you honestly think that if it’s a scam they’ll be saying things that you DON’T want to hear?

I’m sorry but that couldn’t be more obvious if it had a big neon sign on the top with “SCAM” written all over it…

it’s fine.

He’s just a bit confused by the price, that’s all…he thinks it’s reasonable, but he also thinks it’s considerable.

Go for it…I hope to read from you about your successful sale.

Ask him to send a PayPal as gift.

It looks legit to me. If you have the money, then you have no worries. As far as I can see it only looks dodgy because the guy doesn’t have English as a first language, which is fair enough!

Cash or transfer only. If he really wants it, he’ll sort it out, it’s not hard.

Don’t give out your name and address either! They may just come and steal it!

CB

Google “travellers cheque scam”.

Weeks after they have “cleared” in your account they can turn out to be fake / fraudulent and the bank isnt the one that’ll take the loss.

Only take them from someone you know and trust I guess.

I’ve emailed back to tell him it is bank transfer or cash on collection only. We shall see…

I usually reply along the lines of it must be cash only as Inland Revenue/Fraud Squad/HMRC etc have frozen my bank accounts 🙂

Dodgy as hell, don’t touch it.

Not sure about travellers cheques but normal cheques the bank can take up to 6 months to find out if it is fraudulent or not and if it is you are liable for the money.