Scam Alert Warning

iTrust Motors looks after emails for numerous advertisers who are both on and off the net. For some time now there have been bogus emails concerning buying these cars with payment by "cashiers check".

Genuine buyers exist, of course, but beware if you are offered more than the asking price of your item, and asked to refund the difference, or pay for shipping or any other supposed expenses out of the difference. The cheque will invariably be a forgery, and the money you sent would be a real loss. If you did, that is, and so far no iTrust Motors advertisers have.

Note that the method described here applies to any high-value item advertised anywhere on the net with the vendor's email address. Any website or newsgroup, any item worth a few dollars, or lira, pounds, any currency, any country. For the scammers, it is a full time job sending mass emails to advertisers worldwide.

This page is updated at irregular intervals with some of the new attempts - see below, latest first. Not all are included, but all that are received here are traced and reported.

There are common factors - any combination:

1. Poor command of English.
2. Urgency.
3. Payment proposed to be by "cashier's check" for more than the advertised price.
4. Payment for "shipping" to be deducted from the "cashier's check".
5. Arrangements for delivery somewhere other than the inquirer's domicile - to "client" etc.
6. The use of free web-based email accounts. [Examples are shown below, especially Yahoo, Myway, Fastermail, Keromail, and Outblaze.]
7. References to Nigeria, well known as a base for net frauds [fewer lately].
8. Requests for photos, even though all vehicles advertised on the site have photos.