A fraudulent listing for a horse trailer has been appearing on craigslist all over the country in the last couple of weeks.
2000 Sundowner 3H slant load trailer – $2200
** Reply to: fred.kingstone@gmail.com ** 2000 Sundowner 3H slant load trailer with collapsible tack in back and large tack in front.Radial tires used for one haul across a few states.Ready to drive anywhere!Has 6 bridle hooks, a blanket bar, interior lights.The horse area is a step up, rubber mats, interior lights, rear loading lights, 3 roof vents, rubber lined walls, padded dividers, first horse escape door, collapsable rear tack with 3 swing out saddle rack.Steel frame with aluminum body. Owners manual included.Star Performance Hitch included.
This is a scam, and not a bad one at that. The price is very low for that make and model. But, there is no trailer. If you respond to the ad, you get this:
Hello I am Fred, sorry for my delay in response, but currently I work on a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico and I have been very busy with my work. Anyway, thank you for your interest in buying the trailer. The total price for my 2000 Sundowner 3 Horse Slant Trailer is $2,200. I wanted to keep the trailer but I left the farm for a better job in Gulf of Mexico, so I decided to sell it. The trailer is in showroom condition, no liens; it was never involved in an accident.
So if you are interested please email me back so I can explain you how the transaction will work.
If you say you’re interested, you get this:
Before I left the city I had prearranged the deal with eBay Motors so my presence in town isn’t necessary. The trailer is in their possession in Pittsburgh, PA ready for delivery. You will have 5 days to test drive and inspect the trailer. So if you want to make this deal I need the following information:
Your full name and address
Shipping address (street, city, zip code)
Phone #
Then I will forward them to eBay Motors and I will precede the order. eBay will contact you with all the details that you need to complete this deal and also to see that I am covered by them and that I am legit seller.
Here is how this deal will work:
1. I will forward the details of our transaction to the eBay Buyer Protection.
2. They will process the paperwork and will email you the Payment Invoice and the transaction details.
3. You will have to submit the payment so you can prove that you are a serious buyer, as instructed to one of the eBay agents.
4. The payment will be verified and if everything is OK, eBay will deliver the vehicle to your address on my own cost. The vehicle will be shipped insured to your location with Dependable Auto Shippers.
5. After you receive it, you will have 5 days to inspect and test drive the vehicle (You will receive the trailer in 2 days).
6. If you accept the vehicle by confirming to eBay, they will release me the money (if not you will receive the full refund of the amount sent before shipping). They will then FedEx overnight the signed title to you and all the trailer documents that you need to register it under your name. If you decide to NOT accept the vehicle for any reason, they will refund your full payment price within 48 hours. They will then make the necessary arrangement to have the vehicle picked back up by the transport company.
Any bets as to what country “Fred” lives in? Nigeria, maybe?
Mike, there is another one….I almost fell prey to. Says it is located locally, but see the email I got back “yesterday”. And then “today”. I figured too good to be true so I thought I’d see if there were scams going on, that’s how I ended up at your site. Thanks!!!! Here is the link: http://rapidcity.craigslist.org/grd/1938605592.html
FEATHERLITE 2-Aluminum horse trailer 9407 – $2800 (Custer)
Date: 2010-09-05, 9:24PM MDT
Reply to: see below
* Location: Custer
* it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 1938605592
No contact info? if the poster didn’t include a phone number, email, or
other contact info, craigslist can notify them via email.
“Yesterday”
Re: Fw: Trailer
…
From:
Daniel Clough
…
View Contact
Hi,
The trailer is available for sale and I’m selling it for $2,800.00, price that includes all charges. Trailer still in excellent condition covered by 8 year feather-lite warranty, it has clear title and no mechanical problems just a few small dents in door (see pictures). I used to live in US but I’m currently working in the Canada (Toronto) and I’ll be moving here permanently within the next few months. I have already sold my horses and the trailer is without use for me.
I’m using ebay’s buyer protection program to sell this trailer, and currently it is at their warehouse in Milwaukee, WI where i have left it before leaving to Canada. They are supervising the entire sale process such as payment, shipping, title transfer service or/and (if needed) returns and refunding. Also a 7 days inspection period is available for this purchase. I can ship it for free within the US if you want to buy it.
If you decide to buy it please send me your name and shipping address and i will search for the estimated shipping period to your house/farm.
. The pics speak for themselves, You’ll love the trailer, I can guarantee you that!
All the best.
More pics http://picasaweb.google.com/100600173690634913529/UntitledAlbum#
“Today”
Re: Fw: Trailer
…
From:
Daniel Clough
…
View Contact
Hello,
Currently the trailer is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at shipping terminal, ready to be shipped. The 10 days inspection period is available in order to test and inspect it, this way you can know what you are buying. If after this period you will not be satisfied by it, i will gladly take care of the returning shipping and costs.
If you wish to move forward i need your name and shipping address so i can forward them to ebay and they will contact you with full details about the shipping period, inspection time, insurance and payment.
All the best.
————————————————————————————
I’m thinking about contacting the authorities to see if they want to get involved somehow.
That’s good…. Report the email address to google and picasa. That’s probably more effective at this point. And flag the posting on craigslist. If you really feel gung-ho, do a search using something like allofcraigslist.com based on the posting title and see if he has posted the ad on other CLs—and then flag those, too!
I too saw the same ad on a used horse trailer for sale site….got the same emails.
If it sounds too good to be true, it is! Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome! Happy trailer shopping….
Here is the response I got from Daniel Clough [pfairclough60@googlemail.com]
on an inquiry I made from an add he placed on http://www.horse-trailers-used.com
I sure wish there was some FBI unit that would catch these scammers and crooks.
Hi and please excuse me for replying this late but i was very busy for the past few days, i am not that of a computer guy and i forget to even check my mail because i didn’t think internet had such exposure,
The trailer was bought at the end of 2008 by my father, who is now 75 years old, and realized the trailer has no longer use for him. He used it for aprox. 1240 miles. The trailer looks great, no technical or cosmetic problems, also I have all the papers that came with it, also it has clear title ready to sign. I’m asking 2800$ for it. I have opted to sell it online using ebay’s Buyer protection program as my work prevents me to sell it locally. If you are interested in buying, i will leave a 10 days inspection period and i will ship it for free anywhere in the continental US. Should that be the case i will need your name and shipping address to initiate the transaction and get a estimated delivery time to your location..
More pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/100600173690634913529/UntitledAlbum#
CAREFREE 9FT AWNING
BUMPER-PULL
2008 MODEL WITH ALUMINUM ROOF, FRAME, WALLS, FLOOR, ALUMINUM CROSS BRACES
WEIGHT 2800 POUNDS
WIDTH 6FT 7IN, LENGTH 14FT 1IN, HEIGHT 7FT 6IN
42IN DRESSING ROOM WITH WALK THROUGH DOOR
2 MANGERS
3.5 K AXLES TANDEM WITH ELECTRIC BRAKES ON ALL WHEELS
ST205/75R15 TIRES
LED LIGHTS
TWO 2-WAY VENTS
CAMPER DOOR WITH 36″X74″ WITH WINDOW, SCREEN DOOR
TWO 48″X20″ WINDOWS WITH BARS
PADDED HORSE AREA WITH DIVIDER
SADDLE RACK, BLANKET BAR, TRAY HOLDER, TACK HOOKS
SILVER COLOR WITH VINYL GRAPHICS
REAR RAMP WITH DOORS ABOVE WITH 2 WINDOWS