Shanghied Again

Also make sure its not from Nigeria, Lagos these areas are known for Scams.

steve1k99

There are guys now scamming in the UK and Canada. I had a Nigerian scammer respond to my boat ad 2weeks ago wanting copies of my drivers license, passport, bank account numbers and bank fax numbers.

mkramer

I got three fake Certified Checks over the past year and a half........Be careful....

Hauling Trash

I sold my boat overseas and it went great

eliminator219

Gauys
Thanks for all the inforamation. I called my bank and let them know the deal on the boat, and asked them for their recomendation after all 135 grand is a lot of money to almost anyone, I know its a lot to me.. they told me not to worrry that they will give me a special routing account that will protect all concerned. I mention that to the guy from UK and as of yet I have not heard Back.. Its ok, Its a great boat and I sort of didnt really want to sell it anyway. Its just being in the midwest with a cat with winter plus insurance and all the expense, plus I only used it 3 and a half hour last year..No big deal either way! But thanks anyway..

Phazar454Mag

A lot of Europeans have been buying boats during the winter from the US because of the weak US dollar. So the currency exchange rate is one reason. Another reason is the fact that there is a larger selection of powerboats in the US. It is simply easier to find the boat you are looking for. And shipping cost is not that bad. But the USD is gaining momentum so who knows when this will end? I live in Denmark and I know several people that have recently purchased used powerboats in the US. In Europe it is common (at least in Denmark) to give out your bank details to make a bank transfer. But it sounds like you are afraid of giving out your bank details. Is it easy in the US to withdraw money from a bank account if you are not the owner of the bank account ? Anyway the method chosen should be safe. But it would surprise me if the guy would not travel to see the boat before making the bank transfer, that to me sounds strange.

bowtie

Using an escrow account is good but make sure you remove the money from that account as soon as the bank allows you to and put it in your own account. Even funds wired into your account can be taken back out by the bank if there is a problem with the funds. This can take weeks but if you remove the money the bank can't touch it.

VeeCat

A wire transfer is the safest and best way you can receive
funds. Cashiers checks are risky, many are altered, fake or are part of a scam, especially if they want to overpay and want funds back. Even cash makes you wonder if it is fake or real. A wire transfer to your bank can only be verified during banking hours and can not be reversed. A bank officer can make arrangements if you are uncomfortable giving out your banking info. Seen a lot of scams and am sure a wire transfer thru the Federal Reserve to your bank and your own bank then depositing the good funds into your account is the only fool proof way to be sure that the funds are absolutely positively good.
Better than Cash and Safer.
That being said,
I wonder about an EFT, Electronic Fund transfer which is kind of like an electronic check or funds withdraw like an ATM does it. It is a relatively new form of money transfer. They require a lot of bank, address and account information to initiate. I wonder if the scammers will be able to abuse or withdraw from an account with EFT access and enough information?
VeeCat

eliminator219

Today they got back to me,guess that I spoke too soon. They half way sound alright and half way scam, will notify my bank with copy of their offer tomorrow,then wait to see what they say..
They want to wire me via a Bank to Bank transfer the downpayment. However, they want me to send funds to a party to come and check out my boat. Then upon the ok of inspection agent the balance plus the amount I pay for the inspection will be wired...Then they will take control of Boat. Will see what my bank says tomorrow..However, Like I mention earlier, the boat is not going anywhere until the money is in my tin can and buried!!
What do you guys think?
eliminator219

timewarp

I think this is sounding like a scam, they should be able to wire money to the inspection agent, I wouldn't send anybody any money until you had the down payment money in your "tin can".

Caleb