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Buyers and Sellers Beware |
Boatmartusa.com has been contacted
by Federal Authorities to assist them in informing the
boat buying and selling public about some recent scams:
1.) Scams That You, As The Seller Of
Boats, Should Beware Of:
A buyer will call you and show interest in your boat.
He or she will then, in most cases, pay exactly what you
are asking. In some cases, they will offer to pay more.
Next, the buyer will send you a check, or a letter of
credit, for the boat and tell you that you need to refund
ONLY a portion of the price. However, the check that you
received has NOT cleared your bank. You would then send
money back to the "fake" buyer, without the buyers check
ever clearing YOUR account. Then the buyer disappears
and you are left with an UNCLEARED check. Simply put,
they send you a BAD check and you send them a good check.
This is being done in the US as well as foreign countries.
Be prudent with International transactions. A good number
of buyer/seller fraud attempts originate from overseas.
What to do:
ALWAYS make sure you know who you are talking to and who
you are dealing with. Get their names, addresses and phone
numbers. NEVER send any money back to the "purchaser"
WITHOUT making certain that their check has CLEARED your
bank. Call your bank and asked if the FUNDS ARE CLEARED.
Remember, even though you deposit a check, it is still
NOT cleared until your bank tells you that it is. Also,
keep in mind, a "Cashiers Check" is just a "check," and
it is NOT considered cash by your bank. The sender of
a Cashiers Check can ALWAYS put a "stop payment" on the
Cashiers Check. The best option is to have the potential
buyer WIRE funds into your account, however, check with
your bank to make certain the transaction has no recourse.
2.) Scams That You, As The Buyer Of
Boats, Should Beware Of:
Anyone can list a boat for sale on a boat-for-sale website,
or put an ad in the paper with a picture of a boat. Unfortunately
there are always people who do business with bad intentions.
A "fake," or criminal type person, in this scam can list
a boat for sale WITHOUT ever owning it. They simply take
a picture of a boat, make up a description, list the boat
for sale while claiming to own it. Buyers will typically
note that the deal seems "too good to be true" (your first
clue)! When you contact the seller, the seller will request
(beg and give reasons why) that you send some money as
a "down payment" so you don't "lose the sale." Simply
put, they take your money and run.
What
to do:
Make certain that the seller is real. Get names, addresses,
phone numbers and references. Call at an off-hour time
and see who answers or how they answer. Are you able to
get through at any time? Do they have an answering machine?
Call the BBB in their area. Get a hull and engine number(s)
and check with the respective manufacturers. If you feel
skeptical, only agree to an escrow account with a law
firm OF YOUR CHOICE (again, YOUR CHOICE). This way, when
the vessel arrives, and all is well, your money goes to
the seller and you get your dream boat! The good news
is, these instances are few and far between. In addition,
this has NOTHING to do with "internet crime." These unscrupulous
people can just as easily do these scams with your local
newspaper. However, if this happens to you, no statistics
on the planet will consol your wallet. Therefore, use
common sense and do your due diligence. If anyone is aware
of ANY activity that is questionable, please feel free
to contact us and we will immediately inform the correct
federal agencies. We hope this information helps, and
thank you for using Boatmartusa.com.
Sincerely,
Boat Mart USA
customersupport@boatmartusa.com |
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