MTFCA Forum

To Avoid scammers, Don't post personal info! This includes your email address, & phone number.
Do so at your own risk.
It's better to communicate through the forum system.

AdminJeff

agreed! after my 'wanted bumpers' and 'steering gear' post I have definitely getting a lot of communication from folks pretending to be actual members selling those items using pictures they find on the internet and asking me to PayPal payment. Be careful folks! THX JEFF!

Not sure why members think they are avoiding being scammed by encrypting email & phone numbers. Its still personal info encrypted or not. The only reason to do so is to sell to non-members "caveat venditor"
Something like these name###(at)gmail(dot)com or 3oh9,six6six,twothree9one. Or even a picture of them (I almost got scammed with a photo of my email address, removed most of them)
Scammers can read & decipher the encryption the same as members. Also scanning websites for ")com" or ".com"
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22%29c ... s-wiz-serp

The reason I use “2 7 zero” is to keep the bots from grabbing it. Yes, a scammer can still decipher but if many of you are like me your info such is out there already on business sites and the like. If you’re wise to be cautious, you can avoid the scammer. Be cautious of:

1. The person who is a new member to the forum you’re on
2. They want a quick deal such as “I have another person interested so if you want it you need to pay now”
3. If they are trying to buy, never allow them to send you “extra money” that you are to send immediately to the shipper that’s picking up their items
4. If they are paying for something via check (personal or cashier’s) give it at least a week to clear the bank before you allow anything to be shipped or picked up (I usually require 10 days)
5. Be very cautious of the deal that’s too good to be true. If they are offering to sell you something at 1/2 of what it normally sells for, your probably dealing with a scammer.
6. I only use PayPal Goods & Services to pay. The scammer will only want you to use Friends & Family. If it’s a scam and you don’t receive your parts or whatever, with a goods & services payment you can more than likely get a refund from PayPal of your money. Be aware though that the guarantee does not apply to titled vehicles.

I was contacted by a presumably 90 year old gentlemen, in a wheelchair going in for surgery soon, regarding a model A four door that I advertised to want to buy a year ago. He sent me pictures and even offered to deliver the car for me to Europe, door to door from Pittsburgh. I am in Arizona, but the museum that is the buyer is in Europe. He refused to talk to me on the phone but was capable of email with pictures. Scammer.

I got caught by a guy offering to sell me a hinge I posted a WTB for on this forum. He started acting hinky and asked me to send him a picture of the check. I looked up his address and it’s an apartment building in Brooklyn. I discovered that he has been scamming people on other forums. Fortunately, the purchase was small and I should have time to stop the check before he gets it.

I have had nothing but good experiences buying things off this forum up till now, but it looks like things are changing.

Update: After contacting the guy and saying “sorry if I have this wrong, but I see that your name and address is on another car forum for fraud related to the sale is antique car parts. I am not comfortable with this transaction and have stopped payment on the check,” he entered a different check number and cashed the check! I caught it immediately and my bank canceled the transaction. Pay attention out there.

You don't have to post any personal info, since as I brought the issue up to a moderator with no response, we're already giving scammers all they need to do to continue their quest to scam us since we're required unnecessarily in my opinion to provide the starting point of info to the right of all our posts. Like this one here. Need to stop this.

Should we start a public list of scammers emails? Right now I’ve got two who are trying really hard…they might get lucky and find a picture of what I am actually looking for.

Would also add this to the list of scammers emails tricks:

1. An email copying in another person who has exactly what you are looking for.

2. To combat fake/ stolen images ask for a picture of the item with a personal or unique bit of identification, such as a business card, a ruler or tape measurer, something that would create validity and most likely would not have been in a readily visible in an online clipped image. I occasionally trade radiator badges, most don’t share images of the back of badges or emblems online to help protect others from scammers.