I'm the proud owner of a Sportster SuperLow. If I get rid of it it is to get a bigger Harley. But became enchanted with a Moto Guzzi (the Italian Harley) "Griso," as a second bike. It's a 1200 cc 90-degree opposed, air-cooled V-twin. New, $12,700. Saw a 2012 edition on-line for $7,000 and only 700 miles! Too good to be true. Let's just say the con was expertly done and only by the grace of bragging about the bike on a Moto Guzzi forum before I completed the deal did its cognoscenti point out that something was a little fishy.

Why am I posting this on a Harley site? Because I got to think the elaborate steps these con artists went to -- including a very convincing (supposedly) 3rd-party shipping web site -- are being used to "sell" Harleys, Hondas, VW Passats, Beemers, what have you. This thread tells the story:

http://www.grisoghetto.com/t260-mr-b...s-a-griso-scam

Notice that the "next step" is to wire $2,000. The shipper's web site was very convincing but a Google did not turn it up. For good reason: the web site for this reputable British shipping company had only been posted 5 days earlier. No doubt in a week or two they'll post the same B.S. to a different web address, etc. ("Status of Inspection: Excellent.") HA!

The story was that a cruise ship officer from Sweden bought the bike in the U.S. but upon his return to his home country was faced with ruinous import duties and had to sell. (He told me after I said I would come to pick it up.) The on-line advertisement that enticed me had been recycled from the original vendor in St. Louis, Mo. The sales manager there told me he sold it to a man in Louisiana in August 2013 with that mileage but for $13,000. He, in turn, sold it to someone in Chicago a month ago. "That bike is not in Sweden," the sales manager told me.

 

I have read more than a few posts like this on a guitar forum I got to now and then.
Same scam idea of the 3rd party and the shipper stuff.

Good thought to mention it and glad you realized what was up before you lost your money.

 

This scam is as old as time itself. That con has more holes than swiss cheese.

There's a saying that goes something like this: "You can't con an honest man".

 

Too good to be true price and wire transfer involved and the same old story about the overseas military guy. Seen more of these than I can remember. Someone must fall for them now and then or they wouldn't waste their time with the ads.

 

There was a way too cheap Heritage on Miami CL last week so my boyfriend emailed through CL and a woman claimed to be selling it in a divorce. Same BS about wiring money, then apparently the bike was in NJ and she would bring it down next week (but she couldn't ride because she was a woman and would have no use for it obviously - these were her words).
All he had to do was wire $2000 to hold the bike which was completely refundable if he didn't like the bike when it got back to Florida.
it was clearly a scam and then he started getting spam mail from a **** site from France.

 

We had the same type of scam in our neighborhood with "a couple working overseas needing to rent their home." Unfortunately, everyone around here is suspicious and drove by the addresses to check things out. Turned out none of the homes were even empty and all were owned by the residents. But, it sure made traffic pick up for a few days.

 

I guess I'm just too distrustful. I look at these scams and how people say "they almost got me"; for the life of me, I can't figure out why they didn't see it from the jump.

These things are so transparent that it's like a 3 year old kid thinking they're hiding by covering their eyes. My opinion is if you've EVER come close to getting scammed like that; it will eventually happen.

 

Maybe its because Im just a skeptic but I didnt have to read very far to realize its a scam. Still amazes me that people actually fall for this stuff.

 

I'm with you. Half way through the first sentence of "the story", it was obviously BS. As old as this scam is, how/why are people still this gullible?

 

If it doesn't feel good...probably a scam, or herpes...

This is why it's always best to deal local, or travel to the seller's locale (duh, I know). Unfortunately, too many gullible people out there for scam prey so they'll keep it com'n.