I have recieved a series of emails that started off from leads from autotrader.com. What first made me take notice was the similarities from these two people (Including the same destination address). The last email said he would send me a cashiers check, and I was to send him money back from the check. I would like to know if there is anything I can do to help catch the guy, because this seems suspicious to me.

Email #1 (James Carter, Yahoo address)

Hello,
Thanks very much for immediate your response please i will like to expresse how i feel about your car, sincerely speaking i am much impressed with the condition of the car and also with your punctuality in response to my request, i am promising you that with your prompt response in this transaction this transaction will be sealed within a month beside this car was a gift that my client wants to give to his wife for there successful, peace, endurance and patient in there marriage.they will be celebrating there silver jubilee on This month, sotherefore i will be happy if you continue to be punctual in this transaction so that by next two weeks
we can sealed this trasaction.please i will also need your coperation and honest in this transaction because am just a starter so i dont need to start with disappointment to my client.actually my client will be traveling to Brussel for National Assignment by next tommorow so i will like us to conclude the issue of price and any other information that will be needed from you.please my client instructed that he will like to see the car parked in his garage as soon as he is back from Brussel.he will be coming back in 12 days coming as soon as he live from Canada to there. Please there is a question below that i will like you to answer as soon as possible and also i will like you to send the answers to that question to my client private box so that he can expresse how he feel about the car and update you on payment information before then i have been permitted from him to get you posted on the payment confirmation.Have a nice weekend
Here is the following question below.,
1, Is the engine in perfect condition?.
2, How often do you service the car?.
3, How many miles of the car at the moment?.
4, are you the owner before placing it for sale?.
5, If yes, for how long did you use car?.
6, Has the car been involve in auto accident?
7, What about mechanical defulties on the car?
8, Your intension of selling the car?
9, What is your Bottom Price on the vehicle?.
NB.please get back immediately so that he will get
you posted on the payment/pickup
arrangement as soon as soon as possible.
please get back with the following question immediately
and send a copy of the reply to my client private email box
[email protected] and also to me.
Below is My Client's information:
Name:Robert Hammond
ADDRESS:454 2nd RD E,
Stoney Creek, ontario L8J 2X9.
Below is my Information
Name.James Carter
Address.1010 Dawson Rd Ontario Canada P7b5j4
Regards
James Carter

Email #2 (Smith Adams, Yahoo address)


Smith Adams,
Department of Motor Vehicles
CPD Information Services Branch
PO Box 942890
Sacramento, CA 94393
Thanks for the email. Please I have a client who is very much interested in buying your Vehicle. He happened to budget for a Vehicle last time and unfortunately it was sold. I have discussed with him and he has agreed that he will be willing to have the Vehicle shipped to Canada upon reaching an agreement with you.
Please I have Some Questions to Ask:
1) Is the engine in perfect condition?
2) How often do you service the Vehicle?
3) send pictures for my client viewing.
4) Are you the owners?
5) If yes, for how long did you use Vehicle?
6)Finally At what price are you willing to sell this
Vehicle to Us ...Bottom price.
Below is my client's information
Mac Schneider,
454 2nd RD E,
Stoney Creek,
ontario L8J 2X9.
Phone Number (206)3331252

Email #3 (James Carter) Yahoo address

Hello James,
Thanks for your mail. Hope you are good today? I am happy to inform you that we have concluded with our customer. The answers to my questions were well accepted.

I have spoken to my customer and he has instructed me to inform you that payment will get to you in a cashier check of $16, 700 which is a refund payment of a cancelled order earlier made by my customer.

Due to company policy this check has to be made out in this amount to you, because company policy only allows a refund payment on one cashier check, so you are required to deduct cost of your Vehicle $8, 700 when payment gets to you and refund balance $8, 000 to my clients shippers via western union money transfer for them to be able to offset shipping charges down here and from there.

After payment has reached you and balance sent back to him, our agent will come for inspection/pick-up and drive to a prepaid shipper to be shipped to my customer, while title papers and other necessary documents will be either collected from you at the point of pick-up or sent via fedex courier to my customer.

Confirm this and provide

1) Legal Full Name (check will be made payable to)

2) Address ( the check will be delivered to)
and Phone number for check payment to be delivered to you via courier service.
Thanks and have a splendid day.
send a copy of the reply to my client private email box [email protected] and also to me.

I too was a victim of a scam on autotrader. Found a vehicle for appoximately 9, 000 sent money to seller, never received vehicle. However a week before I sent the money I contacted Auto trader because I could not reach the seller via the email address. They inturn took the ad off their publication but not off the website eight days later I informed them this ad was a scam and requested my money back. Their attorney sent me a long letter explaining why ATC was not responsible. I said if you would have taken the ad off the internet when you took it out of your publication I may not have been victimized. Also they published day after the scam that the ad was removed by "sellers request". I believe if they would have put on their ad ad was removed by ATC this would have allerted the public to a potential problem. There is no telling how many others got vitimized through this ad. I called DA, attorney general, congressman, senator, BBB IC3 and given President Obama nothing will be done because it does not meet any criteria of $150, 000 in damages. No attorney will take this because there is not enough money in this. I hope we can bind together and start a class action lawsuit against AutoTrader.Com.

I contacted Autotrader.com on behalf of my son, regarding a vehicle of interest. Autotrader forwarded our information to the seller of the vehicle. As per the requirements of Autotrader, we dealt with the seller from then on. Autotrader was given information and proof this particular ad and seller were frauds and removed the ad replacing it with "this ad has been removed at the sellers request". We assumed the seller removed the ad as we agreed to purchase the car. Autotrader negligently did not notify any of the customers who inquired about the particular ad of this scam. They were aware of it well before my son sent the "seller" $3, 000 and has not received, nor will he receive said car. If Autotrader had informed us (and many others I am sure as this scam artist was VERY good), my son would not be out his only savings for a car. If AutoTrader.com would have replaced the ad with a warning that that particular ad was a fraud/scam, we would not have completed the transaction and been taken for his money. I have contacted the FBI and filed a complaint. I have proof and documents of every contact with both AutoTrader.com and the so called seller. AutoTrader.com had a duty to their customers to put them on notice that there was the potential of a scam once they were informed and they failed to do so in so much as I feel they acted as an accomplice in aiding the "seller" to take my son's money. They were the ones who told me about it after I called regarding the status of the shipment of the car. I want my son to get his money back and that is all. Obviously the seller (as was reiterated by autotrader) used a bogus name and address. Autotrader's disclaimer states they are not responsible for any damages other than direct damages. That is all we are asking for and they refuse. I sent them all of the documents I saved. I can do the same for you...My son just wants his money back so he can buy a car and start college.

Sunday September 21 I researched cars to purchase on AutoTrader.com, owned by TCI Holdings, Inc.

I found a nice car ID: AT-EEAA4AB that I thought I might buy and phoned the "owner" at 561 371 6573. The owner said he wanted cash only, that the car had been stolen and reposed so he had to reduce the price. When I asked questions about it, he asked if I wanted to purchase the car or not. I said I would want to purchase it after I checked out its ownership and repairs. He said, "Good luck" and he terminated the conversation.

I tried to find a method of alerting AutoTrader that this car may be stolen goods, and found none. I don't doubt that AutoTrader may have a way of reporting these things, but they don't make it easy.