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Old 02-27-2021, 06:23 PM   #1
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Buying a used Escape

New user....first post!

My wife and I have been contemplating putting a deposit down on a new 21C or trying to get into the lottery for one of the 23' models they are about to build...but we've found what appears to be a really clean used 21C a few hours from our home...I made contact with the gentleman but he wants me to send a $3,000 deposit via Apple Pay to show that I am serious BEFORE he will agree to let us even make the drive to see the camper.....

We are at an impasse because there is no way I'm sending $3K to a stranger for a camper I've never seen....is this a common ask?

Thanks,
David Koeppel
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Old 02-27-2021, 06:28 PM   #2
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It's not something I'd do. You have no proof the seller really has the trailer.

Where'd you see the ad?
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Old 02-27-2021, 06:30 PM   #3
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Sounds pretty suspicious to me, I’ve never heard of having to pay upfront to view a trailer, I’d run.
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Old 02-27-2021, 06:32 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkoeppel View Post
....there is no way I'm sending $3K to a stranger for a camper I've never seen...
Me either. Nope, nope, nope... wouldn't do it.
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Old 02-27-2021, 06:33 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkoeppel View Post
New user....first post!

My wife and I have been contemplating putting a deposit down on a new 21C or trying to get into the lottery for one of the 23' models they are about to build...but we've found what appears to be a really clean used 21C a few hours from our home...I made contact with the gentleman but he wants me to send a $3,000 deposit via Apple Pay to show that I am serious BEFORE he will agree to let us even make the drive to see the camper.....

We are at an impasse because there is no way I'm sending $3K to a stranger for a camper I've never seen....is this a common ask?

Thanks,
David Koeppel
Wouldn’t touch that deal with a ten foot pole. Scammers can get pictures and details off the web and post as their own. Locally, there has been a nice looking Casita for sale on Craigslist for $800. Same posting is on multiple area Craigslist and seller has no real address. All kinds of red flags.
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Old 02-27-2021, 06:35 PM   #6
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DANGER Wil Robonson, DANGER!

Worth investigating the rig more, but no $$$$.
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Old 02-27-2021, 06:46 PM   #7
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Thanks everyone...I was born at night, but it wasn't last night...LOL!

I never considered sending him a dime but wondered if these campers were so popular that this had become commonplace.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions and my sanity.

David
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Old 02-27-2021, 07:16 PM   #8
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He went "radio silent" after I said we weren't going to send a deposit but could make the 2-3 hour drive virtually any day since I work from home and my wife is retired from the Department of Justice....which is true by the way.
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Old 02-27-2021, 07:18 PM   #9
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You’ll get that on your bigger jobs
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Old 02-27-2021, 08:50 PM   #10
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A scam, man

I had an inquiry and interest for a Scamp, years ago. The fellow emailed back and said he was a minister, and would be not be around for a conversation, holding a church service, but he dangled the possibility of a price too good to be true.

The scams are out there, everywhere.
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Old 02-27-2021, 11:03 PM   #11
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Sounds like a scam. Make an appointment at the earliest time and go see it. Never send money.


If you offer to send a deposit after a lengthy phone call, that's different.
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Old 02-27-2021, 11:51 PM   #12
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The fact you've received no reply gives you your answer. Scammer. Unfortunately there are many of them.
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Old 02-28-2021, 07:27 AM   #13
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I would reply back that you needed a $3000.00 deposit sent to you to the ensure that he actually had the trailer and that it will be there when you arrive with a clear title in hand lol

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Old 02-28-2021, 09:40 AM   #14
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Run away. Report the scammer to the forum mods. To make the scam work, the scammer needs to catch the victim's (aka the "mark's") attention with a really good deal and a good story (the "song") to see if they will bite.

A few years back I got a call from a guy I sort of knew from OR (I had sold him some fuel injectors for a VW bus once) who wanted to buy a very nice 1978 VW double cab pickup for a cheap $10K located in Portland, ME. The song and dance was that it was this guys late brother's DC and he was settling the estate. They would pay to also ship the DC to anywhere in the US. The ante to get into the game was $2K at Western Union or some untraceable thing like that. The "song" was that the doublecab was located in Portland, ME, the seller was located in VA, and they were trying to make sure that the mark was interested and thus the cash up front. Everything was a big hurry. They sent him all sorts of photos (of someone else's DC from the internet) and told the mark that the DC was located at a real address in Portland, ME. The mark called me up to go up and look at it, since he sort of knew me and it was close to me. I called the business up (ironically a law office) and they told me that this was the latest scam using their parking lot and they did not even know what a VW DC was. Previously it was a corvette, a 240Z car, and a boat.

The goal is to separate you from your cash in a way that won't bite the scammer as it will take you a while to realize you have been had.
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Old 02-28-2021, 07:52 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy in Maine View Post
Run away. Report the scammer to the forum mods. To make the scam work, the scammer needs to catch the victim's (aka the "mark's") attention with a really good deal and a good story (the "song") to see if they will bite.

A few years back I got a call from a guy I sort of knew from OR (I had sold him some fuel injectors for a VW bus once) who wanted to buy a very nice 1978 VW double cab pickup for a cheap $10K located in Portland, ME. The song and dance was that it was this guys late brother's DC and he was settling the estate. They would pay to also ship the DC to anywhere in the US. The ante to get into the game was $2K at Western Union or some untraceable thing like that. The "song" was that the doublecab was located in Portland, ME, the seller was located in VA, and they were trying to make sure that the mark was interested and thus the cash up front. Everything was a big hurry. They sent him all sorts of photos (of someone else's DC from the internet) and told the mark that the DC was located at a real address in Portland, ME. The mark called me up to go up and look at it, since he sort of knew me and it was close to me. I called the business up (ironically a law office) and they told me that this was the latest scam using their parking lot and they did not even know what a VW DC was. Previously it was a corvette, a 240Z car, and a boat.

The goal is to separate you from your cash in a way that won't bite the scammer as it will take you a while to realize you have been had.
I reported his post and my experience....he'll have to do a lot better than that to separate this TN redneck from my money...LOL.
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Old 03-10-2021, 10:18 AM   #16
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As a lawyer, I would advise not to do this. Alternatively, agree to post the money with your lawyer, who can acknowledge receipt, subject to your examining the RV and a later agreement to buy.
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Old 03-10-2021, 10:47 AM   #17
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No, not a common ask.
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Old 03-10-2021, 04:06 PM   #18
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Don't do it. When I sold my 19' last year the first response came from someone that wanted to buy it using pay pal. This person was trying to scam me. He kept texting me for a week trying different excuses why he could not pay thru a bank.
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Old 03-11-2021, 08:54 AM   #19
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If you found an escape a few hours away make arrangements to view it and get in your car and go look at it. When I am trailer shopping my bags are packed and I can be anywhere within 1K miles by the end of the next day. I have made prior arrangements with my bank for a funds transfer and have enough money for a deposit in hand. Most people will hold a trailer for one or two days if you are a serious buyer. Scammer's disappear once you tell them you tell them you want to view the trailer before giving them a deposit.
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Old 03-11-2021, 12:56 PM   #20
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That's the plan...I'll be putting a deposit down with Escape on a new trailer but will also keep watching for a used trailer that we like....in either case we will be straight cash buyers, no financing will be required.

I clearly knew this guy was a scammer from the first or second email...when he would not budge from his demand that I send him $3,000 deposit BEFORE I could come see it 2-3 hours away...come on....
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