Scam Tip Report #982 - grand piano scam


Scam ReporterScam Tips Received
LK
Brooklyn, NY, United States
2011-10-15 01:14:16
Classified Ads Scam
1
+14 grand piano scam   
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Maria (and Mike) Collins
Email Address:
mariaxcollins@gmail.com
I responded to a listing for a suspiciously cheap piano on craiglist. When I asked to try the piano, this person had very slick, fishy responses - instructed me to give my info to Google checkout, and would ship the piano from Montana. (?)
A little search on the email address revealed many posts over multiple US cities for different, obviously non existent, pianos (and automobiles,) slightly different stories, sometimes using the same picture, all around 2000.00.

This person had several similar postings using these email addresses:
mariaxcollins@gmail.com
laurenxneil@gmail.com
cristinaolgaro@gmail.com
Follow Ups/Extra Information. Most recent is listed first.
Date: 2012-06-19, 4:53PM EDT Reply to: 3s9wn-3088156405@sale.craigslist.org 2005 Yamaha Baby Grand GC1 - $1900
Please let me explain to you the process of this transaction and you can decide if you want to proceed or not. As I told you in my first email, I recently lose my son. I also got a new job and moved to Omaha Nebraska in order to start over. I'm in Omaha Nebraska but my presence won't be necessary because I prearranged the deal with Amazon. The piano is in Omaha at the shipping company, ready to be delivered. The deal includes free delivery and it will arrive at your address in 2-3 days. You will have 3 days to test it and inspect the piano prior to making any purchase and if by any reason you find something you don't like about it you can send it back at my expense. If you want to make this deal I need the following details from you: full name, address, and phone#. Once I have your info I will forward them to Amazon to get things started. Amazon will contact you shortly after they have the details with all the information that you need to complete this deal and you will also have proof that I am covered by them and a legitimate seller. Waiting for your email with the requested details. Regards Kelly and Mike
The Item was not listed on Amazon.

Robert Lemerise   (Leonardtown, MD, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-06-22 02:19:47
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Kelly and Mike Miller
Email Address:
KellyMiller140@gmail.com
I received the same email??? But what is the scam?? She didn't respond??
Hello,
My name is Beatrice Sanders, I'm emailing you regarding the 2003 Rockwood 232 ROO that I have for sale. The camper is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no special marks whatsoever, never been involved in any accidents. The interior looks great (smoke-free). The trailer is a 2003 model, Rockwood Roo, Hybrid in that the front and rear beds open up. It also has a push out that moves the "living room" out about 2 feet. This gives you a lot of space inside for such a small trailer. It is 23 feet long and has a gross vehicle weight of 4770lbs. This is very light weight for a trailer that sleeps 8 people. It is most comfortable with 5-6 people but you can fit 8 if you need to. The front drop down is a queen size, the back drop is a full, the table folds down for a bed and the couch folds flat. It has a bathroom, shower, tub, kitchen, refridgerator, microwave, stove, oven, sink, lots of drawer and cabinet space. It has built in stabilizing jacks, an awning, water heater, water tank, holding tanks. It has a furnace for cold nights and an Air Conditioner that works on the hottest days. It has a clear title with no loans or liens on it. I'm selling the camper because my 21's years old son died 2 months ago in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and his fiancee coming to our home at his little brother birthday. It was his camper and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it as soon as possible. The price that I'm asking is $2,000.00 Just let me know if you are still interested and where are you located .
Thank you, Betty and Mike Sanders

robert   (Dallas, TX, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-06-19 14:28:26
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Batty Sanders
Email Address:
bettysanders08@gmail.com
I was looking at a camper on craigslist and when I goggled it, I found the same one (same photo) in Philadelphia. The story I got from her was
Hello,
My name is Beatrice Sanders, I'm emailing you regarding the 2003 Rockwood 232 ROO that I have for sale. The camper is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no special marks whatsoever, never been involved in any accidents. The interior looks great (smoke-free). The trailer is a 2003 model, Rockwood Roo, Hybrid in that the front and rear beds open up. It also has a push out that moves the "living room" out about 2 feet. This gives you a lot of space inside for such a small trailer. It is 23 feet long and has a gross vehicle weight of 4770lbs. This is very light weight for a trailer that sleeps 8 people. It is most comfortable with 5-6 people but you can fit 8 if you need to. The front drop down is a queen size, the back drop is a full, the table folds down for a bed and the couch folds flat. It has a bathroom, shower, tub, kitchen, refridgerator, microwave, stove, oven, sink, lots of drawer and cabinet space. It has built in stabilizing jacks, an awning, water heater, water tank, holding tanks. It has a furnace for cold nights and an Air Conditioner that works on the hottest days. It has a clear title with no loans or liens on it. I'm selling the camper because my 21's years old son died 2 months ago in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and his fiancee coming to our home at his little brother birthday. It was his camper and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it as soon as possible. The price that I'm asking is $2,000.00 Just let me know if you are still interested and where are you located .
Thank you, Betty and Mike Sanders
THIS IS VERY CHEAP FOR THIS CAMPER!!!

No Name   (Somewhere in United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-06-19 03:18:41
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Betty and Mike Sanders
Email Address:
Betty Sanders
Cincinnati Craigslist.
This was was written back to me after i asked why the boat was being sold so cheap. Hello,
My name is Lauren Neil, I'm emailing you regarding the 2002 Bass Tracker Pro Team 165 that I have for sale. The boat is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no dings, special marks whatsoever, never been involved in any accidents. It has a 40HP Mercury engine, trolling motor, depth finder, aerators, no cracks on the seats, carpet has normal wear, both batteries are good, tire are safe. Everything looks and works perfect. It has a clear title with no loans or liens on it. I'm selling the boat because my 21's years old son died 2 months ago in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and his fiancee coming to our home at his little brother birthday. It was his boat and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it as soon as possible. The price that I'm asking is $1,950.00 Just let me know if you are still interested and where are you located .
Thank you, Lauren and Michael Neil
Features: Hull Material: Aluminum Length (feet): 16 POWER TILT OIL INJECTED 2-STROKE TRAILSTAR TRAILER

No Name   (Williamstown, KY, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-06-04 15:36:47
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
laurenxneil@gmail.com
Email Address:
Laurenxneil@gmail.com
I have been looking for a jet ski for a while, came across the ad for a jet ski and responded...these are the responses I received from my inquiry and when I received the last email, I googled the address that pulled up these reports. I have already flagged the craigslist ad... it's sad that people use a story such as the one they used to try and rip people off.... listed below are the email responses i received. Hopefully they don't rip anyone off.
Hello,
My name is Maria Collins, I'm emailing you regarding the 2003 Sea Doo GTX 4-TEC that I have for sale. The jet ski is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no dings, special marks whatsoever, never been involved in any accidents. It has less than 20 hrs use, includes Trailer, has all Seadoo scheduled maintenance done and it's all original factory Seadoo, digital info gauge speed, depth compass, 3 stroke engine, closed loop colling system, no sun damage, always stored indoor, everything looks and works perfect. It has a clear title with no loans or liens on it. I'm selling the jet ski because my 21's years old son died 2 months ago in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and his fiancee coming to our home at his little brother birthday. It was his jet ski and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it as soon as possible. The price that I'm asking is $2,300.00 Just let me know if you are still interested and where are you located . Thank you, Maria and Steven Collins
Hello again, Please let me explain to you the process of this transaction and you can decide if you want to proceed or not. As I told you in my first email, I recently lose my son. I also got a new job and moved to Omaha Nebraska in order to start over. I'm in Omaha Nebraska but my presence won't be necessary because I prearranged the deal with Amazon. The jet ski is in Omaha at the shipping company, ready to be delivered. The deal includes free delivery and it will arrive at your address in 2-3 days. You will have 3 days to test it and inspect the jet ski prior to making any purchase and if by any reason you find something you don't like about it you can send it back at my expense. If you want to make this deal I need the following details from you: full name, address, and phone#. Once I have your info I will forward them to Amazon to get things started. Amazon will contact you shortly after they have the details with all the information that you need to complete this deal and you will also have proof that I am covered by them and a legitimate seller. Waiting for your email with the requested details. Regards Maria and Steven

Matthew C.   (Strafford, MO, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-05-29 03:13:57
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Maria and Steve Collins
Email Address:
mariaxcollins@gmail.com
Scam Website:
scamming people off Craigslist they moved from google checkout to "it's being fulfilled my amazon" this was for a sea doo jet ski as you can see it's the same copy and paste response that others got. below is both emails from them.
Hello,
My name is Maria Collins, I'm emailing you regarding the 2003 Sea Doo GTX 4-TEC that I have for sale. The jet ski is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no dings, special marks whatsoever, never been involved in any accidents. It has less than 20 hrs use, includes Trailer, has all Seadoo scheduled maintenance done and it's all original factory Seadoo, digital info gauge speed, depth compass, 3 stroke engine, closed loop colling system, no sun damage, always stored indoor, everything looks and works perfect. It has a clear title with no loans or liens on it. I'm selling the jet ski because my 21's years old son died 2 months ago in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and his fiancee coming to our home at his little brother birthday. It was his jet ski and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it as soon as possible. The price that I'm asking is $2,300.00 Just let me know if you are still interested and where are you located .
Thank you, Maria and Steven Collins
after i said i was interested second email i got
Hello again,
Please let me explain to you the process of this transaction and you can decide if you want to proceed or not. As I told you in my first email, I recently lose my son. I also got a new job and moved to Omaha Nebraska in order to start over. I'm in Omaha Nebraska but my presence won't be necessary because I prearranged the deal with Amazon. The jet ski is in Omaha at the shipping company, ready to be delivered. The deal includes free delivery and it will arrive at your address in 2-3 days. You will have 3 days to test it and inspect the jet ski prior to making any purchase and if by any reason you find something you don't like about it you can send it back at my expense. If you want to make this deal I need the following details from you: full name, address, and phone#. Once I have your info I will forward them to Amazon to get things started. Amazon will contact you shortly after they have the details with all the information that you need to complete this deal and you will also have proof that I am covered by them and a legitimate seller. Waiting for your email with the requested details.
Regards Maria and Steven

No Name   (Sterling Heights, MI, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-05-29 02:54:45
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
maria and steven seadoo scam
Email Address:
mariaxcollins@gmail.com
I am looking to buy a small boat, saw a great ad with no phone on craigslist. sent an email request for more info and I received the following email which i have found to be a scam. Others have reported the exact same story but for different products and different seller names.
My name is Cristina Olgaro, I'm emailing you regarding the 1999 Bayliner Trophy Walkaround that I have for sale. The jet boat is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no dings, special marks whatsoever, never been involved in any accidents. The interior looks great (smoke-free). It has Mercury Optimax Bluewater series with new plugs,water pump and shift cables,,very good condition cuddy cabin, can sleep two maybe three,raymarine hd ds500x color fishfinder, and standard horizon chartplotter with offshore chip kenwood stereo with pioneer speakers,bimini top, anchor with 200 ft rope. Tires are excellent. It has a clear title with no loans or liens on it. I'm selling the boat because my 21's years old son died 2 months ago in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and his fiancee coming to our home at his little brother birthday. It was his boat and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it as soon as possible. The price that I'm asking is $2,200.00 Just let me know if you are still interested and where are you located .
Thank you, Cristina and Michael Olgaro

adicembrino   (Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-05-29 02:25:11
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Cristina Olgaro
Email Address:
cristinaolgaro@gmail.com
here it is again i had this two days in a row today betty and yesterday maria both with same story two different boats
Hello,
My name is Beatrice Sanders, I'm emailing you regarding the 2001 Eclipse 205 Jet Skier that I have for sale. The jet boat is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no dings, special marks whatsoever, never been involved in any accidents. The interior looks great (smoke-free). It has less than 22 hrs use, Chevrolet 383 V8 engine 400 HP, includes a trailer also. Tires are excellent. It has a clear title with no loans or liens on it. I'm selling the boat because my 21's years old son died 2 months ago in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and his fiancee coming to our home at his little brother birthday. It was his boat and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it as soon as possible. The price that I'm asking is $2,100.00 Just let me know if you are still interested and where are you located .
Thank you, Betty and Michael Sanders
Details:
Length (feet): 20.5 Beam (feet): 6.8 Ft./lbs. of torque 400 MI Thunder Exhaust White Veria Gauges

Ryan   (Chicago, IL, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-05-25 15:42:32
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
betty sanders also maria collins
Email Address:
bettysanders08@gmail.com
Scam Website:
Now it's Linda Dalton trying to rip us off with tears for her dead son. See this load of garbage to get us to send money.
Hello,
My name is Linda Dalton, I am emailing you regarding the Yamaha C7 - 7' 4" Grand Piano that I have for sale. The piano is in perfect condition , with no need for additional repairs, no scratches, dings, special marks whatsoeve, ready to be signed and notarized on your name … I’m selling my son’s piano , who died in Iraq two months ago and I want to get rid of it asap because the sight of it makes me think of him often and often and the pain is too great . Put yourself in my shoes and you’ll do the same (selling the piano of your dead son, no offence) !!! As you probably noticed , the final price that i want for this pano is $2300 if you will buy it today or tomorrow .
Let me know where are you located.

Joe   (Somewhere in United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-05-17 17:20:06
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Joe
Email Address:
jfwilder2@gmail.com
Scam Website:
Here's the email I just received regarding a craiglist listing on the same Yamaha C3. An earlier listing had the same picture but contained the laurenxneil@gmail.com email address. I googled the address and got here. Same scam, different name and story.
Hello,
My name is Beatrice Sanders, I'm emailing you regarding the Yamaha C3 Grand Piano that I have for sale. It looks exactly as pictured, it has no humidity exposure, there are no scratches or dings on the piano, over the years, the instrument has been gently played, very well cared for and tuned regularly. The instrument measures 6' and it was purchased new from a local Yamaha piano dealer in the early 1980s. The standard piano bench shown in the photo is included, the bench accommodates two people side by side. I'm selling the instrument because my 21's years old son died 2 months ago in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and his fiancee. It was his piano and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it as soon as possible. The price that I'm asking is $2,300.00. Just let me know if you are still interested and where are you located.
Thank you, Beatrice

Anonymous   (Philadelphia, PA, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-02-02 02:34:15
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Betty or Beatrice Sanders
Email Address:
bettysanders08@gmail.com
Scam Website:
Same as the below - suspiciously low price on Yamaha GC-1. email #1: "Thank you for your interest in buying our piano. It looks exactly as pictured, over the years, this piano has been gently played, very well cared for and tuned regularly. As I`m pregnant and in about a month I will give birth to a beautiful little girl, me and my husband have decided to sell some of our stuff to get some money to rent a bigger apartment. We are selling it for only $2,400 because that's the amount we need to pay the loan we already contracted to get the apartment(we need more room for the little one) and hope to get the money in a few days so we are trying to pull up a quick sale. I need a fast transaction, and I can`t afford to waste time on advertising the piano at the true value. If you have any more questions please don`t hesitate to reply. Thank you, Leslie & Mike Streets Information 2005 Yamaha GC1 Conservatory BabyGrand Piano Mark III Disklavier with all the bells and whistles Size: 5FT 3 INCHES;" email #2: "Right now we are in Helena, MT because my husband was moved here with the job and we already found an apartment here. The piano is here in at the shipping company sealed and ready to ship it. The delivery process is payed by us and we want to finish this deal through Google Checkout because they are a big company and we can both be protected and insured. You will receive the instrument in 1-2 days and you will get the chance to inspect it 3 days, play it and everything you want. During that 3 days testing period I will not be getting any money. If by any reason the piano is not as described or if you find any problems with it, I will arrange to ship it back on my cost. Google will hold the funds until the inspection period is over and you decide if you're going to buy it or not. This way you're not going to pay for something you haven't seen and with the inspection period you can make sure it's as described. If you're interested to purchase just email me with your full name, shipping address and your phone number, so I can notify Google that you are selected as my buyer and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure."

Jason   (Folsom, CA, United States) Added the following extra information on :2012-01-12 21:44:17
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Leslie and Mike Streets
Email Address:
lesliekstreets@gmail.com
Scam Website:
Here is the latest email - saw a recent add for the $2500 Yamaha C3 in the DC Craiglist. Here is the sob story they gave by email:
Thank you for your interest in buying our piano. It looks exactly as pictured, over the years, this piano has been gently played, very well cared for and tuned regularly. The standard piano bench shown in the photo is included, the bench accommodates two people side by side. As I`m pregnant and in about a month I will give birth to a beautiful little girl, me and my husband have decided to sell some of our stuff to get some money to rent a bigger apartment. We are selling it for only $2,500 because that's the amount we need to pay the loan we already contracted to get the apartment(we need more room for the little one) and hope to get the money in a few days so we are trying to pull up a quick sale. I need a fast transaction, and I can`t afford to waste time on advertising the piano at the true value. If you have any more questions please don`t hesitate to reply.
Thank you, Lauren & Mike Neilson
Yamaha Grand Piano Model C 3 Conservatory series Satin Ebony finish Original owner Pristine condition Piano Type: Grand 6 ft.

Mike   (Somewhere in United States) Added the following extra information on :2011-12-22 14:44:11
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Lauren & Mike Nielson
Email Address:
laurenxneil@gmail.com
Scam Website:
Thank you the your report. I had the same case from Lauren through Craiglist piano ads. BEWARE when buying or selling in craiglist!

No Name   (San Jose, CA, United States) Added the following extra information on :2011-11-17 04:07:14
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Lauren & Mike Neilson
Email Address:
laurenxneil@gmail.com
Than you for your reporting. I had same case with Lauren through Carslist. I was not clear and then foun your report. You save my family. I can believe it still. She (Lauren)was near Philly and moved to Helen MT suddenly and then want to pay through google checking. Thank you again. I gave my name, adress, phone number. i do not know what should I do to protect my information.

No Name   (Detroit, MI, United States) Added the following extra information on :2011-11-16 10:43:22
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
laurenxneil@gmail.com
Email Address:
laurenxneil@gmail.com
Scam Website:

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