I'm just the worst...

So, I'm getting rid of one of my hoopty vehicles and posted it up for sale. I've received two texts from people that seemed a little patterned initially, but not totally suspicious. But one is asking me for the "GOV paperworks report", and another just asked me for the VR report. I told the guy asking for the GOV paperworks report that I have no idea what that is, surmising that perhaps its something like a carfax. But after getting the second text that looked pretty much identical but a different site, I figured something was up. I'm busy, but I wanna see where this rabbit hole goes...



Our conversation goes like this:

Dingdong: is the car still available?

Me: yes

Dingdong: Any mechanical work other than the general maintenance??

Me: Yes (tell him work that has been done since I've owned it, also what few items need done).

Dingdong: Whats your availability? Are you comfortable to show it tomorrow or the day after? Where are you exactly located?

Dindong again: Where are you exactly located?

Me: [City] I can be around this afternoon or tmrw sometime. I'll send u the address when your headed over.

Dingdong: I'll arrange a day off before leaving tonight. Can you send me the GOV papers work report??

Me: GOV papers whut huh? I'm not sure we r taking about the same thing...

Dingdong: www.goautovin .com is the link where you can get the report. Oh, forget to ask your name? i'm Alan

Me: I have no idea what that is. Guessing it's a Carfax type deal... The vin is listed so u r welcome to pull the report if you would like. It's a 20 year old car with a couple owners that runs well.

Dingdong: goautovin has more option and detailed thing from Carfax report that's why i need to see This report.

Me: Like I said, u r welcome to pull the report. The VIN is posted.

Dingdong: Sorry but its not my vehicle to be purchasing a report for. You are selling it or else i would do it as i always did whenever i post my vehicle for sell online. I didn't haggle or negotiate nor do i need too. Just need to see a goautovin report before i drag a friend with me and take a day off my work...

Me: Hey man, I’m really not trying to be a jerk but I don’t appreciate having you demand that I provide a report for you that I’ve never heard of. I fixed and flipped cars to pay for college years ago and was never once asked to provide even a carfax. i understand the risk of traveling to purchase a used car with only a few pictures to go off of; I drive 8 hours round trip last year to buy a vehicle that turned out to be a total turd and walked away. But, again, it’s a 20 year old car for $3200, not a 2 year old car for $52,000. It’s not perfect and I’ve been very open with what shape it’s in and what it needs.

Dingdong: [silence]

---------------------

Two minutes later, DingDon2 from a different out of state phone number, whom we shall go Doofenshmirtz:

Doofenshmirtz: Is the car availabe?

Me: Yes.

Doofenshmirtz: Great. Any work needed?

Me: Yes (a few small things disclosed to "potential buyer")

Doofenshmirtz: Okay where are you located?? Is there any chance we can meet tomorrow??

Me: Whereabouts are you at? I have two other people coming to look at it tomorrow but as of now, tmrw sometime would be fine.

Doofenshmirtz: Okay, let's set up for Tomorrow at 2. I'll arrange a day off before leaving my shift tonight. Oh forgot to ask, can you send me the VR report??..

Me: [Hmmm.. this is looking familiar. Maybe I'll test the waters a little bit...] But you don’t know where you’re going? What I prefer real reality to virtual reality. Not sure how to find that virtual reality report…

Doofenshmirtz: www.vortexreport .com here's the link You can get the VR papers from..., I forgot to ask for your name? I'm mike.

Me: Hi Mike. Are you friends with Alan?

Doofenshmirtz: no

Me: Never heard of Vortex report. Sounds like a Volkswagen thing..

---------------

Dingdong chimes back in...

Dingdong: Look, I've sold my vehicle so i'll literally be paying someone to drive me down.. its the only reason I want to see the www.goautovin .com as we're not
talking about a small sum of money. Just want to be sure as if all is well. I'll take if off your hands and we can do the transfer simple as that..

Me: Where you driving down from? [phone area code is 743, which is only some 2200 miles away from me. Maybe more. But that doesn't mean they didn't move here recently; we've had a lot of influx latetly]

Me again: Are you friends with Mike, perhaps? [Mikes phone number says hes from Ohio. Closer, but nowhere near close...]

Dingdong: Sorry?

Me: Mike. From Ohio. He prefers VortexReport. com. Is that similar to the goautovin thingy?

Dingdong: VortexReport. com is fake site

Me: Ahh. Hard to know what sites are legit these days…

Me: People sometimes send random links to click on but I’m told they can be a viral video(?) or something. Is that the right term?

------------------

Now Doofenshmirtz has replied again...

Doofenshmirtz: I've sent you the link because I've done a couple of reports in the past never had an issue so I trust the results its much more detailed and cheap so I referred.

Me: Hmm. I think I prefer GoAutoVin that Alan recommended. Is that one legit?

--------
Dingdong is back...

Dingdong: The one I sent is an NMVTIS authorized site, I've sent you a Web for the GOV report because i did couple of reports in in the past never had an issues so i trust the results also its cheap so i referred

Me: NMVTIS?? Sounds serious. Like maybe it’s a government entity. Should I be worried I might get in trouble for something?


----------------
Doofenshmirtz replied to my inquiry about GoAutoVin...

Doofenshmirtz: this is fake bay

Me: Uh Oh? That’s no good. They offered to do the thingy cheap. it was only $500 - cheap insurance for a $90,000 vehicle. Do you think I got scammed? [I posted the car for $3200 - a 2002 trailblazer that runs great but was replaced by the Sequoia earlier this year]



-----Awaiting a response from either DingDong or Doofenshmirtz....

Second Batch


Doofenshmirtz: I am fine with the price just need to clear my concerns about vehicle don't get me wrong i screwed about my previous Vehicle that's why i am refereeing
you a particular website that's all

Me: Hmm. Well, I just spent $500 on the GovernsAppleVapor site. I’m not sure have enough to do the VortexedInfluenza one too. Would you maybe be willing to help me out with that?

Me: BTW, what sport do you Referee for?

 

Stop replying to them, sounds like a scam.

 

This is hilarious, thank you for posting. Seems to be a common scam from some quick googling.... https://www.partisanissues.com/2023/01/goautovin-com-vinsking-com-what-is-the-vin-check-scam/

I assume the way it works is the site takes your money (or steals your CC number) and provides a bogus VIN check if you're lucky. The "potential buyers" must run these websites.

 

But sometimes it's fun to poke the nest...

 

Keep replying. This is pretty entertaining.

 

100% a scam.

Side note: "Doofenshmirtz"....hahahahahaha. I'm stealing that.

 

Doofenshmirtz.. not my brainchild but I call my kids doofenshmirtz all the time. Sometimes doofenshmirtzen when they are acting collectively...

 

I seen your ad and really want the vhicle. I am out of town thou. I can pay you full asking price via my paypal amd have my cousen come pick it up.

 

Iz yor cuzin a prins? or a prisess? I wood reely lyke to meat wun wundai.

 

I’m a Nigerian Prince, send me bank account and I will deposit 1,000,000,000 without haste because I cant access my bank due to legal matter…

 

They'll also send you a check for $5000 over the asking, say it was a mistake, and then as you to send back the $5k cash...meanwhile all of that happens before the check gets returned so you're out of $5k. Ruh roh.

 

True

 

I don't think it's YOU who is the worst in this situation. Thanks for sharing though, entertaining and might even save someone a few bucks and a ton of headaches in the process.

 

Don't even deal with these dipshits. If they sound confused, they shouldn't be driving anyway.

 

If you're not the same person whose TW thread I bumped earlier today then it sounds like this is a pretty common scam.

 

At least when you post on Auto Trader, they have to reply to you on there and you can report them as scammers.

 

Last time I sold a vehicle on craigslist, within a few minutes I started getting scam texts. The whole thing is automated it seems.

It took a few weeks before I got a real person.

 

The text from the guy on the oil rig is how you know your Craigslist ad is active.

 

I would have asked him to send me the TPS report first and then where he asked to get it, send him a link to get him Rick rolled.