Last month, my husband bought a new vehicle. We decided to sell the truck he had been driving on a daily basis as well as his beloved 1980 Jeep CJ5 Renegade, which he restored and has cared for more than 30 years.

We posted ads on both letgo and Craigs-list, listing the basic info - make, model, year and asking price.

That same day, we received a response of interest for the Jeep. This person wanted to purchase the vehicle - sight unseen - at full price. Since he lived on the West Coast, he said, he would need to hire a company to pick up the Jeep and deliver it to him. He said he would send a check in an amount that included both the cost of the vehicle and the transportation fee. My husband would simply need to deposit the check and give the driver his cut.

Anything seem suspicious?

A quick Internet search showed the address this prospective buyer used was, in fact, legitimate. Seven people lived there - but his name was not listed as one of them.

Further research revealed the details of this scam.

It works like this, according to the National Consumers League: “When the check arrives, the seller is instructed to deposit it and wire the overage to the ‘shipper.’ When this is done and the wire transfer picked up, the ‘buyer’ breaks contact, and the seller is left on the hook to their bank for the fraudulent check and the missing funds.”

My husband, a down-to-earth guy who likes to handle business with a simple handshake, desperately wanted to believe this was not that scam. The buyer appeared to see the value of his Jeep, he said, so he told him he could only accept the money for the vehicle and nothing extra for the driver. He waited for what he hoped would be a positive response.

Instead, contact was broken, and scam suspicion confirmed.

Discouraged, we continued to wait for another prospective buyer - an honest one.

In the meantime, we were notified someone was interested in the truck that was listed. This person told my husband he would pay full price - again, sight unseen - but would need to see a vehicle history report to ensure the truck was not involved in any accidents. The prospective buyer gave my husband the web address to get the report. It would cost less than $25, he said, adding he would complete the deal as soon as he had that document.

Another quick Internet search showed this was yet another scam.

According to ABCNews.com, it works like this: “Typically, the website you are directed to ends in ‘vin,’ which makes it seem like it has to do with your car’s vehicle identification number, or VIN.

“It could be a ruse to get your personal information, including your credit card account number,” which the seller would have used to purchase the history report.

How disheartening to witness the dishonesty of people. When did lying and deceit become so commonplace that pages upon pages of scam alerts could be found with just a few key words (overpayment, vehicle history report) entered in a search bar? Is it really so hard to believe that honesty is truly the best policy?

I suppose future listings of items we sell will need to also include this disclaimer: You must see the item we are selling because it’s important we witness the love of the item in your eyes. We expect and welcome a negotiation of cost. We will not take extra money. And under no circumstance will we accept our full asking price.

By the way, a very nice gentleman purchased the truck last week. In a respectable - some might even say old-fashioned - manner, he looked it over and made a fair offer. He and my husband agreed on a price and sealed the deal with a handshake.

Kelly Lutterschmidt

editor

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press