Motorcycle fan almost scammed on internet
8:25 p.m. Tuesday, December 2, 2008
"I'm an avid motorcycle rider, but I'm not an idiot."
Last week, Troy Long found himself with that eerie, too-good-to-be-true feeling.
Surfing the popular classified Web site craigslist.com, Long found an ad out of Joplin, Missouri for a used Harley worth $15,000, but on sale for less than five.
"If that was for sure the case, I was definitely interested in getting them the money right away...next day," Long said.
The price was so cheap, the seller said, because a woman got it from her ex-husband as part of their divorce.
Long became suspicious when the seller told him she wanted to work out the finances through e-Bay.
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"Found the exact same motorcycle listed on e-Bay through a Harley Davidson dealership in Wisconsin."
"Same mileage, same VIN number, same everything. It's just this person copied everything."
"Yep. Oh, I could have possibly paid...if they'd asked for $500 down or even $1,000 down to hold the bike, I would've done it," he said.
The scam Long found was simple enough to set up for a thief, but hard to find for a buyer.
Whoever tried getting him to send money is actually on the West Coast.
"Like I said, they have only contact me at their e-mail address. When I reversed it, it was in California," Long said.
Long hopes more people make sure they actually get what they pay for online.
"This is the wrong time of the year to be taking advantage of anybody. Not that anybody ever wants to be taken advantage of, but it's Christmas time," Long said. "Better luck next time, 'cuz you didn't get me."
And he hopes online thieves don't get anyone else.
Long exchanged more e-mails with the person who listed the motorcycle, but hasn't heard anything since last week.
The dealership in Wisconsin told him they had no idea someone copied their bike's information to use online.
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