SCAM ALERT UPDATE

SV Hideaway all dressed up

In this latest attempt to steal, The scammers change their pitch.

Earlier scams were from one person, always out of state, and unable to see the HideAway but willing to make the purchase for a friend who lives near me.  The latest is an appeal to your softer side with health and work issues that prevents calling or actually seeing the the product. 

 There is no mention of the item they wish to "purchase".    And I see the bribe to remove the listing has increased from $100 to $500.  Inflation, I suppose.

This latest rendition leaves out the rather sticky "mover" whom I am supposed to pay with money supplied by either David or Lynda using my personal check.  (Ain't gonna happen, Bub!)  

These letters are templates.

The initial email was from "Lynda", but the response was from her good friend and accomplice, "David"

I've bolded the tells.

Thanks for your response. The first email was sent by my friend that helped me to make an inquiry since I am new to purchasing things online. Please note that I suffer from hearing loss so I primarily communicate via email and I will greatly appreciate your understanding of that.

Sadly, I am unable to meet with you before purchase because I work really long weeks, but I am fine with the price and condition as shown on the ad. I will issue you a check and arrange pickup after you receive the payment and it clears, so please let me know the following details as soon as possible.

Full name :

Physical Address (Only, not po box):

City, State, Zip:

Your cell Phone Number:

Deal Price:

As soon as this is provided, payment will be overnight to you through FedEx next day delivery and I will let you know the tracking number of the package. I will also add an additional $500 for keeping other buyers off till my check gets to you, also please delete the posting or mark as sold.

Thanks, and I hope we handle this in good faith while waiting to hearing from you    (?!)

If you have any doubt, just reply without providing personal information, but triple the "Deal Price" to see what happens. 

If you're Interested in purchasing

 the SV Hideaway I encourage you to check out our Sailing Hideaway YouTube channel to get a feel of how the boat sails and see the various upgrades and maintenance.     youtube.com/@SVHideAwaySailingHideAway

Please contact me if you have questions or would like to set an appointment to see the Hideaway in person. 

A Night On Moon Dog Bay

 

Dark Tropics original art by Matt M Maloy

The Sailing Hideaway crew had a long day of tall winds and strong waves.  In darkening waters, we needed to make port, and soon.

I recalled an old beach bar/grill just off the ICW in the back-waters of paradise on a forgotten spit of land. The recollection suggested that reaching it by sea was less perilous than navigating the neglected sand road, notorious for trapping vehicles during King Tides- effectively deterring all but the most dedicated patrons from visiting Moon Dog Spit.
Encouraged more by the tide than wind, the Hideaway glided to the maintenance deficient dock. Nudging a piling sent a dock rat scurrying, with great enthusiasm, along the old grey wood pier.
Under my sloppily dropped main and storm jib, deck work became a challenge that I sorely didn't need. I threw on a couple of springs and, side stepping a sleeping sailor whose right arm dangled off the finger pier as if shark fishing, made my way to the secret back door - the one with the “Keep Out” sign painted on it. The lock was broken. An obvious invitation. I did not resist.
The concrete block box of a building preceded building codes
And looked it. At first, the swayed roof appeared to be what you would find on an Irish cottage, but the 'thatch' was fallen palm fronds deposited by two palms planted too close to the faded yellow paint peeling building. The rest of the roof consisted of corrugated metal panels, most of which were in various stages of rusty decline with a few fasteners furtively holding them on to the rafters.
The structure hadn’t seen a paint brush in decades yet sported a variety of textures and colors, blues, orange, pink all once bright Florida Gaudy style, converted now to a mass of persistent peeling paint. Its street front consisted of a large picture window that had not been washed during this millennium. The faded sign advertised something about mooning a dog. The ominous entrance was surrounded by weathered wooden trim adjacent to haphazardly applied stucco. Loose fragments of stucco adorned the worn-out light blue courtyard floor featuring paintings of orange and green sea creatures. The uneven concrete floor shone from a puddle of viscus yellow liquid oozing from a moldy green pipe that curled around the side of the building into a pile of odorous debris. Unshielded from the sun, the patio courtyard provided a thirsty income stream for the establishment.

I pushed my shoulder

Against the grungy door, which popped open. I grabbed it to slow its speed. Spreading late afternoon sun into a dark bar is never a good idea. Glaring behind the bar the heavy-set Bar Keep wore a sullied green apron with pink flamingoes on it and a long faded discolored red muscle shirt. The kind with large holes to be inhabited by tattooed arms which real athletes might wear, but never would. Sweat beaded from his bald head spattering onto the abused wooden bar.
The Bar Keep gave an unfavorable look at my order of a large iced tea instead of my usual scotch. Neat. I’d given booze the boot a while ago, I started to explain….. He handed my iced tea wiping the sweat off the bar with what once was a white dish towel sometime in the last half century, more recently employed to clean iced tea glasses. He pointed towards the front patio to prevent a smelly, tea-drinking sailor from hanging out in his grill/bar.

A well-dressed customer…

As I walked towards the patio past a well-dressed customer sitting at a nearby table trying, unsuccessfully, to liberate his artificial silverware from the table’s cheap plastic cover with white and reddish orange squares. He’d be better off to leave them, I thought, remembering my greeting from the hairy, four footed dock hand I’d made a brief acquaintance with earlier.

I set my iced tea on the metal patio table…

The one that featured an open weaved lattice designed for spilling drinks on your pants in embarrassing places. You know the table, cheap, with chipped Fuchsia and Turquoise paint and three legs of various lengths. A bright yellow chair of similar construction and comfort leaned against the wall. An over flowing ash tray with a still burning cigarette addressed the edge of the table. I picked up the cig and took a long drag. Memories.

I didn’t mind the rejection …

I was, after all, there to conduct business with a new client. I was packing my 70D slung over my shoulder in a quick draw sling at my hip set to AV- RAW automatic high speed shooting with 256 gig extreme chip and a variable density filter. You never know who or what you will encounter in a place like this.

The iced tea didn’t last long…

I walked into the bar. At my questioning look, the Keep gestured towards the darker end of the bar to a large plastic palm tree with fronds lit with green Christmas lights, its trunk with yellow. The yellow ones were flashing. I walked down the narrow hall, devoid of substantial lighting, to find a few parts of the Head’s door attached to its frame by only the top hinge – The rest of the door was scattered on the floor, with one door chunk sticking through the wall. A disagreement on line position the most likely catalyst.

You can either clean a room or screw in a dim light bulb to hide its sins

This establishment chose the latter. The grimy walls of the Head were covered with tactless jokes, written in several languages, using a variety of writing instruments. None were engaging.

A small sink sat below a discolored mirror next to a long galvanized metal trough filled with ice cubes that screwed to the wall at an appropriate height. Two patrons attired in Yacht Club regalia stood facing the wall in animated conversation did not seem notice the trough was dripping on their boat shoes.

A much younger version of a man sat on a stool in a grey corner of the head. His garb consisted of the socially required filthy tee shirt, raggedy shorts and one flip flop. He looked like someone who did not pay close attention during high school. The Ice Trough Guard didn’t look up at my entrance, preferring instead to concentrate on his supper balancing on his lap.

My business completed, I made my way back to the faux art patio, breaking the remains of the door off its last hinge as I passed by.

I sat down, at my self-bailing table,

Stabilized by a crushed beer can and a piece of broken stucco. I relit the cig stub, a cough immediately ensued sending a smoke signal into the sky to remind me why I stopped that sin. I snubbed it out, spilling the overflowing ash tray through the open webbed lattice table on to my shorts. The darkening night my salvation from imagined new client disgrace.

My Client!

I glanced up from my crimes to find her shinning in all her bright glory! And she’d brought a friend, whom admittedly, was somewhat duller. The curse of forgetfulness left me without my tripod. I leaned against the decaying stucco wall and fired off 14 shots free hand, adjusting my variable density filter twice before they vanished like the foggy memory of a recent hurricane.

It was a good night at the Two Moon Saloon.

At the Two Moon Saloon on Moon Dog Bay Photo by Matt M Maloy

All rights reserved

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

Colorful Sailboats On Beach Desk Mat
by SailingHideAway
Imagine the feeling of being on a beach, the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. Now imagine having that feeling every time you look at your desk

Scam the Scammers!

 

See Sailing Hideaway video "Selling Hideaway Oh No!

See our ad on Boat Trader search Com Pac 23 with the above photo

As most of you know, we selling our beloved Com Pac 23, the SV Hideaway.

We’ve sailed this course six times over four decades.   It’s never easy.

It should be a straight forward process:  

Remove all the stuff you kept on board because you might need it someday.

Build a shed to store it all in for use on the next boat.  

Take care of those annoying little projects you’ve been meaning to do, but haven’t, because you’d rather go sailing.

Fix whatever needs to be fixed.  (A day sailor never uses navigation lights, but a new owner will need them.)   

Paint what needs to be painted.

Clean what needs to be cleaned. 

Do it again.

Take some photos, make a video, place the advertisements.

Answer questions, show the boat, and fill out the paperwork.

Watch the new owner tow her away, wishing you didn’t sell it.

 

Enter the Internet!   Wow! Should be much better now!

We had our first response within hours of posting a listing. They offered to purchase the boat, sight unseen, at the full price.

What a great advertisement writer I must be!

 

Enter the Scammers:

These are the actual emails we have received and how we’ve handled them.

I’ve bolded the warning signs.

 

On Tue, Jul 4, 2023 at 2:38 PM   Mary

“I'm really interested in getting the boat for someone who stays around where you are. I live in Los Angele, California. We can start by looking at the present state and condition? I would also like to know your final price? and payment options too. I will be waiting to hear back from you.”   (There are 42 photos in the ad and 200 videos on our Sailing Hideaway YouTube channel.)

Jul 8, 2023, 5:32 AM

“Am okay with the price for $9500. I will be making the payment via Cashier Check which will clear in your Bank in a day or two and once you have cash at hand. I will have a mover come over for the pick up, If you are OK with this, Do reply back with your Full Name, and Home Address, City, State & post code. Phone number too”

 

ME    I’m preparing a “BILL OF SALE FOR A VESSEL” that requires the Name & Address of the Purchaser(s). Please send me the information as soon as possible. I’ll send the form to you via email as soon as I get that information.

Once you have signed the Bill of Sale & we receive the Cashier’s Check we can arrange for date & time of pick up.

 

Mary  “Received the details for the payment. Pls consider it sold. I will facilitate the cashiers check payment to you, So a client of mine will issue the cashier's check in the name provided and will have it mailed out to you. However, the pick up & mover's fee will be included in your payment as I have other 3 properties to be moved along with what I am buying from you. As soon as your bank clears the check, you'll make the pick up money payable to my mover, movers will arrange appropriate time for pick up at your location. Is that ok?”

ME  No. Our transaction is for the boat and trailer only. I do not want to be your agent to pay the mover. So, have the cashier's check made out for the agreed price.

 I am attaching the Bill of Sale that needs the Purchaser's Signature and Address before we can set up a date & time for pickup.  Please return it as soon as possible.

Then we will sign and date it only after the $9,500.00 is available in our account. Per our bank representative, that would be approximately 9-10 business days.

Mary  Thanks for the information.

ME  You did not return the bill of sale with your contact information.    We do not have a deal.   Do not send the check.  Goodbye. 

 

Here’s another

JOSH:   Are you the owner? What’s the present condition and the final asking price 

ME  Yes good9500 

 Great, all looks lovely. I can have a check sent out for it from the office soonest as i'm currently out of town training new company recruits.(Great – more scammers!) i'm having someone coordinate the picking of my stuff at storage and can have them send someone to come pick this up on my behalf. Let me have a name and address for the check, your phone number and the final price, and please do take down the ad. The pickup will be scheduled for after you receive your funds

**** Another would “pay” us $100 to “take down the ad”.  Yet another insisted we take it down. 

 

SV Hideaway Off on a cruise

RAYMOND

Thanks for the quick response about the tent am buying from you,
any way the price is OK by me but i will like you to know that payment
will be made by check.  If this mode of payment is OK by you.Kindly
send your information which you will like to receive the payment from
the post man, so that i can instruct my secretary to issue it
immediately

Name to be on  check.....
Address where check will be received by you:.......
Phone Number's such as Mobile, Land line and Office number:....
Asking Price.........

Never mind about the pick up, it will be after you must have cleared
the payment from your Bank Account.  Await your Quick Response so that
i can arrange for the payment immediately.

  Thanks and Get back

ME I didn’t bother to respond, but really, what tent? The email is a template.

 

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE:   CHAD

Great!!! please consider it sold i am willing to pay your asking price because i need to buy it for my Dad asap, i have read through the advert ! and i'm totally satisfied with it, I'm presently out of town but I will  ask my secretary to mail out a certified bank check to you if that's okay and I will arrange for my mover to pick it  up once the check clears in your bank account.


Full Name:
Address:(NO P.O BOX because fedex don't deliver to PO BOX)
City: State: Zip:
Your cell Phone Number:
Last Asking Price:
 Boat name & model for Ref purpose

    Thanks and I hope we handle this in good faith while waiting to hearing from you    

 

ME:  You “hope” That you handle it in good faith?

Have you noticed that at the end of your email responses there are suggested replies?

The ones for Chad were:  “Nice try.”  “No, sorry” and “I sold it”. Even the algorithm picked up the scammer!

 

ME:

Chad - Nice try -- The answer is NO.   We DO NOT have a deal. 

 

 Do us all a favor: Tell the others in your office to quit responding to my ads.

Magic Tilt Trailer- Sailing Hideaway Com Pac 23

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

Looking for the Scam

Maybe, since we’ve bought and sold boats before, we are better informed of the process, or, maybe, we just got lucky with our skepticism.

Like most things in life, a good outcome is dependent upon doing things the right the first time.

We first realized a problem when the buyer did not seem to be interested in the required documents.   Without a Bill of Sale, the boat and trailer cannot be licensed or resold.

 Even the most expensive cameras cannot see as well as the human eye. We thought it odd that a buyer would not want to inspect the boat in person or send trusted friend. The scammers appeared to be out of state.  We were concerned that once received, the boat would not be what the buyer expected.  

Concerns About the Mover.

 I required a Bill of Lading from one scammer and fortunately never heard back.    A Bill of Lading requires the mover to sign a statement that all was well with the boat when picked up. The liability for damages in shipment would be on the mover.  Agreeing to pay the mover out of the funds received would have made us partner to the scam and provided our bank information.   

SV Hideaway Vanity Faucet

Common Ground-

Each scammer used the same basic format. Buying the boat for someone else – Grand ole Dad was most popular.  None actually wrote the check. All used a “Mover” rather than a boat shipping company. None wanted to see the boat.  One scammer, Raymond, doesn’t know a tent from a sailboat. Another didn’t know the spelling of the town she lived in. All were traveling and have secretaries, or a client in one case (!) to write the check.  All had checks that includes funds for the seller to pay the mover. (Lights and sirens there!)  None of them would provide new owner names and contact information for the bill of sale. Not one of them paid attention in English class.  I’m not great a math – but this just doesn’t add up!

WHATS NEXT?

We know that a Cashier’s or Bank check is not a guarantee of secure payment.  All of the scammers expect the payment to be processed in a couple of days.   Our bank would only allow a few hundred dollars to be paid before the check cleared the out of state buyer’s bank, some 10 business days later. 

Care to guess when the “mover” would “accidently” come to pick up?  The seller could be pressured to write a personal check before the buyer’s check fully cleared.  What are the odds, do you suppose, that the cashier’s check is good?    The cost to ship a sailboat and trailer will be based on how gullible the scammer thinks you are, but certainly thousands of dollars.  

Remember, once you turn your boat over to the mover you will never see it or the mover again.  You’ll be out the full sales price plus the freight and your bank will probably want its advanced money back. 

Stay safe! 

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

White Sand Beach Desk Mat

by SailingHideAway on Zazzle

Spruce up your computer desk with a photo to make you smile.

Create your own design by adding a photo and text!