I wanted to make you aware of a scam attempt that somebody tried to perpetuate on me this last week; it might be in the best interests of other NAMGBR members to make this known.
I currently have a “wanted” ad listed on the NAMGBR web site page; I am looking for and wanting a 1973 MGB-GT that is/was originally painted in Black Tulip. I’ve had this ad running for a few months now; in fact, it’s due to expire soon.
Last week I received an e-mail from somebody named Aaron claiming to have this exact car in excellent condition for sale. Something about his wording seemed odd (a bit of broken English), so I requested he send me photos of the car and a description before I started anything. The next day I got what I wanted, but it was a picture of him (?) standing next to a purple Roadster. Since I already own a ’73 Black Tulip Roadster and that is why I want the GT, I explained that to him and said thanks but no thanks. I figured the guy didn’t know what a GT was, end of that.
Yesterday he sent me another e-mail. This one contained 8 photos, and he started off by apologizing that he had sent the wrong photo, that he too owned one of each (something I found a bit suspicious). He went on to give lots of details about the car; how it had been his brother’s before he died, always garaged, etc. etc. The first photo was indeed a chrome bumpered GT in Black Tulip, and the other seven were close ups of the interior, engine bay, trunk, etc.
But something was tugging at the back of my mind; got my alert level on high. I looked closer at the pictures, and I could see that the close up’s of the engine bay and trunk area showed a car that was originally yellow and repainted red. Red? Not purple? Then it hit me, where I had seen this car before: it is currently being offered on E-bay, I had seen it listed there a few days ago. Sure enough, I went to the MGB listings on E-bay and there it was, a 1973 MGB-GT in Blaze Red. This scammer “Aaron” had copied the pictures of the interior and such and passed them off as his. He even copied the auction description word for word, including the part about the car being painted Blaze Red (dummy). All he did different was find a photo somewhere of a Black Tulip GT and slip that in there as the bait.
Since the NAMGBR web page is open to everyone and not a “member only” site, it’s possible he might try to perpetuate the same scam on another member who has a wanted ad posted. It’s only the fact that I check the E-bay listings every few days that saved me; somebody else might not be so diligent (OK…obsessed). I hope by letting you and others know about this experience keeps a fellow member from being scammed.
Brandon Fox
Tualatin, OR.
NAMGBR member ID #18-7090