[Carl Folker]

Just in case anyone spots this:

http://belfast.craigslist.co.uk/bid/4852419491.html

It’s a scam. The seller has managed to get £1100 from me but we have managed to shut down 2 of his accounts and a 3rd will be shut today (all Barclays). He uses Romanian names and the address: 35 Castle Street, Ballymena (which is probably false, of course). If anyone wants to email him to ask him if it’s still available then do so and forward any bank account info he sends to http://www.actionfraud.police.uk and to Barclays fraud team at reportascam@barclays.com

Why someone would choose a Moulton to scam people is a bit odd. If anyone knows anything about the bike or the listing, which I think is a genuine listing that has been copied for the purpose of the scam.

Any information on this would be helpful. Cheers.

[Ian]

Whenever I’ve looked at Craigslist I’ve seen all sorts of things that I might be interested in at unrealistic prices. Why do you think that is? Do you know anyone in the UK who has actually ever used Craigslist to sell anything? It may be popular in the USA but I have never even heard about people considering using it, let alone been successful selling (or buying) with it here.

As usual people are seemingly willing to part with large sums of money in the expectation they are going to get a ‘bargain’. They have been falling for since Roman times (and probably before then). ‘Bargains’ certainly do exist but the chances are they are not advertised on a website that no-one you know ever uses. There is a good reason for that.

[Carl Folker]

Ian. Thanks for that. The Moulton in question, as I said, was probably a genuine listing which has been hijacked. Maybe not, but the price is about right for a Speed which needs a bit of work doing to it. Added to this, I received a mobile number, an address a bank account number and, when I asked for more photos of the bike, I got those as well, so all in all, it looked ok and there were no concerns.

I didn’t see it as a bargain at all as, by the time everything had been done, it would have had around £2000 spent on it. The problem isn’t people after a bargain, bargains do actually exist, the problems is that there are scumbags out there who steal from people.

Incidentally, there was also a Moulton GT for sale for £2300. Now considering that a new one is close to £7,000, it was probably a scam.

[Alexander Johnston]

Can’t be too careful these days whether it’s bikes, pensions, investments, computers or whatever.
Criminals who are reasonably intelligent have moved from robbing banks and post offices to internet fraud.
There’s no violence involved and they are less likely to get caught.
The amount of personal information out there on individuals which can be used for devious purposes is frightening
Craiglist seems to be a rogue’s charter.

[Ian]

While I agree that a Speed that needs work doing should not be that valuable, the amount of unmitigated dross that sells for crazy money on ebay suggests that sadly you would be quite unlikely to find something like that advertised at a sensible price at all easily these days.

I hope that you get your money back, and the fraudulent advertiser is stopped – I did have a quick look at Cragslist this morning and it does appear that they have cleaned it up since I was last on there – but you see stuff like this on ebay with monotonous regularity (often Bobbie’s old New Series!) and I have a pretty cynical attitude to traders anyway – and if I saw a ‘bargain’ would always presume the worst!

I would presume that any Moulton at all listed on Craigslist in the UK is a scam really.

[Alexander Johnston]

Carl, thanks for informing us about this and I hope it’s resolved and you get your money back.

[dcwalthall]

I think I may have just been a victim of this scam. Everything seemed very legit and I received photos as well. But after reading your post I’m seeing some similarities. I just tried to hold the bank wire but I won’t know for 3-5 days if this is possible. Sigh

[Alexander Johnston]

These bikes always seem to be located in parts of the UK which most Moultoneers would find inconvenient to visit simply to view a bike such as Inverness, the Outer Isles and Northern Ireland.
Perhaps the next DP for sale on Ebay will be located on St. Hilda.
Also one would have thought that the owners of such bikes would be members of the Moulton Bicycle Club and that their first port of call to sell the bike would be the classified list on this site.
As far as I can see Ebay is little or no better than Craiglist.

[david james]

that’s a fact!

[Author]

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