2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH for sale - Not Really

[Jim]

I saw an ad on Facebook for a 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH. Seller was asking $25K, reduced from $29K. Of course, that kind of pricing is just too good to be true. So I clicked on the FB add and it took me to an eBay advertisement. It looked legit, and the "buy it now" price was indeed $25K.

I emailed the seller and told him I was interested in purchasing his RV and how did he want payment? Got an email back saying this was his pride and joy and he was selling it, delivery included, because he had throat cancer and his wife had left him and he just wanted it gone. That was the reason for the reduced price.

Included in the email was a link to the eBay listing, which I clicked on, and it took me to his listing and indeed it was listed at $25K. There was a link to a carfax report, and other good stuff that verified his listing was true. He also claimed to be a "verified" seller on eBay and on the fake eBay page he was linked to, it showed he had an extensive list of satisfied customers, dating back several years.

So I clicked on the "buy it now" button and got an email that said I won the bid and instructions on how to pay would be along soon.

The instructions on how to buy the rig were clear, concise and made sense. All except for the fact that the eBay account was on the web address of http//ebay-com, not http//ebay.com.

The instructions on how to send the payment came quickly enough, in an email from eBay, and it even had a phone number of their Vehicle Protection Plan, that guaranteed me I would be reimbursed if the deal was not valid. I called the number, and a fellow answered (from another country) and he explained how I would be guaranteed delivery and if I didn't like the vehicle, it would be returned to the seller and I would receive a full refund. (See attachment)

This scam was above any that I've ever seen before, and I know that many people have probably lost a lot of money to it.

For kicks-N-Grins, here is the email chain between myself and the clown that was trying to scam me. I have moved the individual emails from top to bottom so that it will read correctly. But aside from that, this is exactly the messages that went back and forth between us

___________________________________________________________________________________

On Wed, Jun 1, 2022 at 9:19 AM Jim Eliason <[email protected]> wrote:

I’m interested in purchasing your RV. Where can we see it and how do you want payment?

Jim Eliason

___________________________________________________________________________________


From: James Ramsell <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 12:58 PM
To: Jim Eliason <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH

Hello & thank you for your interest in my coach.
This bus is my pride and joy and it's for sale for $25,000 (shipping from my location Kansas City, KS included in the price). I'm the original owner, title in hand with no lienholder on it. There are no signs of leaks that I'm aware of, the interior is super clean with no flaws throughout, I just had the carpet redone last month. No electric problems, no rust, garage kept, 4 slide outs, Onan generator, 6 sleeping capacity. It is well equipped and in excellent shape overall, I would rate it 9.5 / 10! Has never been in an accident and needs nothing at this time. All regular maintenance has been performed on this coach and this can be seen on the carfax report and maintenance records. All tires were replaced last year, brand new tires. Very comfortable and clean, stunning in person and perfect for the family. The price includes shipping to your location and all the fees included.

I don't know where you saw my ad but it's also posted on eBay since I'm a verified member, so please check it there for more pictures + carfax report + independent inspection report
https://ebay-com-itm-2008-Tiffin-Phaeton-53016470.eb2022.in/950312395?hash=item2895:b2op0:548jdh3:kRdUoISA~QK

Now that the travel industry has started to get better, it's a good time to buy a bus. You should seriously consider mine as the price is reduced for fast sale, it really is a great deal.

Thanks,
James

___________________________________________________________________________________

On Wed, Jun 1, 2022 at 4:04 PM Jim Eliason <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello James,

Do you have a phone number that I can contact you at please?

Jim Eliason

___________________________________________________________________________________


From: James Ramsell <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 4:46 PM
To: Jim Eliason <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH

I got a notification from ebay that you bought it, thank you! At this moment the RV is reserved for you and once the payment is made, shipping will be initiated. Please confirm that the shipping address:

Jim Eliason
8291 West Old Murphy Road
Franklin, NC 28734

and if the title will be transferred under your name, is this your full legal name? eBay is asking for some documents to verify me, I will be able to send everything later today and once it's done, you will get the invoice with payment details.

Keep in touch!

___________________________________________________________________________________


On Wed, Jun 1, 2022 at 4:50 PM Jim Eliason <[email protected]> wrote:

I go by Jim Eliason when I’m under cover. My actual name is Sheriff Robert L. Holland and you may ship the RV to my office at:

Macon County Sheriff's Office
Law Enforcement Center
1820 Lakeside Drive
Franklin, NC 28734

Or call me direct at (828) 349-2104.

Thank you in advance,

Robbie Holland

___________________________________________________________________________________


From: James Ramsell <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 4:53 PM
To: Jim Eliason <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH

Will do *******.

___________________________________________________________________________________
​

Interesting enough, and expected, the link to his bogus eBay account and the add, were deleted almost immediately after he realized I had busted him.

Full disclosure, I am NOT the sheriff of Macon County, but Robbie Holland is. And he's a friend of mine and I'm sure he won't mind me having an RV delivered to his office.

 

[sheridany]

 

["EZ"]

It never ends.............

 

[Neal]

They are good and getting even better. I had a phone call recently portraying as my bank, or maybe it actually was my bank, I don't know. I'm still unsure, it was that good. But they were asking for my login credentials, both ID and password. I don't think anyone ever asks for your password. When I refused to give them my password they hung up on me. My other bank account recently was sort of compromised. Someone phoned in and gave them information such as my address which I don't think that's hard to find these days. It was enough that they locked my card and it had to be replaced but no one actually got into any account nor were there fraud charges.

My fear is those that are not on top of things to figure out it's a scam, such as my 82yo mother. All I can do is help make her aware and be sure she doesn't fall for these scammers.

They are good but sometimes stupid beyond belief such as misspelling something such as 0NE instead of ONE. They seem to leave hints like it's an easter egg hunt. They are clearly marking their scam and it's up to you to figure out the puzzle such as Jim's example above. I've fallen for a scam or two in my life, it's embarrassing but it gets us all. Beware!!!

 

[Jim]

This scam was so good that they even had a link to the rig on car fax. And the car fax report showed maintenance dates, purchase date, etc.

One of the things that was a red flag for me was when I clicked on the link he sent me in his email, it took me to my eBay account and I had to log in. But I (accidently) used an old password and didn't at first catch it until I hit the Enter Key. But the site let me long in anyway, and took me to the fake listing.

Another thing that was a red flag was not all of the links on the page worked correctly, but some of them were set to take me to an actual eBay page. And when I clicked on it, eBay asked me to log in again. But it shouldn't have because I was supposedly, already logged in!

And lastly, partly down the page was a list of the last 8 things I have viewed and/or bought. And while all of it was true, the RV wasn't listed. I confirmed by going to my recently purchased link, and again, no RV.

But to be honest, not everyone would have caught all of that. So the amount of effort that went into this scam was considerable. Buyer Beware! But most importantly, if it's too good to be true, it's probably not.

Except for my RV Park, it's too good to be true, but it is!

 

[AuntieDodo]

That is scary to be honest. Your intuition was really good, I am sure most others would not be. Freaking people are awful!

I answer zero numbers I don’t know and never click on things that I’m not 100% sure if but not so sure I would have been as good as you were in this case

 

[buffingtonchris]

I saw an ad on Facebook for a 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH. Seller was asking $25K, reduced from $29K. Of course, that kind of pricing is just too good to be true. So I clicked on the FB add and it took me to an eBay advertisement. It looked legit, and the "buy it now" price was indeed $25K.

I emailed the seller and told him I was interested in purchasing his RV and how did he want payment? Got an email back saying this was his pride and joy and he was selling it, delivery included, because he had throat cancer and his wife had left him and he just wanted it gone. That was the reason for the reduced price.

Included in the email was a link to the eBay listing, which I clicked on, and it took me to his listing and indeed it was listed at $25K. There was a link to a carfax report, and other good stuff that verified his listing was true. He also claimed to be a "verified" seller on eBay and on the fake eBay page he was linked to, it showed he had an extensive list of satisfied customers, dating back several years.

So I clicked on the "buy it now" button and got an email that said I won the bid and instructions on how to pay would be along soon.

The instructions on how to buy the rig were clear, concise and made sense. All except for the fact that the eBay account was on the web address of http//ebay-com, not http//ebay.com.

The instructions on how to send the payment came quickly enough, in an email from eBay, and it even had a phone number of their Vehicle Protection Plan, that guaranteed me I would be reimbursed if the deal was not valid. I called the number, and a fellow answered (from another country) and he explained how I would be guaranteed delivery and if I didn't like the vehicle, it would be returned to the seller and I would receive a full refund. (See attachment)

This scam was above any that I've ever seen before, and I know that many people have probably lost a lot of money to it.

For kicks-N-Grins, here is the email chain between myself and the clown that was trying to scam me. I have moved the individual emails from top to bottom so that it will read correctly. But aside from that, this is exactly the messages that went back and forth between us

___________________________________________________________________________________

On Wed, Jun 1, 2022 at 9:19 AM Jim Eliason <[email protected]> wrote:

I’m interested in purchasing your RV. Where can we see it and how do you want payment?

Jim Eliason

___________________________________________________________________________________


From: James Ramsell <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 12:58 PM
To: Jim Eliason <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH

Hello & thank you for your interest in my coach.
This bus is my pride and joy and it's for sale for $25,000 (shipping from my location Kansas City, KS included in the price). I'm the original owner, title in hand with no lienholder on it. There are no signs of leaks that I'm aware of, the interior is super clean with no flaws throughout, I just had the carpet redone last month. No electric problems, no rust, garage kept, 4 slide outs, Onan generator, 6 sleeping capacity. It is well equipped and in excellent shape overall, I would rate it 9.5 / 10! Has never been in an accident and needs nothing at this time. All regular maintenance has been performed on this coach and this can be seen on the carfax report and maintenance records. All tires were replaced last year, brand new tires. Very comfortable and clean, stunning in person and perfect for the family. The price includes shipping to your location and all the fees included.

I don't know where you saw my ad but it's also posted on eBay since I'm a verified member, so please check it there for more pictures + carfax report + independent inspection report
https://ebay-com-itm-2008-Tiffin-Phaeton-53016470.eb2022.in/950312395?hash=item2895:b2op0:548jdh3:kRdUoISA~QK

Now that the travel industry has started to get better, it's a good time to buy a bus. You should seriously consider mine as the price is reduced for fast sale, it really is a great deal.

Thanks,
James

___________________________________________________________________________________

On Wed, Jun 1, 2022 at 4:04 PM Jim Eliason <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello James,

Do you have a phone number that I can contact you at please?

Jim Eliason

___________________________________________________________________________________


From: James Ramsell <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 4:46 PM
To: Jim Eliason <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH

I got a notification from ebay that you bought it, thank you! At this moment the RV is reserved for you and once the payment is made, shipping will be initiated. Please confirm that the shipping address:

Jim Eliason
8291 West Old Murphy Road
Franklin, NC 28734

and if the title will be transferred under your name, is this your full legal name? eBay is asking for some documents to verify me, I will be able to send everything later today and once it's done, you will get the invoice with payment details.

Keep in touch!

___________________________________________________________________________________


On Wed, Jun 1, 2022 at 4:50 PM Jim Eliason <[email protected]> wrote:

I go by Jim Eliason when I’m under cover. My actual name is Sheriff Robert L. Holland and you may ship the RV to my office at:

Macon County Sheriff's Office
Law Enforcement Center
1820 Lakeside Drive
Franklin, NC 28734

Or call me direct at (828) 349-2104.

Thank you in advance,

Robbie Holland

___________________________________________________________________________________


From: James Ramsell <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 4:53 PM
To: Jim Eliason <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH

Will do *******.

___________________________________________________________________________________
​

Interesting enough, and expected, the link to his bogus eBay account and the add, were deleted almost immediately after he realized I had busted him.

Full disclosure, I am NOT the sheriff of Macon County, but Robbie Holland is. And he's a friend of mine and I'm sure he won't mind me having an RV delivered to his office.

I found a similar "too good to be true" ad on FB marketplace. Different rig but word for word exactly the same description. I didn't click any links he sent me. Same email address as this poster had. In fact, I simply googled [email protected] and this forum was what came up.

2016 Winnebago Navion 24V DA511978
Inbox

Chris Buffington
Jul 7, 2022, 11:23 PM (13 hours ago)
Where is this vehicle located?

[email protected]
9:50 AM (2 hours ago)
to me

Good morning & thank you for your interest in my motorhome.
This beauty is my pride and joy and it's for sale for $18,000 (shipping from my location Tulsa, OK included in the price). I'm the original owner, title in hand with no lienholder on it. There are no signs of leaks that I'm aware of, the interior is super clean with no flaws throughout. No electric problems, no rust, garage kept, Power Retractable Slideout, Cummins Onan 3.6 KW Diesel Generator, 6 sleeping capacity, 3.0L Mercedes Diesel engine 16 MPG. It is well equipped and in excellent shape overall, I would rate it 10 / 10! It has never been in an accident and needs nothing at this time. All regular maintenance has been performed on this RV and this can be seen on the carfax report and maintenance records. All tires were replaced last year, brand new tires + brand new batteries. Very comfortable and clean, stunning in person and perfect for the family. The price includes shipping to your location and all the fees included.

I don't know where you saw my ad but it's also posted on eBay since I'm a verified member, so please check it there for more pictures + carfax report + independent inspection report

https://ebay-com-itm-2016-Winnebago-Navion-14887804.eb713.bz/7436129837?hash=item659626:ao262:548jdh3:hUNpSXMdi~OZ

Now that the travel industry has started to get better, it's a good time to buy a motorhome. Let me know if you want to buy it so I can deny the rest of the offers, there are a few people interested in buying it.

We saw the same MO on a golf cart for sale that my wife was looking at for her parents. $800 delivered from Utah to Florida, send it back if you don't like it, etc. I told her she should drop it. They go for $8000, not $800.

 

[Jim]

Facebook sucks. They fact check everything under the sun, except for the obvious scams. These clowns must be making a fortune scamming the unsuspecting.

 

[bpaikman]

If it sounds too good to be true.......

 

[bpaikman]

Facebook sucks. They fact check everything under the sun, except for the obvious scams. These clowns must be making a fortune scamming the unsuspecting.

That;s true - I no longer look at ads there, except to get ideas for my own research. Just this week I sold an ad for something that sounded great and it was only $10 but the items look like they were worth about $1. So I went to AMAZON and found the identical items for ....$4.99 for 5.