~ This new scam has surfaced on the web recently involving the sale or
purchase of vehicles over the Internet. Please excercise EXTREME
caution in Internet transactiona, particularly when selling vehicles.
Here is how the scam works:

Scammer poses as a buyer interested in a car (or boat, plane, whatever)
you have for sale over the web;

Scammer then sends a pre-authorized note or chaeque (certified) that is
made out for several thousand dollars more than the purchase price;

Scammer then requests that you cash the cheque, keep the portion of the
money that is used to buy the car ( or boat, or whatever high ticket
item) and send the cash on to a third party via money wire, Western
Union, etc. They will likely tell you it is to cover the shipping or
"transfer" costs and will be handled by the thrid party. It will
probably be in a foreign country;

You know where this is going, right? The certified check they sent you
inevitably turns out to be bogus (counterfeit), and you are of course
in the rather awkward position of being out the amount of money that
you sent to the third party, and the latest victim of the scam.
Here is an email from a near-victim:

Hello there !

I'm the one with the XXXXXX on you're site !!

Someone (from a diff. site) has been emailing me about the car ...said
the best he can do is offer $12,000 BUT will send me a cheque for
$24,700 US from a US bank and could I send the diff. to the UK via
Western Union to handle shipping and then they will pick up the car
anyway I would like you to know his so-called name and addy for future
ref. ............

Cheers,

Ron