"Jim Burns" wrote in message
...
http://www.used-car-advisor.com/car-buyer-scam.htm

Another more deadly twist on this happened to a customer at our local
bank.
In addition to sending the "excess funds" to the scammer, the seller was
talked into signing the title and mailing it to the scammer so he could
have
his "associate insure the car while it was in storage at the original
owners
location as the car would be picked up at a later date". Then the scammer
used the car title to obtain a title loan from a title loan company which
he
defaulted on, turning the title of the car over to the bank for
repossession. The bank would then have to collect the car from "storage"
at
the original owners location.

The owner lost the car plus the excess money that she sent the scammer.
Since then this scam has been listed on the websites of several states
attorneys general.

Jim

Interestingly enough, as common as this scam is, and as easy to track,
there's but a handful of prosecutions each year in the US.