I was selling my motorcoach on RV Trader and got an email from a scammer. He went so far as to send me a certified check for $10,000 as a down payment. I smelled a rat and told my banker that I thought the certified check and buyer were trying to con me. The banker said he would watch for the check to clear and to not do anything for about thirty days.
Within a week, of the check being deposited, the scammer called and said he had a transport company coming to look at my motorcoach and he asked me to give the transporter a check for five thousand dollars for them to pick the coach up and he would pay me back when he closed on the sale. I said not until his certified check cleared through my bank.
Well, guess what... big surprise! I told him I would call him back when his check actually cleared the bank...The check bounced and was taken back out of my account. I called the scammer back and told him to meet me at a local Starbucks to pick up the $5,000 cash.
Of course, I did not show up. I don't know if he did show or not. If he did show up... he got conned. I never got another call or email back from him.
Sold the motorcoach the next week to a real cash buyer. The legitimate buyer wire transferred the money into my bank and my bank called to let me know he had transferred the cash. Any time you feel like you are being conned, you probably are.
Trust your instincts and never turn over a vehicle, motorcycle until you have real cash in hand or a legitimate wire transfer into your bank account. Certified checks are now a pretty common document that scammers use.