Yeah,you were getting set up for a scam. I am not sure,but I THINK the idea behind this type of scam is to get you name,address,phone number,and bank account number,and then use that info to apply for credit cards.

I have bought a LOT of stuff online,and even sold a little. I have also turned down sales that just didn't sound "right". I don't take any sort of payment any,more other than cash,PayPal,or a USPS money order.

PayPal acts as a intermediary between you and the other person. You never get to see their bank account or credit card number,and they never get to see yours. Even when somebody says they are coming to pick up or sending somebody to pick up a part or parts car and will pay me in cash,I still insist on a PayPal deposit. That tells me they are serious.

I wrote USPS Money Order (or orders) ,and that is exactly what I meant. Not a money order you get at the local convenience store. The reason for this is if somebody sends you a counterfeit one,they just committed federal mail fraud,which is a federal felony. The post office will come down on them like a ton of bricks no matter how long it takes or how much it costs them. Nobody in their right mind wants the power of the US Government coming after them. You ain't going to get that with a stop and rob money order

The good news is most of these guys are obvious. Chances are they are mailing out hundreds or even thousands of these emails every day,so they really don't have the time to fine tune them for each item for sale. Face it,when you have a parts car for sale for $350 and some guy tells you he is going to send a crew around to pick it up and ship it to him in Europe it ain't too hard to figure out there is something wrong with that one. Hell,most of the emails don't even mention things like "Youir 46 Ford coupe". They just say stuff like "your car". THAT's why they don't ask questions. Chances are they don't know enough about cars to even ask a question.

BTW,this has already been mentioned once by another poster,and it needs to be mentioned again. DO NOT TAKE A CERTIFIED BANK CHECK FROM SOMEBODY YOU DON'T KNOW! As the other poster said,it may take a couple of weeks for it to bounce,but once it does the bank where you cashed it that said it was good suddenly want you to pay them back the money and threatening to take you to court for fraud. There is no way they should be able to get away with this,but they do. After all,THEY are a bank and are supposed to be able to check for fraudulent bank drafts. Especially in this day of instant wire transfers of cash. The thing is they have the judges and courts on their side and you don't. You WILL be held responsible. You end up losing your car,plus the money you thought you had sold it for,PLUS lawyers fees and court costs.

PayPal,Cash,USPS Money order. Words to live by.

There is nothing wrong with online purchasing, either ebay, craigslist or direct, I purchase and sell most of my parts on ebay. If it were not for ebay, my car projects would never get done.
I..... as a general rule will not purchase anything on ebay if the seller does not have a paypal account. I guarantee my paypal account with a bank account and/or credit card I set up just for that purpose. I would not use a debit card if my life depended on it... I like the security of having the credit card company in my corner.

I know several people that thought they were going to get something for nothing, selling a vehicle to someone via a bank account wire transfer is just asking for trouble. One of the big scams going is to purchase an item (vehicle) via a wire transfer, the purchaser includes extra money to cover "the cost of transportation, etc" to pickup the vehicle. A request is then received to write a check back to the purchaser for the extra money. The wire transfer the purchaser used turns out to be from an off shore account which has been bounced through several off shore accounts. By the time the wire transfer actually bounces, weeks have gone by and the check you wrote to them has cleared your bank....GOOD BYE MONEY!!!!

I live by the golden rule that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch....Bill

Sell locally Cash rules. 2nd best is USPS money order.  We had a thing on the news regarding Craigslist pay pal scams.  I wouldn't touch it. 

thought i might share this with you. i have a couple cars always advertised on the net. i get an email on one of them making an offer, which is kind of strange without first asking a few questions about the car. so i email back saying sounds like a scam phone if you are interested. i get the phone call in an hour and "helmut" assures me this no scam. wants to wire tranfer funds to my account and some incidental costs to my paypal (like 30 bucks). i say i'll eat the thirty bucks but this is the part the scammer needs so they insist they have to do it that way. i think well wire transfer should be safe but during this whole conversation no real questions about the car.  stranger things have happened but like the blind man said when he walked past the fish market-- "evening ladies"--. the point being somthing smells a little fishy here. I hate to blow off a customer but can't imagine buying a 60 year old car sight unseen without asking a couple of questions about it. my suggestion to the buyer now is "just send me a regular check, if its good and when it clears send your shipper"  I am awaiting the reply. anybody had a similar experience or involved with one now? caution my friends caution.