HQS Auto Shipping

Victim Location 78577

Total money lost $9,900

Type of a scam Nigerian/Foreign Money Exchange

at the end of May I contacted a woman named Caroline Larsen, for the purchase of a machine, she informed me that a company she trusted and with which she works will contact me HQS Auto Shipping, communicates with me Mr. A*** to provide me with the data for the transfer, on June 11 I made the payment and they sent a sheet with the tracking number of the machine, but as I did not arrive on Saturday June 16 as they agreed, I dialed them and I no longer they answer the purchase was to send the machine to Mexico.

Victim Location 76634

Type of a scam Other

My story is exactly the same scam reported on June 2, 2018 on a travel trailer in Missouri for sale way under priced. I saw the ad on Craigslist and contacted the woman who had lost her husband and needed money to put her daughter in college. When my bank contacted the HQS they said they needed a wire transfer to complete the deal. My bank was suspicious and was doing some checking for me. In the meantime I went in to your web site and saw the scam that was identical to mine (fake invoice). I was shocked. It was almost like I had written it. It just had a different zip code on the person being scammed.

Victim Location 61604

Type of a scam Fake Invoice/Supplier Bill

I found a vehicle on Craigslist I wished to purchase and contacted the seller. She said she was located in Kansas City, MO and wished to use HQS Auto Shipping and Escrow Service. I gave her my phone number and address and HQS sent me an invoice. I checked out their website and they look like a legitimate business.

They say you go to your bank and do a wire transfer or direct deposit to them. They secure the funds and ship the vehicle to you. You have 5 days to inspect the vehicle before the funds become available to the seller. If for any reason you do not want the vehicle, it is shipped back at the owners expense and you are refunded your money.

There were several red flags in this process:

The vehicle was listed way below NADA and KBB values.

The seller gave personal information about how her husband had just passed and she needed the money to pay for her daughter’s tuition (who tells a stranger that?)

Though the invoice looks official from the company, there were several phrases that seemed like poor writing/grammar.

E.g. “For security reasons our Financial Department keeps the validity of the wiring instructions available for 2 hours only, so please request the wiring instructions only when you are ready to go to the bank. We strongly advise you to call us and ask the wiring instructions before going to the bank, otherwise, without the wiring instructions, your bank will not be able to assist you.“

They require a wire transfer from the bank. A legitimate business typically would accept credit card transactions where the charges could be redacted if found to be fraudulent.

Victim Location 19518

Type of a scam Fake Check/Money Order

We saw an ad on craigslist for a Kubota tractor for sale $4900. text/called/emailed person as we were interested in purchasing. Responded and said some story about they were using a service to sell the tractor. We would get an invoice from this person. When I got online to check out the place of business, it is a deserted building, I called a local business across the street and they confirmed that they have been out of business for over 5 years. Only will take money wired to them, not cash or won’t let us pick up the tractor.