Scammers

I've recently been looking on Craigslist for a motorcycle to ride to work during the week. Nothing special; just something that will get more than the 18 mpg that my truck is currently burning. I've been looking more specifically at Honda's in the 250cc to 500cc range. Just because I don't want to miss a deal, I've been leaving out most requirements in my searches and just putting local bikes under $2k.
One of my recent search results surprised me because a $19,000 Ducati superbike showed up for just $1,650 on the list. It was a 2007 model so I assumed that it was just a simple typo; a zero missing at the end. More of a joke than an offer I wrote the seller and said, "If you still have your Ducati and the price wasn't a typo, I'm interested".
This was the response:

This is not mine, I posted for my sister in law so please contact her for more details at this email address: (  jm88200@gmail.com )

Thank you

My immediate thought was that I should probably inform this woman that her brother in law was posting inaccurate information on her bike so I basically sent her the same email as I had sent the poster. "She" responded with the following:

Hi,

My name is Jessica, happy to see you are interested in my 2007 Ducati 1098S SUPERBIKE. Let me give you a few details about it. Really good shape, never had any problems with it, no scratches nor dents it has only 1,000 miles.The title is legally under my name, clear and free of any liens or loans. The price was reduced at  $1,650. I just finished the divorce and this bike was a gift from my husband so I`m trying to get rid of it as soon as possible (that`s why I`m selling it so cheap). 
If you have any other questions, or need more info and photos, please feel free to ask.
Sincerely,
Jessica Medina

Awesome! Divorce bike. Their loss is my gain. I think about it for a few minutes and shot Jillian a text to discuss the idea of buying it and selling it for more. The profit could go toward our honeymoon and I might have a little extra to buy a smaller bike. Then it hits me. Why would this woman's, ex husband's brother be listing a bike his brother lost in a divorce? It seemed like a good idea to do my own social media background check. I copy her name from the email and make the rounds. No local Facebook, twitter, Google + or LinkedIn accounts. Strike one.
To double check, I googled the email address itself. It appeared that she had been pretty lucky in the divorce because she was also selling three other vehicles in separate states throughout the country; including a mini Cooper in Alaska. Strike two. Just for good measure, I send a response email asking if I can get a copy of the VIN and the best time to come view it... And got a response that should surprise no one:

Hi again,

As I told you in my first email, I recently got divorced. I got a new job and moved to Omaha Nebraska for a new start. The bike is already at the shipping company in Omaha sealed and ready for the shipping. My presence won't be necessary because I prearranged the deal with Amazon Payments. The deal includes free delivery and it will arrive at your address in 3 days. You will have 5 days to try out prior to making any purchase and if by any reason you find something you don't like about it you can send it back at my expense.
If you are interested in knowing more info about how it works, I can ask Amazon Payments to send you an email with more information on how to purchase it. Amazon Payments will contact you shortly after they have the details with all the information that you need to complete this deal and you will also have proof that I am covered by them and a legitimate seller. If you would like to receive the email from Amazon Payments with all the transaction information please reply with your full name full address and phone # and they will contact you right away.

Best Regards,
Jessica Medina

Strike three. My response of, "no thanks", was probably too kind.

I guess I can't blame the truly gullible for falling for these scams because I was sucked in farther than I should have, but come on. At the minimum, the thought of such a huge pain in the ass to try out the bike would have been deterrent enough.
Anyway. It was an interesting experience and a reminder that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.