As some of you may know, I have my Legacy up for sale.  The internet ad appeared about a week or ten days ago, and the print edition is probably hitting mailboxes about now.  I've had the most peculiar e-mail correspondence over the plane, and wondered if anyone else has had similar experience.
   The e-mails came from a man who did not identify himself as to state or country.  The English was fractured, in an odd way, and one of the e-mails had a quickie ad from an ISP in Spanish across the bottom.  At various times he referred to himself as attending a WHO conference in the U.K., or an official about to be transferred to "western Europe."  In another e-mail he alluded to shipping the plane to Greece.  Anyway, he said he wanted to buy the plane as a birthday present for his wife (!);  He didn't want to inspect it personally, and declined to designate anyone else to do so.  He inquired in various ways about information for wire transfer payment.  Later, he tried to outline some sort of payment scheme that involved sending me an odd amount, about 60% of my asking price, then having me keep 20% and transfer the rest to some "shipping company."  The rest of the payment would come later.
   All this lacked was some reference to moving money out of Nigeria.  I can't put a finger on exactly what sort of scam was going to be involved, but it smelled really bad.  Was he just "phishing," trying to get my bank info?  Or maybe laundering money by having me pass it through to someone?
   Finally, I sent him an e-mail explaining how it was going to work:  He had to inspect the airplane and all the documents, or delegate someone to do it.  I would require full payment by cashier's check prior to signing over the airplane.  I suggested he might want to use AOPA's escrow service.  Never heard from him again.

   Today, I'm wondering if I have another one starting up.  I got an e-mail from someone with slightly fractured grammar, saying he needed a "private seller."  Can anyone think of a legitimate reason why one would need to buy an airplane from a "private seller?"  Does he mean a dumb seller?

   As a late, good friend of mine used to say, I may have been born at night, but not last night.

Jim Cameron
Boerne, TX
Legacy N132X