Everyone knows the phrase "caveat emptor," the Latin warning for buyer beware. After all, it's easy to imagine how one could get scammed handing over money for a bogus product or service.

But what about "caveat venditor," or seller beware? Beyond warning that people are responsible for whatever they market, the phrase also can mean that receiving money in a transaction - just like forking it over - is no safe bet, either.

In fact, if the buyer of my used car hadn't been so comically inept, I might have learned this the hard way.

Fortunately, the clues came early and often. I took my chances and ignored the first one when he wanted to text directly and bypass the firewall most online marketplaces set up to safeguard users' contact info.

But I had to laugh when his very first text then quizzed me about the car's condition because, as he put it, "there must be a certain level of trust in these transactions."

After establishing that we were both honest people, he was ready to deal - sight unseen, which was clue No. 2.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm fine with the condition listed on the ad and that I'm ready to buy it," he wrote, explaining that he was too busy to see it because he had "other properties to move."

Then he apparently confused me with a funeral home he also must have been trying to scam.

"I would love to attend the viewing," he said, "but due to my work schedule, that may not be possible."

Who buys a used car - even a dead one - without a "viewing"? And at the asking price?

Nevertheless, the check arrived in the mail, just as he promised. After all, trust is everything.

It included an extra US$1,600 to pay the "hauler" who would pick up the car, and even an extra US$100 for "holding the vehicle."

But again, he was having doubts.

"Kindly let me know if I can trust you on this? Hope to hear from you soon."

I was starting to get offended. Maybe if I had told him I was a journalist, it would have eased his mind.

The final clue came when the "cashiers check" drawn on a Florida bank included the name of a Sunshine State construction company instead of some entity that might plausibly want to buy a vehicle sight unseen, like maybe Honest Joe's Used Cars.

Instead of trying to deposit it with a teller, I sat down with one of the bankers behind the glass walls, who was immediately suspicious and called someone at the Florida bank to confirm what I knew all along.

"The check would not be good," said Brian Moody, executive editor of Autotrader, one of the large online marketplaces for vehicle sales, describing how such scams usually work.

"The check gets canceled after they have the car," he said, explaining such schemes typically succeed only if the car actually gets turned over.

In this case, however, I suspect I would have been asked to send the extra money to the supposed "hauler," if things had gotten that far.

Autotrader and other websites are full of advice to protect users. For those looking to do business safely, the No. 1 rule, Moody said, is make sure you know the person you're dealing with, including a name, phone number and address if possible. You can even Google them.

"You want to make sure anyone who's a prospective buyer is a real person," he said.

And meet them in a public place, he added, preferably bringing someone with you.

"Don't just have somebody come over to your house," Moody advised.

He also suggested setting up an escrow account with your bank or one of the online escrow services - though you have to check their authenticity, too - to handle any transaction.

If not, and the person is a legitimate buyer, you might want to accompany them to the bank and watch them get the cashier's check to make absolutely sure it's genuine. That's what I did when I found a real buyer.

As for my scammer, after being assured that that I had taken his check to the bank, he got so excited that his grammar began to erode - either that, or it was a tag-team operation.

"Send me the deposit slip to confirm the available balance so that the hauler we proceed to come tomorrow," he stammered by text.

The next day, he reminded me that "your immediately response is needed."

On the third day we were back to the trust issue, as delirium set in: "Are you trying to run with my found." Later, in one final bid to squeeze bank account info from me: "I got a notification from my bank this morning that the check has cleared and some of the funds is available. Kindly confirm from your mobile banking app and let me know so I can notify hauler for vehicle inspection soon. Thanks."

At least he was still polite.

And then my pen pal stopped texting. I miss him; but though I'm not out any money, I also miss the week I'll never get back while waiting to see if this could possibly be legit.

Fortunately, though - unlike some victims - all I ended up losing was time.

 - TNS