‘Sometimes Being a Musician Really Helps:' Man Sells Car On Facebook. Then 2 Buyers Try to Trick Him Into Thinking a Gasket Blew
Facebook Marketplace
shared how two buyers nearly tricked him into thinking his vehicle had blown a gasket so they could purchase it at a discount. Jon Bryant (@jonrbryant) posted a TikTok on July 31 that accrued over 87,000 views.
Bryant begins his clip by thanking his background in music for helping him avoid getting scammed. He shares a peripatetic journey that begins with a woman reaching out to him on Facebook Marketplace. Bryant states that he listed his car on the popular online sales platform and was able to arrange a short-notice meetup with the intrigued buyer.
However, two men showed up instead. Despite the incongruity between the person who reached out to buy the car and who showed up, Bryant greeted them and allowed the men to check the car out.
While he was talking to one person, another was walking around the car and inspecting it. Shortly after, they asked if they could go on a test drive, and Bryant agreed. Not long into their journey, smoke began pouring out of his car's exhaust, prompting Bryant to immediately become anxious. That's because the optics of the situation positioned him to look like a shady online scammer trying to foist a problematic vehicle on a prospective buyer. However, Bryant states that the smoke plume, while embarrassing, was odd because he had never experienced any problems with his car's emissions previously.
Facebook Marketplace Con Job
Furthermore, Bryant said that he felt 'awful' because the man said he had a wife and two kids, and that they really needed a car as soon as possible. Compounding the scammer's orchestrated guilt trip was their assertion that they drove about an hour to come and meet Bryant to scope out the ride.
After seeing the smoke, they decided to pop the hood of the car to see what was wrong. Upon doing so, there was a bit of oil visible on the engine block. The buyer told Bryant that his car had a blown gasket, but that he'd give Bryant $1,000 for the car and get it immediately towed out of there.
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Not wanting to just fork over the car at that price, the TikToker decided to take it to a nearby body shop to get it checked out. The tech there stated that it certainly looked like the vehicle was in dire straits; however, they urged Bryant to get a second opinion, as they didn't specialize in motors. Following this, he drove his car to a mechanic and, while revving the engine, noticed that the aroma emitting from his car was familiar.
Metallica Concerts Save the Day
Bryant went on to state that the smoky smell wafting through the air was reminiscent of stage performances from the popular heavy metal band. 'It's the smoke that they billow out in the air to create atmosphere. I know that smell. I'm a musician; I've been around it enough times to know,' Bryant tells his viewers.
Following this, he breaks down what he believes happened during his meetup with the Facebook Marketplace buyers. The TikToker speculated that the two-man-scam operated as follows: Guy A distracted Bryant with conversation while Guy B spritzed some of the fake smoke into his car's exhaust pipe.
'Guy A distracts me, Guy B does the dirty, and I'm none the wiser—until I use my little brain here to figure out what the plan was all along,' he tells his viewers.
Bryant had his suppositions confirmed by the mechanic, who said the smoky smell was indeed not oil or coolant. Afterward, Bryant reveals that he was recording his video directly after making the con job discovery. He adds that the two men still believed they were getting his vehicle for $1,000. Despite wanting to confront the men, Bryant said the police officers he reported them to advised against this course of action.
Payback
In a follow-up
post
, Bryant said that he learned the men placed glycol inside his car, which prompted the smoky discharge. While not confronting them outright about the scam, he elected instead to string them along to think that they still had a chance at buying the car for a reduced price. The TikToker told them that he was filing an insurance claim and asked if he should bring his mother along when he does so. His goal was to waste as much of their time as possible by asking inane questions, such as whether he should wear a suit while filing the claim in person.
Ultimately, in a third and final
update
on the situation, Bryant says that he wrote the potential buyer a 'nice message' where he 'congratulated him' on almost successfully pulling off the con. As officers instructed, however, Bryant didn't confront them in person.
Motor1
has reached out to Bryant via TikTok comment for further information.
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