I'm searching boattrader.com earlier this week and come across a funky little ad at the end of the listings for Z520's. Here's the ad:

2008 Ranger Z520, 2008 Ranger Z520 w/ Yamaha 250 Series 2. Yamaha warranty thru 2014!!! You will not find another 2008 any cheaper with these options: Humminbird 1197c, Humminbird 967c, HotFoot, 8" Bob's Hydraulic Jackplate w/LED readout at the dash, "Blinker" style trim tabs/jackplate tabs at steering wheel, tilt steering wheel, padded front deck, MinnKota 101 36v trolling motor w/lift assist, MinnKota 15 amp 4 bank onboard charger, 4 AGM batteries, livewell pumpouts, LED lighted storage compartments and livewells, KeelGuard, and much more!!!Never had any damage to hull or engine , never been sunk !! Perfect condition . Thanks for looking!! $29000, 6505873846

So I'm interested especially at $29k, but scratching my head a little over the "never been sunk!!" comment. I call the phone number and its disconnected. On a whim, I send an email to the seller via boattrader.com's form.

Two days later I get 18 photos of the boat along with a short message

Rob, the boat is in perfect condition , never had any damage to hull or engines .Here are some additional photos . Please let me know if you are interested and we could make a deal .

The photos look good, the boat is white with gray pinstripes and all the accessories listed are shown in the photos. The photos don't look like Foster City, they look like North Carolina or something. The boat is shown coming out of a carport on a huge grassy field with a long driveway. The email is sent at 3:20am.

So I email back and ask to set up a test drive this weekend. I suggest going and launching out of Big Break. Still slightly skeptical but figuring maybe this is some rich guy wanting to get rid of a boat or something. Last night, I get this email around midnight:

Rob , I am currently at my mother's place in Melbourne and i will stay here for a while ( my father just passed recently and i can't leave my mother alone right now ). If you are serious about getting my boat and you have the funds available I can send you the boat to test and inspect for 5 days with no problem ( i will pay for the shipping fees ) .I have a friend who works for DAS shipping and he can offer me a great deal with them .The boat is already setup to go , i just have to give them the address where to deliver the boat.In case you don't want it after the 5 days of tests and inspections ( which I'm sure it will not happen because is a gorgeous boat and works just perfect ) you will have to send it back ( also on my expense ) there is no problem with that and i will not get mad at you or something like with that .Let me know if you would like to proceed with this and i will start making the arrangements with DAS.

P.S Title , keys , bill of sale , user manual and all the other documents are with the shipping company which will guide you and help you register the boat under your name if you decide to purchase it .They have my signature on the documents and are well instructed what to do .

Regards
Jan

At this point the red flags have multiplied past the point of reason. Nico looked at it a little closer and found that the same person Jan Paskal (fake name for sure) has done this before, see:

http://www.2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?p=2200353

More from Craigslist on this topic:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/about/scams

SCAM!