Update: The $4,000 Scat Pack Seller Messaged Me—At 2:45 in the Morning
Well, this story just became interactive.
In my last post, I looked at the TikTok account landmark75, which describes itself as “Landmark Auto” and advertises vehicles at prices and down payments that immediately raised questions—including a purported 2021 Dodge Scat Pack with 45,000 miles for $4,000 and $500 down.
Now the account has contacted me directly.
And apparently, dealership hours start at 2:45 AM.
🌙 “Hey mate”
The first message arrived at 2:45 AM:
“Hey mate”
I eventually accepted the message request and didn't exactly hide my skepticism.
I asked:
“Are you going to try to convince me you are legitimate?”
The response came at 2:47 AM:
“have no intentions of scamming you or anybody here I'm just on here to sell cars to make a living that's all.”
They then asked where I was located and which vehicle caught my attention.
Fair enough.
Except I wasn't shopping.
I was investigating.
🚩 I Asked Direct Questions. I Wanted Direct Answers.
I told the account why I was skeptical.
Their response was essentially: What makes you think I'm here to scam you? I'm here to sell cars and make a living.
But that's not really the question I need answered.
I don't need someone to tell me they're legitimate.
I need information that allows me to independently verify they're legitimate.
There's a big difference.
So I asked one of the simplest questions imaginable:
Where is the business located?
The answer:
“My car lot is based in Savannah, GA, USA and also accept shipping delivery to any door step if we both make a deal at very affordable shipping cost…”
Okay.
Savannah, Georgia.
That's a city.
It's not an address.
So I followed up with an even simpler question:
“What's the address?”
That's where the screenshots currently end.
🔎 I Tried Independently Verifying It
I also searched publicly available sources for the business information displayed on the TikTok profile.
The profile previously showed a Gmail address and a 310-area-code WhatsApp number, while the person messaging me now says the car lot is based in Savannah, Georgia.
My searches did turn up several legitimate businesses around the country using variations of the name “Landmark Auto,” but I did not find a Savannah used-car dealership in the local-business results that clearly matched this TikTok account, its displayed contact information, and the Savannah claim. Instead, search results surfaced unrelated Landmark businesses and other established Savannah used-car dealers with publicly listed street addresses. Landmark Auto Sales
That doesn't by itself prove the TikTok account is fraudulent.
But it certainly doesn't answer my question either.
One public phone-directory result also associates the 310-845 number block containing the number displayed on the TikTok profile with Culver City, California—not Savannah. Phone numbers can be retained, ported, and used remotely, so that isn't proof of anything by itself. It's simply another detail I'd want explained before sending money. Stan at Work
🚩 This Is Why “What's the Address?” Matters
If you're operating a physical car lot, an exact street address shouldn't be hard to provide.
In fact, a legitimate dealership normally wants customers to know where it is.
I should be able to independently look up that address and determine:
Does the dealership exist?
Is the business registered there?
Is it licensed to sell vehicles?
Does the business name match?
Does the phone number match?
Do the vehicles shown online actually belong to that dealership?
Can I physically inspect the car?
Can I call a publicly listed number instead of communicating only through TikTok or WhatsApp?
Those are ordinary due-diligence questions.
I'm not asking for the Coca-Cola recipe.
I'm asking where the car lot is.
🚩 The Conversation Is More Interesting Than the Sales Pitch
Something else stands out.
The account initiated this conversation with me.
They've continued responding even after I openly told them I believe the operation follows a familiar scam playbook.
That's useful.
Because every additional answer gives me something else I can potentially check independently.
If I get an address, I'll check it.
If I get a dealership name, I'll check it.
If I get a dealer-license number, I'll check it.
If I get a VIN for that $4,000 Scat Pack, I'll check it.
And if I get asked to send a deposit before I'm allowed to independently verify those things?
Well...
That'll be interesting too.
🧠 “Trust Me” Isn't Verification
This is one of the bigger lessons from this entire series.
Someone saying:
“I have no intention of scamming you.”
doesn't establish legitimacy.
Neither does:
“I'm just here to sell cars to make a living.”
Those statements might be completely sincere.
But legitimate businesses don't need customers to rely exclusively on sincerity.
They can provide independently verifiable information.
Business name.
Street address.
Dealer license.
VIN.
Title information.
Written purchase agreement.
Financing disclosures.
Independently verifiable telephone number.
That's evidence.
⏰ I'll Keep the Conversation Going
I'll keep engaging with this account as long as the conversation remains useful and safe.
Not because I plan to buy a car.
And definitely not because I'm sending a down payment.
I'm interested in seeing where the conversation goes and documenting the process.
There's another reason.
Time spent answering my questions is time not spent moving someone else quickly toward a deposit.
I can't know whether my conversation actually prevents someone else from being targeted, so I won't pretend it does.
But if keeping the conversation going gives me more information to verify—and gives readers a better look at how these interactions develop—I'm willing to keep asking questions.
And my next one is already sitting there:
What's the address?
A city isn't an address.
Let's see what comes next.
Follow the continuing story at NielFlamm.com/blog.
Lost in Translation—in the Best Possible Way
After uploading my vlog about Resident Evil 2026—which you should definitely check out—I decided to peek at the translation metrics for my website.
Honestly, I hadn’t checked the translation API in quite some time. Apparently, while I wasn’t paying attention, the internet was busy translating.
The numbers impressed me:
18 million characters translated
3 million words translated
4,000 translation requests
Italian generated the most page views by language, followed by Spanish and Vietnamese. Chinese came in last, which surprised me because China has previously been one of the top sources of traffic to my website.
Today, I added two more languages: Thai and Czech.
I added Thai because I hope to spend part of my remaining years living in Thailand. If I’m going to enjoy the beaches, food, culture, and hopefully a beachfront view, it seems only fair that Thai readers can enjoy my adventures—and occasional misadventures—in their own language.
Czech was also added because the more people who can read and watch my content, the better. My website is slowly becoming more multilingual than I am. I’m still working on English some days.
To everyone who has visited, read a blog post, watched a video, or translated my content: thank you.
These numbers may not break the internet, but they mean a great deal to me. I truly enjoy bringing this content to you and sharing the strange, funny, serious, and unexpected moments of my life.
Thank you for reading, watching, and joining me on the journey—wherever in the world you may be.
Resident Evil (2026): Bryan, Get a Clue!
I went into Resident Evil (2026) knowing almost nothing.
I had seen a few creepy trailers—including those arms coming out of the house and grabbing the door frame—and that was enough to get me into the theater.
Then my friend asked:
“Is this a remake of the movies based on the video game?”
My highly researched answer?
“I don't know.”
Afterward, I asked THE GOOGLE and learned this isn't simply a remake of the Milla Jovovich movies. There are familiar elements, including Raccoon City and the Umbrella Corporation, but this movie does its own thing.
And then there's BRYAN.
He's a medical courier. He's our hero. He's funny.
He also makes some decisions that had me wanting to yell:
“BRYAN! GET A CLUE!”
Throw in a snowstorm, a desolate city, a wandering woman, some seriously gross horror, and the consequences of people creating something they probably shouldn't have created...
And I had a pretty good time.
Did I need to know all the Resident Evil games and movies to enjoy it?
Nope.
I needed Bryan to make more thoughtful decisions.
🎬 Watch my full Resident Evil (2026) review:
From 400 to 1,500: Thank You for Being Here
About two weeks ago, I looked at my website numbers and wondered, “What happened?”
Viewership was at one of its lowest points since launching the webpage. I was seeing numbers around 400, and I couldn’t figure out what had changed.
I still don’t know.
But as of yesterday, my hits and unique views had climbed to more than 1,500, with total page views topping 1,900.
All I can say is… thank you.
It is amazing to see how far this little corner of the internet is reaching. The largest share of views is coming from China, and the statistics show visits from Iran, Pakistan, Ireland, the Philippines, Canada, the United States, Venezuela, Turkey, and many more countries.
Looking at that list, it feels like nearly the whole world is represented. I sit down to share something from my life, and somehow it travels to places I have never been, reaching people I may never have the opportunity to meet.
That is pretty incredible.
Creating this blog is a joy. It gives me a place to be creative, share my experiences, and put some of what is going on in my head into words. It is also cathartic. Sometimes writing helps me work through things that are hard to sort out any other way.
Knowing that people are stopping by makes it even more meaningful.
Whether you came here for my experiences as an amputee, my health journey, my faith, a cruise story, or simply to see what questionable joke I might tell next, I appreciate you being here.
I hope to keep bringing you content that is interesting, honest, and worth your time. There is plenty of life left to write about, and apparently, I now have an international audience for my search for a future ex-wife.
Surely that improves the odds a little.
I would love to hear from you. Where are you reading from? What brought you to the page? What stories have connected with you? Share as much or as little as you feel comfortable sharing.
Thank you for reading, coming back, and sharing this space with me. Whether this is your first visit or you have been following along from the beginning, I’m grateful.
With gratitude,
Niel
Day 98: Maybe the Silence Is the Most Interesting Data of All
Day 98.
We're now two days away from triple digits, and I’m still waiting for the detailed Nextdoor Insights studies I originally requested.
But today, I’m looking at this saga differently.
What If the Experiment Wasn't the Study?
For 98 days, I've been asking Nextdoor for research data.
In the process, I've accidentally collected some data of my own.
How does an organization respond when one person simply refuses to let a reasonable question disappear?
Not with threats. Not with harassment. Not by screaming louder.
Just by continuing to ask.
At some point, the absence of an answer becomes information itself—not proof of anyone's motive, but a case study in how an organization handles persistence, ownership, and closure.
That's something you won't find in a spreadsheet.
Meanwhile, the Petition Is Live
There's now another question on the table:
If neighbor reviews, recommendations, and local knowledge become increasingly valuable to Nextdoor—especially in the age of AI—should the neighbors creating that value participate in it?
I've launched the Neighbor Value-Sharing Petition to start that conversation.
If you agree, please sign it and share it.
Tomorrow: Day 99.
Then comes 100.
The funny thing is, I started this journey looking for Nextdoor's data.
I didn't expect Nextdoor's response to become data of its own.
👉 Follow the saga at NielFlamm.com/blog