[mbriant]

We've recently had a rash of attempted and successful scams perpetrated by the same person who's been re-registering under different names. Those who have been ripped off by this low-life didn't take the time to investigate the seller, not even getting a verifiable phone number or address. They don't even know what city the guy's from.

It's unfortunate that scum like this exist, but they do, so if you intend to buy something of any great value from a member .... especially a brand new member .... it would be prudent to at the very least get a phone number, speak to them in person, get proven references, and if possible pay by credit card through paypal so you at least have some sort of protection.

While it would add 2 or 3 days to the transaction, a good method to verify a name and address would be to snail mail something to the name/address provided by the seller and ask them to identify something from that snail mail via PM or email once they've received the letter....then, if you're satisfied, proceed with the transaction. It's not 100% foolproof, but it would weed out the majority of these low-lifes. A non-scammer should understand your concerns and be willing to go through this procedure. If not, take a pass. And keep their information on file until at least the transaction is 100% complete.

It's up to you to act prudently and to protect yourself. Don't send off money to someone, especially a brand new member, or someone you know nothing about, without having some sort of verified identification from them.

Please report any suspicious For Sale forum activity to the moderating staff immediately.

Thank you.

 

[Jahn]

just out of curiosity, do you have a list of names of this one fraudster? i wonder if i ever heard of any of the aliases.

 

[mbriant]

Quote:

do you have a list of names of this one fraudster?

cakeincups00, ss2k2, yusar, and after some investigation, it appears bbdollars is likely the same guy as well.

EDIT: Also, although not yet proven, It's possible carsncars might be also involved, despite making a couple of good transactions here. Coincidentaly he was involved in deals with both yusar and bbdollars.

Also, another registered name which hasn't posted yet ... mikmak142 is/was a possible.

6 weeks ago, another member, carsncars, volunteered that yusar was using his IP address and said he'd look for better wireless encryption, which it would appear he never did. So, innocent or not, and it now appears he's possibly not, he's now also banned under an IP address ban.

If anyone has any name, address, telephone number info on any of these individuals, please let us know. Since some of this maggot's fraud has originated from a BC government computer, the RCMP may be interested. It would sure help if someone had actually got a real name, address, or phone number from the guy however.

 

[909]

Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[xtr3me]

Thanks for the warning

 

[wnewport]

I am guessing the scammers have been the sellers?

If that is the case I find it to be good practice to ask for actual pictures of the goods. This way you at least know they have them. To be more secure ask for pics with something else that is odd to know the pics are theirs.

 

[mbriant]

Quote:

If that is the case I find it to be good practice to ask for actual pictures of the goods. This way you at least know they have them. To be more secure ask for pics with something else that is odd to know the pics are theirs.

Yes, they were all sellers, but in fact, one of them provided photos. Every little bit helps, but unfortunately, just because they have the item, doesn't guarantee they're going to send it to you. The best way to protect yourself is to know for a fact, who you are dealing with and where they live.

 

[Squeek]

The rules I follow to avoid getting scammed...

1) Don't deal with a brand new member whose first post is a sale. Ever.

2) If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. This is particularly true when a fairly new member suddenly has an HEV90 up for grabs. The rarer the item, the more a member may be tempted to purchase it. Even a tenured Headfier can froth at the mouth when such succulent gear seems attainable.

3) If you abslutely must deal with a newbie, insist that they ship first. Particularly if you are an established forum member with a lot of feedback. Why should you blindly trust a member with no feedback? It makes much more sense to have that person trust you.

4) Heatware and eBay feedback cannot replace actual feedback from here. It can be fraudulent, artificially inflated, or just plain not theirs.

5) If you smell a rat, SCREAM IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS! Gut instincts are often right, and being vocal can help prevent others from falling victim to their scam.

We are a trusting bunch. A few scumbags have realised that we can be preyed upon. If we aren't careful, the problem will only get worse.

 

[Firam]

Here are some steps to take if it is too late for prevention and you think you are being scammed.

1.Paypal Scam Complaint
2.http://www.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp
3.http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors...dComplaint.htm
4.http://www.fraud.org/
5.Call their/your police department and get them involved.
6.Call your Bank/Credit Card company and let them know.
7.You might even want to try call their parents/grandparents if they are young, if you can find them hopefully they are reasonable and when you tell them about what you did in the top 6 steps, they should cave in and get their spawn to stop being a jerk.
8.Most importantly keep trying to contact them and let him know that you are fighting. The steps do very little good if they don't know you are after them. It mostly about scaring them and breaking their confidentiality that they think they have over the internet.

To be added to later if I can think of more.

 

[enjoi_rootbeer]

thanks for the tips. this really should be a sticky.

 

[boodi]

I've got into 2 deals lately , the member was a new registered one , he also didn't have a camera to provide pictures of the item .
I ( politely ) asked the seller basing on my head-fi feedback , long date history and ebay feedback , and on thread reporting scam is happening here , if he could send the item before receiving payment, and me paying suddenly after veifying conditions and functionality.

This is a 100% protection formula for me , when I see the seller is not sufficiently clear, that is : it's a new member , he doesn't have feedback , he can't give proof of the item he's selling and - or the other things aforementioned. It limited my interest in another items which I couldn't verify clearly the seller intentions and couldn't have proof of the item : I don't know if I was going through a scam , but I requested item-first then payment , it didn't happen -and scam didn't happen , and thit is what's important .

It works for me, but I understand newcomers can get into troubles ; newcomers should buy only from "verified positive feedback members" that are registered from a time , who have at least 200 posts ( going through post history can help too understanding if member is a serious or not ) . If I were a newcomer I'd say I would try to deal with a member who has at least 8/10 clear positive feedback and some back history here .

Leaving a precise feedback should also be a rule as it can help identifying better a not sure deal or a member behavior .

 

[gsferrari]

How about - anyone with less than 100 posts and 5 positive verifiable feedback points HAS to ship the item -OR- pay first if they are dealing on HeadFi ?

 

[1911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari How about - anyone with less than 100 posts and 5 positive verifiable feedback points HAS to ship the item -OR- pay first if they are dealing on HeadFi ?

welcome to the USSR

 

[tkam]

Any thoughts about making this thread a sticky and keeping an updated list of scammers in the first post. I think that could be a really useful tool.

 

[boodi]

how about applying wisdom and personal good sense ?

it saves , I'm pretty sure it does in this case .