ZeroSignal
Well-known member
I would back track his IP address from the email account hunt him down and break his teeth and every finger he has, even if it required flying out of country..Thats just me though
An old fool scammed, warning
- Thread starter g.corey74
- Start date
Sorry to hear about this. I'm a bit naturally suspicious so have never really been taken for anything much. I too was a bit niave about CL until I tried selling something and all the tirekickers, scammers, dirtbags, lowlifes come out of the woodwork. I hope you pursue this with the police. Even if you don't get your money back, hopefully this scumbag gets what coming to him.
RbrtAWhyt
Well-known member
I can say I've done very well on craigslist the last couple of years purchasing tools and buying/flipping cars. My wife lost her job and craigslist has been an absolute ace in the hole for me.
Having said that...it takes a certain savy...a certain amount of discernment to weed out the bad element.
Two things I've noticed that set people up for scams:
1. Greed. thinking you're going to come out thousands ahead.
2. Being too trusting. Trust nobody on an internet deal. Face to face with cash. Only way to fly.
Having said that...it takes a certain savy...a certain amount of discernment to weed out the bad element.
Two things I've noticed that set people up for scams:
1. Greed. thinking you're going to come out thousands ahead.
2. Being too trusting. Trust nobody on an internet deal. Face to face with cash. Only way to fly.
seagravedriver
Well-known member
During this thread, I have sold 2 pieces of furniture on craigslist. That being said, scams are everywhere. Now for some fun to make us feel better. Warning, some of these are a bit, shall we say...."blue".
http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/index.html
http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/edward.htm
http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/raininmen.htm
http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/index.html
http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/edward.htm
http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/raininmen.htm
peelman
Well-known member
as a cop friend once told me: "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.". And yes, he was referring to a concealed carry gun.
As for the OP, terribly sorry for what you're going through. I have a standing order with my parents that they're not allowed to give out credit card info to any site they haven't ran by me first for this very reason. They have a hard time spotting illegitimacy whereas after 15 years of practically living online it is just second nature for me. Hopefully the bastards are at least US based so there will be a chance at seeing some of your money again.
Live and learn, the hardest lessons usually only have to happen once. Either stay away from craigslist or learn to be more suspicious of every purchase, as many have advised already. See it, touch it, drive it, use it, and make sure the seller has title, keys, and paperwork in hand before any money changes hands. If they cant live with those terms, find another seller.
I use craigslist purely as a local tool for this reason, and as others have mentioned, either be strapped yourself, or bring somebody who's carrying, especially if its a large transaction. Basically treat every interaction like you're dealing with a Soprano or drug kingpin, and be prepared for **** to go sideways.
There are scammers everywhere.
My mother has been using the same chimney sweep for years. Every year, she makes an appointment to have a cleaning. This past year, the company got bought out, so they have all new guys, and one of the new guys comes out for the cleaning. He does his inspection and tells her that she's got all sorts of rot and damage, and needs about $2000 in repairs. If she cuts him a 50% deposit check right there, he'll knock off a few hundred. He gives her his personal cell number, and tells her not to bother calling the office because they never answer.
A couple weeks later, this guy has the balls to actually call her and ask for a new deposit check, because he's having trouble cashing the one she wrote him. She finally calls the office, and finds out this guy has been going to customers and telling them they need a few grand in work, then offering a discount if they give him a deposit right there. He got a couple thousand from at least one person.
Fortunately, she was able to get her bank to cancel the check. I heard about all this afterwards.
BTW, he never even cleaned the chimney.
My mother has been using the same chimney sweep for years. Every year, she makes an appointment to have a cleaning. This past year, the company got bought out, so they have all new guys, and one of the new guys comes out for the cleaning. He does his inspection and tells her that she's got all sorts of rot and damage, and needs about $2000 in repairs. If she cuts him a 50% deposit check right there, he'll knock off a few hundred. He gives her his personal cell number, and tells her not to bother calling the office because they never answer.
A couple weeks later, this guy has the balls to actually call her and ask for a new deposit check, because he's having trouble cashing the one she wrote him. She finally calls the office, and finds out this guy has been going to customers and telling them they need a few grand in work, then offering a discount if they give him a deposit right there. He got a couple thousand from at least one person.
Fortunately, she was able to get her bank to cancel the check. I heard about all this afterwards.
BTW, he never even cleaned the chimney.
ptschram
Well-known member
I regularly tell my wife that I would rather throw things in the trash than open our home up to strangers for a garage sale.
I feel the same about Craiglist.
I feel the same about Craiglist.
CUSTOMMANCAVES.COM
Well-known member
CUSTOMMANCAVES.COM
Well-known member
Hi to everyone.I'll try to explain a little more and cover some of the questions. I usually don't trust something until I know I can. My son is much the same. He has used Paypal with his business without problems even with parts
from China. My mistake was thinking Paypal and Craigslist were set up the same way. I stand corrected by many of you. I didn't respond to the warning signs and dig deeper.
It was really stupid. I practice reasoning in most of the things I do but I failed this time. We didn't have the experience of large transactions or knew anyone that did.
This isn't an excuse, just our situation.
People are faced with regulations every day and we could
not have believed a scam like this to happen. I knew how
helpless I felt and I needed to post the problem to possibly
wake up any sleepers. I feel good that our misfortune has
turned a bit positive through your collective support.
Thanks again and more to follow.
from China. My mistake was thinking Paypal and Craigslist were set up the same way. I stand corrected by many of you. I didn't respond to the warning signs and dig deeper.
It was really stupid. I practice reasoning in most of the things I do but I failed this time. We didn't have the experience of large transactions or knew anyone that did.
This isn't an excuse, just our situation.
People are faced with regulations every day and we could
not have believed a scam like this to happen. I knew how
helpless I felt and I needed to post the problem to possibly
wake up any sleepers. I feel good that our misfortune has
turned a bit positive through your collective support.
Thanks again and more to follow.
IndyGarage
Well-known member
sorry to hear about getting taken. I hope it wasn't money you cannot replace, but it is a lesson like putting your hand on the hot stove as a kid - you won't make that mistake again.
The problem with the internet is the game is constantly changing, so the scam next year will be different and maybe not as easy to spot.
I've bought many items at good prices on Craigslist, but the whole thing is a little crazy. The good and the bad of Craigslist is free. Since it costs nothing, then any number of people can try to scam you at no cost - and they do.
But Craigslist is hardly the only scam someone is trying to perpetrate on you right now. There is a guy trying to get a piece of your checking account, your 401K, your bank account and your brokerage account - right now. There is someone trying to convince your local government to privatize your utility company, so they can raise the profits and you can't do anything about it. There's somebody trying to buy your company so they can raid your pension account, spend the money elsewhere, take the company through bankruptcy and foist the pension liability on the taxpayers and the poor pensioners. There is a school admistrator who is more interested in fattening his/her paycheck vs teaching your kids. The list goes on and on...
Every one of these is probably costing you and all the rest of us $1800 a pop, we just don't know it. So noone here should be giving you ****.
The rules of buying on Craigslist are very simple: Always see the item first. No shipping. Cash only, no deposits. If it looks funny or smells funny, it probably is, so walk away. I've been almost taken on Craigslist once - but it smelled funny and I caught it. I did get taken another time for $300. It smelled funny, but I asked my questions, and the young guy passed my tests - I knew full well I was risking the money, and I lost. Should have walked away. However, on the plus side, Craigslist purchases routinely save me up to several hundred dollars each, so I'm way ahead.
The problem with the internet is the game is constantly changing, so the scam next year will be different and maybe not as easy to spot.
I've bought many items at good prices on Craigslist, but the whole thing is a little crazy. The good and the bad of Craigslist is free. Since it costs nothing, then any number of people can try to scam you at no cost - and they do.
But Craigslist is hardly the only scam someone is trying to perpetrate on you right now. There is a guy trying to get a piece of your checking account, your 401K, your bank account and your brokerage account - right now. There is someone trying to convince your local government to privatize your utility company, so they can raise the profits and you can't do anything about it. There's somebody trying to buy your company so they can raid your pension account, spend the money elsewhere, take the company through bankruptcy and foist the pension liability on the taxpayers and the poor pensioners. There is a school admistrator who is more interested in fattening his/her paycheck vs teaching your kids. The list goes on and on...
Every one of these is probably costing you and all the rest of us $1800 a pop, we just don't know it. So noone here should be giving you ****.
The rules of buying on Craigslist are very simple: Always see the item first. No shipping. Cash only, no deposits. If it looks funny or smells funny, it probably is, so walk away. I've been almost taken on Craigslist once - but it smelled funny and I caught it. I did get taken another time for $300. It smelled funny, but I asked my questions, and the young guy passed my tests - I knew full well I was risking the money, and I lost. Should have walked away. However, on the plus side, Craigslist purchases routinely save me up to several hundred dollars each, so I'm way ahead.
SpeedwayRyan
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2011
- Messages
- 44
I actually feel much better knowing that the "red flag" was because it was the name of a fictional character. As someone who doesn't read Harry Potter books, it didn't look good on the surface -- but there's a reason I asked if it meant what I thought it meant instead of just calling the gentleman an antisemite.
I've certainly seen worse on other forums, so I didn't consider it out of the question, but I wasn't about to jump entirely to a conclusion, either.
Sorry about my low post count...but everybody starts at zero, don't they?
ptschram
Well-known member
:golfclap:
If nothing else, you have provided another example for others to be aware of.
If I get hurt, the least I can do is tell folks to not do what I did that hurt me.
Nice job!
(and I didn't think you were anti-Semitic, today, I got a request to quote on a part that probably had a virus in the drawing-it came from Israel. I referred it to my colleague who is a Jew! Networking!)
seagravedriver
Well-known member
I have no idea who this Harry Potter guy is
. Does he sell tools? If so, I should have known about him. Maybe my wife sees his stuff at a store she goes to called Pottery Barn.54FordPanel
Well-known member
Gil, you sound like a good, honest person. Thanks for posting what must have been a hard thing to admit.
Like I said at the beginning, being taken is one of the worst feelings in the world.
Thanks for being a stand up guy. Hopefully better things are in store for you
As far as my comments about the other comments, and the fact that those "Ha! You dumb-***" comments came from people with low post counts: Yes, you have seen worse on other forums. Everybody has. That's why this GJ is nicer. If you hang around awhile, you'll see that it's nicer here because the members are generally nicer to each other. And the mods work to keep it that way.
So be nice to a honest gentleman who got taken, and had the humility to post about it.
Like I said at the beginning, being taken is one of the worst feelings in the world.
Thanks for being a stand up guy. Hopefully better things are in store for you
As far as my comments about the other comments, and the fact that those "Ha! You dumb-***" comments came from people with low post counts: Yes, you have seen worse on other forums. Everybody has. That's why this GJ is nicer. If you hang around awhile, you'll see that it's nicer here because the members are generally nicer to each other. And the mods work to keep it that way.
So be nice to a honest gentleman who got taken, and had the humility to post about it.
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CUSTOMMANCAVES.COM
Well-known member
With all due respect, the deal WASN'T in Canada. The "seller" was in Nigeria/UK/Romania (insert scam country of choice) and the machinery only existed in a photograph stolen from elsewhere. There was no "deal", there was no "equipment"...
Grumpy365
Well-known member
^^^^^ That rite there is a brutally honest post.
CUSTOMMANCAVES.COM
Well-known member
Sorry, but it frustrates me first when I see people get ripped off, and it frustrates me even more when the victim still believes there is a below-market Bobcat sitting in a shed somewhere and a guy inside the house drinking his morning coffee while counting victim's cash.
Here is a more likely image of your scammer:
jmh21586
Well-known member
I'm guessing he got scammed by someone claiming to be a "stranded relative"???
They do that to old folks. They call up an old lady and say:
Grandma. This is your grandson.
She then says: John is that you?.
The guy on the phone then says:
Yeah grandma...it's john... I'm standed and need money. Can you wire me some?
See what happened there?? She gave him the name of a grandson and then the scammer ran with it.
Hi jmh,
Thanks, and for your input. I like your idea on playing the scammers. I had the same thought earlier but knew time wise for me it wouldnt work. You may have checked
the ebolamonkeyman links on seagravedrivers post #92.
About Grandma and John, that's exactly what happened to my friend's father. It was tried just last year in the Dayton/
Kettering area.
Thanks, and for your input. I like your idea on playing the scammers. I had the same thought earlier but knew time wise for me it wouldnt work. You may have checked
the ebolamonkeyman links on seagravedrivers post #92.
About Grandma and John, that's exactly what happened to my friend's father. It was tried just last year in the Dayton/
Kettering area.
SpeedwayRyan
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2011
- Messages
- 44
I apologize if I offended you or the OP...I asked about the "Goldstein" comment because it DIDN'T look good on the surface (and he clarified it later), and posted the scam warnings from CL about buyer protection and wire transfers. I wasn't one of the "you deserved to get ripped off" commenters -- if you want to tell someone to be nicer, start with them.
54FordPanel
Well-known member
I'm not lumping everybody together who questioned the "Goldstein" signature and those who were nasty about the OPs predicament. Sorry if it reads that way.
I'm not holier than thou.
I just apprectiate Gil's problem and his honesty, and I like that GJ is a pleasant place without flame wars. And I don't want to start one about this. If it seems I've been too preachy, sorry to those I seemingly singled out. He was getting hit pretty hard in the responses and I didn't think it was fair.
SpeedwayRyan
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2011
- Messages
- 44
How did the scam go down? I'm interested in how it happened? Everything that deals with money is of course venerable given the right people in the right places..
But a service like Western Union is designed to transfer cash money from one location to another without bank accounts or excessive credentials required. The receiver of the money just needs ID and the name/address that the sender used.. But because Western Union counters can be found at pharmacies, grocery and convenience stores all over the world staffed by normal store employees it is easy to use fake id's to receive money under a false name. So the scammers tell a potential buyer to send a deposit to a fake name and they go pick it up with a fake id. Western Union doesn't care, nor need to. Their only job is to move the money, they assume the sender knows who they are sending it to.
If your sister was across the country and her car broke down, you could send her $1000 by just driving down to a store with a WU, send it to her and she could get it out at a local store right away in just minutes.. Late at nights, or on weekends when you could use a bank to transfer the normal way. This should be relatively safe.
Sorry this happened, but it is good to post as it does help expose the tactics to people that may be approached in the future..
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This scam is going around again right now. I wouldn't wire money to any loved one that I didn't call you on the phone.
And for Gods sake, don't post your life on Facebook for everyone to see. People can see you are traveling to wherever and see who your friends are. Not that anybody here is on facebook
Hi Speed,
No apologies necessary or need to sort details. I know my slant might be fuzzy to understand. Because of the forum I
feel better about my screw up. You and 54Ford should back up a bit. Thoughts get distorted at times. You both signed on to help as you saw it. I have no argument. And to be effective you guys shouldn't either.
No apologies necessary or need to sort details. I know my slant might be fuzzy to understand. Because of the forum I
feel better about my screw up. You and 54Ford should back up a bit. Thoughts get distorted at times. You both signed on to help as you saw it. I have no argument. And to be effective you guys shouldn't either.
REAL HOT SCHITT
Banned
Gil, u shouldve got a bank cheque or do a bank counter deposit so u can have documentation for l8tr court cases if needed?.
If u did a credit card payment? U can ask card company to return funds to u.(american express offered it to me when i was scammed by ukrainian antivirus program i purchased, whom i thought was from a u.s company).
If u did a credit card payment? U can ask card company to return funds to u.(american express offered it to me when i was scammed by ukrainian antivirus program i purchased, whom i thought was from a u.s company).
CUSTOMMANCAVES.COM
Well-known member
You don't need an ID when retrieving money from Western Union. You only need a MNU(?) code (a "secret" code given to the shipper who then provides it to the recipient). Recipient has to give two pieces of the transaction ID to the Western Union clerk (e.g. - the MNU code and last name of the shipper, etc.).
CUSTOMMANCAVES.COM
Well-known member
Western Union doesn't take credit cards and scammers don't take American Express (nor do they take bank checks or counter deposits).
brimorga
Well-known member
If you want fraud protection and no liability, credit card is the ONLY way to pay. Any good credit card company will protect you fully if you report the questionable transaction in a reasonable amount of time. Most other ways, you are putting YOUR own money at risk.
Never deal with craigslist that isn't local. I sold a dryer on craigslist, and got all kinds of scammer emails. I deal with people getting ripped off by scammers on craigslist all the time at work, and for the most part, there's nothing you can do, as most of the scammers are out of the country.
Also, be leery of people selling things on forums. I've been ripped off twice when buying car parts off forums. One was an exhaust system 10 years ago. Paypal resolution refused to help back then, and they wouldn't release the info I needed to go after the guy criminally. Since then, they've gotten better.
Last year I bought a set of bumpers and rock sliders from a group buy on a forum. After 11 months, I was in contact with the Police in his town, and since most of the people he ripped off were from California, and he was in Pennsylvania, they were having issues getting people willing to travel to testify against the owner. I told them I was only about 250 miles away, and my work would give me all the time I needed, as long as they provided a subpoena, and would be glad to testify. Later that day I got a call from the shop owner, with the tracking number for my refund. I had been trying to get the stuff he owed me, or a refund for months, but he would just give constant excuses.
Also, be leery of people selling things on forums. I've been ripped off twice when buying car parts off forums. One was an exhaust system 10 years ago. Paypal resolution refused to help back then, and they wouldn't release the info I needed to go after the guy criminally. Since then, they've gotten better.
Last year I bought a set of bumpers and rock sliders from a group buy on a forum. After 11 months, I was in contact with the Police in his town, and since most of the people he ripped off were from California, and he was in Pennsylvania, they were having issues getting people willing to travel to testify against the owner. I told them I was only about 250 miles away, and my work would give me all the time I needed, as long as they provided a subpoena, and would be glad to testify. Later that day I got a call from the shop owner, with the tracking number for my refund. I had been trying to get the stuff he owed me, or a refund for months, but he would just give constant excuses.