Buyer beware! Especially on "Want to buy" posts

[BillyB]

Not sure if we can make this a 'sticky' thread or not...

This is the second time I've seen this scam - the other one was on a different motorcycle related forum like this one. I posted a "want to buy" (for the V11 rear rack - thanks for the tips there) and got a response from someone using the scotsimson01 ID:

Hey buddy, I recently got some items from Carlos and he is willing to sell some  V11 rear rack. You can email at carlosmaldonado60@aol.com if he still has it.

I looked and that ID was registered right after I posted the "Wanted" note and his bike selection is "Harley Davidson" which seems a bit odd on a Guzzi forum... Having seen this before, I knew it was a scam, but to see how it would go I emailed the aol address and he sent a pic of a V11 rear rack that is on Google images. I asked if he'd take PayPal and he said yes but only Friends and Family (no way to recoup the money when someone rips you off with F&F PayPal, similar to Venmo CashApp etc). I said I want to use PayPal as a purchase so I will get my money back in case it doesn't arrive and he says no, only F&F.

Anyways, definitely a scam. Admin - you may want to disable this account, but its not like that will stop him from registering a new one.

[p6x]

One way I found to separate the good from the bad on forums, is to check the number of posts the individual has submitted.

I would also automatically discard anyone who called me "Buddy"... this is so 60's.

In any case, there is so much scam going around that it is a real challenge to understand who you are dealing with.

Personally, I would always avoid PayPal and similar to settle transactions. Everything I sold I request a wire bank transfer, account to account. For some reason, people are afraid to divulge their bank account details, so with a scammer, this is the ideal deterrent.

On both sides of the transaction, people will have to share Bank name, account number, Bank address, Individual's address. The transaction is recorded on both sides. To open a bank account, you need to be legitimate. If the scammer is operating from a remote country, he cannot open a US account. You cannot have a US bank account with a false address.

To me, this is the safest way. Even the so-called "escrow" accounts can be forged. Bank to bank transfer is the safest. Even more now than before, since access is verified with a single use code sent to your phone.

[docc]

3 hours ago, BillyB said:

Not sure if we can make this a 'sticky' thread or not...

This is the second time I've seen this scam - the other one was on a different motorcycle related forum like this one. I posted a "want to buy" (for the V11 rear rack - thanks for the tips there) and got a response from someone using the scotsimson01 ID:

Hey buddy, I recently got some items from Carlos and he is willing to sell some  V11 rear rack. You can email at carlosmaldonado60@aol.com if he still has it.

I looked and that ID was registered right after I posted the "Wanted" note and his bike selection is "Harley Davidson" which seems a bit odd on a Guzzi forum... Having seen this before, I knew it was a scam, but to see how it would go I emailed the aol address and he sent a pic of a V11 rear rack that is on Google images. I asked if he'd take PayPal and he said yes but only Friends and Family (no way to recoup the money when someone rips you off with F&F PayPal, similar to Venmo CashApp etc). I said I want to use PayPal as a purchase so I will get my money back in case it doesn't arrive and he says no, only F&F.

Anyways, definitely a scam. Admin - you may want to disable this account, but its not like that will stop him from registering a new one.

Thanks for reporting this, @BillyB. That user's account has been deleted by the Admin.

[BillyB]

Thanks docc.

p6x - PayPal (via their normal fund transfers - NOT Friends/Family) will refund a payment if the seller doesn't ship the product, or if you can prove to PayPal that you didn't get what you paid for. In my experience they lean heavily toward protecting the buyer and not the seller. I'm guessing this is because if I use a credit card to fund the PayPal purchase, and I request a refund from PayPal and they deny me, then I can challenge the payment with the credit card provider and Visa will freeze the funds which are now PayPal's. So instead of having their own money frozen, PayPal will freeze the funds from the seller and make them prove the buyer got what they paid for. Its a pain, and leaves honest sellers open to dishonest buyers with little recourse, but it beats Venmo/CashApp/etc where the money is just gone. The wire transfer does prove the person has a US bank account, but if they don't follow through, the money is still gone and now its up to you to try and get it back. I had a bad experience with a guy in Texas (no offense ) who I actually sent the $1200 item to with the agreement he'd pay when it arrived. 8 months of excuses: "Sorry but I had to sell that bike... medical issues... can't find the stuff you sent anymore... Lost my job and have no money...", I finally got pissed enough to exhaust my Google skills finding info on him. I got his wife to send the money after I called her at her work and threatened to call all of her co-workers and her boss to tell them she's married to a thief. All that to say, even with someone in the US its hard to get money back. 

I used to be much more trusting (obviously, given the story above) but unfortunately there's just too many scammers out there. You can usually tell if someone is legit by asking a few questions that require moto-specific knowledge to answer properly, asking for pictures and/or getting on the phone with them. If they send pics that are already on the internet somewhere, its not real. If they won't talk on a phone, its not real. I've had buyers ask me to send a pic with their name on a piece of paper next to the thing I'm selling and as a seller, I was happy to do that.

[KINDOY2]

5 hours ago, BillyB said:

Not sure if we can make this a 'sticky' thread or not...

This is the second time I've seen this scam - the other one was on a different motorcycle related forum like this one. I posted a "want to buy" (for the V11 rear rack - thanks for the tips there) and got a response from someone using the scotsimson01 ID:

Hey buddy, I recently got some items from Carlos and he is willing to sell some  V11 rear rack. You can email at carlosmaldonado60@aol.com if he still has it.

I looked and that ID was registered right after I posted the "Wanted" note and his bike selection is "Harley Davidson" which seems a bit odd on a Guzzi forum... Having seen this before, I knew it was a scam, but to see how it would go I emailed the aol address and he sent a pic of a V11 rear rack that is on Google images. I asked if he'd take PayPal and he said yes but only Friends and Family (no way to recoup the money when someone rips you off with F&F PayPal, similar to Venmo CashApp etc). I said I want to use PayPal as a purchase so I will get my money back in case it doesn't arrive and he says no, only F&F.

Anyways, definitely a scam. Admin - you may want to disable this account, but its not like that will stop him from registering a new one.

This same scam is going on over on the AF1 Forum...

I was looking for a part and put up a WTB..a new member to the forum contacted me thru PM he knew a guy who had it for sale and referred me to his e mail

...I e mailed the person he recommended and that supposed seller sent me a pictures of the parts supposedly on HIS bike.  The thing he didn't realise it was one of MY old Aprilia's ( Ha Ha Ha) which I sold to a friend  in Phoenix 5 years ago and still talk to all the time, so I called him and asked if he had sold the bike?..He said heck no...the guy had pulled the pictures off the internet!!..to use in his Scam..I didnt reply I just I reported them Both to the Moderator....

[p6x]

3 hours ago, BillyB said:

Thanks docc.

p6x - PayPal (via their normal fund transfers - NOT Friends/Family) will refund a payment if the seller doesn't ship the product, or if you can prove to PayPal that you didn't get what you paid for. In my experience they lean heavily toward protecting the buyer and not the seller. I'm guessing this is because if I use a credit card to fund the PayPal purchase, and I request a refund from PayPal and they deny me, then I can challenge the payment with the credit card provider and Visa will freeze the funds which are now PayPal's. So instead of having their own money frozen, PayPal will freeze the funds from the seller and make them prove the buyer got what they paid for. Its a pain, and leaves honest sellers open to dishonest buyers with little recourse, but it beats Venmo/CashApp/etc where the money is just gone. The wire transfer does prove the person has a US bank account, but if they don't follow through, the money is still gone and now its up to you to try and get it back. I had a bad experience with a guy in Texas (no offense ) who I actually sent the $1200 item to with the agreement he'd pay when it arrived. 8 months of excuses: "Sorry but I had to sell that bike... medical issues... can't find the stuff you sent anymore... Lost my job and have no money...", I finally got pissed enough to exhaust my Google skills finding info on him. I got his wife to send the money after I called her at her work and threatened to call all of her co-workers and her boss to tell them she's married to a thief. All that to say, even with someone in the US its hard to get money back. 

I used to be much more trusting (obviously, given the story above) but unfortunately there's just too many scammers out there. You can usually tell if someone is legit by asking a few questions that require moto-specific knowledge to answer properly, asking for pictures and/or getting on the phone with them. If they send pics that are already on the internet somewhere, its not real. If they won't talk on a phone, its not real. I've had buyers ask me to send a pic with their name on a piece of paper next to the thing I'm selling and as a seller, I was happy to do that.

I am aware that PayPal would/should reimburse you.

I am on "thegearpage.net" forum. There are plenty of horror stories about sellers and vendors being grudged and scammed and PayPal or Reverb.com doing nothing either because they have no human being reviewing, or because they think the scammer is right. Once you start a litigation, you need to provide proofs. Not as easy as it seems.

A story comes to mind. One guy was selling a guitar amplifier head. He sent the head, and the purchaser returned the head immediately stating he no longer wanted it. When the seller received the Amplifier Head, the internals had been removed. For Reverb.com, the purchaser had returned the item; when confronted, the scammer said he did not even open the package, but returned it immediately. Apparently the seller could not convince PayPal nor eBay.

And this is only one example. I would no rely on PayPal or eBay or any of these systems to reimburse you easily. Same for Etsy who now rules Reverb.com.

Domestic wire transfer only. But even if said person who wanted to purchase lived abroad, he would have to wire the funds on my account. What I mean is, I am not preoccupied with sharing my personal details. Hacking your bank account is not easy. Especially today with the second verification.

I am sorry you had a bad experience with someone in Texas;

 

 

[po18guy]

10 hours ago, BillyB said:

he is willing to sell some  V11 rear rack.
 

Let's parse his verbiage. "Sell some  (plural)  V11 rack (singular).

Sell some rack. And note the space before "V11" A cut and paste with the want ad item filled in.

Hmmm. 

I am on a couple of firearm forums. There have been chronic shortages and scalping on ammunition for the past two years. Literally hundreds of scam websites have popped up and are popping up as we speak. Amazing prices, all in stock, and no limits! They offer a 15% discount for bitcoin. Imagine that! But wait, there's more! Don't have bitcoin? Click their handy "Buy Bitcoin" button and buy the bitcoin to get your 15% discount! Redefining brazen.

Due diligence is overdue.

[p6x]

13 hours ago, po18guy said:

Let's parse his verbiage. "Sell some  (plural)  V11 rack (singular).

Sell some rack. And note the space before "V11" A cut and paste with the want ad item filled in.

Hmmm. 

I am on a couple of firearm forums. There have been chronic shortages and scalping on ammunition for the past two years. Literally hundreds of scam websites have popped up and are popping up as we speak. Amazing prices, all in stock, and no limits! They offer a 15% discount for bitcoin. Imagine that! But wait, there's more! Don't have bitcoin? Click their handy "Buy Bitcoin" button and buy the bitcoin to get your 15% discount! Redefining brazen.

Due diligence is overdue.

I forgot to mention "Bitcoins" or identical digital money. Good catch!

 

[Twin AH]

Through out the years of my transactions I have found one thing that usually takes care of a lot of anxieties on both sides of the table........... Its called facetime where I am and while your verifying the individual you can steer that lens anywhere its needed.

Anyone that has issues with that you always have the option of moving on to the next adventure.   

Works for me.

 

Ciao

[BillyB]

And here we go again! I post a WTB ad and this "buddy" who's been a member here for all of 12 hours has an uncle with exactly the parts I need...

[docc]

Just a reminder:  Please click "Report" on any messages, like that above,  you receive through the forum's Message system.

Thanks for helping keep us free of this sort of thing.