How NOT to get scammed (ideas, some common sense)
04-01-2011 | 07:08 PM
#63
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,113
Likes: 0
is he? 
..haha I miss my old username. 
Good idea! When selling high priced items that can easily be transported on craigslist or other places where there is a higher chance of shady business going on, I always meet at my town's City Hall. Doubt someone will rob me in front of the cops/city court. lol
..haha I miss my old username. Good idea! When selling high priced items that can easily be transported on craigslist or other places where there is a higher chance of shady business going on, I always meet at my town's City Hall. Doubt someone will rob me in front of the cops/city court. lol
10-21-2011 | 01:31 PM
#64
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
k may be to late to do anything i bought a ap2 gpw lip for my 04 had small crack in it for 170 shipped to door sent money a month ago. still nothing at door weve been in contact for awhile about a week ago havnt heard anything sinc he said it would be here friday last week and now its friday a week later need to know if i can do anything about this thanks for the opinions!? never have had issue i dont have any reason to dought but almost kinda want a refund to buy a new one im just sick of this wait honestly seemed like a good seller. serious even after payment sent we still chatted about when where how it would get here and condition and how to fix the crack so i still think its good but not sure
07-10-2012 | 06:28 AM
#65
Site Moderator
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 49,005
Likes: 2,909
From: Michigan
Going to reiterate this.
1. BUY & SELL LOCALLY if possible, you can see the product in person.
2. Contact the Community Organizer or post in the regional forum and see if the local people know the seller. If they know where he lives, even better.
3. If seller has very few posts, find reputable members who know him and his address.
4. Get seller's home phone number and verify it by calling. A phone number is better than nothing.
5. Do hw on the person, search his/her posts.
6. If you're selling and have many people interested, sell it to someone who is a member rather than a guest (a cc# is required and a trace is better than being left in the dark)
7. If skeptical, have the seller take a picture of the item with his/her username, date, and time. I know of a forum that requires this.
7a. If skeptical, don't buy.
8. If you're selling, make sure the check, money order, or paypal is cleared into your account before shipping (DUH)
9. Use Common Sense, if the price is too good to be true .... cmon now.
10. Pay with a credit card if going through paypal. Paypal does not help as much as a credit card company will.
Be very careful when dealing with a guest, especially one that contacts you to buy from or trade. Do some research, check their post history and if they are active in their local community. The forum has very little info on guests, seller beware.
1. BUY & SELL LOCALLY if possible, you can see the product in person.
2. Contact the Community Organizer or post in the regional forum and see if the local people know the seller. If they know where he lives, even better.
3. If seller has very few posts, find reputable members who know him and his address.
4. Get seller's home phone number and verify it by calling. A phone number is better than nothing.
5. Do hw on the person, search his/her posts.
6. If you're selling and have many people interested, sell it to someone who is a member rather than a guest (a cc# is required and a trace is better than being left in the dark)
7. If skeptical, have the seller take a picture of the item with his/her username, date, and time. I know of a forum that requires this.
7a. If skeptical, don't buy.
8. If you're selling, make sure the check, money order, or paypal is cleared into your account before shipping (DUH)
9. Use Common Sense, if the price is too good to be true .... cmon now.
10. Pay with a credit card if going through paypal. Paypal does not help as much as a credit card company will.
Be very careful when dealing with a guest, especially one that contacts you to buy from or trade. Do some research, check their post history and if they are active in their local community. The forum has very little info on guests, seller beware.
07-26-2012 | 04:22 AM
#66
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Please contribute.
1. BUY & SELL LOCALLY if possible, you can see the product in person.
2. Contact the Community Organizer or post in the regional forum and see if the local people know the seller. If they know where he lives, even better.
3. If seller has very few posts, find reputable members who know him and his address.
4. Get seller's home phone number and verify it by calling. A phone number is better than nothing.
5. Do hw on the person, search his/her posts.
6. If you're selling and have many people interested, sell it to someone who is a member rather than a guest (a cc# is required and a trace is better than being left in the dark)
7. If skeptical, have the seller take a picture of the item with his/her username, date, and time. I know of a forum that requires this.
7a. If skeptical, don't buy.
8. If you're selling, make sure the check, money order, or paypal is cleared into your account before shipping (DUH)
9. Use Common Sense, if the price is too good to be true .... cmon now.
10. Pay with a credit card if going through paypal. Paypal does not help as much as a credit card company will.
Be very careful when dealing with a guest, especially one that contacts you to buy from or trade. Do some research, check their post history and if they are active in their local community. The forum has very little info on guests, seller beware.
1. BUY & SELL LOCALLY if possible, you can see the product in person.
2. Contact the Community Organizer or post in the regional forum and see if the local people know the seller. If they know where he lives, even better.
3. If seller has very few posts, find reputable members who know him and his address.
4. Get seller's home phone number and verify it by calling. A phone number is better than nothing.
5. Do hw on the person, search his/her posts.
6. If you're selling and have many people interested, sell it to someone who is a member rather than a guest (a cc# is required and a trace is better than being left in the dark)
7. If skeptical, have the seller take a picture of the item with his/her username, date, and time. I know of a forum that requires this.
7a. If skeptical, don't buy.
8. If you're selling, make sure the check, money order, or paypal is cleared into your account before shipping (DUH)
9. Use Common Sense, if the price is too good to be true .... cmon now.
10. Pay with a credit card if going through paypal. Paypal does not help as much as a credit card company will.
Be very careful when dealing with a guest, especially one that contacts you to buy from or trade. Do some research, check their post history and if they are active in their local community. The forum has very little info on guests, seller beware.
03-12-2014 | 08:22 AM
#67
Site Moderator
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 49,005
Likes: 2,909
From: Michigan
There is no such thing as too much mods. When it comes to buying more parts, there are just as many scammers out there looking to take advantage of ignorant, naïve and clueless souls with money to burn.
With the advancement of the internet, more and more of us are living our lives on the inter-web. Shopping at traditional brick and mortar establishments has been gradually replaced by virtual shopping. While we can shop confidently on credible intermediaries like Amazon or eBay, or on the website of a registered and legitimate business, there are more bargains to be had on less safe options.
From Craigslist to Gumtree, the bargains to be had and the opportunities to be scammed are infinite. How then, do we avoid being scammed? The S2k community in general has a very positive reputation, but there are a few bad apples out there. Although uncommon, we have noticed an increasing trend in fraudulent sales. Here are a few tips from the good folks who coincidentally happen to drive S2000s…
1. Buy and Sell locally – so you can see what you are purchasing in person. Best part is you save on shipping and the possibility of someone mishandling your precious parts.
2. Contact the Community Organiser or Moderator in the various regions to see if they know the seller, an address would be a bonus.
3. Just as you would be wary of an eBay seller with few feedbacks, you should be cautious of seller with few posts, especially so if they are new members.
4. Get the seller’s phone number and speak to the person. Ask questions about what you are purchasing. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Use your own discretion on the conditions of what you are buying. Communicating verbally allows you to pick up on “warning signals” that could be missed on emails etc.
5. Lack or inconsistent communications is another dead giveaway. Research the seller’s posts, do your homework before committing to purchase. If anything seems amiss, walk away.
6. If you are selling, do not ship till the payment has cleared. Get tracking, buy insurance and overly package things to avoid damage. Save information and pictures of the item packaged.
7. If you are buying, make sure you get a tracking number, no good saving on shipping and have it not arrive at all.
8. If a seller becomes unresponsive or your spidey sense start tingling, file a claim. It is better to report it sooner than wait.
9. Leave a trail. Do a bank transfer, send an international money order or use paypal. Western Union is well known as a scammer’s preferred choice of payment so if the seller mentions those 2 words, alarm bells should be ringing. When paying by Paypal, do not use 'gift' option as it eliminates any chance of recourse if you happen to be scammed. If their paypal is locked or unusable, it is likely due to fraud.
10. The most important rule of all – USE YOUR COMMON SENSE!
Forumer xoz has an interesting suggestion.
“I was thinking that a "BUDDY" system, could be done, whereby If say I were a buyer I could if not sure PM say some of the members on from this thread or yes someone local and ask if they or what sort of experience they have had with the seller.
I personally have had 3 positive experiences so far with buying of members and once got warned by someone else they wrote "buyer beware" in a preceding post after I expressed interest. That thread ended up closing.....I wonder why!
Would anybody here like to become my "BUDDY"?”
If you are reading this, you either own an S or aspire to join the most closely knit community in the world. We should be looking out for one another and this extends to letting one another know of any potential fraudsters.
With the advancement of the internet, more and more of us are living our lives on the inter-web. Shopping at traditional brick and mortar establishments has been gradually replaced by virtual shopping. While we can shop confidently on credible intermediaries like Amazon or eBay, or on the website of a registered and legitimate business, there are more bargains to be had on less safe options.
From Craigslist to Gumtree, the bargains to be had and the opportunities to be scammed are infinite. How then, do we avoid being scammed? The S2k community in general has a very positive reputation, but there are a few bad apples out there. Although uncommon, we have noticed an increasing trend in fraudulent sales. Here are a few tips from the good folks who coincidentally happen to drive S2000s…
1. Buy and Sell locally – so you can see what you are purchasing in person. Best part is you save on shipping and the possibility of someone mishandling your precious parts.
2. Contact the Community Organiser or Moderator in the various regions to see if they know the seller, an address would be a bonus.
3. Just as you would be wary of an eBay seller with few feedbacks, you should be cautious of seller with few posts, especially so if they are new members.
4. Get the seller’s phone number and speak to the person. Ask questions about what you are purchasing. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Use your own discretion on the conditions of what you are buying. Communicating verbally allows you to pick up on “warning signals” that could be missed on emails etc.
5. Lack or inconsistent communications is another dead giveaway. Research the seller’s posts, do your homework before committing to purchase. If anything seems amiss, walk away.
6. If you are selling, do not ship till the payment has cleared. Get tracking, buy insurance and overly package things to avoid damage. Save information and pictures of the item packaged.
7. If you are buying, make sure you get a tracking number, no good saving on shipping and have it not arrive at all.
8. If a seller becomes unresponsive or your spidey sense start tingling, file a claim. It is better to report it sooner than wait.
9. Leave a trail. Do a bank transfer, send an international money order or use paypal. Western Union is well known as a scammer’s preferred choice of payment so if the seller mentions those 2 words, alarm bells should be ringing. When paying by Paypal, do not use 'gift' option as it eliminates any chance of recourse if you happen to be scammed. If their paypal is locked or unusable, it is likely due to fraud.
10. The most important rule of all – USE YOUR COMMON SENSE!
Forumer xoz has an interesting suggestion.
“I was thinking that a "BUDDY" system, could be done, whereby If say I were a buyer I could if not sure PM say some of the members on from this thread or yes someone local and ask if they or what sort of experience they have had with the seller.
I personally have had 3 positive experiences so far with buying of members and once got warned by someone else they wrote "buyer beware" in a preceding post after I expressed interest. That thread ended up closing.....I wonder why!
Would anybody here like to become my "BUDDY"?”
If you are reading this, you either own an S or aspire to join the most closely knit community in the world. We should be looking out for one another and this extends to letting one another know of any potential fraudsters.
07-01-2014 | 12:47 PM
#68
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 33
Likes: 1
From: Fort Smith
So I recently posted in the WTB for some NFR Doors and Fender. I received a legit sounding email from a new member. Pictures and all.
His emails and grammar was pretty decent as well.
In the end, I saved myself because of course he wanted Western Union but I also google image searched the photos to find they were 3 year old FS posts of a guys doors.
Here's our message: His email is Elberto Garcia <elbrtgarcia7381@gmail.com>
Him: Hi Kyle,
I have a nice pair of NFR Doors and fenders for sale. They are in
excellent shape and condition as seen in the attached photos. I will
take $200 shipped per fender and $380 shipped per door. Let me know.
thanks,
Elberto.
Me: Where are you located?
Him: I'm in FL.
Me: Do you take PayPal?
Him: I would have loved to take PayPal but my PayPal account is currently
dormant. You have nothing to worry about as Money gram is very strict
and very secure. I would need to tender a recently paid utility bill
and a valid id card both bearing my home address so payments can be
traced if anything goes wrong.
Me: I appreciate it, but I can only do PayPal or credit card. Thanks anyways
Him: You can send moneygram with your credit card.
Me: Unfortunately money gram doesn't offer me any protection. Sorry, but I wouldn't be able to pay for it via MoneyGram, Western Union, or any wire.
Him: I do understand your concern and I also would be careful when buying
any item sight unseen, but i'm just a retired God-fearing man of over
65yrs of age and I have been honest and sincere in all my financial
dealings and life endeavors. I will never rip-off your hard earned
money as I work hard for every penny I earn.
I would have loved to take PayPal but my PayPal account is currently
dormant. You have nothing to worry about as Money gram is very strict
and very secure. I would need to tender a recently paid utility bill
and a valid id card both bearing my home address so payments can be
traced if anything goes wrong.
Me: What do I need from you to send the money order over? (Just playing aroudn with him)
Him: You can send the money gram at any local Walmart store close to you.
Here are the details you would need for payment via Money Gram:
Name: Elberto Garcia
Address: 4341 23rd Ave SW Naples, FL 34116-7009, Florida.
After payment, do email me the details below from the Money gram
payment receipt:
Sender's Name:
Reference #:
Amount Sent:
Kindly email me your full address so I can make shipping arrangement.
thanks,
Elberto.
Me: I'll just pick it up in Naples. Didn't realize you were there.
(NO RESPONSE AFTER THAT, HA) I already noticed he was scamming for sure when I google imaged the pictures.
His emails and grammar was pretty decent as well.
In the end, I saved myself because of course he wanted Western Union but I also google image searched the photos to find they were 3 year old FS posts of a guys doors.
Here's our message: His email is Elberto Garcia <elbrtgarcia7381@gmail.com>
Him: Hi Kyle,
I have a nice pair of NFR Doors and fenders for sale. They are in
excellent shape and condition as seen in the attached photos. I will
take $200 shipped per fender and $380 shipped per door. Let me know.
thanks,
Elberto.
Me: Where are you located?
Him: I'm in FL.
Me: Do you take PayPal?
Him: I would have loved to take PayPal but my PayPal account is currently
dormant. You have nothing to worry about as Money gram is very strict
and very secure. I would need to tender a recently paid utility bill
and a valid id card both bearing my home address so payments can be
traced if anything goes wrong.
Me: I appreciate it, but I can only do PayPal or credit card. Thanks anyways
Him: You can send moneygram with your credit card.
Me: Unfortunately money gram doesn't offer me any protection. Sorry, but I wouldn't be able to pay for it via MoneyGram, Western Union, or any wire.
Him: I do understand your concern and I also would be careful when buying
any item sight unseen, but i'm just a retired God-fearing man of over
65yrs of age and I have been honest and sincere in all my financial
dealings and life endeavors. I will never rip-off your hard earned
money as I work hard for every penny I earn.
I would have loved to take PayPal but my PayPal account is currently
dormant. You have nothing to worry about as Money gram is very strict
and very secure. I would need to tender a recently paid utility bill
and a valid id card both bearing my home address so payments can be
traced if anything goes wrong.
Me: What do I need from you to send the money order over? (Just playing aroudn with him)
Him: You can send the money gram at any local Walmart store close to you.
Here are the details you would need for payment via Money Gram:
Name: Elberto Garcia
Address: 4341 23rd Ave SW Naples, FL 34116-7009, Florida.
After payment, do email me the details below from the Money gram
payment receipt:
Sender's Name:
Reference #:
Amount Sent:
Kindly email me your full address so I can make shipping arrangement.
thanks,
Elberto.
Me: I'll just pick it up in Naples. Didn't realize you were there.
(NO RESPONSE AFTER THAT, HA) I already noticed he was scamming for sure when I google imaged the pictures.
The following users liked this post:
KyleS2K (08-25-2022)
02-12-2015 | 08:20 AM
#69
Administrator
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 11,198
Likes: 199
From: Tulsa, Oklahoma USA
It appears that the latest scam is, instead of selling and not shipping an item, the scammer buys an item and gets his/her money back by doing a chargeback via PayPal, claiming they never received the item. As a seller, when shipping an item, consider requiring a signature upon delivery.
The following users liked this post:
KyleS2K (08-25-2022)
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