Another scammer

[hellayego]

I should have known better, but I got scammed for $35 by someone who contacted me in a PM on the FAQ regarding the WTB ad I posted in the classifieds section last night looking for euro license plate lights...

 

The person asked me to write them via email and provided a gmail address. I did so and we proceeded to trade emails over an hour's time and he sent me some pics of what he claimed were the license plate lights he had for sale. Unfortunately, these lights were sold by Seb in 2019 and the scammer simply stole Seb's photos and sent them to me.  

 

My mistake was making a transaction half-distracted while in meetings at work as this was definitely avoidable on my part. 

 

There were many warning signs I should have heeded: the person who wrote me had a new profile, they were pushy and felt in a rush, overly agreeable when I asked questions about the items' condition, asked for Friends and Family on PayPal, had discrepancies in their name between FAQ, Gmail and PayPal accounts, etc. 

 

I write this post only to encourage others not to follow my example of how lazy and distracted 02 parts hunting can come back to bite you. 

Here are some things I normally do when doing deals with folks I don't know that I didn't do this time:

1. Google username to see if its used anywhere else

2. Google email address given to me

3. Reverse Google image search any photos sent to me to see if they've been posted elsewhere on the web previously

 

I value the FAQ as a community of (mostly) shared values, people look out for one another and finding parts is very doable if you put in some effort. Big bummer there's a rash of scammers infiltrating the site, however, with some better decision-making than I displayed, we can keep up the trust on the FAQ 

 

Y 

[joysterm]

Sorry to hear you fell victim to this jerk... A lesson to remain vigilant in all of this.

[danco_]

@2fast4u just DM'd me with a very similar story

[Pablo M]

I feel you. Consider it a cheap-ish lesson learned. I got scammed recently under similar circumstances for $100. I feel you. 

[WRKO]

I second the reverse image search!  I knowingly took a risk on faceplant marketplaza for some recaro bits I "needed" and couldn't find.  It is a bit of a long story with some ins and outs and a partial and acceptable solution, but only after the money was sent did I realize the image was not from the seller.  I found that out using google reverse image search.

[2002#3]

hellayego,

Thanks for the tip re: Google image search.  I did not know such existed.  Another tool for us FAQers to use as we check the validity of classifieds.

Larry

[bob02]

I appreciate everyones recent efforts to call out these scumbags. Now if we could google 'reverse location'...I bet we'd have an elite squad of shit kickers among us to finalize these transactions.

 

Bob

[bavariaboy]

I suspect every one of us has either been scammed, I'll raise you to the tune of $500. or knows someone who has been.

 

The only exceptions, the scammers!!

 

The more we fess up in public, the less likely we are to be scammed. 

 

Steve O'Neill

 

[autokunst]

Hey, I just read this.  Dawsonpp sent me a message in response to my WTB post, too.  They asked me to contact them via email (pretty much exactly the same message you received), but I chose not to do that.  Given they only had one post and had just joined the forum about a week ago, I suspected something was foul.  I did reply to their DM, but never heard back.

 

Sorry you lost a few bucks on this guy.  But thank you for posting to alert others.

Stephen

Edited November 17, 2022 by autokunst

[steve k.]

I have removed the user from the forum, but that does not stop people from gaining access again. I try to keep suspicious accounts away, but it is hard to chase. 

 

My biggest recommendation is as alway to use reputable payment methods. As much as people might no like PayPal, that is the only method i know that have some recourse and that is if you DO NOT use "friends and family"

 

They main sign for a scam is if a forum user is asking you to contact them through email that looks very suspicious. stevek7659@google.com is an example of a suspicious email as these are auto generated. 

 

steve k.

[danco_]

Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win.

 

 

OP reminded me of a younger, angrier me who would spend endless amounts of time harassing scammers and threatening their parents' lives until their son returns thousands of dollars he took for FAQ members. 

 

 

 

[Georges]

Thanks for the tips. Also, I know everyone on here isn't from North America, and that shouldn't matter, but if I see an English mistake I'm extra cautious.

[JsnPpp]

He just reached out to me for a battery tray I am looking for. The message was deleted (thanks Steve) but I saw it in my email notifications. So, it's an active troll/thief.

 

Be careful out there folks!!! Doubt everyone unless you know them personally (sorry to have to say that).

 

Jason

[The Judge]

Scumbags like this need their knee caps busted. 

[Dudeland]

Was the $$ sent F&F?.  If not you can make a claim through PP no?

 

P.S Never send Friends and Family, unless they are friends and family. 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Dudeland