Dont be a Victim!
Okay, the first time I posted a thread like this, i recieved some feedback from people who thought they knew better. Trust me, they don't. So here we go again.
A month or so back, someone posted an Xmag for $900. Several people clamored for it (including me) with some of those people stating that they would send the money out immediately. Anyone see a problem with this? This guy had no feedback, yet people were willing to send the money without hesitation.
It turns out that he was a legitimate seller. But this guy wasn't: http://www.automags.org/forums/showt...hreadid=101892 . $1000 gone, just like that. With little hope of getting it back.
Think it can't happen to you? Check their feedback first? Well, there was another incident where a person agreed to exchange his timmy and a tank for another person's marker. Lets call this person X. X had good feedback on previous deals, and everything seemed legit. Timmys is sent to X, who signs for the package. Needless to say, X never sends anything out. Even worse, the timmy owner is left without any remedy to fix the problem.
Think the FBI will look into it? Not a chance. Secret Service? Ha! Postal Inspectors? Maybe, but not likely. Your best bet is actually to find an understanding police detective in the area where the suspect lives. And hope its not a big city, because the big city detectives have better things to worry about. Once the money is lost, count on it staying lost. There are few successful investigations relating to small-scale online fraud.
So what can you do to protect yourself? DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO SUFFER THE LOSS IN THE FIRST PLACE. Here are some suggestions:
-If a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is. If a buyer has a great price, but very specific payment demands, warning bells should go off. You need to ask yourself, is it worth getting ripped off to try and get a great deal?
-Use a third party service. Cheap and effective. Just make sure its one you know of. If they "know someone who does it" and youve never heard of them, those bells should be going off again.
-Use COD. Trouble is, you usually need to pay before inspecting the contents. So its concievable that you could find a $1000 piece of pipe in your box, instead of that shiny new x-mag. If your carrier lets you inspect it before you open, consider yourself lucky. And "looks good" isnt the same as "works good." Your carrier is not going to stand there and let you gas it up, then run some balls through it.
-Use an escrow service. My personal favorite. Expensive, but oh, so worth it. I use www.escrow.com. You send the money, escrow holds it, and track the package the buyer sends. One it shows as having been received by you, you have a specified inspection period to check it out. If you don't like it, send it back, and all you pay for is the shipping both ways. A fraudulent seller wont agree to let you use this, as its pretty foolproof. The one catch is that it takes a bit longer for the seller to get his money. But its well worth the hassle.
-Check your credit card's fraud protection. Some cards cover internet purchase fraud, but you need to be careful that the transaction you are engaging in is considered an internet purchase, according to their criteria.
Buying online has a bad rap because of the fraud, but it can be done safely and securely. Just take to time to protect youself. If taking that time keeps you from getting the deal of a lifetime, just remember that it might also be protecting you from the rip-off of a lifetime.
I cannot personally help anyone who has suffered a loss, but feel free to PM me with any questions. And if you think you know better than I do, PM me and we will discuss it.
*****************UPDATE**********************
Remember the link to the x-mag seller who ripped one person off? Well, he actually got at least 2, and maybe more...
A month or so back, someone posted an Xmag for $900. Several people clamored for it (including me) with some of those people stating that they would send the money out immediately. Anyone see a problem with this? This guy had no feedback, yet people were willing to send the money without hesitation.
It turns out that he was a legitimate seller. But this guy wasn't: http://www.automags.org/forums/showt...hreadid=101892 . $1000 gone, just like that. With little hope of getting it back.
Think it can't happen to you? Check their feedback first? Well, there was another incident where a person agreed to exchange his timmy and a tank for another person's marker. Lets call this person X. X had good feedback on previous deals, and everything seemed legit. Timmys is sent to X, who signs for the package. Needless to say, X never sends anything out. Even worse, the timmy owner is left without any remedy to fix the problem.
Think the FBI will look into it? Not a chance. Secret Service? Ha! Postal Inspectors? Maybe, but not likely. Your best bet is actually to find an understanding police detective in the area where the suspect lives. And hope its not a big city, because the big city detectives have better things to worry about. Once the money is lost, count on it staying lost. There are few successful investigations relating to small-scale online fraud.
So what can you do to protect yourself? DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO SUFFER THE LOSS IN THE FIRST PLACE. Here are some suggestions:
-If a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is. If a buyer has a great price, but very specific payment demands, warning bells should go off. You need to ask yourself, is it worth getting ripped off to try and get a great deal?
-Use a third party service. Cheap and effective. Just make sure its one you know of. If they "know someone who does it" and youve never heard of them, those bells should be going off again.
-Use COD. Trouble is, you usually need to pay before inspecting the contents. So its concievable that you could find a $1000 piece of pipe in your box, instead of that shiny new x-mag. If your carrier lets you inspect it before you open, consider yourself lucky. And "looks good" isnt the same as "works good." Your carrier is not going to stand there and let you gas it up, then run some balls through it.
-Use an escrow service. My personal favorite. Expensive, but oh, so worth it. I use www.escrow.com. You send the money, escrow holds it, and track the package the buyer sends. One it shows as having been received by you, you have a specified inspection period to check it out. If you don't like it, send it back, and all you pay for is the shipping both ways. A fraudulent seller wont agree to let you use this, as its pretty foolproof. The one catch is that it takes a bit longer for the seller to get his money. But its well worth the hassle.
-Check your credit card's fraud protection. Some cards cover internet purchase fraud, but you need to be careful that the transaction you are engaging in is considered an internet purchase, according to their criteria.
Buying online has a bad rap because of the fraud, but it can be done safely and securely. Just take to time to protect youself. If taking that time keeps you from getting the deal of a lifetime, just remember that it might also be protecting you from the rip-off of a lifetime.
I cannot personally help anyone who has suffered a loss, but feel free to PM me with any questions. And if you think you know better than I do, PM me and we will discuss it.
*****************UPDATE**********************
Remember the link to the x-mag seller who ripped one person off? Well, he actually got at least 2, and maybe more...
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