Just been scammed on Gumtree - how best to proceed?

[GC8]

GC8 said:

OP: his 'scammer.co.uk' tracking number joke/confession will be enough to force the police to act. Id suggest making it plain that inaction on the officers part will lead to an immediate formal complaint and that they dont get to choose what to bother with and what to ignore. Harsh but unfortunately required sometimes.

Obviously this will only be necessary if they try to fob you off.

[mellowman]

No reply from me asking for his address to view/buy iPad tonight, but I have heard back from another enquiry I sent to him under another account. He's asking whether I've got his bank details, which he claims to have sent.

I think he'll now request that we exchange real email addresses as somehow his details have been lost via Gumtree's messaging system. I wonder whether it'll be the same account I paid into?

At least he's still in communication and reading emails.

I would love to involve the police but apart from reporting the fraud, I can't think of any force that would actually investigate. I cannot imagine our local rural plod investigating this low-level fraud, but perhaps I should give them a try?

[GC8]

Your first contact has to be with your local police. Fraud is fraud and there are many crimes investigated and dealt with where the value of the loss is far less.

Crime is crime.

[mini me]

[mellowman]

GC8 said:

Your first contact has to be with your local police. Fraud is fraud and there are many crimes investigated and dealt with where the value of the loss is far less.

Crime is crime.

Thanks, will give them a try and report back.

I have heard back from the scammer regarding an earlier enquiry. He's given me a sort code and account for YORKSHIRE BUILDING SOCIETY T/A NORWICH AND PETERBOROUGH.

Hmm, so he's using multiple accounts to scam money...

[Pet Troll]

mellowman said:

Thanks, will give them a try and report back.

I have heard back from the scammer regarding an earlier enquiry. He's given me a sort code and account for YORKSHIRE BUILDING SOCIETY T/A NORWICH AND PETERBOROUGH.

Hmm, so he's using multiple accounts to scam money...

PM me the contact details you have and I will see if I can dig out anything.

[anonymous-user]

quick post to link advert and delete it? so i can have a look.

i had my ebay account hacked and he scammed 10 people and i did my own investigation..so a bit handy but not an expert.

[mellowman]

The Spruce goose said:

quick post to link advert and delete it? so i can have a look.

i had my ebay account hacked and he scammed 10 people and i did my own investigation..so a bit handy but not an expert.

Have PM'd you the Gumtree link...

He's just got back to me via another enquiry, asking whether I've got his account name (I have the other details). of course, I don't, so he'll presumably ask to go outside Gumtree comms...

[r44flyer]

What would be easier than obtaining multiple fake accounts for the purposes of fraud would be to get you to send money to others expecting payment for goods which he will then receive. Seller gets his cash and posts scammer the goods. You're none the wiser.

If you've received email from him it will contain an IP. Geobytes will at least give you a ballpark location.

[mellowman]

r44flyer said:

What would be easier than obtaining multiple fake accounts for the purposes of fraud would be to get you to send money to others expecting payment for goods which he will then receive. Seller gets his cash and posts scammer the goods. You're none the wiser.

If you've received email from him it will contain an IP. Geobytes will at least give you a ballpark location.

Have looked at headers (yahoo.co.uk) but am a bit confused as to which bit might be his IP address or ISP IP mail service address - can I PM you the headers or can you give me further clues?

[anonymous-user]

o.k 2 mobile numbers found on a similar worded advert in norfolk, but looks like he copy's adverts and post up again with his mobilenumber ending in 54..?

`1 ends in 54
2 ends in 313 both ben

2 adverts(2 numbers) for a cash on collection (bike) item in thetford...erm

looks like he dropped price too on the last advert (not scammer like), looks interesting considering bank acc.


1st phone on Orange network, where it was registered in November, 1998.

2nd phone on Everything Everywhere Limited (TM) network, where it was registered in November, 2006.

Edited by The Spruce goose on Friday 1st March 00:00

Edited by The Spruce goose on Friday 1st March 00:05

[mellowman]

The Spruce goose said:

o.k 2 mobile numbers found on a similar worded advert in norfolk, but looks like he copy's adverts and post up again with his mobilenumber ending in 54..?

`1 ends in 54
2 ends in 313 both ben

2 adverts(2 numbers) for a cash on collection (bike) item in thetford...erm

Edited by The Spruce goose on Thursday 28th February 23:40

Not come across these yet, but he's just emailed from a different Yahoo address now, so perhaps he's discarded the previous email address. He still hasn't given me the full account details, so the ping pong emails continue...

[anonymous-user]

mellowman said:

Not come across these yet, but he's just emailed from a different Yahoo address now, so perhaps he's discarded the previous email address. He still hasn't given me the full account details, so the ping pong emails continue...

I've PM'd the links.

just need a last name.

[mellowman]

The Spruce goose said:

I've PM'd the links.

just need a last name.

Ta for the PM, have PM'd you back as he's just spun a tale about it being his son's iPad, who happens to have the same name as the ads you mention...

[mellowman]

Update...

Got another bank account he wants me to pay a deposit into, completely different name (says it's his son's) and we have arranged to meet at an address in Stornaway this afternoon. I don't live anywhere near Stornaway so don't intend to be there, but I don't think he does either(!) so no doubt he'll come up with an excuse to cancel.

There's some info to suggest he may reside or have relations/associates in Basingstoke.

He's now using a different yahoo.co.uk address from the one he originally used to scam me with. I'm not totally familiar with the geolocation of IPs but some of the headers for his email are below, if anyone's got any info:

Received: from [77.238.189.49] by nm17.bullet.mail.ird.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 01 Mar 2013 02:12:33 -0000
Received: from [212.82.98.114] by tm2.bullet.mail.ird.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 01 Mar 2013 02:12:33 -0000
Received: from [127.0.0.1] by omp1051.mail.ir2.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 01 Mar 2013 02:12:33 -0000
X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: ymail-3
X-Yahoo-Newman-Id: [e-mail]
Received: from [109.144.195.201] by web171601.mail.ir2.yahoo.com via HTTP; Fri, 01 Mar 2013 02:12:33 GMT
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

[crazy about cars]

Those IP won't mean anything much as he could've used a proxy to open his web mail.

Best bet is to keep track of his mobile no as you need to clear some form of security check even for prepaid.

Social engineering is other way - profile of pretty blonde on FB?

[GC8]

r44flyer said:

What would be easier than obtaining multiple fake accounts for the purposes of fraud would be to get you to send money to others expecting payment for goods which he will then receive. Seller gets his cash and posts scammer the goods. You're none the wiser.

I suspect that this poster is on the money. Its a variation on the old firearms certificate scam used by crims to illegally obtain firearms before the late eighties change.

I further suspect that he is using a far Northern location to make doorstep comeback as unlikely as possible, as he hooks his victims by offering local collection, ensuring that they are local and far too far away to travel for the sums involved.

[guitarmandan]

Has he actually given real names across that are associated with the bank accounts? You could visit a branch of one of the banks and pay in and get a receipt which would likely have his name on it?

I'll happily join in with digging, or rigging along - live near Nationwide, N&P B/S too.

[mellowman]

GC8 said:

I suspect that this poster is on the money. Its a variation on the old firearms certificate scam used by crims to illegally obtain firearms before the late eighties change.

I further suspect that he is using a far Northern location to make doorstep comeback as unlikely as possible, as he hooks his victims by offering local collection, ensuring that they are local and far too far away to travel for the sums involved.

Just got another charming email from him after I said I had reported the fraud:

"Do it mate coz ur not getting no money back u mug its your own fault it says meet in person on gumtree ur now a victim who lost out on money how do you feel hahaha MUG"

He also backed out of the previously arranged meeting on Stornaway, and says I was a time waster (no deposit to online account showing) and he'll sell it to his son's friend.

To be continued...

[singlecoil]

Criminals are often contemptuous of their victims, it's a way of coping with the guilt they would otherwise feel.

We need to get this tt.