Another 'scammed on Gumtree' would really appreciate help

Another 'scammed on Gumtree' would really appreciate help

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mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Hi,

Having just read the scammed on Gumtree thread with a positive result gained I thought this is worth a shot.

Feel like a complete tool right now. Was after a Go Pro, found one on Gumtree and after loads of decent transactions on there I guess I gained a false sense of security. The guy rang me back, we talked about the camera, about his motorbike all seemed aboveboard. Asked how he wanted paying, I said we could do Paypal but said he's upto his limit on Paypal so could we bank transfer. I left it a day and thought about it.

Today I asked him to email me a photo of his name in front of the camera for my own piece of mind, which he did. I transferred the money.

Alarm bells rang when I couldnt get hold of him all afternoon. Left messages and emails, nothing. So about 30 mins ago he rang me and said 'You're not getting your money you little w*nker', 'ring the police I'll tell you where I live etc etc'. He actually rang me twice and repeated this, I kept him on the phone an asked him if he sleeps well at night doing this and was generally calm which seemed to annoy him further.

Anyway, I feel like a complete t*t right now, have rang my bank Natwest and reported it, they're going to try and get the money back from his account RBS (unlikely I know) and am going to speak to the cops tomorrow to get a crime number.

He banks with RBS I have an account number and sort code plus a mobile and an email. Pretty much nothing to go off but if anyone has any ideas on how to pursue it I'll be up for it.

So if anyone wants a Go Pro, probably best not doing what I did.

Here's the ad too:




dacouch

1,172 posts

129 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
He spells Michael incorrectly, it may be how his parents spell his name but I would be surprised.

You can google the sort code which will give you the branch address.

P.S If you post his mobile number on here, anyone googling it to see if the advert is genuine will land on this thread or they'll find it after they've dealt with "Micheal"

Eclassy

1,201 posts

122 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Extremely dumb thing to do. He has got away with this. lick your wounds

Vaud

50,462 posts

155 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
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mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Thanks dacouch

Yes he's supposedly called Michael McIver from Saltash in Cornwall and his number is 07748 190062


Will google the sort code cheers guys, you live and learn I guess.


mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Also Vaud yeah I just read nearly all the thread. Wish I'd seen it earlier today...

mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Google comes up with this for the sort code

GREAT YARMOUTH
Bede House, 11 Western Boulevard, LE2 7EJ, Phone: (116) 2521076,
Leicester
England

Vaud

50,462 posts

155 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Be careful with the new posting rule:

Do not post material that a reasonable person would find offensive, annoying or upsetting, including personal information (including facebook/twitter/linked-in etc) & amateur sleuthing, nor may you bypass the swear filter.

Best to send stuff by PM to avoid the thread being locked...

I am not a mod, just like to see these threads stay open with the right info and people found without breaking the rules.

dacouch

1,172 posts

129 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
mcrdave said:
Google comes up with this for the sort code

GREAT YARMOUTH
Bede House, 11 Western Boulevard, LE2 7EJ, Phone: (116) 2521076,
Leicester
England
Looks like Great Yarmouth, he may well live in Saltash and have not changed the branch he banks with (It's different than just changing address with RBS. Although I suspect the name he gave you and address was bull $.

You can normally put any name you want on a bacs payment and it won't affect the money being transferred to the account

mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Ok thanks Vaud, appreciated.

Just thought i have photos that he sent me via email. What are the chances of getting metadata out of those? They're definitely peictures he would have took as I asked him to send the pics with my name and address on the parcel which he did.


glasgowrob

3,244 posts

121 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
still fraud, so I implore you to contact your local police office. call him again ideally recording the call and try and goad him into incriminating himself would also help. same with any copies of emails etc etc.



mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Just reported it on actionfraud and got a crime ref number.

ging84

8,896 posts

146 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
This does not sound like a scam at all
this sounds like someone was genuinely selling an item, got sent the money, then fell out with the seller, making it a civil dispute over money rather than fraud

what were the voice mails you left the seller and what was in the emails?

when he said, ring the police i'll tell you where I live etc etc, did he actually tell you where he lived?

mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Sorry Ging84 but that wasn't the case at all. I sent the money so why would he have 'fallen out' with me?

The next contact I had from him after the transaction was an email saying he's just been offered £230 for it. So my next response was I'm not going to match it so I'd like my money back.

This is where i know things had gone 'bad' since that point I have been trying to get the guy to give me back the money but the only contact I had was the phonecall at 6.40 pm tonight where he basically mocked me for being a mug (fair enough) said to ring the police, said he will tell me where he was then hung up...



ging84 said:
This does not sound like a scam at all
this sounds like someone was genuinely selling an item, got sent the money, then fell out with the seller, making it a civil dispute over money rather than fraud

what were the voice mails you left the seller and what was in the emails?

when he said, ring the police i'll tell you where I live etc etc, did he actually tell you where he lived?

mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Metadata on the photo's he emailed direct to me comes up with a blank through a few online sites plus photoshop... hmmm

mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Cheers Bigends, I've just emailed you.

Bigends

5,418 posts

128 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Looks like a pukka scam unfortunately. Seller asks for payment by pretty well untraceable means. Phone no on the ad possibly relates to a company in India then the seller uses a different number to ring the buyer. Only real hope is to report via the action fraud website. They can match this job to any similar ones reported. Police are unlikely to be interested as Action fraud and the NFIB look into most of these now and are best placed to do so.

ging84

8,896 posts

146 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
you now say he emailed you to say he'd had a better offer and you asked for your money back

You asked for you money back in an email, which you didn't get a reply to, you tried to phone him couldn't get hold of him this afternoon on the phone so left voicemails and emails, and this evening he calls you back in an angry state calling you a wker, you don't consider that a falling out?

you don't think it is relevant what you said in those voice mails and emails?

This is not how scammers generally work, they don't phone people up call them wkers and tell them to call the police, when they can string it along for weeks saying there is a problem with postage, it got lost in the post, the refund is on it's way etc etc, meaning any trail will be very cold by the time anyone gets round to calling the police.

mcrdave

Original Poster:

191 posts

191 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Not sure what angle you're trying to get on this ging. In the emails and voicemails I asked mike to call me back to arrange the refund. Nothing more, nothing less. No aggression or threats were made, no voices were raised. There was nothing to gain by doing that.

A man who calls me up to tell me I'm a fool and a little w*nker for falling for it is a man trying to deal with his own sense of guilt. I guess he isn't a 'scammer' as such, just a small time fraudster who gets off on this kind of deal, but hasn't quite got the balls to go to the big time scams just yet.

That's my take on it, you can believe what you like ging.

ging84 said:
you now say he emailed you to say he'd had a better offer and you asked for your money back

You asked for you money back in an email, which you didn't get a reply to, you tried to phone him couldn't get hold of him this afternoon on the phone so left voicemails and emails, and this evening he calls you back in an angry state calling you a wker, you don't consider that a falling out?

you don't think it is relevant what you said in those voice mails and emails?

This is not how scammers generally work, they don't phone people up call them wkers and tell them to call the police, when they can string it along for weeks saying there is a problem with postage, it got lost in the post, the refund is on it's way etc etc, meaning any trail will be very cold by the time anyone gets round to calling the police.

KFC

3,687 posts

130 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
mcrdave said:
Thanks dacouch

Yes he's supposedly called Michael McIver from Saltash in Cornwall and his number is 07748 190062


Will google the sort code cheers guys, you live and learn I guess.
He doesn't live in Cornwall. He's deliberately picked somewhere remote to remove any chance of most people wanting to come collect in person. Which (if correct) points towards it being a scam from day 1, rather than falling out and a civil dispute as Ginge84 is saying.