Have you ever been scammed?
Discussion
eezeh said:
Lent £40 to a mate who then ghosted me. We are no longer mates. 
£40 well spent, I'd say!Some years ago I remember my dad buying a second hand DSLR camera from eBay for about £3k and recieving a brick in the post via recorded delivery. eBay ruled in the sellers favour as they had proof of delivery, and the police didn't seem to care.
Only once. Bought a part for my Alfa from eBay in about 2006 and it was never delivered. The seller kept making excuses as to why it was late, then eventually he and his account disappeared. eBay promised to try and recover the funds, but his PayPal account was strangely empty.
Was only about £50, but it rankled
Was only about £50, but it rankled
Once, years ago in Fuertaventura. A classic bait and switch - walking past a place in a town that was known as a good place to buy cheap electronics, a bloke outside a shop offered us a Sony Handycam for what I now know was a too good to be true price.
Went in the shop, looked at the camera and handed over my credit card. This then suddenly disappeared (have to take it for authorisation sir) and the guy started saying I actually needed a different camera and started showing me a knackered old Panasonic (obviously very second-hand) at a much higher price. Much arguing ensued and I'm ashamed to say I eventually gave up and paid for the crappy old Panasonic camera, Mrs U was getting very upset by this time and it was starting to look like it might get physically nasty. Credit card company were no use at all (Most Benefits Not Applicable) and the package holiday company rep and the local police were no better. t
ts.
I can't imagine I'll ever go back to Fuerteventura but if I do and that shop is still there, their letterbox is getting a turd posted through it.
Went in the shop, looked at the camera and handed over my credit card. This then suddenly disappeared (have to take it for authorisation sir) and the guy started saying I actually needed a different camera and started showing me a knackered old Panasonic (obviously very second-hand) at a much higher price. Much arguing ensued and I'm ashamed to say I eventually gave up and paid for the crappy old Panasonic camera, Mrs U was getting very upset by this time and it was starting to look like it might get physically nasty. Credit card company were no use at all (Most Benefits Not Applicable) and the package holiday company rep and the local police were no better. t
ts.I can't imagine I'll ever go back to Fuerteventura but if I do and that shop is still there, their letterbox is getting a turd posted through it.
Sort of.
Had a call one afternoon from my brother. He works for on the Apple's biggest UK resellers and he had been asked by someone in purchasing if he was related to this new first-time customer (we have an unusual surname). Apparently i was trying to buy a high-end Macbook, which my brother knew just wasn't my bag.
Have an Amex card that i use for work expenses, which was used for this transaction. I called Amex to cancel the card and because this was a "live" fraud, i was conferenced into the fraud squad. Within this 4-hour window, they had ordered £13k's worth of high end equipment form the Macbook, high end camera gear and some expensive cctv stuff.
Thankfully none of the bill was mine. Classic credit card skim (still have no idea how)
Had a call one afternoon from my brother. He works for on the Apple's biggest UK resellers and he had been asked by someone in purchasing if he was related to this new first-time customer (we have an unusual surname). Apparently i was trying to buy a high-end Macbook, which my brother knew just wasn't my bag.
Have an Amex card that i use for work expenses, which was used for this transaction. I called Amex to cancel the card and because this was a "live" fraud, i was conferenced into the fraud squad. Within this 4-hour window, they had ordered £13k's worth of high end equipment form the Macbook, high end camera gear and some expensive cctv stuff.
Thankfully none of the bill was mine. Classic credit card skim (still have no idea how)
Not in Carreleco about 2001?
In the days before video on mobile phones, so you had to have a proper "Handycam" to record owt on video.
If so I started to fall for the same scam and as I was getting bullied for the replacement cam and my wife was now being bullied to give her card for the original cam, we both did what our tour rep (I think it was Thompson we went with) warned us to do in this situation.
Piss your pants.
No scammer can carry on when you are stood in a pool of your own piss. Not pleasant, but saved a few hundred quid rip off. Let the scammers know you had been tipped off by the rep. Next evening the same shop was a "day-rate" car hire place.
In the days before video on mobile phones, so you had to have a proper "Handycam" to record owt on video.
If so I started to fall for the same scam and as I was getting bullied for the replacement cam and my wife was now being bullied to give her card for the original cam, we both did what our tour rep (I think it was Thompson we went with) warned us to do in this situation.
Piss your pants.
No scammer can carry on when you are stood in a pool of your own piss. Not pleasant, but saved a few hundred quid rip off. Let the scammers know you had been tipped off by the rep. Next evening the same shop was a "day-rate" car hire place.
Corvid-2020 said:
Not in Carreleco about 2001?
In the days before video on mobile phones, so you had to have a proper "Handycam" to record owt on video.
If so I started to fall for the same scam and as I was getting bullied for the replacement cam and my wife was now being bullied to give her card for the original cam, we both did what our tour rep (I think it was Thompson we went with) warned us to do in this situation.
Piss your pants.
No scammer can carry on when you are stood in a pool of your own piss. Not pleasant, but saved a few hundred quid rip off. Let the scammers know you had been tipped off by the rep. Next evening the same shop was a "day-rate" car hire place.
I had quite forgotten the name of the town but by jove I think that's it!! And yes it would have been around 2000, maybe late 90s. Surrender by Chemical Brothers had just come out, I remember listening to it by the pool.In the days before video on mobile phones, so you had to have a proper "Handycam" to record owt on video.
If so I started to fall for the same scam and as I was getting bullied for the replacement cam and my wife was now being bullied to give her card for the original cam, we both did what our tour rep (I think it was Thompson we went with) warned us to do in this situation.
Piss your pants.
No scammer can carry on when you are stood in a pool of your own piss. Not pleasant, but saved a few hundred quid rip off. Let the scammers know you had been tipped off by the rep. Next evening the same shop was a "day-rate" car hire place.
I never thought of pissing my pants, interesting tip. I wouldn't have been popular on the coach back to the hotel though.
The shop was named after a bird that rises from the ashes. Ring any bells?
I made the huge error of paying upfront twice. First, I employed a bloke to fit out the bedroom, with new shelves,
wardrobe doors, etc. He did half the job and lit out. Then, I wanted a bloke to sort out the grass on an earth bank that had slipped.
He never showed after relieving me of £64, funt. Moral: never pay first.
wardrobe doors, etc. He did half the job and lit out. Then, I wanted a bloke to sort out the grass on an earth bank that had slipped.
He never showed after relieving me of £64, funt. Moral: never pay first.
wheelerc said:
£40 well spent, I'd say!
Some years ago I remember my dad buying a second hand DSLR camera from eBay for about £3k and recieving a brick in the post via recorded delivery. eBay ruled in the sellers favour as they had proof of delivery, and the police didn't seem to care.
I was scammed in a similar way to this, but thankfully only for a £3 bike light.Some years ago I remember my dad buying a second hand DSLR camera from eBay for about £3k and recieving a brick in the post via recorded delivery. eBay ruled in the sellers favour as they had proof of delivery, and the police didn't seem to care.
The eBay seller sent an empty envelope so I raised a Paypal dispute. He agreed to resupply the goods but again sent an empty envelope (stuffed with cardboard) but gave proof of recorded postage to Paypal who initially sided in his favour. Thankfully Paypal then agreed with me and refunded me the £3.
I don't see what the seller gained as he had to pay for the initial postage, and then the recorded delivery will have cost him nearly £3 alone, so he wouldn't have been making much money on the scam.
Though to be fair to Paypal they could have had no idea that I wasn't lying, so not sure how they decide. I did intent to later purchase a £1 item from the same seller just so I could leave negative feedback, but I never bothered.
I work in a fraud dept and I'm always amazed how easily some folk part with hundreds of thousands of pounds to someone phoning them with an investment opportunity to make mega returns, usually its a crypto currency opportunity where the caller offers to match their investment. Unless they are vulnerable, its hard to feel sorry for them.
I was asked to invest a few thousand in a VW brand (Oxford Edition) by someone I considered a friend, and was getting pretty close to handing over the cash, when my wife (an IFA) thought it was a bit fishy and I pulled out. Turned out to be a scam and he had unpaid debts all over the place. Ended up doing time for fraud soon after.
I've been done over a few times on Ebay as a private seller and as a business seller.
The most frustrating case was selling a car part, first the buyer reckoned it hadn't arrived, then it turned up and was faulty. I accepted the return & when the item came back it was NOT my part and was substantially damaged rendering it useless. After much arguing with Ebay & Paypal providing photos & detailed description of why it was not my part I was told there would be an investigation.
Ebay's decision, refund the buyer in full. Leaving me out of pocket by around a £100 on ebay fees, paypal fees, postage fees and having a broken part only fit for the bin. For an added bonus I also got negative feedback and banned from selling items on my private account!!!
Strangely Ebay were happy to continue letting me purchase items on my private account and run a business account generating over £30k pm of sales but it took over a year of appealing before I was allowed to sell on my private account again
The most frustrating case was selling a car part, first the buyer reckoned it hadn't arrived, then it turned up and was faulty. I accepted the return & when the item came back it was NOT my part and was substantially damaged rendering it useless. After much arguing with Ebay & Paypal providing photos & detailed description of why it was not my part I was told there would be an investigation.
Ebay's decision, refund the buyer in full. Leaving me out of pocket by around a £100 on ebay fees, paypal fees, postage fees and having a broken part only fit for the bin. For an added bonus I also got negative feedback and banned from selling items on my private account!!!
Strangely Ebay were happy to continue letting me purchase items on my private account and run a business account generating over £30k pm of sales but it took over a year of appealing before I was allowed to sell on my private account again
1. I had a very odd one in the early days of ebay where I bought a CD which never arrived. I looked back and all trace of the transaction had disappeared from my account, like I'd never bought it. Even the confirmatory emails I got on winning the auction went a bit broken.
As it was about £1.70 I didn't create a scene.
2. Bought a part for an old Fiesta from some tt who never delivered it. Made quite a scene every time he attempted to sell anything else on the same forum; one of the mods admonished me as he had apparently "been going through some personal problems". I said fine, I'll have my £50.00 back, which I never did.
So I just kept posting "warning this guy is a con artist" on any of his selling posts. Oddly he didn't take any offence to this.
As it was about £1.70 I didn't create a scene.
2. Bought a part for an old Fiesta from some t
t who never delivered it. Made quite a scene every time he attempted to sell anything else on the same forum; one of the mods admonished me as he had apparently "been going through some personal problems". I said fine, I'll have my £50.00 back, which I never did. So I just kept posting "warning this guy is a con artist" on any of his selling posts. Oddly he didn't take any offence to this.
Got a car serviced at a main dealer, around 450 quid
It didnt move all day, then I watched it move when I arrived to collect for its 10 min oil change ready for me to pay
I didn’t pay and they never chased it up. Did stamp the book though
It didnt move all day, then I watched it move when I arrived to collect for its 10 min oil change ready for me to pay
I didn’t pay and they never chased it up. Did stamp the book though
Edited by Spare tyre on Wednesday 11th November 08:31
Johnnytheboy said:
1. I had a very odd one in the early days of ebay where I bought a CD which never arrived. I looked back and all trace of the transaction had disappeared from my account, like I'd never bought it. Even the confirmatory emails I got on winning the auction went a bit broken.
As it was about £1.70 I didn't create a scene.
You had very little buying and selling protection during the early days of Ebay.As it was about £1.70 I didn't create a scene.
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