watch out for scams

[circusboy]

A cautionary tale.

I posted in the "Wanting to Buy/Seeking" section that I was looking for a case for my horn. After about a week or so, I got a private message from edsel585961 (a lurker who has since deleted the account) that he knew of someone--"AnorakHorn"--who had one that he wanted to get rid of. Using the email provided, I contacted this person, who went by Cleese Curtis. (Searching the Internet for that name, I could only find the co-stars of A Fish Called Wanda. Now I know who the real fish is.)

"Cleese" sent me a photo of the case. It looked good. I asked for a photo of the inside. That took a while, but he got one to me; it looked good, too. We agreed on the price, and I sent him the money via Venmo. It went to what looked like an antiques or craft store, "Lily's Luxuries."

He then contacted me to say that he went to the Post Office and learned that he'd underestimated the shipping. I said I'd split the difference and, stupidly, sent him more money, this time to an individual, "Erica Poe." I've not been able to contact him since.

Some other things to note. He said he was located in Tulsa. He used grammar and syntax that made him appear to be a simpleton. That was actually really clever. Big city folk like myself have a paternal reaction to that and will not be as demanding. E.g., I didn't require that I see a shipping invoice before making that last payment.

I'm not sure exactly what the lesson is, here. Be less trusting, I guess. Demand more verification.

I've had many--and many more valuable--transactions through this wonderful community. Now I'll think twice. What a shame.

[arpthark]

I'm sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, scammers are taking over this site's buy/sell section. Always CYA and never do Venmo with folks you don't know or trust. PayPal with goods/service protection, even if you or the buyer has to eat the fee, is safer. Anytime someone messages you asking you to email JoeBob because they have exactly what you want, it's a scam. I reported this seller a while ago because they tried to do the same thing to me. I'm very sorry they slipped through the cracks before they could be banned and claimed a victim.

[kingrob76]

This is a very common scam.

If someone reached out to to you and says they "know a guy" and is referring you to him, move on. Ideally the seller should be asked to contact you. Also, look at the total number of posts of the user.

[MKTuba]

This same thing happened to me with the same seller and initial contacter. I didn’t send any money which is a good thing for sure. I didn’t pursue it very far but it makes sense that it was a scam.

[ckalaher1]

I’ve said this before and it’s fallen on deaf ears, but this site needs a seller feedback forum.

Hall of Fame for good sellers and most everyone

Hall of Shame for frauds

[windshieldbug]

[jonesbrass]

This exact same thing happened to me with a mouthpiece I was looking for. Got a little guy shy . . . Even called him and asked a few specific questions only a knowledgeable tubaist would know. He didn’t pass the test and I ceased communication. Sorry that happened to you.

[TubaFranklin]

Same here. I got scammed here a while back. I was looking for a Gard gig bag for my tuba, and one happened to respond, to my post on here, everything looked well until it wasn't. My intuition was trying to stop me but I was too eager on getting that bag
He had the pictures, seemed friendly and responded well. And then scammed me out of $300.
Later on I tried to get my money back through reporting it to my bank, but they wouldn't help me. The bank at least followed through on their reports, because later on I kept getting threatening emails from the jerk since he probably got affected by the report. Just ignored them and I'm still breathing.
Funny enough, I later saw the same pictures on an eBay sale. I worry that the same guy would've tried that scam again.