International Fraud order - for dealers & consumers

Bill Baker · « **on:** 21 Mar 2005, 01:13 pm »

I don't know about the other dealers or manufaturers here but this weekend I received about $18k worth of orders!!! yeh right. They all wanted to provide me with credit card or postal money order that "their associate owed them". One person even offered to have his associate come into my location, provide me with a international money order and wanted me to give him his "change" based on this money order that was mistakenly written out for twice the actual amount.
I am use to getting one or two of these a week but this weekend I received about 8 different order inquiries from various "clients" throughout the world.
Nigeria, Indonesia, Ghana, Senega, Asia, Japan and a few from countries I never heard of.
Looks like it was a fraud weekend. Just wanted to pass along the warning to everyone else out there. Both consumers and dealers are targeted in these scams.
Beware.

MaxCast · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 02:32 pm »

It makes you wonder how many actually fall for this. Not that anyone would like to admit it. Also, what other areas besides audio are these crooks messing with?

Charles Calkins · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 02:36 pm »

Bill Baker:
My daughter got an email regarding a not running car she has listed on craigslist. The dude wanted to send her a "cheque" for $3000 and she keep $500 for the car. She would then send him the $2500 change so he could make arrangements to have the car shipped to him. Poor daughter was very confused about this but thanks to "Dear old Dad" I told her about scams like this. Everybody including family members should be made aware of these scams. $3000 is a small fortune to my daughter. There is no way she could repay her bank if this were a scam deal and she got stuck. I'm sure business people run into deals like this once in a while. But as we all know there is a sucker born every minute.

Cheers
Charlie

CornellAlum · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 02:38 pm »

I was selling a mic pre on sweetwater.com, and the price was 600 or so. The guy said his client wanted to purchase the item, but that they were sending me a check for 4 grand, and then I was to wire the money back. I played along to see what was going on, and he said he sent the check. I am clearly going to rip it up. It sold anyway via paypal.

Bill Baker · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 02:43 pm »

I don't know if or how many people in the industry have been taken by these types of scams but I do know of a few consumers that have lost a LOT of money by these crooks on A-gon. It's sad.

ctviggen · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 02:48 pm »

Here's a website that discusses one person's fun with scammers like these:

http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/class/scam/

Bill Baker · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 02:54 pm »

Hello Charlie,
What you descibed happened to your daughter is now becoming "the oldest trick in the book". As I mentioned, I get a few of these a week. And as far as I am concerned, $3000 is a lot of money for anybody. Especially to just throw away to a scammer. I once had a "customer" that wwanted to send me a "cheque" for $18k for merchandise that did not even total $3000. I guess some of them have bigger balls than others.

Charlie, I am glad to hear you were there for her and saved her the financial and emotional anguish that would have resulted from this.

nathanm · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 03:34 pm »

Where the heck is the work ethic and clever thinking in the criminal underworld these days? What a bunch of poseurs! They don't stand a chance on getting a TV expose with a half-ass scam pitch like that. We deserve more from our criminals I think.

What I would do is find one of those websites where you can send people cheesy little e-mail greeting cards and see if there's some that you'd send to a kid who took 3rd place in the pinewood derby or something. Like, "Way to go little buddy, better luck next time!" "A For Effort 'Lil Fella!" something like that. Just let them know that you appreciate the attempt at ripping you off, but that they'll have to try harder next time.

Charles Calkins · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 03:37 pm »

Hey Bill:
If I wasn't able to advise her and she did the deal guess who would have to bail her out again. You got that right "Dear old Dad." Been there done that lot's of times. "Who in the hell invented kids"

Cheers
Charlie

Bill Baker · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 05:23 pm »

Hey Charlie, You're not telling me nothing I don't already know. My line-up is as follows:

Twin 6 year old boys
13 year old boy
18 year old daughter.

Been there, done that, doing that.

Good luck

Charles Calkins · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 05:55 pm »

Bill:

Poor "Dear old Dad". Wait until they get grown up and out on their own. Then the hand outs and bail outs start. Been there done that and am still doing that.

Two daughters one is 41 and the other is 38.

Cheers
Charlie

Bill Baker · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 Mar 2005, 06:19 pm »

Basically what I did to my parents growing up right down to the bails outs.

BeeBop · « **Reply #12 on:** 22 Mar 2005, 11:19 am »

Why not have the 'associate' come in and have the cops waiting for him? I know I would like to read all about it the day after in these forums.