Got scammed on IIS

MortonH · #1 21-01-2016, 01:03 PM

I just fell victim to a scam by a supposed IIS member. The person has now been banned from the site. I won't go into all the details but the general outline might be useful for others to protect themselves. I'm aware of at least one other person that has also been affected.

The "seller" sent me a PM in response to my wanted ad for a Takahashi refractor. Their profile indicated they had been a member since 2014 although they hadn't posted until recently (a warning flag in hindsight).

There were a number of PM's and emails exchanged before payment where the seller seemed to be knowledgeable about the scope. They used "proper" English, pictures were provided and the price was what you'd expect, i.e. not "too good to be true".

They also sent me a Paypal invoice for payment, which gave a level of comfort that the sale was genuine, or at least I'd be protected.

Once payment was made the communication continued for a few days. Here there were some delaying tactics although it seemed innocuous at the time. There was a doctor's appointment that meant the scope hadn't been sent that day. The next day there was an email saying a courier had been arranged for the following day. On the following day they said the scope had been shipped, but as no tracking number was provided I got concerned.

I made multiple attempts to contact the seller over the next couple of days but got no response. That's when it dawned on me what had happened.

As I said, in hindsight there were some warnings but the seller's communication seemed genuine, nothing like those dodgy emails in broken English we've seen before. I don't know if the person was a real member of IIS or was fake from the outset. As I said, their profile showed they joined IIS in 2014. Have they waited all that time to carry out these scams? Has a genuine member been hacked or had their identity stolen? I don't know.

Be on your guard.

Somnium (Aidan) · #2 21-01-2016, 01:14 PM

Sorry to hear about that Morton.

nathang28 (Nathan) · #3 21-01-2016, 01:35 PM

Since they sent you a Paypal invoice, then you are protected by Paypal's guarantees. So just login to your paypal account, raise an issue on the payment and then (wait for some time) get all your money back.

Good luck with it all.

casstony · #4 21-01-2016, 01:35 PM

Would be good to know the members name.

I recently advised another member not to accept a paypal payment for his Tak refractor from someone with no history; there's a risk of the payment being reversed after the goods are sent.
In your case you should be able to get your payment refunded.

MortonH · #5 21-01-2016, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nathang28

Since they sent you a Paypal invoice, then you are protected by Paypal's guarantees. So just login to your paypal account, raise an issue on the payment and then (wait for some time) get all your money back.

Already lodged.

MortonH · #6 21-01-2016, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by casstony

Would be good to know the members name.

I recently advised another member not to accept a paypal payment for his Tak refractor from someone with no history; there's a risk of the payment being reversed after the goods are sent.
In your case you should be able to get your payment refunded.

Not sure about potential legal issues of naming the member since I can't prove 100% it's a scam at this stage. Plus naming the member would draw attention to the other affected person and it's not my place to do that.

On your other point I agree. I also found a forum yesterday where a lot of small businesses using Paypal are horrified that buyers now have 180 days (6 months) to lodge a dispute. Apparently some buyers are using this to scam the sellers. You buy a used item, use it yourself for 180 days then claim it wasn't received in the condition that was advertised.

Larryp (Laurie) · #7 21-01-2016, 01:55 PM

Sorry to hear that, Morton. I hope you get your money back.

rustigsmed (Russell) · #8 21-01-2016, 01:58 PM

sorry to hear that too Morton, good luck with the cashback.

I take it the ad has been pulled down

MortonH · #9 21-01-2016, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustigsmed

sorry to hear that too Morton, good luck with the cashback.

I take it the ad has been pulled down

My Wanted ad had already been archived as "Found" (ouch!) but the person didn't post in it. It as all done by PM and email.

killswitch (Edison) · #10 21-01-2016, 02:08 PM

Damn Morton that bloody sucks. IIS is the last place i would think scammers would be.

Check the EXIF data on the pictures he sent you (assuming he took it). It might give you some clues, maybe even a gps location.

Just a heads up with Paypal protection, it offers a false sense of security. It doesnt always work. If hes transferred the money to his bank account, withdrew it then the closed account they wont be able to recover it. It takes a couple of days to move funds from Paypal to a Bank Account.

Also any funds they do recover can be split between the people who were scammed.

glend (Glen) · #11 21-01-2016, 02:21 PM

There could well be multiple proxy userids on IIS which are used by this or other scammers. They could lay dormant until needed and thus seem legit. It happens on other forums as well. As you say a history search should tell you something about them on IIS. Try PayPal guarantee and see how you go, I imagine PayPal writes off a significant amount each year due to things like this. The fact that he was able to stretch you out over a long enough period to allow him to get the funds out of PayPal and transfer on or withdraw indicates good planning on his part.

FlashDrive (Poppy) · #12 21-01-2016, 02:35 PM

That really Sucks...

Here's to a good outcome Morton....

Col....

MortonH · #13 21-01-2016, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by killswitch

Damn Morton that bloody sucks. IIS is the last place i would think scammers would be.

Check the EXIF data on the pictures he sent you (assuming he took it). It might give you some clues, maybe even a gps location.

Just a heads up with Paypal protection, it offers a false sense of security. It doesnt always work. If hes transferred the money to his bank account, withdrew it then the closed account they wont be able to recover it. It takes a couple of days to move funds from Paypal to a Bank Account.

Also any funds they do recover can be split between the people who were scammed.

Yeah, the Paypal T&C make it quite clear that they don't have to pay you anything if they can't get it from the seller first, although clearly in some cases they pay out anyway.

I'm hoping rather than expecting...

Nikolas (Nik) · #14 21-01-2016, 02:57 PM

Name and shame name and shame

MortonH · #15 21-01-2016, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlashDrive

That really Sucks...

Here's to a good outcome Morton....

Col....

If only I knew someone with too many Taks...

dimithri86 (Dimithri) · #16 21-01-2016, 03:38 PM

I was under the impression paypal held the money till the receiver confirmed they got the product.

Kal (Andrew) · #17 21-01-2016, 03:46 PM

Sorry to hear that you have been scammed.

Have you notified the police?

hotspur (Chris) · #18 21-01-2016, 03:53 PM

Sad to read Morton,I hope you get the money back.

Always a difficult time in a situation like this,did you speak with the seller
of the item over the phone at all? I always seem to end up talking on the phone when buying an expensive item second hand like a scope/rifle/camera gear,I can generally pick up on whether the seller has a good knowledge on the item being sold,and if he has had dealings in other ways with other people in the same field and so on-like if they have been to such and such star party or got something mounted at this or that taxidermist,if something seems a miss,I'll pass but never had that issue when directly talking with the person.The only time I ever made the mistake was not having any contact on the phone when buying an item I got the run-around

Best wishes to you Morton.

traveller (Bo) · #19 21-01-2016, 04:08 PM

Sorry to hear Morton,
Hope PayPal will sort out the payment issue ASAP.

dreamstation (James) · #20 21-01-2016, 04:18 PM

Sent you a PM with some questions Morton, as I too was recently contacted by a member which matches your description perfectly.