Home Theater Scam

[Baddad (Marty)]

I was approached in a shopping centre car park today. Two young men in a white VW van. They said that they were on their way to install a home theatre system
They informed me that the warehouse had over stocked their job supplies with an extra home theater system. Would I be interested to buy it.
$1000 was the asking price. I said I don't have that much. Negotiations came down to $200.

I refused. It raised suspicions, the bells were ringing. They were quite enthusiastic and showed me the RRP tag of $4700.

In desperation to get rid of them I said, "No. I already have a quality system." and drove off.

I phoned JB HI FI. They were operating outside their store. The staff member asked me, "You didn't buy one?"
"No!"
He informed me that its a scam. They are cheap Chinese systems that do not meet the performance specs or anywhere near them. Unreliable junk. Many people that have been bitten have presented the systems to JB Hi Fi for repair.

If its too good to be true it is.

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

Hi Marty...the old white van scam! I've even been approached twice. I mean do I look shady or stupid?...don't answer that!

Anyway usually Irish guys driving around with oversupply bargains selling in car parks. Of course the items are not oversupply (that would be theft and buying such would be handling stolen goods) just plain cheap cheap rubbish.

You'd be surprised how brazen these guys are...they troll the carparks. Not they are always the same people...a never ending stream of cheap labour....backpackers!

You know you've lived a full life when you have been "White Van'd".

[RickS (Rick)]

Yes, it's a decades old scam. They used to flog cheap speakers. Funny that they always have a white van. I guess the more anonymous the better as far as the operators are concerned.

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi Brendan,

You know you've lived a full life when you have been "White Van'd". LOL

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

I got a good one today.
Guy with nice Delhi accent telling me that he's from ATO and I'm being done for fraud in court--TODAY for non payment of taxes.
I told him he was talking from his ear as I am a pensioner.
He rang off before he could ask for my bribe.....

[The_bluester (Paul)]

Yeah, I got offered the White van scam a year or so back. Same deal trying to flog AV gear which invariably turns out to be rubbish.

Pretty brazen, done within sight of the sunshine police station.

[Sundog (Paul)]

I've also had the white van call on me. About 20years ago. Selling the speakers for cheap. Not the kind of place I buy that kind of stuff from!

Around 2010, a neighbour had "overseas art students" selling original art for a good price. Again from a white van but they did have foreign accents. Then it came out on the news it was a scam and the paintings values were about $5 (on ebay?).

[mswhin63 (Malcolm)]

Age old scam, very hard to track them down.

Here is a fairly long video describing the products.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3B_KKyntQE

[PeterEde (Peter)]

Unfortunately there are those out there without brains enough to realise, if it seems to good to be true it usually is. Or are both greedy and dumb and end up being fleeced big time.

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

It's just plain greed.
Something for nothing at someone else's expense.
I wonder at morals sometimes

[Baddad (Marty)]

What made me suspicious was their story: They're over supplied for an installation job. Where were their tools? Where's the cables? No connectors.
No ladders.
All they had were nice looking boxes. I felt the weight of one of the speaker boxes. Very light. No way that the contents could handle the specified power.

They were lying. What other fibs had they been trying to tell me? That's why I decided no way and checked with some reputable retailers. Also I had never heard of the brand, and I have had an interest in up market audio systems for 45 years.

[The_bluester (Paul)]

Apparently the spiel almost invariably starts with "this will sound crazy, but"

And sure enough the one laid on me did. Though that was as far as I let him get. They must reel in a significant number of people though for it to be worthwhile.

[keni (Ken)]

This has been doing the rounds for years.
Here in Brisbane they even try to attract your attention while stopped at traffic lights.
I was stopped recently waiting for the lights to change when the good ol' white van pulled up beside me and the passenger started frantically waving at me.
Thinking something was wrong I wound down the window and got their spiel.They took offence at my loud suggestion to "Intercourse Off you bl@@dy crooks"...
Oh well at least I felt better.

Ken.