I as of this moment have received 3 computer printed cashier checks from this Romeo Smith.One printed check for $1,700.00 and two also printed checks for $3,000.00 each.
I am collecting these checks for the local enforcement. Insanity: Doing the same crap over and over again and expecting different result. Some people would never learn... |
The best way is to make a phone call to the seller. Chat about his present and past gear, his impressions on the product etc. Within minutes you will know if the seller is a genuine audiophile or a scam artist. |
I was sent the scam email from romeosmith_26@yahoo.com, asking for personal information, and wanting to send a certified check. Same as another person mentioned--his mover would come. Stay away from these types of inquiries--very unnerving. |
Be careful, guys. I do not know how they did it but my long time Audiogon account was hi-jacked and all my listings were altered.
I could not sign in even after Audiogon on line help line sent me a new password.
I found out one thing that if I answer this Patrick/ Romeo Smith guy, his e-mail address automatically added to my Yahoo contact list.
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If you've got the time and a sense of humor, you could do what this ebay seller did.
www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/ |
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A few years ago when these were really numerous, I'd get multiple scams in my email box. In retaliation, I would forward the sender's message to another scammer. |
I had an offer to buy from a guy with zero feedback, who just moved from Calif. to Canada. He would have his assistant mail me a Cashier Check from his Bank in New York. He told me to take my AD off Audiogon since he going to buy my item.
Asked me to deposit in my bank and use Western Union to send his shipper the the excess funds.
This is the information from the sender not the buyer that they used :
Ashley M. Murray
5 Randy Frost CT
Baltimore,MD 21220
The check is drawn from Wescom Credit Union in Pasadena, CA 91101. |
Tholt wrote: Operatenore, there is indeed a way via a link on the Craigslist generated emails to flag the responder as spam. Perhaps this is a recent addition. I used it a couple times on an item I had for sale within the past few weeks. I appreciate this clarification as requested, Tholt: I'll be looking towards - what will be for me - this additional feature in the coming weeks. Boy, C'list has sure gotten on top of this kind of thing... just hope it works efficiently. Thank you. |
05-02-12: Operatenore
I believe, though, there was something of a misinferrence regarding member Tholt's post, or a misimplication: C'list allows one to flag a post/offering (of goods/services) that one deems to be fraudulent...(?) (that's a whole 'nother can of worms other than the obviously redundant/prostitutional/"other" categories. There is no way, in my most recent experience - as most people are contacted through their hidden emails - that one can alert C'list to warrantedly fraudulent contacts (someone please correct me if things have changed in the last several weeks...) Operatenore, there is indeed a way via a link on the Craigslist generated emails to flag the responder as spam. Perhaps this is a recent addition. I used it a couple times on an item I had for sale within the past few weeks. |
I have an item for sale and received yet another inquiry from what I now call a "FRAUDIO-PILE" , these guys are
relentless. And again they meet the same MO as all the other that have been mentioned here in this thread.
Sellers beware! |
One of the older scams in the book. NEVER respond to anyone claiming overpayment and asking for $ back. |
I had an offer to buy from a guy with zero feedback, who just moved from Calif. to Canada. He would have his assistant mail me a Cashier Check from his Bank in New York. He told me to take my AD off Audiogon since he going to buy my item. I email him back that I will only take a US Postal Money order for payment. He has not responeded back. This is another version of the same scam.
I won't make the mistake of even responding to the email request next time. Thanks for letting us know about this scum. |
Awww.... thank you(!) member Jedinite24 for the acknowledgement: just tryin' to get a handle on what the implementation of the "new" a'gon has wrought on us all, regardless of length of term.
Between the numerous offerings from zero feedback members with "stock" photos - as someone previously noted in this thread - the scamming (two out of three of my recent offers were summarily "attacked",) has increased. After the decade+ existence of this venue, it seems more than coincidental: whereas my previous tracking blocker yielded from the "cgi" (cgi.audiogon.com) implementation of this site no more than one per page, the "app", i.e. app.audiogon.com, is up to nine(!) I'm unsure if this is coincidental, which I why I hoped that someone more technically savvy than I would contribute...
I believe, though, there was something of a misinferrence regarding member Tholt's post, or a misimplication: C'list allows one to flag a post/offering (of goods/services) that one deems to be fraudulent...(?) (that's a whole 'nother can of worms other than the obviously redundant/prostitutional/"other" categories. There is no way, in my most recent experience - as most people are contacted through their hidden emails - that one can alert C'list to warrantedly fraudulent contacts (someone please correct me if things have changed in the last several weeks...)
Thanks again Jedinite24,
operatenore |
Only-one-ell, that was exactly the same language and the style that of the e-mail that I have received.
With the same scheme to ask me to deposit in my bank and Moneygram the excess funds.
This is the information from the sender not the buyer that they used :
Ashley M.Murray
5 randy ct.
Baltimore,MD 21220
The check is drawn from Huntington natl'bank in Canton, Ohio 44718.
The payee is: Russ Kiko Assc. Inc., 2805 Fulton dr. NW, Canton Ohio 44718.
Your "James" guy is my Patrick scammer. LOL! |
Great response Operatenore. I hope someone can explain what is going on here. I kind of wish A'gon addressed this issue and then did something about it. They did want more ads to appear throughout the site with the upgrade.
THolt also brings up some good points about reporting this kind of acitivity for A'gon a lot easier. It should be easier and hopefully with more reporting A'gon can fix the problem.
Sad Craigslist has something better in place than A'gon for reporting. |
The responses all have a similar flavor and verbiage to them, and always feel suspect (esp if they are suggesting payment in any form of check). I have noticed too that I never got these with the old Audiogon, now it seems like I get at least one for every item I put up for sale. Audiogon must have somehow opened themselves up to the internet at large with the changes.
I have complained to Agon about this through their blog and directly via email -- they need to create an easy way through the interface for the seller to flag and report any suspicious offers as spam. Even Craigslist has this type of thing in place.
Al is also right -- never email them back. |
Here is the typical response one gets when you open the door for these guys:
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:11:46 +0100
Subject: Re: Rega Tone Arm
From: ongadegodson@gmail.com
Thanks for your corporation in this transaction, According to my financier, the check has already been mailed out by US postal service.I guess you know how to handle the check when it delivered to you.
But there was a lil mistake which I guess we can handle with honesty and trustworthiness.When i contacted my financier to know if the check have been sent, I got to know that there was a misinterpretation while sending the check. The problem occurred due to my tight schedule. Innitialy, I told him to issue out a check in your name for the actual amount of what I bought from you and have the rest written in the name of my shipping Agent, but in the process he made a mistake by sending all the money in your name. He claimed that I asked him to send the check to your name only, But that should not disturb our own transaction and I'm sure we would both handle this amicably.
Once you receive the check, Kindly deposit it into your account for appropriate verification as require by your financial institution, it will clear within 48hrs.
Then get the cash withdrawn from you account, deduct your money + $50 for yourself as run around expenses and forward the difference to my shipping agent via Western Union Money Transfer. The agent information will be sent along with the tracking number soon.
NB:
Please email at once to let me know if I can trust you to have the excess funds expedited to my mover upon the receipt of delivery of payment**
Thanks for the understanding and I will be waiting to read from you as soon as possible.
Warmest Regards,
James
I sent him the local FBI mailing address along with their phone number. Wish I could follow the trail on this one. |
I would avoid sending a direct email to these criminals. Depending on the email service that you are using, your IP address will often be embedded in the message properties. Someone who knows how will often be able to determine your town or city from that, with just a few mouse clicks (although they can also determine that from the zip code in your listing, of course). If your email address and your name both happen to appear on a web page somewhere, Googling the email address will reveal your name. Having all of that information will often allow your address and phone number to be determined.
Regards,
-- Al |
I tell them to have the shipper deliver and / or pick up the checks along with the items, so that everything would go smoothly for both parties. Also give them 809,284 and 876 area codes to call. Let them know you are very interested. |
From my experiences listing on C'list over the years (non-audio) these types of emails are all too common: it doesn't matter what you're offering, they follow the same pattern of misspellings, vagueness/lack of specificity relative to one's offering, punctuation gaffs, that over-funded cashier's check, etc. They often outnumber the legitimate contacts... more of an annoyance than anything else.
But why is this happening here now? The interesting thing to note from some of the previous posters is the appearance and increase in these scamming contacts subsequent to the change in this website's interface... is it something in the programming code that now allows automated "bots" to crawl the site, harvesting information in the ads and then generating the emails. Can anyone with an IT background here comment on this conjecture, or is this all done via direct, manual entry? |
I received two of these yesterday. I reported them to AudioGon and they are looking into it. Here are the items that I found each to possess:
1) They want you to contact them via e-mail not the RESPONSE button.
2) They have no feedback
3) they have no items listed
4) they have no discussion interteraction
5) they both would pay my list price
6) they both seemed to have some poor grammer/english
I did respond to one directly and he had a list of information he needed from me. But the big redflag was the
information about him moving and that he had a "shipper" that would make arrangements to have the package picked up.
As a suggestion, I sent AudioGon an idea that I think would help: Have the length of membership listed along with feedback. If they have no feedback and have been a member for just a week or so, proceed with caution. I realize that new members do sign up just to buy and that would be a tough call as they may not have any track record yet. But if they legitimate they will respond if questioned with a suspicious nature. |
Here the guy @ Engneer_Pat727@Gmail.com. Patrick, I have the check. Come and get it , you little thief. |
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Beware of anyone wanting to be contacted @ 809,284,876 area codes trying to make their offer look legit. It can cost up to 2,425.00 per minute. Google it. Some leave fake emails too. |
04-27-12: Mcloughlin
Here is another suspected scamer I just received today."
Usually if I see a response that refers to my "product" or my "placement" I know to be cautious and usually ask a question that only a knowledgeable person would know the answer to. I had a pair of speakers for sale and got one of those type of responses, so I said the speakers were not very efficient, what will you be driving them with. The guy replied "My car is big enough" so I figured it ain't happening and stopped replying. |
Seems as if these days there are a whole bunch of new crooks on A'gon.. lot's of zero feedback people with stock photos of gear for sale.
Stay alert |
yes, please report.....how else are they to know to get rid of them? |
Here is another suspected scamer I just received today. >> "Hello seller,i saw your placement and am interested in buying from you but before i processed, i like to know the mode of payment excluding the shipping cos i will take care of the shipping cost, get back to me as soon as possible for me to arrange for the payment.also you can contact me directly on my email patrick_kelley24@aol.com Regards."<< I received one just over a month ago very similar to this where they will arrange shipping and did not want to go through the agon site not use paypal. From this post it sound like Agon should put some warnings up through out the site. I will report this to agon. |
and yet another one tonight....
Questions
From patrick24 ( 0 0% - No Feedback%)04/27/2012
Hello seller,i saw your placement and am interested in buying from you but before i processed, i like to know the mode of payment excluding the shipping cos i will take care of the shipping cost, get back to me as soon as possible for me to arrange for the payment.also you can contact me directly on my email patrick_kelley24@aol.com Regards. |
I turn all silly requests over to my butler. He and my bodyguard work it out.
I've gotten a couple of these loons too. |
They're nasty parasites, Bill.
Audiogon already removed them from the site.
But more will come. Hopefully if everyone copies the perps questions to the moderators this can be radicated.
So stop waiving the bad checks around and acting like school girls, everyone please police your ads. And me! :) |
Well I'll be darned, here's one of three I received all from the same person
>>I Am interested in your listed Item ,Please contact me at garciadaniel062@gmail.com, to get more details about my interest and let me know its present condition.I am ready to deal asap<<
Small world
:-) |
here's one I received tonight, which I just forwarded to the Audiogon moderators...
I Am interested in your listed Item ,Please contact me at garciadaniel062@gmail.com, to get more details about my interest and let me know its present condition.I am ready to deal asap
RespondDelete |
Elizabeth, good idea. Got the check today and has been pressured from unknown, no trace buyer instructed me to deposit the check.
Now,I have the upper hand since I can use the check to trace to an Auctioneer Co, in Canon,Oh drew from the Huntington Natl'Bank. The sender is a third party( not the buyer) is in Baltimore,MD.
BTW, the buyer insisted that I have to go thru with the deal since the check is good. Maybe it's good to him but does not look like an CC to me.
ROTFLMAO ! |
It's important to forward the scam offers to Audiogon so they can delete the memberships. They are very proactive about it. I'm sure they don't want the site to turn into the old Audio Shopper, which was ruined by scammers. |
I guess I'm the minority in thinking that in addition to sellers being on alert for these kinds of scams that Audiogon should be on the hook for policing these kinds of fraudulent sellers and keeping them out. I sold a bit of gear (but not big dollar) before the Audiogon upgrade and never got any of these kinds of scam solicitations. Could it have been that when the upgrade occurred these scammers got in? I've seen these scams on CL but never on eBay or Amazon whenever I've sold stuff on those sites. This is just too weird. |
Similar offers from Nigeria are usually OK. 8^) |
More importantly, what name does this buyer use here at Audiogon so we can all avoid doing business with this person?,thanks in advance. |
I get more of these than I do legit emails these days. Probably have had 50 in the last several months! Traffic is so bad now, I really wonder why I even bother anymore. Funny, I never had a single one before the new system launched. At times, I've rec'd as many as 4 within 2 or 3 minutes, from the same person. Actually had one that wanted 2 different center channels at the same time. Always worded the same, basically. They always ask about the items condition too. (New in box should speak for itself) I've given up even reporting it. They just keep coming. |
Why would someone pay more than your asking price? And then ask you to send the difference? Totally it is a scam. Period. Be careful. I got these emails many times. |
standard money-back scam. The check will be a forgery. |
Ive reverted to posting Wanted Ads for what Im looking for. One response said
short and sweet
Have 3 new, will sell all 3 for $$$. The respondent had no feedback or forum interaction. While the respondents asking price was in the ballpark, I felt it was a little too low for new. I E-mailed asking as nicely as I could how it came to be that the respondent had 3 new cables. I got no immediate response. About a week later I received another E-mail from the respondent offering to sell the cables for even less, and threating to post an ad on AudiogoN at the lower asking price unless I responded immediately with payment. I took a pass
and no ad was posted by the respondent. |
When I was sent a cashiers check (by express mail, no less) for three times the amount, the sender advised me to deposit it first and send him the difference after it cleared. . . . as if he expected the bogus check to clear. |
Nothing new under the sun. I remember buying a demo pair of Apogee Duetta Signatures from a high end dealer in Atlanta in the early 90s; I had paid for them and they were sending them air freight collect to Knoxville; I got a call telling me that they had mistakenly dispatched them collect for the purchase price + the freight but if I would pay again they would refund the money. I declined and told them they would have to go back to Atlanta. Somehow they managed to retrieve them [ HA!] and send them the way we had arranged. They went out of business a short time later. Moral: if you have doubts don't do it! |
I have received a couple offers like this one. They are answered in the foulest effing language I know, and 20 years in the military taught me some good stuff. |
The FBI could care less about these scams. I had a guy send me a check. What is trendy now is for them to send a check for more then the amount and then apologize for the error and ask you to wire the overage back to their bank. Those check are bad and if were to cash them then you would be liable for cashing a bad check. Not a good idea.
If anyone knows how to bust some of these guys please share that.
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If you have to ask, you were born yesterday. |
If you want a second hobby try scambaiting. Check out sites like 419eater.com to get started! |
These crooks are getting as bad as lowballers. At least you won't be out as much money with the crooks. |
