Fraud and scam, how many of you are victims?


I was a victim of the most unpleasant experience just recently.I thought i was buying a preamp, but it proves i have been sending money to a scammer. It turns out the seller had been using a stolen ID and digitally manipulated photos.
I managed to get in contact with the fellow whos ID had been stolen, and it proves many more have been scammed like me. I'd like to point out that this is NOT through Audiogon, but another big sight.

Utterly painful when it's borrowed money. This makes me totally rethink any future purchase on the used marked.

I wonder how many of you fellow audio-friends have had this happen to you?

rird
I just got burned by a seller on a popular audio platform/site.

Used PayPal and hope to get it resolved through them or the CC company. $3k burn and I am looking at filing a criminal complaint in his home state. Yep good luck. 
Narrowed money cost nothing when paid in full, also affords some protection.
I think everyone got scammed this year. I was going to sell an amp on FB marketplace, and next thing you know, someone in Asia taps into my account and starts creating ad campaigns under the FB account which is charging my Paypal, which is directly pulling money out of my bank account! Luckily, I got my money back and shutdown the facebook account.

I've sold lots of stuff on Ebay with no issues, but even there, someone recently tried to pay double for an item I was offering. That scam bets on your greed and involves them sending you a bad check. Buyers and sellers have to be really careful these days. 
Odd, all these complaints are tied to the US legislation, "Communications Decency Act" section 230. This particular section relieves the web sites and providers from responsibility for material posted on or through their products. As a result a 2018 study by the GAO found 47% of the items purchased by GAO in the research of eCommerce web site were counterfeit, fake, or look a likes and the products may be dangerous. Bet you can not guess who made it to the top of the eCommerce web site list of bad actors. The actions and policies of some eCommerce web sites is blatantly supporting criminal activity.
I ran into a scammer this year on usaaudiomart.  I'd placed a wanted ad for a particular model of speakers.  I got a response from someone offering to sell them.  There were a number of red flags.  His account was two days old.  No feedback.  No photos of the speakers.  When I questioned the price, he immediately offered to reduce the price by 50%.  He referred to the speakers as "it", something no audiophile I know would do.  When I again questioned him he then asked how much money I'd be willing to send him.  Obviously, I passed. His account was closed a few days after by usaaudiomart.  They're not all this obvious so those offers that seem to good to be true usually are.