When buying through Agon a buyer should always-

Fraudulent bogus ad in question.
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/cd-sacd-players-emm-labs-xds1-220-240v-europe-2013-04-09-digital-germany

the XDS1 I have for sale is the latest version with the latest software serial number 6222, only about 8 months old in perfect condition with the original packaging and you will get a full warranty.
Contact me at: ritteraudio@yahoo.com

I can do shipping to Asia by FedEx or DHL

Sure was nice of the guy to furnish his email address. Saves time going through the Agon contact seller message system.
.

Jea48, I’m sure the Audiogon community appreciates you bringing attention to this scam. Here are some issues that would put a question in my mind.

Pay methods - Money Order/Certified Check (in context with other info)
Ships from - Germany (Going to Seller Information/Classic Profile/Discussion Posts, shows Country as USA)
You will get full warranty - Some exceptions, but warranties are usually not transferable.
An 8 month old unit for 1/3 of retail
And as you said, the contact email in the ad.

Too many questions for one ad, now it’s a red flag.

Tls49,

Ya, all that and still some sucker bought the thing and sent the scammer over $8,000 dollars cash.

Now the buyer is emailing the true Agon member through the Agon message system demanding his money back.

Tls49,

Ships from - Germany (Going to Seller Information/Classic Profile/Discussion Posts, shows Country as USA)

That's easy..... Ya, I moved to Germany a year ago and just never got around to updating my profile and forgot all about it. I need to get that done. Thanks for reminding me.

Remember the bogus Emm Labs XDS1 unit is 220-240V. What's the voltage in Germany?

There's a guy on ebay that I've reported 7 times in the past few months selling Wilson Sophia's for 2500.00 He hijacks other sellers accounts with lots of feedback. He also puts his email in the heading which is against ebay rules. He's trying to get presonal info and account info. Each time I report the problem I suggest that ebay put in his heading that it is a fraud in big letters to warn others, but they simply remove the add. I've even seen bids made. Be careful, and yes, use paypal tied to a credit card.

All I can say is Wow!. Damn shame..

I guess it depends on the item. For big dollar items one should contact the seller. There have been times I've lost out on some deals because I contacted the seller first with various questions and then hours later I found the item was already bought.

I wonder if this will be brought up during the next A'gon COO Q&A session. Also I thought A'gon had provision against this. If you log on from multiple locations your ID gets locked. This has happened when I've gone on vacation. I normally log in from work but when I was away and logged into A'gon I got a message stating my account was locked and I had to go to my e-mail to unlock the ID.

I guess whomever did this really knew how to get around the system. Damn that really sucks.

....ask the seller to send their telephone number, so you can confirm the seller is real. A serious buyer or seller should be ready willing and able to speak live. If the buyer or seller is international, both should setup Skype accounts. Web cams come with most computers now and/or web cams are so cheap, buy one. Having an Audiogon only interaction is not going to prevent or help with getting reimbursed for fraud. The internet IP address from the seller may not be able to be traced because the address will be the Audiogon server, not the IP address of the criminal

I repeat this again, and again and again - always contact the seller by phone ! You will know in minutes, if you are dealing with a real audiophile or not. Ask him about his system, his experience with other gear, etc. Scammers are not audiophiles !

Another thing to check if you see that the item is beeing listed as located abroad - check the sellers feedback. If the seler is not from the US, you will see the word 'international deal' mentioned a lot in his feedback. Scammers do not have many accounts to choose from, and most of the time thay are forced to use accounts from US members, which be default will not have that fact mentioned.

Agon won't let you send phone numbers in their system. I have told them the importance of being able to talk, but they ignore me. Nuts, it is nuts! Fix this Agon....please, pretty please.

The problem is if you put in your phone number or other contact information in a private message A'gon will censor the message and not let it go through to the other member. I've seen then when I've sent a message trying to get information about an item from a seller.

Also did anyone see A'gon hub got hacked. I saw a posting on the hub saying HACKED by alireza. I guess someone is making a point about A'gon security or lack thereof.

Also I thought A'gon had provision against this. If you log on from multiple locations your ID gets locked. This has happened when I've gone on vacation. I normally log in from work but when I was away and logged into A'gon I got a message stating my account was locked and I had to go to my e-mail to unlock the ID.
04-12-13: Jedinite24

Then what? Surely a window or Link is not provided where you login to Agon?
IF so how do you know 100% the email is from Agon?

That is at least one way hackers are getting members passwords. Once they have your password they can then access your account and post a bogus ad using your username.

I get on average at least one email a month from some hacker/s telling me my Agon account/membership is going to be cancelled. Not always for the same reason. They provide a window or Link to click on that does indeed take me to the Agon login web page. Problem is if you enter your password the hacker also gets it.

Never enter your Agon password through an email login Link.
Especially Audiogon...... Is it real or is it Memorex?

Never respond to one of the emails like Jea48 describes above. If you receive a suspect email, always contact Audiogon through the home page. Ask if the email is legitimate. Audiogon will let you know if it is real or not. I have received many of these types of emails and all have been someone phishing.

Check the sellers eBay account and only pay via paypal.

My account gets locked on a pretty regular basis. The first time it happened, I contacted audiogon and asked if it was legit, and why. Turns out someone in Florida repeatedly tries to access my account. I'm in Wisconsin. If you go to "my page" you can pull up a history of when, and where you log in from. If you see an unusual place, change your password. I get a link from audiogon that allows me to unlock my account right away. I unlock it, then go immediately to my page, and change my password. It takes about 30 seconds. Other than a slight inconvenience, its not a big deal. To my knowledge, nobody has ever actually gained access to my account.

Audiogon is a BIG joke they cluless and don't care!!!

Yes contact the seller by phone! Problem is Agon will prevent it! We all know how to get past it, but sometimes the Agon police catch it and don't let it through. Again AudiogoN, change this policy please.

I know your worried about folks talking and not finishing the sale through your system ...... Ok, just charge more for your ads and let us talk! Got it!

I have an idea for a secure method for verifying a posted ad is in fact posted by the username shown on the ad.

Agon would have write a slight program change from the way an ad is posted now.

The procedure the seller uses now to design his ad would not change.

The difference would be when the seller tells the Agon computer to post the ad. Before the ad would be posted a verification email would be sent to the member's on file verified email address by the Agon computer.

The email from Agon would tell the member an ad has been entered into the Agon system. If the ad was placed by the member, the member would then be directed to enter the supplied authentication code in a box provided and then click on send. At no time is the member directed to the Agon login page. The authentication code can only be viewed from the Agon member's verified email address.

Unless the Agon computer receives the correct authentication code the ad will not be posted.

Agon could send a return email telling the Agon member the authentication code was correct and the ad has been posted.

What do you guys think? Would it work? Do you see any way a hacker could get around the secure authentication procedure?

Jeah48 its a great idea. This method is used by Apple when verifying apple id or password recovery. But at the same time even good rated members can decide to "walk" with the last transaction in pocket.

There really needs to be sanctioned support from Audiogon for legal proceedings against a seller who steals. Here Audiogon can ask for a premium membership to cover some of their cost.

These are bad economic times and there is holes in the Audiogon system that needs to be plugged.

Good discussion. I`ve been a member here for years under Psacanli with excellent,cherished feedback. Because I moved & changed email addresses was unable to use my name and had to create ptss; in spite of many attempts with Agon. I may now be getting name and history back due to them cancelling (not posting) my recent offer to buy an item at the listed price--but of course providing some personal contact info-- so I could get to talk to the seller and know he was ``real``.
Agon killed it; instead, as I suggested, of at least forwarding the offer minus the offending contact info.
I just can`t think they have our interests at heart
I think Agon must have changed hands.
I had car accident keep me away for a lengthy period but I could and did ALWAYS have direct communication with my sellers and buyers.
I agree w Elberoth, et al. Direct communication is essential.
I hope this thread continues to a good solution.
I`m no good for figuring the security side as I have always found common sense, prudence and old fashioned communication to work just fine. Plus I think by and large there are good members here. Happy listening to all. Pete. (I hope names are allowed. I do think most anyone could contact Albert Porter. Actually I plan to buy a some ports from him-and I`ll make contact right through this system-I appreciate it.)

Thanks! for sharing.

Received this email today supposedly from AudiogoN.

From sender email address,
AudiogoN

Interesting!... In my prep of this post the scammer's email address is displayed. In "Preview first" Agon blocks the showing of the email.

LOL,
Here it is spread out. You guys can string it back together.

steventamhk@

gmail.

com

>>>>>>>>>>>
email [Quote]

AudiogoN Notification: Account restricted

Dear Member,
Due to recent activity on your account, you will require a second confirmation of identity with us in order to enable further investigation of this matter. Your account is not suspended, but if in 48 hours after receiving this message your account is not confirmed we reserve the right to suspend your registration AudiogoN.
To prove your identity, Click here !

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and we want to thank you for your cooperation.

Thank you for using AudiogoN

You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to notifications with an account registered to Audiogon.

[End of quote.]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This is a scam of course. This is how a scammer can get your password to gain access to your Agon account.
.

I do not think the phishing emails stating the user's account is restricted are necessarily only related to Audiogon information being hacked. I keep getting those notices to an email account that is NOT linked with my Audiogon account.

The notices come to a junk email account I use to subscribe to newsletters and special offers.

Why is receiving a cert check or money order safer than PayPal? I thought that PayPal was safer....

I did read through the Paypal rules for sellers and I do now see why it might be better to receive a cert check/money order (assuming it is authentic of course). Paypal can actually withhold funds from the seller's Paypal account if the buyer complains for a number of reasons.