savewave

There are people out there who would take advantage of our tendency to believe everybody is as fair and honest as we would be in an online transaction.

We’ve had some recent examples of people registering for the purpose of scamming others by “selling” parts that don’t exist.

A few have included the added twist of hijacking user IDs by including a link that tricks you into believing you are logging into the Forum and, thus, recording for the scammer your user ID and password. Then, they sell bogus stuff using your user ID to people who think it must be legitimate because you have tenure and a good reputation on the site.

To avoid problems, consider these suggestions:

• Don’t follow links sent by people you don’t know.
• Don’t give anybody your password. There is no legitimate reason for anybody to ask for it.
• Don't post your email address in threads. If you do, scammers can harvest the address and bypass the site to contact you directly to avoid sanctions or oversight.
• Be wary of deals that sound too good to be true.
• Exercise caution in dealing with newly registered users with no track record.
• Ask a lot of questions. Ambiguous answers should raise a red flag.
• Ask for pictures of the parts being sold. If the item/s don’t exist, you won’t get a picture or you’ll get a generic image stolen from the Internet that probably doesn’t match what you need.
• If at all possible, inspect the items in person. If that’s not possible, ask if there is another Forum user in the area that can inspect them for you.
• Check references. Who on the Forum has the seller done business with in the past? Did they have a good experience?
• Search the Transactions Feedback section for complaints.
• Pay for any item using PayPal and/or a credit card so you’ll have some recourse on a charge-back if a problem arises. Note, however, if you designate the PayPal payment to "friends and family" and they determine it was for goods and services, no protection is afforded.
• Run if someone insists you pay by money order or some other means that doesn’t allow you to recover your money if you don’t get the item you were trying to purchase.

If you are contacted by someone you believe is suspicious, report it to a moderator/administrator.

savewave

Surely all of you know not to fall for the scam where somebody sends you a check for more than your asking price and then asks you to send them the difference after deducting a small amount for your trouble. Anytime you see a request like that, it is a scam.

Also, the scammer/s referenced in the first post have been telling potential customer his PayPal isn't working and to send him the money via Moneygram. Don't do it. Once the money is sent, you are stuck whether you get the item you purchased of not.

66RBS

I received a request from a potential buyer for my PayPal Email and name the account was registered in.
No questions asked about the item for sale (a motor). Where is the scam here? I said no deal and never heard from “Sargeant Williams” again.

savewave

I can't find a "Sargeant Williams" in the database of registered Forum users, so I'm not able to check on his history on the site. What you describe is suspicious. I don't know whether the contact from Sargeant Williams was intended to scam you, but I'd be reluctant to give anybody the information he requested in the context you described.