Classifieds Scam, Used Rotax

[onetrack]

Gee, that's a really clever scam. However, stolen ID is a huge problem and you really need to do cross-checking when dealing with someone, that they are, who they say they are.

 

As for LinkedIn - I got out of LinkedIn a couple of years ago, when I rapidly came to the conclusion that LinkedIn is full of fraudulent listings, full of scammers, and a ripe harvest ground for scammers.

 

What is worse - LinkedIn management don't even care about removing fraudulent LinkedIn profiles, or cleaning up their site. For all I know, all my personal details could have been stolen off LinkedIn, it's just too easy, their security is pixx-poor.

 

 

[Guest Guest]

PayPal also has a huge scammer problem, they know about it but they can't control it! I get almost weekly email from so called PayPal wanting to log in due some unauthorised use...just delete!

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Gee, that's a really clever scam. However, stolen ID is a huge problem and you really need to do cross-checking when dealing with someone, that they are, who they say they are.As for LinkedIn - I got out of LinkedIn a couple of years ago, when I rapidly came to the conclusion that LinkedIn is full of fraudulent listings, full of scammers, and a ripe harvest ground for scammers.

What is worse - LinkedIn management don't even care about removing fraudulent LinkedIn profiles, or cleaning up their site. For all I know, all my personal details could have been stolen off LinkedIn, it's just too easy, their security is pixx-poor.

Even honest folk embelish stuff a bit on Linkedin. I recently had a colleague say he was shocked at how accurate my profile was...

It is thhe only social network I am a member of. When I am looking for work (as per now), I open it up, otherwise it is taken private.

 

Back to topic, sorry to hear you got scammed 1@nunans[/uSER]; with many high-value items, it doesn't matter where in the word they are sold from, the price doesn't change too much.

 

With all the know your client and anti-money laundering regs that most countries sign up to, the scum still manage to get through...

 

 

[flyerme]

Years ago i was trying to make a living from selling R/C aircraft on ebay. I started out building them and selling them untill i started importing .. so i went to a site ( still used by most). Alababa.com. Contacted a chinese company who were distributing a large scale R/C plane at less than a 3rd of retail price... i spoke with a english speaking rep they had who wanted a minimum order of 10... however being cautious i said i would buy 1 only and if all good then make the minimum order... i paid for the 1 via bank of Asia and couple weeks later it arrived. It sold and i more than trippled my money. So i re ordered at the min (but to do this i had to sell my bunyip ultralight plane) Transferred the money and waited. Nothing came!!! Turns out the scam goes like this : they take a huge risk ( knowing potential first customers ussually make a small purchase before committing to larger quantities). So they take your small payment, they then use there own funds with your funds and buy the product from a real shop and send it to you ( knowing you will make money and come back and You do indeed make good money and the product is top quality, )Then they wait fir you to call back to make the minimum ( or greater) order. You transfer them the decent wack of funds and they Take your money and run!!!!

 

 

[onetrack]

The Chinese banking system is poorly regulated and still has a huge number of small "co-operative" and "mutual" style "banks", that are still operating outside the mainstream banking system of China.

 

These Chinese "co-operative" and "mutual" style finance providers are similar to our credit societies - but despite theoretically being under the control of the Govt and the likes of the Agriculture Bank of China, they're run by locals, for locals benefit - and bending Govt rules whenever it suits them. Naturally, due to a lack of strict oversight by the Govt and the ABC, they are often run by corrupt individuals who aren't adverse to pocketing funds for themselves.

 

The Missus bought a portable sauna a few years ago, and the control unit died on it after about 6 months, so I chased down the manufacturer, and organised to acquire a replacement control unit.

 

It was a relatively measly amount of $60 - and they wouldn't send the unit, until the money was paid by TT into one of these local co-operative banks.

 

The funds vanished straight after they were transferred, and we never could contact anyone in that company again. So, obviously, corruption was rampant in that neck of the woods.

 

There's a good write-up on the Chinese banking system in the article below, from 2015, by a couple of professors from Leeds Uni. They point out how China still has many poorly-controlled, local finance providers, at street level.

 

http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/87275/3/Cooperative finance & local dev in China Accepted.pdf

 

 

[onetrack]

When I am looking for work (as per now), I open it (LinkedIn) up, otherwise it is taken private.

But that's just the issue, Jerry - Linked has NO privacy, and NO security worth the proverbial two knobs of goat manure. In fact, LinkedIn specialise in creepy social networking, that totally negates any "privacy" of your information, that they claim to support.All your personal information is readily available to anyone, because ALL your social media useage, including your Farcebook posts and page-viewing, is spied on by LinkedIn.

 

I removed my profile from LinkedIn and I was still getting contacted by LinkedIn scammers more than 18 months later - directly, via my personal email address.

 

LinkedIn case raises employee privacy concerns

 

LinkedIn has been berated for the huge number of fake profiles it contains. There's nothing to stop any thuggish Nigerian criminal from writing up and posting a superb profile on LinkedIn, and sucking in thousands of other LinkedIn users.

 

There's no cross-checking by LinkedIn, no security checks, no need to provide any proof of who you are. It's one of the most dangerous sites around, IMO.

 

The rise of LinkedIn fraud

 

 

[kgwilson]

I got an email invitation to join Linkedin as an acquaintance had provided some details to them. This was about 3 or 4 years ago & I clicked on the link but then decided not to join. I'm retired, why do I need a profile? I thought that was it but kept getting more and more invitations most from people I don't know. They have stopped now as I immediately delete any email from Linkedin. As far as I'm concerned Linkedin is a scam in itself.

 

As for on-line purchases my rules are:-

 

1. If it seems to good to be true, it almost certainly is.
    
    
    
   
2. Use Paypal. If they don't accept this don't go near it.
    
    
    
   
3. If purchasing via Ebay check the sellers customer feedback ratings. Even if they have a 98% positive rating, there are still 2% who were not happy. Check those.
    
    
    
   
4. Never spend more than you can afford to lose. For me that is about $200.00
    
    
    
   
5. Where an item is from a private seller & it is within driving distance go & look at it first. Even if it is a long way away say you are heading that way with x days & can pop in (even if you are not). If they say you can't, forget about it.
    
    
    
   

 

 

 

I buy plenty of stuff on-line & have made a few dud purchases. Some I have returned & got my money back (minus return postage), some I have not returned (as after explanation they decided I could keep it) & got my money back & some have been a compromise where I got some money back & kept the item. Luckily I have never been scammed

 

 

[Oscar]

Several years ago, I put out some 'feelers', including on the Jab. 'for Sale' thread, seeking replacement wings for my ST1 (for the non-Jab. tragics, the 'factory' and VH-registerable version of the original LSA55).. Also put on Rec. Flying, a bit of the history of my aircraft. Different Avatars on the Jab. site to here..

 

Lo and behold - I received an email offering me a pair of suitable wings, from the UK, for $1500, shipping included!!. Yeah, riiiiight..

 

So I decided to have a bit of fun. Asked for more details; to cut a long story short, I was told that they had been removed from an ST1 that had had a slight accident in the UK and the owner had decided to not repair it - and quoted back at me, the serial number of my own aircraft!. So the scammer was trying to sell me the wings that were sitting in my workshed..

 

I immediately contacted the appropriate County Police from the scammer's address, who directed me to the English Police 'IT Scam Unit' of Scotland Yard. By this time, I was getting almost daily international phone calls from the scammer asking me to send the money by Western Union, or Moneygram. I set him up to go to a Moneygram Office to collect the money, and sent off all the details to the UK Police so they could catch him.

 

Not only did the UK Police not do a bloody thing - but a month or so after I'd told the original scammer that the game was up and he was looking at the nasty end of a Police operation - I got EXACTLY the same offer - word-for-word copied - but under a different name...

 

 

[Guest nunans]

Several years ago, I put out some 'feelers', including on the Jab. 'for Sale' thread, seeking replacement wings for my ST1 (for the non-Jab. tragics, the 'factory' and VH-registerable version of the original LSA55).. Also put on Rec. Flying, a bit of the history of my aircraft. Different Avatars on the Jab. site to here..Lo and behold - I received an email offering me a pair of suitable wings, from the UK, for $1500, shipping included!!. Yeah, riiiiight..

So I decided to have a bit of fun. Asked for more details; to cut a long story short, I was told that they had been removed from an ST1 that had had a slight accident in the UK and the owner had decided to not repair it - and quoted back at me, the serial number of my own aircraft!. So the scammer was trying to sell me the wings that were sitting in my workshed..

 

I immediately contacted the appropriate County Police from the scammer's address, who directed me to the English Police 'IT Scam Unit' of Scotland Yard. By this time, I was getting almost daily international phone calls from the scammer asking me to send the money by Western Union, or Moneygram. I set him up to go to a Moneygram Office to collect the money, and sent off all the details to the UK Police so they could catch him.

 

Not only did the UK Police not do a bloody thing - but a month or so after I'd told the original scammer that the game was up and he was looking at the nasty end of a Police operation - I got EXACTLY the same offer - word-for-word copied - but under a different name...

Yep, it makes me wonder if it's worth the time and effort to bother reporting.. obviously in your case authorities ignored you, bigger fish to fry i guess.

[fly_tornado]

police forces aren't interested in problems that are legally complex to resolve

 

 

[onetrack]

The simple fact remains, that financial crimes are well down the list for police - way behind terrorism, violent robberies, vicious personal assaults, and drug-dealing.

 

As far as they're concerned, when you lose money, no-one got physically hurt - it was just money anyway - and the search for the perpetrators is filed away for when things are quiet - which they never are, of course, for them.

 

Fortunately, a few police have woken up now to the fact that a lot of "white-collar crime" - particularly when it is cross-border crime between countries - finances large criminal gangs, terrorism, and even more drug dealing.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

NSW police are arresting people in Cole's self serve checkouts for scanning fruit and veggies incorrectly

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

In a BBC radio interview, the commissioner of one of the police forces (think it was the Met, but not sure) responded to an answer asking why no more money is made available to get more Bobbies on the beat by sayung they were increasing their funding to combat cybercrime as this is growing at an exponential rate and can cause society wider and greater harm than the relatively odd lunatic (not comforting for the past, present and future victims of crimes perpetrated by these oddballs). I suppose it's down to priorities and understanding - the only crime in 1@Oscar[/uSER]'s case I think that was committed as attempted obtaining money by deception (which is a specific form of theft here). As it was attempted, even if the ol' Bill nicked him, they would have had a moutnain of paperwrok, got them to the magistrates court (too small I think for the crown court) and the maj would have given him a good behaviour bond (or even congratulated him on attempting to stick it to rich (because they are flyers) Aussies as Australia keeps whipping them at cricket (mostly, anyway)..

 

Seriously, out here, when the police turn up for a minor crime, the are simplyclerks filling out one of the bits of paper needed to claim on the insurance.. It's un unfortunate fact of life when there are a lot of people and they haven't increased the police budget to deal with it all.

 

 

[Kiwi]

looks like they are back....

 

http://www.aviationadvertiser.com.au/detail.php?id=5035

 

http://www.aviationadvertiser.com.au/detail.php?id=5034

 

 

[Guest nunans]

Unbelievable, just as an update... i made contact with helsinki police who have been incredibly diligent in thier efforts and they have followed up, seized the pc of the person who holds the finland bank account that i paid. There were many other "unexplained deposits" into the account from all over the world but the account owner (Nigerian man who recently moved to finland) denies any knowledge of fraud even though he transferred most of the money to other os accounts and withdrew the remainder as cash very promptly. He is being charged by finland police on my behalf pending any evidence on his pc of the fraud. I believe he may be a middle man and not necessarily the person who i was in email correspondence with, however his local police are squeezing him, and it's not all beer and skittles for him in helsinki. I hold no hope of regaining any money but i feel a bit less stupid knowing i wasn't the only goof who paid, and i feel a bit better knowing it's not completely consequence free for the guy i paid.

 

 

[Mike Gearon]

I put my Skyranger Nynja up for sale on sportsaircraft and plane sales 

 

check this response. I don’t get why they’d benefit from this. I just sent a reply saying a sale via PayPal is never going to happen and they can phone me or give me a phone number. It’s Nigerian I think. Maybe Russian, Chinese or North Korean. What it isn’t is an aircraft buyer.

 

Hi Michael,

I am sorry for the late reply due to work. I am still interested in the purchase of your aircraft and I am ok with the price/condition. I am a miner and presently on site. I want to buy it for my holiday as I will be coming home soon. I won't be able to come for the inspection due to the nature of my job but on the other hand, I would like to get something clear, which is" the aircraft belongs to you and I believe I can trust your judgment on this sale. All I want is something perfect for my holiday. I will be paying via PayPal account, kindly get back to me with your PayPal email and account name for quick payment.

Furthermore, transportation agents will be arranged for the pickup of the aircraft after payment. I expect your reply soon.

Thank you,
John

[onetrack]

Oldest scam in the book. They use the same line for any other major item for sale on Gumtree and other poorly-moderated sales sites. I've received numerous emails with almost identical wording.

Not surprisingly, Romania features high on the list, as the origin of these scam emails. The phrasing and wording shows that English is not their first language.

They are always "offshore" or a FIFO miner with "very limited communications" - but funnily enough, they can always access that limited communication rapidly when you advertise a major item - and they can reply even faster, when you reply to them.

 

The simplest technique is to delete the email immediately. As soon as you reply, they have your email address and quite likely your full name, and they can sell that to other scammers.

Then they go looking for insecure sales websites where they can access client information - or even bigger gold for them - unsecure CC details!

They'll build a file on you, putting together more and more information to make a complete profile of you, that can be used to access a lot of important areas. The internet is a goldmine for hard-core criminal gangs.

[Mike Gearon]

Yeah, I’ve already had a few. Pretending to be financial institutions warning of fraudulent emails 🙂

[KRviator]

4 hours ago, onetrack said:

 

They are always "offshore" or a FIFO miner with "very limited communications" - but funnily enough, they can always access that limited communication rapidly when you advertise a major item - and they can reply even faster, when you reply to them.

IF they say they are a FIFO Miner, or on the rigs or something like that, it is 100%, complete and utter bullshit - run away. Or play along, if you want to have fin... 

I work FIFO (when Chairman McClown allows me into McGowanland, that is) and off-site communications are A. Big. Thing. for the miners, because they have realised people (usually) want to talk to their families, or watch RedTube, etc and if they can't get that, they will go somewhere else. And recruiting a replacement costs a few quid... In a lot of cases, the internet speeds I can achieve in the Pilbara - particularly outside the evening peaks - rival what you can get at home.

I'll often tell someone that I might be out of range when they call, but you can always get back to them when you knock off. The (very) few exceptions tend to be the likes of exploration personnel but even then, it's only a few days at a time, if that.

Edited January 20, 2022 by KRviator

[pmccarthy]

The scam is to get you to pay the supposed transportation agent on your behalf. You will get an email from PayPal saying that the purchase price plus transport have been paid into your PayPal account. You will be given another account to pay the transport. The PayPal email is fake, but looks genuine.

[onetrack]

The scammers must be looking for some special kind of idiot seller who will hand over money without due diligence - when the scammer is supposed to be the one handing over money.

Of course, there's always the old scammer trick of how their agent "paid" an incorrect amount, over and above the sale price, and the seller just needs to reimburse the difference. The "payment evidence" is always fake, naturally.

But the evidence shows that scamming is a very successful business operation, because they keep finding those special kind of idiots, by the dozen, every day. 

 

It's reported that Australians lost $176M to scammers in 2020. I'll wager that figure is vastly under-reported, as so many who have been scammed never report it out of embarrassment.

Phishing emails are the greatest winner for scammers, it's incredible the number of stupid people who just click on strange live links without a second thought.

 

https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-covid-news-aussies-lost-millions-to-scams-during-global-pandemic/10554bc5-9627-4644-8a97-deccc8ad2382

[walrus]

Be aware that taking matters into your own hands is dangerous. A person got 9 years for manslaughter after a raid by him and his kids to repossess some stolen stuff that they traced via ebay.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-21/melbourne-dj-equipment-manslaughter-tony-panagiotou-jailed/100772808