p.3 #2 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
Ian Ivey wrote:
Well, it stands to reason. I mean, isn't Canada where England sent most of its criminals after they filled up Australia? Can't tell 'em apart anyway -- they all look alike to me. Fortunately, I'll never be a victim of a Canadian scammer -- I don't even speak Canadian.
p.3 #4 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
Two recent FM purchases from well known CA FMers went perfectly smooth, gentleman both, no issues with this yank. All the advice so far is spot on, there was only one transaction that was a 'to good to be true', from last year, regular paypal was used and I was refunded within 30 days.
Stung but not badly; it wasn't a big buy, if I've not interacted much with a potential buyer I check feedback and read through their recent and older posts, get a feel for their genuineness and tend to message/email multiple times before sending any funds...
Being notified of such activities is most appreciated, it's a shame such worthless human beings must spoil the honesty and professionalism both hobbyist and pro exhibit here on FM. Interactions, opinions my get heated/passionate at times, yet this community of artists is a most welcoming, refreshing bunch, so many wonderful folks...
Yes be careful, yes remember our shared passion, honor it and all will be well
p.3 #5 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
diamondroad wrote:
Yes, I'm one of the victims (I'm out $1400).....but a joke is in order (I haven't laughed in a few days). The reason for the Canadian scammer is simply.....it's all the fault of you Americas. The people of Canada had taken a vote and we plan on scamming any and all Americans until you let us win the Stanley Cup again. Sadly, some fellow Canadian mistaken me for an American because I'm a HUGE New York Ranger fan.
if i'm not mistaken there are like 15 canadians playing for NYR.. and only 7 americans so i guess we win the cup anyhow
p.3 #6 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
Ian Ivey wrote:
Well, it stands to reason. I mean, isn't Canada where England sent most of its criminals after they filled up Australia? Can't tell 'em apart anyway -- they all look alike to me. Fortunately, I'll never be a victim of a Canadian scammer -- I don't even speak Canadian.
No - you've got your history wrong! The criminals were all sent to Virginia
p.3 #7 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
Steve Park wrote:
I'm more worried about get scammed by buyers...I have heard about quite a few horror stories about buyers file PayPal claim as "ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED", then don't even have to return the item, and reverse the payment!
It's true... anyone who thinks PayPal offers total protection to sellers could be in for a rude surprise one day.
p.3 #8 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
molson wrote:
It's true... anyone who thinks PayPal offers total protection to sellers could be in for a rude surprise one day.
Sellers can protect against "Item not as described" by posting photos of the item and taken with the item in the original FS listing. Print a PDF copy of the ad and keep for your records. Keep those photos as well so that you can use EXIF to show the date/time the item was used to produce the photos. I even photograph the packing of the item and the box when packed, sealed and addressed. I can send those to the buyer so he is aware of what the package should look like as well as what type of packing to expect. Combine that with shipping/insurance/delivery confirm receipt to establish that it was sent in the condition described and received by the buyer in timely fashion, with little chance of damage in transit.
I'll admit that even this isn't foolproof, but it's a good policy nonetheless.
p.3 #9 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
Fred Miranda wrote:
Unfortunately I have enough evidence that some FM members were victims of fraud perpetrated by a scammer located in Canada.
To protect yourself, DO NOT use Bank Transfers of any other type of uninsured payment when conducting a transaction here, ESPECIALLY if the recipient is in Canada.
We are working on a way to combat this issue but in the meantime, the best protection is for you to ONLY use insured payment methods like Paypal, Google Checkout or Amazon.
Fred
I am confused. How is the location of the scammer significant? Did this scammer use any tactics base on the fact that he is across the boarder? Or it is simply a fact that he is (or claim that he is) located in Canada and you believe that there are a lot of scammers in Canada? Why is there a warning against a "Canadian" scammer? If he/she were located in Texas, would there be an alert for a "Texan" scammer?
I am supportive of the warning and appreciate it. I just bought something using PayPal gift and got my fingers crossed. Am I worried? Not really because I still believe in the rating system on FM. But I will not use it again after seeing this warning. I think we all need to be careful but my point is that the alert should not be targeted to Canadians unless I missed some facts about this scam.
p.3 #10 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
I believe that the original postings from the scammer may have shown a CDN address. That would be the reason that the title shows as "Canadian scammer".
I wouldn NOT take the title as a personal affront against those of us North of the border
Heh - we have Tims and they don't
Personally - I think using Paypal gift is a crap-shoot & should be avoided at all times. I use EMT in Canada only if I REALLY trust the other person by their history here and knowing their names from their previous postings on FM.
p.3 #11 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
One thing I always do for a sale is try to talk to the person on the phone and if they don't want too to me they are not worth dealing with.
Secondly and this is a big one: In Google Maps bring up the general location of the buyer/seller and above the + sign on the top left, drag the man down to the address of the person you are dealing with to see a picture of were they live.
p.3 #12 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
DABNIK wrote:
I believe that the original postings from the scammer may have shown a CDN address. That would be the reason that the title shows as "Canadian scammer".
I wouldn NOT take the title as a personal affront against those of us North of the border
Heh - we have Tims and they don't
Personally - I think using Paypal gift is a crap-shoot & should be avoided at all times. I use EMT in Canada only if I REALLY trust the other person by their history here and knowing their names from their previous postings on FM.
Yes, as a buyer, there is no point using PayPal Gift since they charge you about 3% fee anyway. Might as well add 3% and use regular PayPal. This way, the seller gets the amount he wants and you paid the same amount and you get protection.
p.3 #13 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
wkhc168 wrote:
I am confused. How is the location of the scammer significant? Did this scammer use any tactics base on the fact that he is across the boarder? Or it is simply a fact that he is (or claim that he is) located in Canada and you believe that there are a lot of scammers in Canada?
The term "Canadian scammer" was based on the presumption the person was located in Canada because they claimed to be located in Canada (even though they may have registered their FM account in another country) and were targeting Canadian buyers who pay with Interac email money transfer.
Of course, the scammer could just as easily be from the USA or any other country - all they would need is access to a Canadian bank account to accept the money transfers.
p.3 #14 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
molson wrote:
The term "Canadian scammer" was based on the presumption the person was located in Canada because they were targeting Canadian buyers who pay with Interac email money transfer.
Of course, the scammer could just as easily be from the USA or any other country - all they would need is access to a Canadian bank account to accept the money transfers.
Thanks for clarifying. I didnt know Interac or EMT was involved. I would never pay with that unless I know the seller really well.
p.3 #15 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
mitesh wrote:
Sellers can protect against "Item not as described" by posting photos of the item and taken with the item in the original FS listing. Print a PDF copy of the ad and keep for your records. Keep those photos as well so that you can use EXIF to show the date/time the item was used to produce the photos. I even photograph the packing of the item and the box when packed, sealed and addressed. I can send those to the buyer so he is aware of what the package should look like as well as what type of packing to expect. Combine that with shipping/insurance/delivery confirm receipt to establish that it was sent in the condition described and received by the buyer in timely fashion, with little chance of damage in transit.
I'll admit that even this isn't foolproof, but it's a good policy nonetheless. ...Show more →
That won't help one bit if the buyer claims the item is DOA or that you mailed him a brick... it's just his word against yours, and PayPal always sides with the buyer.
p.3 #16 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
molson wrote:
That won't help one bit if the buyer claims the item is DOA or that you mailed him a brick... it's just his word against yours, and PayPal always sides with the buyer.
p.3 #17 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
I've had 2 scammers from 2 WTB ads. One was Canadian the other US. I don't know if FM members think I am weird when I PM them asking about their dealings with the person I am dealing with, but it pays to do your homework & be sceptical of people who respond to your ad. Google the crap out of them.
It is a way for the scammer to stay off publicly posting by dealing in PM's only.
p.3 #18 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
I am one of the fm'ers who was seriously scammed by this son-of-a-bitch (for much $$$) a few months ago. FWIW, his gmail address (though I doubt he is still using it) is [email protected]. Be VERY careful that who you are dealing with is the REAL FM member. I would suggest a phone call and some probing questions are in order for a larger purchase. As well, I have taken to asking for photos of actual items shown beside a current newspaper before I even begin any transaction.
In my case this criminal hacked into the username of a respected FM member with good feedback. I also "googled the crap out of him" before any dealings and was satisfied. By all accounts, based on the user name he was a legit photographer. However, that doesn't help if the person you are googling isn't the actual person whose username was hacked. Also, I am NOT convinced that the perpetrator who ripped me off was located in Canada. He made it appear that he was, but nowadays it is possible to make it look like you are located anywhere you want.
There is little recourse once someone like this has your money. I reported this situation to: a) my bank b) the RCMP c) and the US Internet Fraud website, so far to no avail. I don't expect anythying.
p.3 #20 · Canada Bank Transfer (EMT) Scam. Warning!
One more note: I am disappointed that Fred took so long to post this warning. I was scammed some two months ago (see my reply above) and I was dealing with Fred for a week on a daily basis over this. I feel a warning should have been posted right away.
so i guess we win the cup anyhow