Posting here about a transaction that feels really fishy to me in an effort to gather info and possibly save others some pain. Here's how it's gone so far.
Aug 6th I posted a WTB thread for a Canon EF 100-400 lens. I was PMed by a user Ewat01 with no feedback and a registration date of Aug 6th, and told to contact a Mark Lucas at his email address at [email protected]. This seemed odd to me but I sent an email anyway.
Mark replied with several photos of a lens and asking price and his address of:
127 fifth street
PO BOX 84
Dunfermline, IL 61524.
I proceeded to ask for photo of the lens with a scrap of paper with the date and his name on it and a photo was provided. I suggested we move forward and asked for a paypal address and the reply was that they would accept Paypal Friends and Family. I said I was not comfortable with that for all the reasons everyone knows and the response was:
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Totally understand. I normally don’t use PayPal as a form of payment. I'm going to use my cousins PayPal. How about we use a different form of payment like cash app? Or if it’s okay by you, you can make payment of $600 via family and friends. Once you get the lens to your address and confirmed okay you can make the remaining payment. Just for assurances
Let me know your thoughts
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At this point things are seeming REALLY fishy so I reply in kind saying I was going to back out of the deal and they replied with:
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Red flags? I am clearly the owner of the lens and I asked for your thoughts because I do no take payment via PayPal. You were the one that asked for payment via PayPal and I considered it. I have done deals this past weeks and I didn’t take any payment via PayPal and they all got their items.
No worries. Sorry to sound old school but I am not an online person. The few people I’ve sold to online contacted me via my email address. I do not know if anyone is a member of your FM forum or not. You didn’t till me who referred you to me. I could forward emails of people I sold items to if you like to verify. I think I still have them on my computer.
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At this point I'm about 99% positive this is a scam situation but if anyone can verify otherwise let me know. Watch out for private messages from sellers asking you to contact others off the forum. Incidentally on the same day as I received this PM I was also contacted by another forum member Karen59 with no posts or feedback telling me to to contact a Marx from Mercari at an email of [email protected]. No idea if that is also a scam situation but throwing out here as well.
YMMV, but I sure as hell wouldn't deal with this Seller. Too many explanations, too many deflections, too many "throw backs on you," too many offers of verification from sources easily fabricated, how many flags do you need? Remember this: you do NOT owe this Seller s**t. HTH
Oh for sure, I'm not buying from this person. Far too many red flags all around. They also conveniently stopped responding to emails after my last request for further actual verification so that pretty much says it all.
Mainly just wanted to post all the details here so everyone could be aware of the types of things going on out there.
FWIW, I did three web checks on the name that was offered, Intelius, US Search, and PeopleFinder. I used the address as well. Nobody showed up by that name at that address. I did a street search on Maps, and the highest street # shown on the map for that city was 9th street. There was no such street as 127th. Not exactly confidence inspiring, eh? But, in any case, you did the right thing on both counts here. The lens your wanting will soon show up from a reputable seller. Alternatively, you can keep an eye out for it on MPB.com/US. Google that name if you need to. Several of us here have used that site. They are in NYC, ENTIRELY reputable in my considerable buying and selling with them. HTH.
Excellent follow-up on the searching. I did some googling / facebook stalking for the name and didn't turn up anything relevant. Didn't think to check the actual address for verification but will keep that one in my back pocket for next time.
As it turns out I purchased one off Ebay this morning that was part of an estate sale having never been taken out of the original packaging. It was a little more than I planned to spend, but for a basically "new" lens it was a good deal. So it all worked out in the end.
anthonysemone wrote:
FWIW, I did three web checks on the name that was offered, Intelius, US Search, and PeopleFinder. I used the address as well. Nobody showed up by that name at that address. I did a street search on Maps, and the highest street # shown on the map for that city was 9th street. There was no such street as 127th. Not exactly confidence inspiring, eh? But, in any case, you did the right thing on both counts here. The lens your wanting will soon show up from a reputable seller. Alternatively, you can keep an eye out for it on MPB.com/US. Google that name if you need to. Several of us here have used that site. They are in NYC, ENTIRELY reputable in my considerable buying and selling with them. HTH. ...Show more →
Sounds like that ahole that gave me his address as an intersection of 2 streets in New Hampshire brother! While she was in Alabama, address in NH and FedEx Invoice was from California. With Google Maps you have a view on almost all the addresses and what is at that address!!!
anthonysemone wrote:
I did a street search on Maps, and the highest street # shown on the map for that city was 9th street. There was no such street as 127th.
The street was 5th St, and the house number was 127. According to Google maps, there is definitely a house at that address.
Wanted to add that this guy tried the same exact scam with me--he contacted me using two different usernames: Karen59 and Ewat01. Both brand new accounts, and both sent me PMs that insisted that I contact Mark/Mike via email.
anthonysemone wrote:
Thanks for the correction, Dan. 👍
An easy error to make. When I lived in Seattle in the 80's, the numbered streets and house numbers began to rattle around in my brain like marbles in a box.
Yea, RD, I can remember my HS Jesuit "Prefect of Disciplline" saying to me one day when I arrived at Canisius HS in Buffalo a couple centuries ago. "You're late for school, aren't you?" But Father Sturm (I kid you not), there was 3' of snow last night off the lake, and the bus was late!!!!" "You should have taken an earlier bus. I will see you at jug after class, and I will have a task for you to complete. You won't like it, I promise you. Be sure to have three different color pieces of chalk with you. and I hope you have honed your skills in writing..... backwards, upside down, concurrently with each piece of chalk: "I will never more be late. And you will do that w/o error, or you will start over." I was late getting home that night, caught the last bus. I won't say what happened when I got home. Father Sturm made Gunny Dugan at PI look like a lightweight.
As Archie and Edith sang: "Those were the days my friend, I thought they'd never end." HAH, imagine that in one of our schools today? Yes I can.
I lived too far away for busses brother!! Had to car pool until I got a car. A YES "JUG" I was familiar with!!!! So if I didn't drive to school, I had to hitch hike home 25 miles away!
Today Whimps, even my now coed h.s, but spelt with a "p".
Whimps, even my now coed h.s, but spelt with a "p".