Price: $1.00 Payment method: PayPal Item condition: 10 Preowned equipment, but appears as new
Never in my wildest dreams to I think anyone could scam me....BUT I was .....by this user, gerardrsoux , I post this so that others can be aware.....Why in the world I went outside FM and corresponded via gmail......My First red flag...but I was nice, he seemed legit, sent pictures, had made a comment on a forum....Im too nice to be scammed..OMG was I wrong...Profoto flash....I needed......please advise if this is the place to post so that many can see.
Sorry for the experience.
Happened to me as well here because I was a bit naive and did similar. Live and learn. If it looks like a red flag and sounds like a red flag, ....
Looks like it was a response to the OP's 9/29/26 WTB ad. Easy to say in hindsight, but WTB transactions seem to require extra caution (though all have scammer risk).
Wish these criminals would just get a job and earn an honest living rather than prey on people's good nature and reflexive trust of others...
Sorry boss, never go off site, is the profile up/had feedback? Every WTB post I do there's always new accounts made days ago...Just have to ignore them and deal with established users unfortunately in this environment.
I'm wondering if I've had a recent brush with a scammer. I have an ad up for some Breakthrough FIlters and a member with a few feedbacks contacted me and said he wanted to buy both of them at the asking price. He asked for an email address AND an "electronic payment address". Which seemed a little weird but not alarming. I sent him my PayPal address, which is an email address that is linked to my PP account but which I also use for general communications. You guessed it - no payment forthcoming, it's now been several days. I sent a followup reminder which he hasn't even read yet. So maybe he's just out of town and will show up on Monday, but I'm wondering if ti was an attempted scam of some sort. Any opinions?
Same thing happened to me. Fortunately, this scammer didn’t realize using PP goods and services was my insurance against them. I filed a claim with PP and got my money refunded.
I am really sorry for what happened to you! Hope the loss was not huge.
One of my high school teachers lost half a million $ to a scammer. The risk is higher and closer than we think.
It happened a few times that I saw a few red flags when buying from FMers here. I just called them to double check and explained to them why I called. Luckily they all showed complete understanding. FM is a great community. Just don't let these bad bugs ruin it.
So sorry to hear you were scammed. That’s a horrible feeling, and I completely understand why it would make anyone cautious.
I can see it from the other side too. I recently enquired about a Leica M-EV1 on here, and the seller was hesitant because my profile shows I live in Accra. To reassure him, I explained that I buy here regularly and have sellers ship to a US address. I also reached out on Instagram, which in hindsight probably made him more nervous, not less. We live and learn.
For what it’s worth, every purchase I’ve made on FM has gone smoothly, and I’ve found the community wonderful. I really hope this experience doesn’t sour it for you.
scammed by gerardrsoux