Am I being scammed?

Forum name on WUS was STALT and email is [email protected]

Thanks everyone

FWIW, here is his old Nomos ad:
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/so...-1170410.html#/forumsite/20758/topics/1170410

Two posts on WUS and he's banned. This was always going to end in tears.

Any comments on that price? Seems like a big red flag, but maybe that is just me.

Bummer sir. Really sorry you caught the raw end of a deal.

Agree with most of what has been said. The Internet is full of giant potholes.

Always with PayPal as a buyer and never as gift. I use credit card for further protection.

The reverse when I sell sadly, with new buyers always as gift and I offer them a discount. Established folks I allow to buy regular.

Hope you hey some positive resolution.

An update on what I have been doing to get justice on this scam and what advice I can give to UK residents who have been subject of scams:

1) Call your bank and report the scam. If it is a fraud (i.e. someone hacked into your account and stole money, the bank will refund the money). Unfortunately, this is not the case where you have sent money to someone willingly - that’s classified as a “scam” and at your own risk. However, report it to the bank and they will monitor your account for suspicious activity at least. If you have given personal details out (name, address, DOB and bank account details, etc), seriously consider closing your bank account - the scammer could use those details to set up direct debits, standing orders, apply for loan products, etc.

2) If in the UK inform CIFAS, who offer a personal fraud protection service for £20/year– they basically place a warning flag against your name and other personal details on the National Fraud Database and any organisation that uses CIFAS will then pay special attention to your details (i.e. require extra checks when applying for products or services). Call 0330 100 0180 or visit www.cifas.org.uk

3) If in the UK report to Action Fraud - they are the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre (basically take the police authority’s role and report to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau). Once reported, the NFIB will investigate to see if they can assist further and will then contact you to do so if they can. Call 0300 123 2404 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk

4) Report to the national police authority - I went to the German Landespolizei for the area in which I suspect the scammer lives (and thanks for the help people in this forum gave me to trace his true home town via his bank’s sort code / BLZ). The German police have a link on their website where you can report an internet fraud - I have given full details on there and hopefully they can find the person using the bank account details.

By way of further update, I am convinced the scammer was in possession of the actual watch - he took photos of specific angles and date/time adjustments as I requested. However, amongst his elaborate con was also the original purchase receipt of the watch - it was purchased in 2014 from a jeweller in Munster, Germany.

I was able to contact the relevant jeweller and he has been helpful enough in checking his records - though he cannot disclose the details to me (data protection), he has confirmed he still has the customer’s name and address and is fully willing to cooperate with the German police. Further, the address he has for the customer matches the town in which the bank of the scammer is located. I finally have something tangible on the scammer - even if this is only the town for now.
I am hopeful that German authorities will act on the back of this information.

It crossed my mind to tell the scammer all of the above in the hope that he will regret messing with the wrong person (and forum for that matter) and send me the money back by way of denial of the whole matter?? What you guys think?

C

I think it´s a good idea to let the scammer know your effort. If you make him feel the heat, he may reimburse you, just to get rid of you. Many others I´ve heard of, has succeeded in this way, frantically pursuing the scammer!

He may be reading all this already...

Not sure how i feel about warning him.

I realise he may be reading this already, but the I've asked mods on all forums to check his email address and ban him...obviously he may have multiple accounts

Don't warn him. For all you know he might just take off.

I agree, don't mention anything to him. Glad to hear there is some hope in catching him.

You might not want to post any strategies publicly until everything is over...

Maybe it's time for Luca to pay him a visit 🫨

THAT is why I have stopped selling to anyone outside of the USA using eBay. The risk is not worth it. eBay and Pay-Pal practically conspire to screw over sellers. It's really criminal and I am amazed they can still get away with such practices. Haven't they been sued to kingdom come yet?

Last month I sold a watch to guy in Canada. I did a review of the watch on YouTube and mentioned I would be willing to sell it. A viewer contacted me, we made a deal, he paid via Pay-Pal and I sent the watch via First Class mail with tracking. It took a while, but he received the watch last week and was quite happy. It was a very nice experience and no bleeping eBay getting in the way.

Meanwhile, I keep getting phone calls from guys with thick Indian accents claiming to be calling from Microsoft. Unreal. Who the hell falls for THAT scam?!

Great detective work so far.

It's so hard to get any recourse on wire transfers.

Wishing you the best of luck sir.

Yeah you have to wonder if he is really a reputable "big shot" in a reputable company....he would not want this type of publicity.

I doubt that he will abandon home over a few thousands dollars....

If anyone remember the Latif scam over at VRF; that guy went out of job in London financial district after the Financial crisis in 2008. He then pulled of a scam meaning that he sold off his entire collection of Rolex sportwatches to multiple buyers of each watch. I think he managed to get together a couple of houndred thousands GBP, if I remember it correctly. His plan was thereafter to start a new life in Australia with his stolen money as a starter. The British police managed to lay hands on him before he could get out of the UK though. I bought, via an another collector, an extremely nice 5512 from him. My down-payment was USD 3k. I got back every penny of it, thanks to the British authorities, even if it took almost 4 years...

As a rule warn that a fight is coming in order to avoid it. Once the fight starts though, focus on fighting . You cannot threaten him anymore because you have taken action and the authorities will follow up regardless. But he may very well start taking some sort of action towards you, like filing a suit of his own, with or without merit, that will just drag this economically and time -wise beyond comfort or resources.

So I would focus on your communication with the authorities and if he get's in touch with you, or you with him, act like there is absolutely no action taking place and you are still amicably seeking a refund, or the watch. Allow either course of action to find it's resolution and hope for the best.

I hope to see his face photo shopped on the following picture....

In the UK, they claim to be from "Windows". If I'm having a good day, I tell them that I work in IT security and they hang up. If I'm having a bad day, I tell them to fcuk off and I hang up.