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Scammed for $5000 for Omega Speedmaster watch
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Nobel Prize
··Spell Master!I would think the Police/FBI is the right way to go. If the bank can track the transfer then they should have the gents info when needed by the authorities.
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Odat
·Great news Odat. Reading your thread has made me pause on couple of deals and ask the right questions. Thanks for making this info public and providing us with an update.
While reading this thread and noting I was reading events from 9 months ago, I was really hoping by the end it would work out. So glad to hear that it worked out for you. Congratulations!
It might be useful to explain to everyone the steps you took to get this resolved. Did you have to file a police report? Why did the bank brush you off initially but then choose to freeze his account? Did you have to do anything or say anything specific to make them freeze the account? This info might help others.
Once again, congratulations!
Thank you!. I was going to describe the steps I took in my earlier post but didn’t want to flood the post with a lot of info. Here is what happened in a nutshell:
Initially, I had to call about 4 different people at Bank of America to even get someone to help me. They gave me an email. I wrote to them and someone called me a few days later. I explained everything in detail and the gentleman told me to file a police report which I did and sent him a copy. After that, they tried to contact the account holder through mail and phone many times and got no response.
I told them to put a freeze on his account immediately. From what he told me, after not getting any response from him after several attempts, they did freeze his account but couldn’t tell me any more info. They said they had to give him time to respond but he said that it was strange that he has not tried to get back to them.
He told me to contact the detective at my local police department and tell them to either call him or he can call. My police department was useless. Their attitude was “you got scammed and there is nothing you can do about it, just move on!”. I told the man at the bank that the police were not helpful at all. I had to visit the police department 3 times.
He said he had to take a bunch of legal steps before he can take any further action. He called me after a while and told me that their investigation proved that he was a scammer and has scammed more than once. Luckily, he had enough in his account to cover the $5000 I sent. They sent me the funds and all is good!. I do have to give credit to the gentleman at Bank of America. He really kept trying and trying to help me out and he did.
Edited:
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Odat
·I would think the Police/FBI is the right way to go. If the bank can track the transfer then they should have the gents info when needed by the authorities.
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sgrossma
·Wow! That is wonderful news. I would never have thought it was possible. Congrats and thanks for sharing
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gatorcpa
··ΩF InvestiGatorO OdatYou would be shocked about how much banks don’t care about pursuing the scammer if it’s a low amount.
However, because (s)he is a scammer, he probably doesn't answer to the name on the account. Even if they did, they probably don't have the funds in their name to make good on the judgement. So while you've won your case and there is a legal and enforceable debt, that debt is totally worthless.
The banks and the police know this, so they are not likely to waste time on what is usually an exercise in futility. You were very lucky to find someone at BoA that really cared. Good for you.
This is why you should never, never, never buy anything using wire transfer or PayPal friends and family, unless you personally know and trust the other party. They either accept PayPal funded by a credit card, or we don't do business at all.
gatorcpa
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gemstar
·Great News!
Like they say.Before jumping in head first make sure the water is not shallow or else.
Like they say.Before jumping in head first make sure the water is not shallow or else.
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Odat
·Here's why...In theory, either you or the bank could go to court (likely small claims, but the amount is different in every state) and you would probably win the case and get a judgement against the scammer.
However, because (s)he is a scammer, he probably doesn't answer to the name on the account. Even if they did, they probably don't have the funds in their name to make good on the judgement. So while you've won your case and there is a legal and enforceable debt, that debt is totally worthless.
The banks and the police know this, so they are not likely to waste time on what is usually an exercise in futility. You were very lucky to find someone at BoA that really cared. Good for you.
This is why you should never, never, never buy anything using wire transfer or PayPal friends and family, unless you personally know and trust the other party. They either accept PayPal funded by a credit card, or we don't do business at all.
gatorcpa
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gatorcpa
··ΩF InvestiGatorOne final academic point. If the scammer declares bankruptcy, you might be required to give that money to the federal court as a "claw back" of the debtors' assets. It's a rare occurrence, but I have seen it happen.
Just another reason why banks are usually reluctant to get involved.
gatorcpa
Just another reason why banks are usually reluctant to get involved.
gatorcpa
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Odat
·One final academic point. If the scammer declares bankruptcy, you might be required to give that money to the federal court as a "claw back" of the debtors' assets. It's a rare occurrence, but I have seen it happen.
Just another reason why banks are reluctant to get involved.
gatorcpa
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mikekchc
·I am so glad this worked out. I also didn't realize this was a post from a while back and I was very invested.
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gatorcpa
··ΩF InvestiGatorO OdatThat is crazy!.
Always better to be insured up front. That is why credit card companies have insurance to cover themselves from this.
The general public in the US does not. Europe has totally different consumer protection laws which partially explains why wire transfers are common for ordinary business transactions.
gatorcpa
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wsfarrell
·This is why you should never, never, never buy anything using wire transfer or PayPal friends and family, unless you personally know and trust the other party.
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Bushido
·I am really glad to read the outcome here was a happy one. It's really unfortunate how common not only the scams are but also the lack of recourse in pursuing the scammers. It's awesome to see a win for honesty!
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arcadelt
·They either accept PayPal funded by a credit card, or we don't do business at all.
Which many seller don’t anymore due to very generous return provisions, so we end up in a stalemate. I think with the right approach trust between humans can be developed in the course of a transaction.
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Nobel Prize
··Spell Master!That's the main reason I tend not to buy watches at OF. So many of the listings are "bank wire only," and even if they accept PayPal it's often "buyer pays PayPal fees." In addition to being counter to PayPal's terms of service, that's just obnoxious. People around here knock eBay, and it's true you will pay a premium, but it's worth it to me to avoid situations like the current one.
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Joe_A
·Overseas transactions seem especially risky.
It seems to me that risk must be an unavoidable element of buying a watch over great distances.
If one uses wire transfer or a service such as Transferwise, all the risk is on the part of the buyer. The seller receives his or her money up front without much protection for the buyer.
On the other hand, if the payment can be called back - such as in the case of a credit card purchase - the seller is at greater risk should the buyer state that the goods never arrived or that the package that was received contained only a corkscrew and a voucher for a bottle of wine.
I'm relatively new at this . . .
Chrono24 has an escrow service which I have used only once thus far. This seems a more reasonable approach.
My experience with Ebay has been very good. Sellers try and protect reputation and regular or long-time buyers have such concerns and a desire to protect as well.
Any other ideas where risk is shared?
It seems to me that risk must be an unavoidable element of buying a watch over great distances.
If one uses wire transfer or a service such as Transferwise, all the risk is on the part of the buyer. The seller receives his or her money up front without much protection for the buyer.
On the other hand, if the payment can be called back - such as in the case of a credit card purchase - the seller is at greater risk should the buyer state that the goods never arrived or that the package that was received contained only a corkscrew and a voucher for a bottle of wine.
I'm relatively new at this . . .
Chrono24 has an escrow service which I have used only once thus far. This seems a more reasonable approach.
My experience with Ebay has been very good. Sellers try and protect reputation and regular or long-time buyers have such concerns and a desire to protect as well.
Any other ideas where risk is shared?
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gatorcpa
··ΩF InvestiGatorMy experience with Ebay has been very good. Sellers try and protect reputation and regular or long-time buyers have such concerns and a desire to protect as well.
Which many seller don’t anymore due to very generous return provisions, so we end up in a stalemate. I think with the right approach trust between humans can be developed in the course of a transaction.
gatorcpa
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tgcarl
·Heartbreaking to read from the start, but what a brilliant end result.
