Scammed for $5000 for Omega Speedmaster watch

sjg22 · Mar 8, 2018

O Odat
The price to me wasn’t really an indicator of anything as I have purchased watches before that were very good deals. The watch goes for $6000 and he was asking $5000 so it wasn’t too far off especially if the seller was desperate for money or trying to get another watch. Deals happen all the time. Does anyone know how I can get the bank to turnover his full information so I can file a case against him?.

As a one-time lawyer who did not handle these types of matters, my advice would be.... to speak to a lawyer that does.

You’re in for $5k - might as well see what your options are in terms of even a partial recovery, and getting a bank to turn over the hacker’s information.

bardamu · Mar 9, 2018

Reddy_Kilowatt
Looks like that thread has been deleted. The poster used the following email address, though probably has others: [email protected]. Watch out!

Since I’m familiar with that site I posted the scam alert message linking this discussion.
Nine minutes after the guy deleted his FS.
Good work, @Reddy_Kilowatt 😉

wkimmd · Mar 9, 2018

Looks like s/he is up to more no good??

http://chronocentric.com/forums/chronotrader/index.cgi?page=1;md=read;id=86232

larryganz · Mar 9, 2018

wkimmd
Looks like s/he is up to more no good??

http://chronocentric.com/forums/chronotrader/index.cgi?page=1;md=read;id=86232

Awww Maaaan, and That watch is on my wish list too. This guy needs to be caught and shut down, preferably also sent to jail.

Retromlc · Mar 9, 2018

The last watch i bought like this i got the sellers cell number, then asjed him to WhatsApp me
1 a picture if the watch
2 a photo of him
3 his driver's license (in the uk it has your address on it)
4 a recent utility bill with matching address.
I sent the sane
That way i was pretty sure i was speaking to who i thought i was.

michael22 · Mar 9, 2018

Paypal passwords are 8-20 digits long, as are nearly all the sites I access. Sentences aren't much of an option.

michael22 · Mar 9, 2018

@Odat , enjoy your holiday. Fraud is a form of financial terrorism, among other things. If you let him ruin your holiday, he wins.

Rasputin · Mar 9, 2018

bonerp
From what I've gathered this was due roto account take over (on here) so how the hell can you avoid the same pitfall with other sellers?! Everything could look legit through to sending the money then no watch comes.....
as I've asked on another thread can escrows services be introduced?
I hope the git can be found but....

Yes of course have a strong password that you frequently change. However IMO the answer seems straightforward: ask the seller to provide you close up photos of the watch with a written note containing their screen name, your screen name, today’s date, and have watch set to a certain time/date that you dictate. This alone should weed out the majority of scammers. Scammers usually will not reply or fabricate an excuse like “Oh, I’m out of town/It’s with my brother-in-law/I’m at work/some other BS excuse” .... you just walk away. Buying using PayPal and/or credit card provides another layer of protection.

larryganz · Mar 9, 2018

O Odat
The price to me wasn’t really an indicator of anything as I have purchased watches before that were very good deals. The watch goes for $6000 and he was asking $5000 so it wasn’t too far off especially if the seller was desperate for money or trying to get another watch. Deals happen all the time. Does anyone know how I can get the bank to turnover his full information so I can file a case against him?.

I actually meant Nima lowballed the seller's lowball, since you didn't actually make the offer.

arcadelt · Mar 9, 2018

I'm surprised that PayPal is being recommended when it is often not accepted by sellers because of the six month return policy. It’s rarely a buyer’s market so that they can dictate terms, especially with sought after vintage pieces.

keepschanging · Mar 9, 2018

Retromlc
The last watch i bought like this i got the sellers cell number, then asjed him to WhatsApp me
1 a picture if the watch
2 a photo of him
3 his driver's license (in the uk it has your address on it)
4 a recent utility bill with matching address.
I sent the sane
That way i was pretty sure i was speaking to who i thought i was.

Yeah and whenever I try that the seller refuses. Even though they end up being perfectly legit.

w154 · Mar 9, 2018

Would it help if when any sales thread is created an email is sent to the users registered account. In conjunction you could have a delay in requesting a new registered email address (say 48 hours), and any request to change email would trigger an email to the old address. As long as email isnt hacked it might really help, and it wouldn't be detrimental to the user experience on OF.

drhex · Mar 9, 2018

micampe
The decryption key is your password, it’s only stored in your head: pick a single good one and remember only that, same as recycling it on many websites like everyone does (don’t lie) but far more secure.

People are always quick to find faults in password managers, but pointing out faults without offering an alternative is useless and the real world has proven a million times that no one has found a better solution yet.

Problem is a trojan incl. keylogger on your computer - that will expose all your passwords right there. Sadly, there is no surefire way of making passwords fully secure. As long as you have to enter them somewhere there is risk. That's the beauty of MFA - which has its own set of issues.

bonerp · Mar 9, 2018

arcadelt
I'm surprised that PayPal is being recommended when it is often not accepted by sellers because of the six month return policy. It’s rarely a buyer’s market so that they can dictate terms, especially with sought after vintage pieces.

I'm afraid to use Paypal as I understand the fraudsters can charge it back by saying its not as advertised/not received etc. Paypal don't care about the customer. They don't operate as banks do (with reference to credit card chargebacks).

bonerp · Mar 9, 2018

https://www.escrow.com/

...without the risk of chargeback!

Peemacgee · Mar 9, 2018

ConElPueblo
As I've just posted a FS post here, I can tell you that now you'll need a mod's approval for posting, meaning that someone trustworthy will scan the advert and look for anything off before it goes live...

Nah - no new rules.
That’s just for you because they think you’re a dodgy Dane. 😝

Peemacgee · Mar 9, 2018

I’m sorry for both buyer and hacked ‘seller’ but this has been a valuable wake up call for me.
I didn’t know WUS had been hacked.
I hadn’t been on WUS for years - since I found OF

Spent the morning changing all my passwords.
Hopefully everything is a lot more secure now....

Odat · Mar 9, 2018

Is it worth getting a lawyer or shall I just take it as a loss and move on?. I already lost $5000 and don’t want to lose more on lawyers and not end up getting anything back.

Bernardino · Mar 9, 2018

O Odat
Is it worth getting a lawyer or shall I just take it as a loss and move on?. I already lost $5000 and don’t want to lose more on lawyers and not end up getting anything back.

Have you pursued this further with the bank?

They must have a fraud investigation team!

Either they have a fraudulent account on their books or one of their customers is behaving fraudulently.

Odat · Mar 9, 2018

Bernardino
Have you pursued this further with the bank?

They must have a fraud investigation team!

Either they have a fraudulent account on their books or one of their customers is behaving fraudulently.

Yes I did. They said all they can do is ask him to give back the money. They said I could file a police report against him. They weren’t much help really.

Scammed for $5000 for Omega Speedmaster watch

sjg22

bardamu

wkimmd

larryganz

Retromlc

michael22

michael22

Rasputin

larryganz

arcadelt

keepschanging

w154

drhex

bonerp

bonerp

Peemacgee

Peemacgee

Odat

Bernardino

Odat

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