Scammer ApolloXVII is back for more

[Scarecrow Boat]

I wish this were not not true; however, it appears this trash bag has not had enough and has come back for more. If you are new to the forum or have been absent for a while and wish to catch up, here is a well documented thread:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/apolloxvii-scammer-multiple-victims.147628/
Scamming tens of thousands of dollars if not much more

Lets get started...

Hi @BarbVl. You have got some real nerve coming back here.

Honestly, I don't know how I didn't see this sooner, but I blame it on my full time studies taking me away from the forum... Catching up on the dozens of missed pages in the WRUW thread, I noticed something odd. I began looking into it a little further and once the similarities became familiar, it became glaringly obvious to me- ApolloXVII and @BarbVl are the same person. I will start with this first example below. The date @BarbVl joins and when ApolloXVII gets banned (last seen date) is suspicious, among other things.



So what, you might ask. Well, buckle up...

That is more or less the tip of the iceberg... I picked up on a trend and found endless similarities between the two. The easiest to point out can be found within the WRUW thread (but they extend to other threads they participated in as well). In this example below, there are far too many to list out, but let's start with how ApolloXVII interacted in the WRUW thread. (notice the posting dates)




Now @BarbVl




For the sake of examples, ApolloXVII once more




And once again, @BarbVl



Both ApolloXVII and @BarbVl lazily recycled the same handful of watches far beyond four times each, but listing all would make this far too long. The similarities extend beyond the fact that both ApolloXVII and @BarbVl share the same arm. Again, not going to list them all.


Going a bit further back through both of their history, I linked more evidence together. Starting with this watch that ApolloXVII had listed for sale and "sold" to several different members at the same time.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/ome...dial-new-price-1200-euro.146187/#post-1995521
And two images from the listing (I have added the red circles as key identifiers)





Going back through both @BarbVl and ApolloXVII's posts, I found this

ApolloXVII on the left and @BarbVl on the right



And the same images- zoomed in & highlighted similarities (sorry, in the screenshot below, I had the images on the wrong order),
@BarbVl on the left and ApolloXVII on the right




This is another watch "sold" by ApolloXVII.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/ome...ograph-white-dial-new-price-1150-euro.146221/



And as shared by both


I didn't circle anything on this one as I didn't really need to. It's the same watch.


Frustratingly, while going through @BarbVl post history, I found this post shared in the thread entitled:
So... I Got Scammed

BarbVl

I am sorry for your loss but i think that PayPal it's the best way to buy watches internationally.

The irony is not lost... I think it is pretty clear that @BarbVl is ApolloXVII and I urge you to steer very clear, report, and stay vigilant. No doubt they will try to come back as they already have and there is absolutely no place for them here. They deserve to be in jail and face the fullest extent of the law.


Anything to add @BarbVl?

**Edited typos and clarification as I began putting this together around 3am my time.

Edited: Jan 18, 2023

 

[MTROIS]

 

[mr_yossarian]

Excellent research! Not the first scammer here with a pretty malicous long-term strategy.

This should remind all members, especially more recent joiners to be carefull! OF is as safe as you make it for yourself.
Do your research on sellers/buyers, ask around, if in doubt contact long standing members prior to a deal, most will be glad to provide assistance or advice. Trust your gut feelings, in doubt pass on a deal that is to good to be true or close to that.
There are so many members here in good standing, buy from them.

 

[Vol375]

Impressive bit of research! I’m thoroughly impressed.

Edited: Jan 18, 2023

 

[Duracuir1]

Time for a new Avatar Aaron. How about Sam Spade? Theo Kojak is forbidden.

 

[dsio]

Those are definitely the same watches, this bloke was only on a few hours ago too so he has some serious explaining to do. He was delayed from selling repeatedly due to constant post farming and had many warnings for that as well.

 

[JwRosenthal]

Aaron is like a dog with a bone when he catches a whiff of assholery.

 

[MTROIS]

Duracuir1

Time for a new Avatar Aaron. How about Sam Spade? Theo Kojak is forbidden.

Some other options as well:

 

[JwRosenthal]

Me

 

[Duracuir1]

Or change « 5000 candles in the wind » to « asshole filter ». @Scarecrow Boat your move!

Edited: Jan 18, 2023

 

[MtV]

Well done Aaron and also well done OF for this:

dsio

Those are definitely the same watches, this bloke was only on a few hours ago too so he has some serious explaining to do. He was delayed from selling repeatedly due to constant post farming and had many warnings for that as well.

Had you not delayed him from selling, we might have had a couple more victims by now.

 

[paddymoran]

Hi Aaron,

This has obviously absorbed a great deal of your time. Thank you so much - it’s a valuable reminder that we need to be very cautious when transacting online. I’ve been the victim of thieves (aka our Peruvian “scammers”) in the past and even though it occurred many years ago it leaves a mark.

As an aside the WRUW thread is a sure way to build your posts and likes. I wonder can it be capped?

 

[dsio]

paddymoran

Hi Aaron,

This has obviously absorbed a great deal of your time. Thank you so much - it’s a valuable reminder that we need to be very cautious when transacting online. I’ve been the victim of thieves (aka our Peruvian “scammers”) in the past and even though it occurred many years ago it leaves a mark.

As an aside the WRUW thread is a sure way to build your posts and likes. I wonder can it be capped?

We’ll look into what further measures we can take, it may be that increasing the post count further or a combination of that and some other requirements may be helpful, it’s something we’ll have a think about.

 

[MTROIS]

paddymoran

Hi Aaron,

This has obviously absorbed a great deal of your time. Thank you so much - it’s a valuable reminder that we need to be very cautious when transacting online. I’ve been the victim of thieves (aka our Peruvian “scammers”) in the past and even though it occurred many years ago it leaves a mark.

As an aside the WRUW thread is a sure way to build your posts and likes. I wonder can it be capped?

Or should the WRUW post count towards the 200 limit?

 

[dsio]

MTROIS

Or should the WRUW post count towards the 200 limit?

That’s not an easy thing to carve out, but in any case it evidently didn’t help him in this situation as it became exhibit 1, 2, and 3.

 

[STANDY]

MTROIS

Or should the WRUW post count towards the 200 limit?

200 posts should never be seen as a OK seller.
I read a lot of posts before I judge character of a seller. Due diligence is a big part of working out who you will buy a watch off.



Not every WRUW thread is always as it seems.

Reminds me of the member (non scammer) that had different arms everyday on WRUW.

Was caught out as he had threads asking what Rolex to buy as he didn’t have one (yet had previously posted several on WRUW a month or two prior….)

 

[paddymoran]

Not intending to go off on a tangent but how lazy/ disinterested can someone be to post the same picture more than once to the WRUW thread?! It’s a signal that someone’s only motivated by post and like numbers…

 

[Aroxx]

Thanks Aaron for making the connection, spending the time to investigate, and putting yourself out there. Good reminder for a newbie such as myself to still be careful regardless of the high level of trustworthy people here. Sucks how in life a couple of bad apples have the potential to ruin a good thing for everyone. I know the community here won’t let that happen. Stay frosty all.

 

[gbesq]

Thanks both to Aaron for some really impressive research and to the OF mods for their eternal vigilance in trying to provide us with one of the best online forums through which to safely buy and sell quality watches.

 

[padders]

Even after the limit his posts were farming one liners in the main so you got a feeling something wasn’t right.