The funny thing that works for me when I post something on CL is to post a note at the bottom that says if you're responding to this ad you must specifically list in the subject line the name of the item I am selling and also you must refer to it specifically in the body of your message. I state that I will take as a scam any message that refers to my "item" or any other generic term. I also state that if I determine you're a scammer, and if I have the time, I will screw with you and waste your time. I'm suprised, I never have gotten a scammer ever since I started to post this warning on my CL listings. Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

I like that. I'll try that on my next listing!

 

That’s harsh man, I tend to do the same thing. But now you've kind of open my eyes to the horror of this... I've always been told to use PayPal in order to insure the fact that my payment goes through and if nothing comes about you can file a grievance against them and maybe get your money back. it also takes around 21 days to get the payment into their account so you can file before 21 days and have a stop payment put on the transaction!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

Well out of all the years that I have bought parts from people this is the first time this has happened and now I see how easy it is for scammers to get the information. I had no idea that they could just go to google and find a part that some one has requested or is looking for and it is that simple. I tried it with the ford forum and the P15-D24 forum that I am on for my two 48 Plymouth's. Got the same results both times on parts I was looking for the forums came right up. I guess this is what we get with the computer age these days.
My eyes are wide open to this now.
Thanks,
Larry

 

I like Doc's idea. Put the warning in RED toward the beginning of the post then it will display in the Google search results.

 

These scammers and deadbeats need to be careful nowadays. I know of at least one guy who went on a vendetta after getting ripped off by a guy on another forum once. He used google earth and posted a picture of the guy's house and address and asked if anybody "local" could go take care of business for him. And somebody actually agreed to go "talk" to the guy in person. The mods shut the thread down before anybody could see what happened. These crooks need to realize that not all of their victims are level-headed reasonable people. Technology and the internet has made the world a whole lot smaller nowadays. They'll hook a psychopath one of these days who won't stop until they find them.

 

Doc,

Good point that I've been stressing for some time. There are nut cases on both sides of the deal. There are a lot of blow hards on the HAMB that when some one posts that they were wronged the first response is to go over and "talk" to the guy in person, usually accompanied with a gun. They all say S&W or Mr. 12 ga is coming along or going out to the dark backyard with them. I ask these guys how they don't know the guy they're going to "talk" doesn't have bigger and more guns than them, also a lot more friends. I read a report once that said the less intelligent a person is the quicker they are to pull a trigger. While I believe most of these scammers are relatively smart, they have nothing to loose and like gang members, don't have any problem blowing some one away over the littlest thing. Before I pull a trigger I will think a few seconds about the consequences and what I will loose. In those few second the other guy has pulled the trigger and has taken off.

 

A few years back there was a guy selling Old Car Parts and Decals - He was based out of Arizona - He was a ripoff pro either didn't have the stuff, decals were on printer paper or he was selling other peoples products - A few of us started tracking him down - I won't disclose just how but I got his buisness address, tele number, and home address - After a few people knocked on his door and verified stuff some attorneys showed up the the police then the AZ AG - The guy fled to Cali and started the same adds with in two weeks people were again knocking on his door
I got in trouble with the Mods on here for harrasing him until I proved to them what was up then they banned him
I still run periodic checks on him - unless he changed his name he has gone deep

 

Sorry for your misfortune. I recently sold a car on CL and I was getting about 2-3 E-mail scams a day and I kept getting them a week after I deleted the ad. Now the only way I put anything on CL is phone calls only. You can tell a lot from how somebody talks on the phone.

 

Just did a quick Bing search and found this interesting thread with more aliases:
MustangSteve's Swap Meet: Re: Greg Moore,Herbert Lorenzo,David Pilkington all have same blackpool Address

 

How did your son pay for it?
Your may be able to file a fraudulent claim if it was credit card, or paypal, or even a debit card (controlled like a credit card). Then the big guys can try to catch this guy! I have done this with an ebay transaction twice in the last ten or so years. I got my money back..and it wasn't hard to do. Just a thought.

 

I don't put my phone number out on the net, I don't want a bunch of kooks calling my number. When I was a kid I knew a lot of other kids who got their kicks making crank calls and I would assume the same type of kids can get a kick strolling through CL. I get calls at my shop that the ID is blocked so the kids can still remain anonymous. I do however also state I will be asking for a phone number before doing any transactions. I won't deal with anyone unless I can talk to them over the phone.

 

I want to throw a different spin on this as food for thought. 8 years ago someone stole my friends identity and was selling parts and pieces under his name and information. It was eventually learned that the thief lived in Ukraine. Long way to commute to get your money back. Once the payment was sent, the thief took off with the money but left my friend looking like he had screwed everyone over. 2 guys did show up at my friends house and threatened him and his family with violence (ask OJ Simpson how that worked out for him in Nevada). Who cares who has the biggest gun because if the trigger gets pulled everyone loses in that situation. (For the record I am pro gun ownership) That was the first time my friend found out that someone had stolen his identity. After HOURS of interviews with the local police, he was cleared but it messed his life up for years. Would you be willing to threaten a child's life because of a $75 part? Please think about that because that is what happen to my friend. Most reasonable people would not but it's easy to get caught up in the moment. We all hate getting screwed over. It has happened to me at flea markets, swap meets, alongside the road and yes, on the internet. Be careful who you deal with and asks questions.

ALWAYS use a credit card so you have some recourse. NEVER deal outside of your country. Look, I mean really look at the photos if you are spending big bucks on an item. If I ever have a question, I ask them to snap another photo of a different spot or angle. If they won't, I don't buy. If the photo looks the same, then I pass. In this day and age of fraud and the internet it takes so little to check a few details out. Sometimes driving down to a local swap meet or buying from someone you know is the best course. I am all for justice, but make sure if you seek justice it is against the person that actually stole your money, not someone you assume stole your money. Sadly, in the OP situation, his money is most likely long gone. I always say, cash is king and in person is best.

 

Twistedfate,

Paypal is ok for transaction but keep in mind the 21 day thing doesn't apply to most sellers. Once you pay me for a part I have access to the money in 3 seconds. You can dispute things with Paypal, which can take up to 30 days to get some resolution. Eventually you may get your money back but it better than no refund. The best hope is to deal with "Verified" sellers through Paypal and hope for the best. Even ebay sellers get hacked and Paypal accounts stolen. I have been a seller on fleaBay for years and have seen it all. I hate them but sometimes it is more protection. I read their feedback long before I buy. In the end, in person is best but is not always possible. Have fun!

 

Note that a debit card does NOT afford the same protections as a credit card! Using a debit card has the same security as writing a paper check on your bank account no matter who's logo is on it. You cannot dispute a charge, institute a charge back, or have any protection against fraudulent charges. A crook can use a stolen debit card # to clean out whatever account the card is linked to directly or thru charges to it, the bank has no obligation or liability to protect that account, and you won't get your money back from them. If you do need to use a debit card rather than a charge card, open a separate account and card and keep only the amount of money you are willing to lose in it. Some banks now have one time use number cards available where you designate the number to a specific payee, and if anyone else tries to get payment from that card # it will be denied.