BEWARE - Possible detector scam on Ebay:

[impactco]

Here's a link to this auction:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5748202885&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT


Here is a transcript of my emails with this seller:


Q: Are these units new or used? Thanks


A: The units are brand new come with warranty ,bought them last week and now I am selling them on ebay for a profit.I will provide my customers who buy in bulk, a very generous discount. So rest assured that when purchasing from me, you are getting the most competitive price along with a seller that has customer satisfaction as a number 1 priority. My price for these units is $2745 The price includes shipping and insurance to your door. If you want 1 or 2 units please do not email me back because here I try to sell a lot. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to a continuing relationship with you. I am waiting for a confirmation if you intend to buy them now


Q: Would it be possible to pick the 5 units up from you so as to verify the condition of the units when paying for them? Alternatively, would you accept PayPal or escrow on these units if I pay the fees? I live close by in California. Thank you.


A: I'm not asking for any advanced payment so I can receive the money first and not you the product that you have bought or a deposit, all i need is a proof to see if you're really serious about this.I have something safe for you and in this way you'll
pay me the money only after you'll receive my item.So,all you have to do is to make the payment for the total amount using money transfer-western union for the receiver's name you'll use whatever name you want( brother's, father's, neighbour's) so you can be 100% safe that the money won't leave, and after you'll receive the package, Once payment is made and I can check the order status of the transfer, I will have the package delivered to your door fully insured. Once you receive the package, you can then call western Union and tell them your friend was not able to pickup the cash and simply re-route the funds to my own name. This is how you will send the funds at the Western Union office.

Name: (your own pick)
City: Sacramento
State:CA
Country: USA



Q: I will purchase if you will accept Ebay escrow and I will pay all fees. Here is a link describing the escrow service:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/escrow.html


A: Escrow takes to much time for me to complet it, if you will consider my option, I would be more then happy to sell it to you.
George

Q: Sorry George, since you will not accept escrow, PayPal or face to face payment and pickup I'll have to pass. Sounds like some kind of scam to me.

 

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[wepc]

This guy has been involved with other auctions and Minelabs before. He's breaking into other peoples accounts and using their names. The last time he pulled something similar. He's really from overseas, Eastern Europe.

 

[wepc]

I tried to report the auction to Ebay, hopefully it worked.

 

[Ocean7]

experts say use Paypal or credit card or forget it! You'll get your money back with these two but anything equal to cash means a gamble.

 

[mavrick03]

well I'm not sure i like the whole Western union idea but they guy has a 99% positive feedback rating also if you noticed the one bad feed back it was from 03 also has been a member since 2000 has changed his user name one time in 04 what i think he wants to do is circumvent some of the fees associated with the dollar amount he Will have to pay extra fees to ebay and paypal if he sells them if he ends the auction early and sells them to you direct he saves on the fees but this is just an assumption Western union will hold the payment until you receive the item then if the item you received is what you paid for then they will release the funds to him basically if you think about it you can turn the tables on him since you will have the item and he will be with out it if you use someone Else's name then you can screw him over big time NOTICE I am in no way shape or form promoting the idea of you screwing him over just giving my opinion




mav

 

[bakergeol]

I remember there were a couple? of E-Bay scams last year for the high end Minelab gold detectors. These were widely circulated on the prospecting forums.

Those scams involved expensive detectors(Minelab gold machines $2000-$3000),Western Union, no reliable photos and? a too good to be true price. Scam artists are not going to sell you 3 Garrett Ace 250 detectors for $250- It will usually be a? high dollar scam.

When I see items like this I just stroll on by- I don't really know if it is legitimate but I am not going to gamble a couple of thousand to find out.

For? the person who has the winning bid today- good luck
George

 

[jeff of pa]

He has a 99% , but 99% of the items listed he Bought, Not Sold. I believe only 4 sales on there, at least what I saw.

 

[mavrick03]

Jeff
you are so correct i think mainly why the few sales is because he was building up his feed back rating most people have an easier time buying from an individual with good feed back rating i know i would




Mav

 

[PJB (Ohio)]

Here's a fact:

When sending money to Europe through Western Union, all that the receiver needs to get the money is the Money Control Transfer Number (MCTN). In the US, you need to have identification and all kinds of proof. The scammer is betting on the factthat you'll think the money is safe if you only give him the MTCN to "check if the money is really there."

THIS IS DEFINITELY A SCAM.

I won an auction for a plasma TV and the seller tried to use this method on me. Luckily, a great Western Union employee brought me up to speed on this scam.

 

[eathabs]

SCAM, don't do it!!

 

[mavrick03]

where are you all seeing money going over seas last time i checked california was in the content united states




Mav

 

[Jason in TN]

I am with mavrick on this one I do not think that this is a scam. Feed back looks good but I do not like the way he wants you to pay. Still I think it is probably legit. Maybe we will never know.

 

[wepc]

I would put a grand it's a fake:
A. Who can possibly get their hands on this many detectors?
B. Who has access to such a discount, even in bulk.
c. His answers to the questions don't add up.
d. He doesn't want to use any real method where the buyers protected.
e. If it sounds to good to be true, then it definitely is.
f. Why would he not sell these one at a time?

Ebay does not protect you, so if someone fell for this they are screwed. The first guy that started the Minelab scam on Ebay was from Eastern Europe, this is likely the same guy.

 

[Darren in NC]

The winner's user id is kept private, too. My guess would be to keep someone from warning them. This scammer definitely has the bases covered

 

[spotz]

A scam is a scam is a scam & it happens a lot in a lot of places & not just on e-bay! I think that we all do a service to each other if we try to buy American, made American, IN AMERICA. I do not deal overseas, but on the other hand, I , just like the majority do own some products that were bought locally, but not made here. Spotz

 

[jeff of pa]

I just Read where Ebay canceled this guys Membership. I guess they caught up to him

 

[zommbee]

Wow! They sure did! It REALLY takes some convincing to get Ebay to cancel
a listing, much less a seller's ID - it's not exactly in their own best interests to
cut off the revenue flow, especially on a spendly lot like those (mythical) detectors!

Maybe there is some hope for Ebay!

Zommbee

 

[jeff of pa]

Roumor is MINELAB contacted Ebay on this also. Which Probably Helped

 

[PJB (Ohio)]

I got this notice from eBay regarding the auction (I bid on it)


The following is a notice from eBay Trust & Safety regarding:

Item Number - 5748202885
Item Title - Lot of 5 units of Minelab EXPLORER II

Our records show that you placed a bid on this item. We removed this item from the Site and cancelled your bid because it appears that the seller's account has been compromised and used by an unauthorized third party. The seller's privileges to trade on eBay may be temporarily suspended while we investigate this matter further. Due to privacy concerns we will not be able to share further details related to this seller.

If someone claiming to be the seller asks you to complete a transaction outside of eBay, we strongly recommend that you ignore the request. Transactions for items listed on eBay that are completed outside of the eBay marketplace are not covered by the Buyer Protection services offered by eBay and can be highly indicative of fraud.

If you have already paid, you may wish to pursue recuperating your funds. Some steps you might take include:

1. Ask the seller for a refund
2. If you paid by check, ask your bank to stop payment
3. If you paid by credit card, contact your credit card company?s security department
4. If you have made a payment by money order or wire transfer, you may contact that company for further information at 1-800-325-6000 (Western Union), or at 1-800-926-9400 (Money Gram)
5. If you paid with PayPal, review the Buyer Complaint Process at:

/csg/p?www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/protections-buyer-outside

There are many tips on how to protect yourself with any Internet transaction in the eBay Security & Resolution Center located at:

www.ebay.com/securitycenter

Our goal is to ensure that your eBay experience is safe so that you can buy confidently. It is rare that something goes wrong with a transaction on eBay, but we're here to help you protect yourself in the event it does. If you have additional questions, please send us an email using the "Contact Us" link found on eBay Help pages. Do not respond to this email, as your reply will not be received.

Regards,
Customer Support (Trust and Safety Department)
eBay Inc

 

[mercypa]

I receive many e-mails from ebay to update my account or that my account is going to be cancelled for many differant reasons.Funny thing is before you click on the link if you put your mouse over it you will see an IP address and not ebay . com.In any event you should forward the email to ebay so they can take the appropriate steps.Who ever keeps sending me the email never has the same link back and if you look up the ip address it's being sent from it's not always in the same state.Just be careful and reseach the seller like you would a good huntting site.PJB thanks for the tip about Europe I didn't know that.

Happy Shopping,
Doug