How to trust?

**Ash** · 08-19-2011, 10:14 PM

Originally posted by Philoslothical

The problem is that it would be the OP paying the stranger, as he had posted in the items wanted section

Sorry, didn't quite get the original wording of the post.
If you're the buyer, just ignore it and move on...

basikal_kusayang · 08-20-2011, 07:27 AM

Originally posted by Philoslothical

Was this the user that contacted you, OP?

I just got this email from the forums. Nice of them to alert us about issues like this.

The similarity of username to my own is a bit disturbing though.

Yup,this guy. I thought so.luckly i didnt give him my details or money for the item. I think most of the forum in the net got spammed with this guy's post.I just dont understand how he manage to reach me via the wanted forum. Not so safe now eh?

Thanks for the advices guys. I really appriciate it. I need to be more careful after this. Dont want to lose more money to someone i dont know.
Cheers.

JeffJS · 08-20-2011, 07:34 AM

Originally posted by basikal_kusayang

Yup,this guy. I thought so.luckly i didnt give him my details or money for the item. I think most of the forum in the net got spammed with this guy's post.I just dont understand how he manage to reach me via the wanted forum. Not so safe now eh?

Thanks for the advices guys. I really appriciate it. I need to be more careful after this. Dont want to lose more money to someone i dont know.
Cheers.

The simple rule of thumb is, if it Sounds too good to be true, it usually Is. Good luck finding your items.

dgaies · 08-20-2011, 07:36 AM

Originally posted by basikal_kusayang

Not so safe now eh?

I wouldn't let the actions of one person overshadow the fact that the vast majority of buyers and sellers on the forums are honest and easy to deal with.

Personally, I've completed transactions with five of the people in this very thread, each of which was pleasant and trouble free. Just be cautious (like you were) and if something doesn't feel right, move on. But again, this is a very pleasant and safe place to buy and sell gear and the overwhelming majority of people are honest and just looking for a trouble-free transaction.

Philoslothical · 08-20-2011, 08:08 AM

Originally posted by basikal_kusayang

I just dont understand how he manage to reach me via the wanted forum.

It's simple. He registered an account on the forum, used the in-forum email function, which acts as a proxy so you receive the email "from" the forum, rather than his personal email, and doesn't disclose your own email to the sender. That's why he wanted you to reply directly to his email address. Scammers like this will drop out of site for a bit, then register a new account and start again. Only next time, he'll have to make some posts in order to use the email function of the board.

Originally posted by basikal_kusayang

Not so safe now eh?

The trick is to find buyers and sellers who have successfully completed at least a transaction or two on the forum here. You can look at their feedback scores to get an idea. That's not to say that you can't trust any new user, but you can often tell if they're a "real" user by looking at their past forum posts. If someone is active on the board, and has a positive feedback score in the market forum, you can reasonably trust that they're dealing honestly.

Lastly, a hat tip to dgaies. A good example of a good seller here, in my experience.

JeffJS · 08-20-2011, 08:37 AM

Originally posted by Philoslothical

It's simple. He registered an account on the forum, used the in-forum email function, which acts as a proxy so you receive the email "from" the forum, rather than his personal email, and doesn't disclose your own email to the sender. That's why he wanted you to reply directly to his email address. Scammers like this will drop out of site for a bit, then register a new account and start again. Only next time, he'll have to make some posts in order to use the email function of the board.

These people should be pretty easy to spot. I have even had people try to contact me through Flickr in response to ads I've posted in the Marketplace. Some are legit (I've dealt with them before) and others are obviously looking to profit from what they hope is my own stupidity (I'm not a Complete idiot, only partial

).

Quote:

Lastly, a hat tip to dgaies. A good example of a good seller here, in my experience.

Mine too.

JML · 08-21-2011, 11:26 AM

Hi,

Just to warn all members.
I also did receive an email form this philo about a lens I posted in the wanted objects category.
First he asked me to pay through Western Union, but I refused to do so.
Then he send me a paypal adress, but he said that he had to wait five days before he would ship the lens. He would only do so when the money was transferred from his paypall account to his bank account.
Luckily I did not pay yet, although he send me at least four or five reliable pictures of the lens I wanted to buy.
I wanted to sleep it one night over and I had to think.

And then I got this email from the Forum organisation about this 'member' philo. Of course I was very happy I did not pay yet.

What about other experiences with this seller?

Just beware!

Check your sellers before you pay.

Regards,

JML

**Ash** · 08-21-2011, 02:22 PM

Best to leave specifics of member problems to moderator staff via PMs.
Thanks.

basikal_kusayang · 08-21-2011, 08:41 PM

Originally posted by JML

Hi,

Just to warn all members.
I also did receive an email form this philo about a lens I posted in the wanted objects category.
First he asked me to pay through Western Union, but I refused to do so.
Then he send me a paypal adress, but he said that he had to wait five days before he would ship the lens. He would only do so when the money was transferred from his paypall account to his bank account.
Luckily I did not pay yet, although he send me at least four or five reliable pictures of the lens I wanted to buy.
I wanted to sleep it one night over and I had to think.

And then I got this email from the Forum organisation about this 'member' philo. Of course I was very happy I did not pay yet.

What about other experiences with this seller?

Just beware!

Check your sellers before you pay.

Regards,

JML

Thank god you did not pay for the lens..

..but he offered a really good price.LOL..almost fell for that.

JeffJS · 08-21-2011, 08:49 PM

Originally posted by Ash

Best to leave specifics of member problems to moderator staff via PMs.
Thanks.

The person(s) wasn't named here in the thread until the PF email went out warning of this 'seller'. Until then, no names were mentioned. I think it is completely appropriate to discuss this person and his attempted methods here. If it keeps just one person from falling for it, then a good purpose has been served by it.

dgaies · 08-21-2011, 08:58 PM

Originally posted by JeffJS

The person(s) wasn't named here in the thread until the PF email went out warning of this 'seller'. Until then, no names were mentioned. I think it is completely appropriate to discuss this person and his attempted methods here. If it keeps just one person from falling for it, then a good purpose has been served by it.

No disrespect to Ash, or any other Moderators on the forum, but I have to agree with Jeff on this one. Given circumstances, and the fact that the user's name was included in the mass email from PF before the post, it seems completely appropriate to use his name in this thread and to talk about the specifics of how he tried to scam members here. It is beneficial as it will make those who read the thread less likely to be the victims of this type of fraud in the future.

08-21-2011, 11:26 AM	#22
JML Forum Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 87	email by philo Hi, Just to warn all members. I also did receive an email form this philo about a lens I posted in the wanted objects category. First he asked me to pay through Western Union, but I refused to do so. Then he send me a paypal adress, but he said that he had to wait five days before he would ship the lens. He would only do so when the money was transferred from his paypall account to his bank account. Luckily I did not pay yet, although he send me at least four or five reliable pictures of the lens I wanted to buy. I wanted to sleep it one night over and I had to think. And then I got this email from the Forum organisation about this 'member' philo. Of course I was very happy I did not pay yet. What about other experiences with this seller? Just beware! Check your sellers before you pay. Regards, JML

08-21-2011, 08:41 PM	#24
basikal_kusayang Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Adelaide Posts: 107 Original Poster	Originally posted by JML Hi, Just to warn all members. I also did receive an email form this philo about a lens I posted in the wanted objects category. First he asked me to pay through Western Union, but I refused to do so. Then he send me a paypal adress, but he said that he had to wait five days before he would ship the lens. He would only do so when the money was transferred from his paypall account to his bank account. Luckily I did not pay yet, although he send me at least four or five reliable pictures of the lens I wanted to buy. I wanted to sleep it one night over and I had to think. And then I got this email from the Forum organisation about this 'member' philo. Of course I was very happy I did not pay yet. What about other experiences with this seller? Just beware! Check your sellers before you pay. Regards, JML Thank god you did not pay for the lens....but he offered a really good price.LOL..almost fell for that.

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08-19-2011, 10:14 PM	#16
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Originally posted by Philoslothical The problem is that it would be the OP paying the stranger, as he had posted in the items wanted section Sorry, didn't quite get the original wording of the post. If you're the buyer, just ignore it and move on...

08-20-2011, 07:27 AM	#17
basikal_kusayang Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Adelaide Posts: 107 Original Poster	Originally posted by Philoslothical Was this the user that contacted you, OP? I just got this email from the forums. Nice of them to alert us about issues like this. The similarity of username to my own is a bit disturbing though. Yup,this guy. I thought so.luckly i didnt give him my details or money for the item. I think most of the forum in the net got spammed with this guy's post.I just dont understand how he manage to reach me via the wanted forum. Not so safe now eh? Thanks for the advices guys. I really appriciate it. I need to be more careful after this. Dont want to lose more money to someone i dont know. Cheers.

08-20-2011, 07:34 AM	#18
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by basikal_kusayang Yup,this guy. I thought so.luckly i didnt give him my details or money for the item. I think most of the forum in the net got spammed with this guy's post.I just dont understand how he manage to reach me via the wanted forum. Not so safe now eh? Thanks for the advices guys. I really appriciate it. I need to be more careful after this. Dont want to lose more money to someone i dont know. Cheers. The simple rule of thumb is, if it Sounds too good to be true, it usually Is. Good luck finding your items.

08-20-2011, 07:36 AM	#19
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917	Originally posted by basikal_kusayang Not so safe now eh? I wouldn't let the actions of one person overshadow the fact that the vast majority of buyers and sellers on the forums are honest and easy to deal with. Personally, I've completed transactions with five of the people in this very thread, each of which was pleasant and trouble free. Just be cautious (like you were) and if something doesn't feel right, move on. But again, this is a very pleasant and safe place to buy and sell gear and the overwhelming majority of people are honest and just looking for a trouble-free transaction.

08-20-2011, 08:08 AM	#20
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Originally posted by basikal_kusayang I just dont understand how he manage to reach me via the wanted forum. It's simple. He registered an account on the forum, used the in-forum email function, which acts as a proxy so you receive the email "from" the forum, rather than his personal email, and doesn't disclose your own email to the sender. That's why he wanted you to reply directly to his email address. Scammers like this will drop out of site for a bit, then register a new account and start again. Only next time, he'll have to make some posts in order to use the email function of the board. Originally posted by basikal_kusayang Not so safe now eh? The trick is to find buyers and sellers who have successfully completed at least a transaction or two on the forum here. You can look at their feedback scores to get an idea. That's not to say that you can't trust any new user, but you can often tell if they're a "real" user by looking at their past forum posts. If someone is active on the board, and has a positive feedback score in the market forum, you can reasonably trust that they're dealing honestly. Lastly, a hat tip to dgaies. A good example of a good seller here, in my experience.

08-20-2011, 08:37 AM	#21
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by Philoslothical It's simple. He registered an account on the forum, used the in-forum email function, which acts as a proxy so you receive the email "from" the forum, rather than his personal email, and doesn't disclose your own email to the sender. That's why he wanted you to reply directly to his email address. Scammers like this will drop out of site for a bit, then register a new account and start again. Only next time, he'll have to make some posts in order to use the email function of the board. These people should be pretty easy to spot. I have even had people try to contact me through Flickr in response to ads I've posted in the Marketplace. Some are legit (I've dealt with them before) and others are obviously looking to profit from what they hope is my own stupidity (I'm not a Complete idiot, only partial ). Quote: Lastly, a hat tip to dgaies. A good example of a good seller here, in my experience. Mine too.

08-21-2011, 02:22 PM	#23
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Best to leave specifics of member problems to moderator staff via PMs. Thanks.

08-21-2011, 08:49 PM	#25
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by Ash Best to leave specifics of member problems to moderator staff via PMs. Thanks. The person(s) wasn't named here in the thread until the PF email went out warning of this 'seller'. Until then, no names were mentioned. I think it is completely appropriate to discuss this person and his attempted methods here. If it keeps just one person from falling for it, then a good purpose has been served by it.

08-21-2011, 08:58 PM	#26
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917	Originally posted by JeffJS The person(s) wasn't named here in the thread until the PF email went out warning of this 'seller'. Until then, no names were mentioned. I think it is completely appropriate to discuss this person and his attempted methods here. If it keeps just one person from falling for it, then a good purpose has been served by it. No disrespect to Ash, or any other Moderators on the forum, but I have to agree with Jeff on this one. Given circumstances, and the fact that the user's name was included in the mass email from PF before the post, it seems completely appropriate to use his name in this thread and to talk about the specifics of how he tried to scam members here. It is beneficial as it will make those who read the thread less likely to be the victims of this type of fraud in the future.