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#1 |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Real Name: Brian
Location: SoCal
Watch: forever changing
Posts: 26,246
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WTB attempts are pretty lame
Why is it, that on such a great site as this, where we have interactions, communications, opinion sharing, and millions of dollars in legit business transactions occurring, that the a simple request in the WTB section has to invite scammers who think we just send money to random people with no posts, history, references of legitimacy, or anything remotely promising???
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#2 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Nov 2019
Real Name: Dan
Location: Near Disneyland
Watch: 126710 BLNR Oyster
Posts: 383
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Because it’s worked in the past, people are too trusting and too gullible, no repercussions for criminal actions, easier to be a savage scumbag and steal than to work hard and earn it. I can go on ? Lol
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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![]() 2FA secured "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." |
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#3 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Fort Myers, Flori
Watch: Sub & Deep sea
Posts: 305
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It's almost as bad as contacting a trusted seller that is listing a watch you are interested in. No call back, no contact. Called a second & a third time, stated they just sold the watch. Told them to call if they come across another one, assured me they would. They then list one on their site, no call. I won't chase somebody to take my cash. Contacted another one who listed the same watch, no return email or call.
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#4 | |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: United States
Watch: me buy Watches
Posts: 3,955
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Quote:
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“The display of actual intelligence terrifies much of mankind” Rolex "some" Tudor "some" Damasko "some" Misc Pieces "some" Marathon "some" GS Spring Drive "some" Hamilton "some" Findeisen "some" |
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#5 |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Real Name: Brian
Location: SoCal
Watch: forever changing
Posts: 26,246
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shame shame shame
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#6 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: May 2020
Real Name: Tyler
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Watch: 116622 Rhodium
Posts: 121
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#7 |
TRF Moderator & 2024 SUBMARINER Patron
Join Date: May 2007
Real Name: Larry
Location: Mojave Desert
Watch: GMT's
Posts: 43,346
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Unfortunately, TRF is a well known and respectable site.
This brings con-men and scammers because they prey on members and lurkers, using the cover of TRF to imply that they are a part of it. Nobody should be blindly buying from zero count, or one day old solicitations. Every transaction/vendor/buyer needs to be verified and double checked because the on-line risk is high - everywhere.
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(Chill ... It's just a watch Forum.....) NAWCC Member |
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#8 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Maine
Posts: 137
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I usually look for evidence of participation in a forum for a few years before i even think about the purchase. That being said, I get the impression that scammers are getting more sophisticated. It would not shock me if some start offering to buy user names (or just hack / steal them from users who are not active enough to notice in recent months) from users with an existing history and posting / planning multiple accounts in advance.
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#9 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Santa Barbara CA
Posts: 36
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The good news is, the guys who respond to WTB ads rarely know as much about watches as the real forum members (at least in my experience). I posted a WTB recently. One person contacted me, and the watch pictures he sent were of a totally different model. It wasn’t even close to what my post requested. Then another guy told me he was selling the watch “for a cousin” and knew next to nothing about details. Use your knowledge and experience to your advantage. Most scammers can’t “talk the talk” about the watches they pretend to sell when you really start asking. Not foolproof, as they are getting more sophisticated, but it is a good way to unmask some of the scammers out there. And finally I will pass on a lesson my dear father bestowed on me years ago: “never want something so badly that you can’t walk away.” Scammers rely on our eagerness and enthusiasm to get a new watch. It is that same eagerness and enthusiasm that clouds our better judgement sometimes....
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#10 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2012
Real Name: CJ
Location: Kashyyyk
Watch: Kessel Run Chrono
Posts: 21,112
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At first, I didn’t like the WTB. But now WTB seems a great honey pot to catch fraudsters and learn their tactics.
And a near foolproof way to flush the noob member cons out is to ask them to pay for a Pledge to confirm they’re serious sellers. Mention you only deal with a Pledge on buys. Because no legit seller will say no to a legit sale in the thousands for $35 If they say no to a Pledge, tell them you’ll add the $35 back after pledging to their watch price if they also answer a series of qualifiers to help prove they are legit. Then if they’re made to be a con after the pledge, report them and the forum keeps their $35. And if they don’t, that’s also cause for concern and worth a message flag. Win win. |
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#11 | |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: SA,TX
Watch: 16570,BLNR,116610
Posts: 2,217
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Quote:
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#12 | |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Real Name: jP
Location: Texas
Watch: GMT-MASTER
Posts: 17,185
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Quote:
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Member of NAWCC since 1990. INSTAGRAM USER NAME: SPRINGERJFP Visit my Instagram page to view some of the finest vintage GMTs anywhere - as well as other vintage classics. |
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#13 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Real Name: PaulG
Location: Georgia
Posts: 41,439
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Why?
The answer is Sutton’s Law. A famous apocryphal story - bank robber Willie Sutton was asked by reporter Mitch Ohnstad why he robbed banks. According to Ohnstad, he replied, "Because that's where the money is". Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Does anyone really know what time it is? |
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