I got scammed

[MoosicPa]

Originally Posted by 77T

So sorry to read this and hope you are able to stay calm during the upcoming tribulation dealing with the process ahead.

The incoming bank could be named imho - it is wire fraud by one of their customers, or a person who hijacked a customer’s account.

Maybe consider a federal complaint - not local alone.

Much success in your efforts




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You are correct. Under the Patriot Act, all banks in the USA are required to verify the identity and SSN number of anyone opening a bank account at their financial institution. If the bank has that information, it will allow the police to track this individual down. If they failed to do their job, they may be partially liable for failing to do so.

[scarlet knight]

If you hire an attorney in the seller’s area, he may be able to subpoena the seller’s bank for his info. Of course, that could be fake.

Good luck. Don’t let it drop until you give it the old college try to get it back.

[zaydans]

This is why I never bank wire to anyone but trusted sellers. Everyone else is PayPal and if not then would rather not do the deal.

[CorradoBrit]

Originally Posted by zaydans

This is why I never bank wire to anyone but trusted sellers. Everyone else is PayPal and if not then would rather not do the deal.

+1. Way to risky no matter what the possible deal.

[Pattyb69]

Damn. Sorry to hear. Similar thing happened to me in college. Some guy scammed me and 20+ other guys for car parts and money. All of us worked together with a cyber crime agent from the FBI. Most of us never got our money back, but we did get him locked up for 2 years which was some nice payback

[Pattyb69]

Originally Posted by zaydans

This is why I never bank wire to anyone but trusted sellers. Everyone else is PayPal and if not then would rather not do the deal.

Originally Posted by CorradoBrit

+1. Way to risky no matter what the possible deal.

It can be little scary but there are plenty of good guys on the forum though. You just have to do your homework on the person. I've done probably 40-50 deals in the last couple years and some of these guys have ended up becoming really good friends of mine.

[Max16013]

People suck. Sorry man


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[dysert]

I have filed a Police report where I live. They are in the process of tracking down the banking information. To the point made earlier, I think Chase has an obligation under the law to have all the demographic information required along with a wire transfer agreement. I will keep the group updated.

I would also suggest that forums consider upping the ante for items posted to be sold. I would have no problem posting to a set of requirements and supplying the forum a verifiable set of information on me if I were using it to sell. I’m sure this would be unpopular but for sales above a certain amount it should be considered.

At the end of the day this thread contains a lot of good information and I thank you.

[locutus49]

But you said you got scammed by someone on TimeZone, not this forum. So why should this forum change its rules? I'm confused.

Originally Posted by dysert

I have filed a Police report where I live. They are in the process of tracking down the banking information. To the point made earlier, I think Chase has an obligation under the law to have all the demographic information required along with a wire transfer agreement. I will keep the group updated.

I would also suggest that forums consider upping the ante for items posted to be sold. I would have no problem posting to a set of requirements and supplying the forum a verifiable set of information on me if I were using it to sell. I’m sure this would be unpopular but for sales above a certain amount it should be considered.

At the end of the day this thread contains a lot of good information and I thank you.

[springer]

Originally Posted by dysert

A word to the wise be careful. I responded to an ad on the timezone TZ showcase forum. The first time I ever really visited that forum but was led there by a post on this forum. There was a SD4k listed by an individual located in Baytown Texas and I asked for references and a tagged photo. This individual has over 100 posts and two watches for sale. He provided references which I contacted by email and they responded appropriately. I asked him to send me a photo of the watch and he did with a note beside the watch with my name his username and the correct date. He sent me wiring instructions to an account in Baytown Texas and promised to overnight the watch upon receipt. You know the story from there. Money is gone and no watch. User name we her00 and I am considering posting the wiring instructions, I am going to contact my local law enforcement authorities tomorrow and considering engaging one of the cybercrime private firms to see what I can learn. My bank was told by Chase there were insufficient funds in the account to return the money. What a fool I am. I have purchased several watches listed on this forum and sold a couple as well.

I hope you had a phone conversation before the purchase. I hope you got the seller's home address before sending the wire and verified it on google. You could also get employer info and verify that too.

[dysert]

FBI white collar Crime unit is now involved chasing the internet stuff and law enforcement is focused on the receiving bank and the identity of the account holder.

[htbilgic]

I'm so sorry to hear this.

[michaelodonnell123]

Rolex has an 'Authorized Dealership' system in place so you do not have to buy an unverifiable watch over the internet and you do not have to wire money to complete strangers. A Rolex AD is the most trusted source you can buy from. Next time please go to an AD and stop trying to save a few dollars. It's not worth it.

[dysert]

Originally Posted by michaelodonnell123

Rolex has an 'Authorized Dealership' system in place so you do not have to buy an unverifiable watch over the internet and you do not have to wire money to complete strangers. A Rolex AD is the most trusted source you can buy from. Next time please go to an AD and stop trying to save a few dollars. It's not worth it.

You made an incorrect assumption, watch is not currently in production and local AD when asked, did not respond.

[AK797]

100 posts is not nearly enough to send a bank wire. I'd need at least 1000 posts over at least a year or two and with lots of good content. Also references provided by a seller are no good and probably fake, you need to find them independently and then those references need to be verified by senior members again.

In short just don't use a bank wire unless they are well known, long term members. If not, only buy in person with cash or by paypal.

[MinMay]

Originally Posted by dysert

FBI white collar Crime unit is now involved chasing the internet stuff and law enforcement is focused on the receiving bank and the identity of the account holder.

and to the person who stole your money, his life is going to be

[jvmartin]

Originally Posted by dysert

I have filed a Police report where I live. They are in the process of tracking down the banking information. To the point made earlier, I think Chase has an obligation under the law to have all the demographic information required along with a wire transfer agreement. I will keep the group updated.

I would also suggest that forums consider upping the ante for items posted to be sold. I would have no problem posting to a set of requirements and supplying the forum a verifiable set of information on me if I were using it to sell. I’m sure this would be unpopular but for sales above a certain amount it should be considered.

At the end of the day this thread contains a lot of good information and I thank you.

This won't happen because then people will try and hold the forum accountable when scams continue to happen... then it becomes an unending game of upping the ante and adding rule after rule to plug the most recent hole... 100 posts is definitely not enough for a large ticket wire deal... of course hindsight is 20/20 but I have seen some great deals on TRF that I have not pursued because of low post counts and/or recent membership...

[dysert]

Right now the receiving bank is in the center of the investigation along with the account holder. There are regulations regarding wires as was mentioned by someone in this thread. Follow the money.

[jrs146]

Very sorry this happened. Although it’s unlikely you will see your funds again I hope it works out for the best. It’s a shame there are bad people out there...


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[jstan9]

Originally Posted by Pattyb69

It can be little scary but there are plenty of good guys on the forum though. You just have to do your homework on the person. I've done probably 40-50 deals in the last couple years and some of these guys have ended up becoming really good friends of mine.

Yep. I just did my first non AD deal and only because it was with a trusted seller on trf. This thread is why I limit consideration to the top few trusted sellers here.

Very sorry to hear anout the OP’s bad experience. Next time you aren’t 100% sure use PayPal and a credit card. Even if you pay the fee, you’ll have protection from Amex if anything goes awry.

[joli160]

Terrible, hope you succeed in getting them prosecuted.
Personally I would go to great lengths investing in lawyers to see the thief gets what he deserves.

[richardyu]

Sad to hear that... :( Be careful next time...a

why not buy my Cellini Time instead. :)

[hambone1983]

Originally Posted by zaydans

This is why I never bank wire to anyone but trusted sellers. Everyone else is PayPal and if not then would rather not do the deal.

I recently went the "trusted seller" route for the 1st time. Limited myself to the following...

sellers that are consistently putting up their 5 pieces/day here (ie are pros in this biz)
sellers who have a brick & mortar store and a website
sellers with a long history of positive feedback in who's who

I was surprised how many actually meet these criteria, and how much inventory they had

[michaelodonnell123]

Originally Posted by dysert

You made an incorrect assumption, watch is not currently in production and local AD when asked, did not respond.

I did not make any incorrect assumptions. An AD is the most trusted source. Period. If the watch you want is not in production then get one that is. How can an AD not respond to a phone call? I have yet to see one ignore the ringing phone.

As for getting the money back... Think about it - You are asking for someone (your bank, their bank, whoever) to go in to a persons bank account and remove money and send it to you on your say so. I don't think so.

What if the buyer is the scammer and he got the watch and wants his money back?

[Reddy_Kilowatt]

Originally Posted by michaelodonnell123

I did not make any incorrect assumptions. An AD is the most trusted source. Period. If the watch you want is not in production then get one that is. How can an AD not respond to a phone call? I have yet to see one ignore the ringing phone.

Ah, yes. If you want something that's not in production, then get something else. Perfect.

[michaelodonnell123]

Originally Posted by Reddy_Kilowatt

Ah, yes. If you want something that's not in production, then get something else. Perfect.

Better to be safe than sorry. Perfect.

[frankoman]

Originally Posted by michaelodonnell123

Better to be safe than sorry. Perfect.

Hmmm so never buy vintage, for safety reasons. Got it.

[Kingpinchris]

That certainly sucks but knowing Baytown it doesn’t surprise me unfortunately.

[function12]

I hope this works out for you. I would love to know what the police and FBI do.

[brandontran]

Sorry to hear this. This is just horrible. I’m somewhat in a similar situation myself from a guy in Fort Worth Texas. I’m going to post my thread and I would love to see our members opinions and thoughts.