They're all over the place... Probably same group of gippos. Here's one I got (and deleted) this morning:

From: todd_hawmann@yahoo.com

Dear seller,

I 'm interested in purchasing your advertised RS 654 / RS 954 ,and i will like to know the price if is okay by me.if I can pay with bank transfer. If this is okay with you do get back to me immediately for me to arrange the payment. Do get back to me immediately with your Full Name, Contact Address and Phone Number for me to instruct my client to make the payment ASAP. Hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards

Quote Mr Sister:

---

Another Scammer


From: todd_hawmann@yahoo.com


Can't the mods terminate there accounts????

---

Yes, I do terminate any scammer's account with SOS, but this is always by default in retrospect after they have contacted someone. They simply re-register with our site.

I did think of banning the use of Yahoo email registrations at one time, but that's unfair on genuine Yahoo users - but they do seem to nearly always use Yahoo email addresses, so if you are suspicious of any email approaches fro readers ads gear you are selling, if it's a Yahoo account and poorly written English, then reason to be doubly on the alert perhaps?

Ian G

--------------------
SOS Gear Videos now screening on www.SoundOnSound.tv
SOS Podcasts

Hello All

I have had a couple of suspect emails from the same person. He has left a mobile number too for some odd reason!!

Quote:

---

From: rollandlord47@yahoo.com

How are you today? I will like to know if the item is till up for sale.Await the
price along with the present condition.

Regards..

07024079053

---

--------------------
"Saying that you do is just gold plated XLR elitist bulls**t!" - ow

Just went to post a message on the readers ads scam alert and found this about same guy

Quote:

---

Avoid rollandlord47@yahoo.com robot ? trying to pull £2000 chex scam , call his number & slag off ! 07024079053.
£2000

---

--------------------
"Saying that you do is just gold plated XLR elitist bulls**t!" - ow

Yesterday, from SOS RAd's

Quote:

---

From: rollandlord47@yahoo.com

How are you today? I will like to know if the item is till up for sale.Await the
price along with the present condition.

Regards..

07024079053

---

Me three.
Despite the fact that the price and present condition are clearly mentoned.

I sent a reply stating that the condition and cost were on the advert. His reply I hear you cry!!

Quote:

---

Hello,

Thanks for the mail respones. The price is okay by
me,I do appreciate your response regarding my offer on
the ( GEQ3102 & DSP2000 C).Am out for a missionary
assistment
outside the UK at the moment as an (UNICEF AGENT).I
have contact my client who is my associate to issue
out a cheque of (£3,500) to you . Once you receive
the cheque all you have to do is just to deduct the
cost of the (GEQ3102 & DSP2000 C) after the cheque
must
have clear in your bank and then kindly assist in
wiring the rest of the funds to my shipping agent
through Western Union Money Transfer they are the ones
who will be coming down for the pickup in your
ends.The reason for this is that they have some other
consignment in which they have to pickup for me near
your location hope this is clear
with you.
These funds would be used for arranging the
shippment and also make arrangements for all necessary
shipping dcuments.So all you have to do is just to
provide me with the information which the paymentwould
be sent to you such as
Full Name on cheque............
Home Address......
city........
State.........
Zipcode........
Country......
Home, cell, work phone numbers.....

So as soon as all these details have been provided
payment would be issued out to you as soon as
possible,I will wait for the cheque to clear before
pickup is made.I would be expecting to read from you.

Best regards.

07024079053

I will offer you £50 for you to considered the item
sold to me.

---

--------------------
"Saying that you do is just gold plated XLR elitist bulls**t!" - ow

Lo and behold, I got exactly the same response about 2 mins ago, having sent the email about an hour ago.
With the email titled "Pickup schedule" !

Quote:

---

From: suzan_millbranth1@yahoo.com

Hello,



How are you today? I will like to know if the item you listed for sale is

till available for sale.Am much interested in it,do get back to me with the

price and the condition along with photo if available. Await your respones

soonest.



Best regards..



Millbranth

07024079053

---

Will reply from a throwaway address I've got and tag him along for a while. Light entertainment if nothing else....

Yeah i'm getting the same crap as above ^^


From: suzan_millbranth1@yahoo.com

Hello,

How are you today? I will like to know if the item you listed for sale is till available for sale.Am much interested in it,do get back to me with the price and the condition along with photo if available. Await your respones soonest.

Best regards..
Millbranth

07024079053


Deposit in nearest bin

Seems this jerk(s)is back...

ello,

Thanks for the mail respones.I will urge you to get
back to me with
the price so that i can make payment to you asap.
Do bear in mind that i will be paying with cheque
and i will wait
for the cheque to clear before pickup is done,i live
in scotland.Await your respones
soonest.

Regards..

suzan_millbranth1@yahoo.com

To stop annnoying and dangerous mails, I've found SpamEater Pro 4 from High Mountain Software to be invaluable. You can see the message and delete it without having to download it to your PC.

I think as a rule, just ignore any email with sufficiently dodgy grammar....

I'm surprised no-one has set up an intermediary company for online transactions... They take receipt of the goods and release them to buyer once the money clears - else they return the goods.

Does this exist? If not, why not?

Quote Stoney:

---

I'm surprised no-one has set up an intermediary company for online transactions... They take receipt of the goods and release them to buyer once the money clears - else they return the goods.

Does this exist? If not, why not?

---

You mean ESCROW? Like this?

--------------------
TAKEN.BALL.GONE.HOME

Cool - thanks. Yeah I thought it was a pretty obvious solution....

It can't be that widely used then can it?? Or at least, it has failed to become the de facto standard for internet transactions. Otherwise these scams would cease surely? - any idea why?

Here at SOS we did investigate the concept of us becoming an escrow service, but it would have involved us in becoming compliant with Financial Services Authority (FSA) rules and that was a whole load of admin hoops we simply do not have time or inclination to jump through -- even if they would accept us!!!

The escrow.com site is based in USA and is seemingly governed by USA regualtions, see footer on their site:

All US dollar escrow services offered on this Website are provided independently and exclusively by Internet Escrow Services(SM) (IES), one of the operating subsidiaries of Escrow.com. IES is fully licensed and accredited as an escrow company and is subject to compliance with all applicable escrow regulations, including the California Financial and Business Code.

There's nothing stopping you asking a Readers Ads seller if they will accept such a service, but since it takes a cut of the action, and there's probably someone else always willing to deal direct, it means take-up of escrow has been less than everyone would think in this scam-soaked internet world.

Ian G

--------------------
SOS Gear Videos now screening on www.SoundOnSound.tv
SOS Podcasts

I made some tentative enquiries of escrow.com a while back. I found the whole user experience to be too dollarised and US-centric to give me a warm cosy feeling. I think there was an issue about using their preferred courier too, which was US-based IIRC. If they or someone like them would set up a truly EU-based service then it might seem more attractive - to me at least.

Incidentally, Ian, I was involved in the creation of a non-profit FSA-regulated limited company a few years ago - and it was not especially difficult to do. All the same, I guess it would be much easier to focus on what you do best and 'outsource the rest' as they say

--------------------
TAKEN.BALL.GONE.HOME

Fancy setting up a company Jimi?

Hi,

Just been playing along with our latest scammer.
He wanted my SH-2000 synth - was going to send cheque for £3500 bla bla bla....

Here are some details from the mail.
It is so easy to spot a scammer but some people have too much trust in others!

---------------------------
Hello,

Thanks for the mail respones.I will be interested in
the item i will urge you to get back to me with the
price so that i can make payment to you asap.

Regards..
-------------------------

Thanks for the mail respones.The condition is okay by
me and the price,i do appreciate your effort in
considering the item sold to me.Just to let you know
that i will through cheque once it clears the pickup
will be made.
Am out for an assignment outside UK at the moment do
accept my sincere appology just to speed up the
payment and shippment i have contacted my client to
make out the payment to you.You will be receiving a
payment of £3,500 from my client in which you will
have to let it clear, after clearance you will deduct
the cost of your(SH-2000 Vintage Synth) £230 and have
the
rest of the fund send to my shipper.
This shipping agent will be the one that will be
handling the shippment of the (SH-2000 Vintage Synth)
and
other consignment in which they will be helping me in
shipping out of the UK.The rest of the fund is meant
for the shipping Fees and Tax Levy that will be impose
on every consignment.I will be needing your assistance
in helping me to send the fund to them so that pickup
can commence immedaitely.Await your Details such as(
Name on Cheque,Contact Address and Phone Number) so
that the payment can be send out to you asap.
In order to speed up this transaction i have consider
to compensate you with £30,do inform
other buyer that the item is sold already.

Best regards..

07024079053

gary peterson

--------------------
Oliver Davis
www.TheCircuitSymphony.com

Yes I had one today,I presume its the same Idiot You had seeing as the Phone number is exact

From: stmitgay8@yahoo.com

Dear Seller,
How are you today? Compliment of the season.I will like to know if the item above you listed on the ads is till up for sale.Do get back to me with the price along with the photo,hope the condition is in good shape.
Await your respones.
Regards..

07024079053

Recording Studio Laptop.Ultra Mobile.£14'000 software!!

made me laugh

"Gary Peterson" stmitgay8@yahoo.com sent me this:

Hello,

Thanks for the mail respones.The condition is okay by
me and the price,i do appreciate your effort in
considering the item sold to me.Just to let you know
that i will through cheque once it clears the pickup
will be made.
Am out for an assignment outside UK at the moment do
accept my sincere appology just to speed up the
payment and shippment i have contacted my client to
make out the payment to you.You will be receiving a
payment of £3,000 from my client in which you will
have to let it clear, after clearance you will deduct
the cost of your (Microphones) £115 and have the rest
of the fund send to my shipper.
This shipping agent will be the one that will be
handling the shippment of the (Microphones) and other
consignment in which they will be helping me in
shipping out of the UK.The rest of the fund is meant
for the shipping Fees and Tax Levy that will be impose
on every consignment.I will be needing your assistance
in helping me to send the fund to them so that pickup
can commence immedaitely.Await your Details such as(
Name on Cheque,Contact Address and Phone Number) so
that the payment can be send out to you asap.
In order to speed up this transaction i have consider
to compensate you with £30,do inform other buyer that
the item is sold already.

Best regards..

07024079053

I think as a rule, ignore anyone that puts "I will" instead of "I would"

Edited by Stoney (09/01/07 11:23 AM)

Hi - I just had a glance through this thread out of curiosity and just noticed something I'm not sure anyone has pointed out:

070 numbers are NOT mobile phone numbers! They are premium rate numbers, which can charge up to £1.50 a minute!

I guess any mention of such a number should be an immediate flag as to it being a scam.

--------------------
http://www.jeremycorbett.co.uk

Hi, everyone!

I've been following this thread with interest. As someone who regularly buys music gear from both the SOS site and from Ebay, I have been the target of countless scammers. And being a solicitor by day I have found it extremely interesting how these fraudsters attempt to operate. The scam that seems to be rife on the SOS site simply exploits a loophole in the banking system, whereby a cheque will be seen to clear your account but not actually clear (it's all down to the entering of credits and debits in your account vs the time lag in monies actually being paid into or taken from your account). Why on earth the banking system does not get its act together to close this loophole down, I'll never know, especially with the highened concerns with money laundering and the use of the banking system for the purposes of sponsoring terrorism.

Anyway, this is the loophole that the fraudster is aiming to take advantage of, and why he will pay you a larger sum than you require. The idea is, that you pay the fraudster the balance before your bank discovers that the cheque presented to it (by you) is made of rubber. It used to be called the Nigerian scam, and many of the fraudsters using this particular scam do appear to originate from Africa. Yahoo accounts and Western Union cheques seem to offer the greatest anonimity to fraudsters, so be extremely wary of dealing with anyone who uses either of these. I personally would not buy from or sell to anyone who insists on using Western Union.

There are a lot of nasty little scams out there, especially on Ebay. I've made it my mission to collect them and explain them to the public. Please do visit Ebay and have a look at my Safe Buying: Scams And Scammers article in the Review & Guides section.

This thread is great, and we should all strive to keep it runnng, as I know that many people will continue to stumble across it and be thankful that they did!

Keep vigilant, people. Oh, yeah - and try to keep making music!

Les Lawrenson

Not quite a hardcore scammer like most of these in this sticky, but definately worth a mention. Check THIS Link

Cheers,
Peter

--------------------
Composer, Producer, Sound Designer
www.universal-sound-design.com

I'm 99% sure this is a scam, Chinese fakes anyone?

Quote JosephR:

---

I'm 99% sure this is a scam, Chinese fakes anyone?

---

Here's an easy rule of thumb : if it comes out of China / Hong Kong on eBay, there is a 99.999999999% chance it's a fake. The fakes are often very convincing but they are still almost certainly fake. Whether it's a handbag or a microphone. China has ruined eBay UK IMHO. You have to wade through pages of obvious crap to find the genuine (albeit still potentially scamming ) UK sellers.

D.

--------------------
Logic Studio, Live 6, Reason 4, Komplete 5, MAX/MSP, Zebra 2, Gibson Les Paul 59 VOS, Gibson ES335, PRS Custom 24

Hey guys,

I just found an offer on the SOS reader ads which is quite a bargain so i was a little suspicious..The seller did not know if the item was still under warranty & said that the only way to buy it was to pay cash & pick it up yourself..

Since i'm not in the UK i have to ask my sister to pick it up for me & i'm worried about getting scammed..Does this sound suspicious to you? You think the item is stolen or something? Also in the ad there was no email address just a telephone number to call..

Quote Getafix:

---

Hey guys,

I just found an offer on the SOS reader ads which is quite a bargain so i was a little suspicious..The seller did not know if the item was still under warranty & said that the only way to buy it was to pay cash & pick it up yourself..

Since i'm not in the UK i have to ask my sister to pick it up for me & i'm worried about getting scammed..Does this sound suspicious to you? You think the item is stolen or something? Also in the ad there was no email address just a telephone number to call..

---

I doubt this is a scam, cash on collection is usually the safest way to purchase goods. Whether they deliver or you have to pick up, you'll never really know if an item is stolen or genuine. It's rare they're stolen. Is the telephone number mobile or landline they advertise? If it's landline, this is better as you can do a trace / check on that number. Get the home address too. If it all matches up, worth grabbing that bargain, but for extra safety, get someone to go with your sister.

What is the item and how are they advertising it?

Cheers,
Peter

^^
Well its a Virus TI desktop and its £250 cheaper than the normal prices advertised..The number posted was a cellphone but my sister is going with another friend to pick it up at his house so i'll know where he lives..

Only problem is neither my friend or sister know anything about music instruments so i guess i have to trust him & check it myself when they mail it to me here in switzerland..

I guess it shouldn't be my concern where he got it right, as long as it works!

Quote Getafix:

---

^^
Well its a Virus TI desktop and its £250 cheaper than the normal prices advertised..The number posted was a cellphone but my sister is going with another friend to pick it up at his house so i'll know where he lives..

Only problem is neither my friend or sister know anything about music instruments so i guess i have to trust him & check it myself when they mail it to me here in switzerland..

I guess it shouldn't be my concern where he got it right, as long as it works!

---

I'd send someone who could test it and / or knew what they're looking for. FYI - If it IS stolen gear and you buy it, you could be be done for handling stolen goods.

Call the seller and ask why it's cheaper than everyone else.

When I bought a Virus b Keyboard (MUCH cheaper than other adverts) via bank transfer, it never arrived and I never saw my money again. Bank transfer is the easiest way to get conned without trace. It's very easy to open a bank account with forged or old address details.

Maybe you should go with your insticts.

Cheers,
Peter

I only ever sell my stuff on SOS as cash on collection. That way the buyer gets to see it working and there is no chance of me getting into the age old argument of it arriving broken when you know it was working when you posted it.

It works both ways though as I am letting strangers into MY house. I always keep things like dongles, wallets and small items tucked away as they can easily not be there when the buyer has left. There is just as much risk for the seller on cash on collection and my wife is never happy about me doing it.
all the best.
Vinny.

--------------------
http://www.myspace.com/vinnyburns

Don't want to start something here, but a friend has just - apparently - been scammed on eBay over a microphone sale from a hijacked Dolphin Music site.

Ebay are aware, but is anyone else aware of this issue?

Yes - I know what the date is, but thought it was something I should bring to attention, in case true.

OK - this does appear to be true, Dolphin Music on eBay got hijacked, this is my friend's forwarded email...

Dear [removed]
>
> We're writing to let you know that eBay has ended the following item
> you were bidding on because the item appears to have been listed
> without the account holder's permission:
>
> Item Number - 330103612481
> Item Title - Shure BETA 58A Professional Vocal Microphone in BOX
>
> We are now working to restore the account to its original owner as
> soon as possible. For privacy reasons, we can't share any further
> details regarding this member's account.
>
> As eBay removed the item, you are not obliged to send payment for it.
> Please don't send money or respond to any further emails regarding
> this listing.
>
> If someone asks you to continue with the purchase outside of the eBay
> platform, we strongly recommend you ignore the request. Purchases made
> outside of eBay aren't covered by eBay services such as feedback and
> the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Programme.
>
> If you have already paid for the item, we suggest you take steps to
> stop your payment if possible. If you sent a cheque or your
> credit/debit card information, contact your bank. Please note that if
> you paid for this item using cash, Moneygram or Western Union
> transfer, your purchase won't be covered by the eBay Standard Purchase
> Programme. In this case, we recommend that you contact your local
> police as soon as possible. Retain any emails you exchanged with the
> seller as the police may need them in order to investigate further.
> eBay will gladly help the police with their investigations if needed.
>
> If you've sent payment but haven't received the item, please let us
> know by clicking "Contact Us" on any eBay Help page and selecting the
> following contact options:
> Buying and Finding > Problems with a seller or purchase > You paid
> for an item but never received it
>
> For additional information about buying and selling safely on eBay,
> please visit our Safety Centre by copying the following link into a
> new browser window:
>
> http://pages.ebay.co.uk/safetycentre

Great I wonder if the stereo mic bar I ordered is actually coming then! It's been unusualy long in arriving.



--------------------
http://www.loverslanestudios.co.uk

I had a poly siz for sale a couple of months ago on ebay and got about 5 of those emails a day...really annoying so obviously rubbish.

Quote Forum Admin:

---

I did think of banning the use of Yahoo email registrations at one time, but that's unfair on genuine Yahoo users - but they do seem to nearly always use Yahoo email addresses, so if you are suspicious of any email approaches fro readers ads gear you are selling, if it's a Yahoo account and poorly written English, then reason to be doubly on the alert perhaps?

Ian G

---

Speaking as a perfectly legit yahoo user,I would have been upset.Thing is over the last 2 months I've had so many scam e-mails I can see where you would be coming from.My mother gets far worse ones at work,ones pushing child pornography and the like,now that s**t is totally wrong.For every good the internet does (this forum for example)its also created too many opportunities for the sickos and scamsters out there.

--------------------
Whack some chorus on it,it'll sound fine (this doesn't apply to vocals)

Heads-up warning to watch out and ignore/delete emails that you receive from engrsunny_mail@yahoo.co.uk in response to Readers Ads posts, if they read anything like this new variation. We believe this is a SCAM.


Good to hear from you and thanks for the understanding you have rendered on this purchase. it may interest you that i am buying this from you as a gift a foundational children's church for the main time then better once can be purchased brand new...I'm okay with your asking price of £625 and I'm ready to give you Extra £25 to secure the item for me so it will not be sold to another buyer and for you to know how committed i am in buying from you.
So the total money you will be getting from the purchase will be £650 and I agreed to pay your full.

I'd like you to know that I'd be paying you with a Banker's Draft or a UK Bank certified Cheque...
So you should be expecting a payment of £650 in which i will instruct my secretary to issue out the payment with the details you'll be forwarding to me for payment.
As soon as you received it, I want you to proceed to your bank and get it cashed, once the payment is been confirmed by you then i can proceed with the shipment to my location.

I want a perfect arrangement from you as i am a very busy person and engaged in a lot of things to come for the viewing. I hope this is okay by you.
I'd like you to get back to me with your contact information so the payment could be send to you.

Name in full:
Address:
Postcode:
Phone#
Cell#
Home#

Also if any buyer contacts you on this particular item, please tell them it's already been sold because I'm ready to make payment as soon as i get those details from you.

You can reach me on this numbers 02084781433 or +447024022091, but it is better you send me emails because i might be busy to pick my calls......
I wait to read from you as soon as possible...

Engr S. Mail


--------------------
SOS Gear Videos now screening on www.SoundOnSound.tv
SOS Podcasts

Hi guys, i'm a longtime reader of SOS and lurker and after coming across this thread i've decided to register. I hope this post belongs here, if it doesn't, please move it.

My problem is that i'm romanian and living in Romania, which has made it all but imposible to buy any second-hand gear from the UK or use eBay. I do regularly buy records and accessories from sites like chemical records or thomann, but that's about it. I do have a mastercard and paypal account, and i've supplied all online shops with proof of identity when requested.
However, i've recently tried to buy a nord lead 2x from SOS users and i soon as i mentioned that i'm from Romania (but perfectly willing to transfer money to an uk friend to buy and pick up), they all hung up on me (one actually cursed at me).
I've had the same problem with ebay, trying to buy an akai mpc 1000, where users that shipped worldwide told me they would not accept dealing with anyone from Romania (that is, when i could actually find sellers willing to ship abroad).

So i guess my question is - can anyone tell me how i could actually buy some second-hand gear from the UK and not be automatically treated as a scammer? I'm willing to send photos of my id, of myself, my card or whatever else is necessary. All i want is the assumption that i'm a legitimate buyer and not out to con people.

P.S. As far as selling my gear abroad goes, i'm not even dreaming about that, with the stigma of being east-european...

--------------------
good music takes you places Myspace | 4elemente music mag

scamming has become almost endemic, and eastern european countries have sadly been indicated as the source of much of it.... but no more so I think, in reality than african (especially Nigeria) , south american and russian/chinese

try www.gearonline.co.uk

it's not the cheapest, but they are decent people and may be willing to let you "prove" yourself.... once you have an established relationship you should be sorted for any future purchases...

ultimately, it affects us all.... I've come close to falling foul of it myself.,,... and My son got stung in an ebay/paypal scam to the tune of a couple of grand..... and I'm far from naive about this (he on the other hand was a stupid teenager and is driving me mental )


Max

--------------------
if you don't know who i am, i aint gonna tell you.