Derek Halvorson KB6RDI

[kb9si]

I paid via paypal for the AL-800 amp he listed on QTH. I spoke with him and he seemed alright. But of course I have received nothing and he no longer repsonds to emails or phone calls. So unfortunately I'm out my money. I filed a Paypal claim but have no idea if I can get my money back. Maybe someone can tell me the result of a claim who has been down this road before. Its a shame we have hams out there who will knowingly screw another ham. I just wish I could meet him and spend a few minutes of "quality time" with him. Oh well I guess it will work out in the long run. Guys like him end up somewhere guys like me never will!!

Hope no one else falls for his deception.

73,
K-K
KB9SI

[LVPD90]

I responded to the AL-800 as soon as he posted it. I said I would take it. He said I will call you this evening. Like you said....no communication could be made with him after that. I didn't get a chance to buy it. To answer your question, normally PayPal does not give funds to the seller right away. They wait about a week or so. If he has not sent the amp., they will most likely not fund to him. Good luck. By the way, he took down his ad. That means he is alive.

[N5KBP]

He got me on an Icom 746. Same story. Money sent. No Item, No communication.
Marty
N5KBP

[kb9si]

Marty,

Did you pay with paypal and if so what happened to your money?

Thanks
K-K

[N5KBP]

Marty,

Did you pay with paypal and if so what happened to your money?

Thanks
K-K

Yes I did and from my experiences with Paypal I'm sure it is long gone. I have absolutely no expectation of them doing the right thing. They have a history with me of aiding and abetting thieves.

Marty
N5KBP

[LVPD90]

I always thought you were safe with PayPal. Please follow up in a reasonable period of time and tell us if PayPal refunded your money. This is a clear cut case of fraud. I wouldn't take this lightly if I were you. Very best of luck.

[K3MKB]

Add me to the list that has been swindled by this character. I always said to my wife that buying from another ham is relatively safe because you know where they live! HA I filed a complaint with PayPal but from what I've read, I'm going to be disappointed. I thought I was getting a good deal on an Icom 746. What I can't understand is, based on the previous complaints againest this low life, PayPal continues to process monies to his account?
Can a group of us who have been scamed file a joint lawsuit againest this fraud? From now on, I will only buy at Hamfests. Our hobby, like our society in general, is being eroded by bottom feeders like him!

[N5KBP]

To everyone who has been a victim of Derek. File a claim with Paypal, the San Joaquin County Sheriffs office, your CC company if you used a cc and while your at it send an email to [email protected] to get his email terminated. Let's turn the heat up on this low life.
Marty
N5KBP

[LVPD90]

This Crap never seems to stop. Not that it helps the guys that got screwed but a little common sense goes a long way in protecting yourself from these jerks. You have to realize that people just don't sell $1000 radios for $650. This guy capitalized on good old American Greed and it should be a lesson learned for all of us.

These victims did what a normal "smart" person would do. They acted promptly, spoke to the seller and used PayPal. I think they will get their money back. Now and then there is a "good" deal on QTH and Ebay. If you sit there and keep kicking the tire, the deal goes to someone else. They are just victims to a real con-man that we don't often see. What ham in his right mind would do this. Maybe he's an imposter. He gave his call sign, address and telephone number and was a member of PayPal. That requires a credit card/bank account and traceable ID. This was a small amount of cash. Not even hot ticket items. How many want an old 746? There's got to be more to this than what I'm seeing. In the long run, this con-man will get his. Bob

[kb9si]

I don't know why you would say greed. If finding a good deal on radio gear is greed, then most hams are greedy. You are greatly over simplifying the situation. I am always a little leary when buying but was duped by his demeanor when we spoke on the phone. He did a great job, unfortunately for me and others.

You might consider rethinking your re marks if for no other reason than honest hams were ripped off.

[LVPD90]

In reference to the last posting, you make a good point only after the fact. Sure, we all knew there was a problem when his posting stayed up. Most had already acted by then. He was only a tech. class, but it was a relatively new call sign. He could have upgraded. Why did you offer him a check, you would have lost everything when he cashed it. I just bought a TL-922A off of Ebay for $725.00. 1.4 KW out and mint condition. I was leery, but it turned out great. I'm not going to ramble on, I didn't loose anything to this guy, but I feel that the guys that did, were not acting poorly. AND, like you, I think they will get their money back. Just as an added comment......I didn't think it was a scam, my concern was that the equipment might have been defective or in poor condition. That's the gamble I thought we'd be taking, he posted no pictures.

[LVPD90]

I didn't say I purchased it in September. See how you fabricate. It also included a 3-500Z spare. So you are one of those guys that says the checks in the mail and waits to see how it goes down when he does not get the check. Doesn't make since to me. If you sell to this ham, and he says the checks in the mail, you might be waiting for a long time. (he is testing you)

[K3MKB]

I received an e-mail this morning from PayPal stating that since this low life wouldn't respond to inquiries regarding my situation, they are refunding my money to my credit card. WHEW Hope anyone else who was swindled by this shister recovers their monies as well.

[kb9si]

That's great news!! I have not heard from Paypal yet but hope to shortly. Thanks to the guys telling me about their experiences and for the support. Never will understand how some people operate but glad to know most of us out here are good guys...

73,
K-K
KB9SI

[N5KBP]

Got my refund from Paypal today. My faith in them is still tempered by my last bad experience but all is good on this one. Hope everyone who got scammed also get the refunds coming to them.
73
Marty
N5KBP

[nn4e]

I almost fell for this too. One thing that I see missing in this thread is that it is most likely an imposter. The phone number is a t-mobile number as is the IP address that 3 of the 4 ads were posted from, the other is a charter cable IP from Riverside, CA, a long way from Stockton. Could be a hotspot but could be a sloppy mistake that would ID this scammer.

http://whatismyipaddress.com/ip/97.93.134.40

Other indications are the free email address used at engineer.com which anyone can sign up for and the QRZ account for KB6RDI was setup on 2014-09-01 07:55:01, just weeks before the scam was executed.

be careful out there and 73

[N5KBP]

I almost fell for this too. One thing that I see missing in this thread is that it is most likely an imposter. The phone number is a t-mobile number as is the IP address that 3 of the 4 ads were posted from, the other is a charter cable IP from Riverside, CA, a long way from Stockton. Could be a hotspot but could be a sloppy mistake that would ID this scammer.

http://whatismyipaddress.com/ip/97.93.134.40

Other indications are the free email address used at engineer.com which anyone can sign up for and the QRZ account for KB6RDI was setup on 2014-09-01 07:55:01, just weeks before the scam was executed.

be careful out there and 73

The only thing that contradicts the imposter idea is that the phone # is the same number listed to his name and address in whitepages.com. So it's still a mystery.
Marty
N5KBP

[w5cia]

PayPal just returned the $ to my account.
Steve
W5CIA

[LVPD90]

That's great news. PayPal has a lot of safeguards. I would be REAL curious to know if PayPal took any losses. In other words, did the scam work for Derek? He went through a lot of BS for a few bucks. Bob

[kb9si]

I was wondering the same. I still have not heard from Paypal but I believe they said a response was needed from him by the 24th. Seems to me if Paypal refunded the money then he must not have gotten anything, don't know. I agree a lot of scamming for little return and hopefully legal trouble.

[kb9si]

Great news PayPal refunded my money today. Extremely relieved and glad I used them. Hope everyone else gets there money back.