Hello:
I am W6RBC in Long Beach, CA. I was recently (1/13/17) scammed out of $700 by a scammer who responded to my Want Ad for a 75A-4 Collins Receiver. Please observe the following to aid in preventing yourself from becoming a victim:
This scammer claimed to be Rick J. Cox, K9SPI. It clearly was not Mr. Cox. The real Ricky Cox has no legitimate email posted on his QRZ.com page. Checking him on the FCC ULS page will only show the same Illinois address he has on QRZ. The scammer responded to my want ad by offering me a Collins 75A-4 with 3 mechanical filters and complete recap/re-tube updates, along with great photos of the receiver. He was asking $1,100.00 shipped. I responded by saying that given the like-new condition of the unit, I thought his price was fair, but also that I could not pay more than $700. He immediately responded with" OK, I'll take your $700.00 offer, as I badly need to sell this receiver". This should have been a 'red flag'. He gave me an email address as: rickk9spi@gmail.com. He also called me from a (740) 337-1504 number which was not in Illinois where his QRZ/ULS address suggested, but in Toronto, Ohio. When I inquired about that, he said, "We are just out here visiting family for the holiday". The phone number was in Toronto, Ohio 43964. He then asked that I send him the $700 via PayPal, but I had to transfer that amount from my businesses bank, and it took 3-5 days. That was NG for him, so he requested that I use a Postal MO and said, "Send the USPS Postal Money order (19527077823) to my sister, Florinda Murphy at 470 Stanford Drive, Barstow, CA 92311 and make it payable to her". Suffice to say that I did, sent it overnight mail ($22.95 more) and she signed for it the next day. The fact that I had these phone numbers and addresses lulled me into a false sense of security. DON'T EVER IGNORE RED FLAGS AND MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES I DID. I SUGGEST:
* Only make payments through PayPal and NEVER thru friends and family.
* If there is no legitimate e-mail address posted on the QTH page, BEWARE
* Do Not send the payment to a third party in a different place or state no matter what story he tells you..
* If the seller is not at his QTH posted address, be very suspicious indeed
* Look at eBay ads for the same item and see if they match the tech data or photos the seller sent to you. If it looks like he copied it, he definitely did.
* This did NOT happen in my case, but if you are requested to click on any links sent by the seller, DON'T do it.
*If possible, ask that the item be shipped via FedEx or UPS and a tracking number supplied. Also request that it be insured for the amount you paid.
In general, remember the old adage, "If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is!" Be careful and don't learn an important lesson the hard way as I just did.
Thanks and '73,
Barry W6RBC
SCAM ALERT--READ CAREFULLY!!
Forum rules
As of Dec 9, 2013: ONLY BUYERS AND SELLERS directly involved with a transaction can post here. Do not post replies in any topic if you are not the buyer or seller in the transaction being discussed! If you believe you can help the buyer or seller, please use the Private Message system to communicate with them. NOTE: if you have been scammed by someone pretending to be a ham, please post in the Scammer Reports forum instead. See viewtopic.php?f=2&t=136 for additional rules.
As of Dec 9, 2013: ONLY BUYERS AND SELLERS directly involved with a transaction can post here. Do not post replies in any topic if you are not the buyer or seller in the transaction being discussed! If you believe you can help the buyer or seller, please use the Private Message system to communicate with them. NOTE: if you have been scammed by someone pretending to be a ham, please post in the Scammer Reports forum instead. See viewtopic.php?f=2&t=136 for additional rules.