Scammed on Scuba Board

[RedSeaDiver2]

Just a quick heads up to everyone -

About three weeks ago II posted a wanted ad in the SB classifieds for a Kirby Morgan M48 Mod-1 mask. I was contacted by PM on here by someone saying that another guy had one for sale and to contact him via an email address that I was given. I contacted that guy and he answered my questions and sent me the pics I requested. He calculated shipping to my address and I paid $545 by Paypal family and friends to him. I've now found out that I was scammed - the pictures that he sent me were from old ads on Scubaboard and elsewhere, and the message that was sent to me on SB saying to contact the guy has been deleted by the sender. It is in no way Scuba Board's fault - I thought that I had done reasonable checks by asking him to send me the specific photos that I asked for etc.

Please everyone be very aware that there are scammers lurking on Scuba Board!!

 

[Green Frog]

Before I send any funds on this or any forum I look for the number of posts the "seller" has. I also avoid any third party deals or those with hinky payment arrangements. Pay Pal friends and family is for just that, friends and family, not some ne'er do well trying to beat the system to start with!
You have my sympathy and I guess I've been lucky. One thing I suggest with an unknown dealer is using a USPS money order... an honest person won't have a problem with it, but a low life scum crook won't want a postal inspector looking for him

 

[BoltSnap]

Just a quick heads up to everyone -

About three weeks ago II posted a wanted ad in the SB classifieds for a Kirby Morgan M48 Mod-1 mask. I was contacted by PM on here by someone saying that another guy had one for sale and to contact him via an email address that I was given. I contacted that guy and he answered my questions and sent me the pics I requested. He calculated shipping to my address and I paid $545 by Paypal family and friends to him. I've now found out that I was scammed - the pictures that he sent me were from old ads on Scubaboard and elsewhere, and the message that was sent to me on SB saying to contact the guy has been deleted by the sender. It is in no way Scuba Board's fault - I thought that I had done reasonable checks by asking him to send me the specific photos that I asked for etc.

Please everyone be very aware that there are scammers lurking on Scuba Board!!

Can you get your money back at all?

 

[Sevenrider860]

Can you get your money back at all?

If sent PayPal Family and Friends, likely not. PayPal receives no cut of the transaction and they provide no protections.

I would say that 50% of the items I have sold here on Scubaboard have been paid using family and friends. I have a history of honest sales and no complaints. However, I wont hold it against anybody who does choose to categorize the transaction as a purchase so they get buyers protection.

 

[BoltSnap]

Wow, very sorry for the OP.

 

[Sevenrider860]

The fact that they are sending DMs would imply they have at least some participation. I think there is a block on DMs until so many posts are made. I am guessing since it is a DM, there is no logging or transaction history maintained.

 

[lowwall]

I've made several purchases here. If I have any question at all about the seller, I will use PayPal for Goods and Services and tack on the 3% on my end. The seller gets his or her full price and I get some recourse if there's a problem.

 

[Rilelen]

I had a similar person contact me with the same MO (mentioning an item I had said I was looking for on scuba board, and suggesting I contact someone at a specific email address about it). I was busy so ignored it; when I went back to try to find the DM, it had been deleted. The message itself seemed totally reasonable and didn't raise any alarm bells - I'm sorry you were scammed, and don't blame you at all for falling for it. The DM I got certainly passed the "sniff" test, and was almost surely the same scam.

 

[CD24]

If you paid via paypal using a credit card perhaps you could do a chargeback through your credit card issuer? They may end up denying it once they investigate and find out you selected friends & family, but it's worth a shot.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Man... that totally sucks. I personally will only deal with SB members that have a solid history here on the board. Even though I don't know them, the history is enough for me to have some level of trust. I've been lucky so far on both the buying and selling end.