Fraud alert Fair warning to Audiogoners.


I recently came across a scam on Ebay. Persons of Arabic descent using Anglo or Jewish surnames are fraudulently auctioning cameras, and now seem to have found their way to audio sites. I noticed a suspicious ad here not long ago, but it has disappeared. There was no email address for it. The seller was in Spain, which is where one of my suspect's is located. Now I noticed similar ads popping up on other audio sites. I found two ads today on another audio site. The ads all have the following properties:

The items advertised are very desirable

The items are priced below market value

The feedback, if any, is recent and contrived

The payment method always assures no recourse for the buyer (Postal Money Order, Western Union)

Spain and New York City area seemed to be where these scams are coming from. Once I discovered the people in New York, the ads started to come from Spain.

The ads are very well done and includes pictures

Many of the ads have cryptic messages built into them

Yes, I am in law enforcement, but the jusidiction here is with the FBI and possibly the Postal Inspectors, depending on how payment is made. They are aware of it. If you see any of these ads, please let me know where the ads are listed. I'm keeping a file of other possible ads with the case I turned over to the FBI. If you are a victim of this, please let me know.
glreno
They have found their way to Audioshopper. Check out http://audioshopper.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.asp?action=showad&id=63658. Same email as "afrank" on Audioweb (Kbambus@yahoo.com). He moved to Audioshopper because his membership was revoked from Audioweb.
Way to go, Glreno.

I knew you were a stand-up guy when we did business together.

It's a shame that you felt compelled to justify your statements to whatshisname in this thread.

I wouldn't have wasted the time or bandwidth.

Best regards, March
Glreno-Thanks for the info. The best way to beat the scammers is to share information.

Gboren- Thanks for asking the same questions I would have asked and I think you made some very valid points.

Thanks for the info. Went to an anonymous emailer and sent Kbambus a nasty email.
Glreno, Thank you so much for the warning. I will definitely email you with any suspicious ads that I notice. I have been too complacent because most people on this site are very honest. I was almost burnt here recently from an auction. I asked for cod and that is what saved me. But another guy sent him money and he lost over 250.00 in another transaction. I'll email the guys name to you later.
I do wonder if this is Al Queda's way of continuing to finance a war against US. Anyway THANKS AGAIN.