A more accurate perspective would be that the Internet has long been a hub for scammers. The ability to present an item for sale behind a veil of complete anonymity nearly guarantees that thieves will look for ways to take advantage of those who are overly trusting. And yeah, it sucks to have to be suspicious all the time. But it is unfair to present Audiogon as having become a hub for scammers. To do so suggests that it was once a place where people were honest but is now thoroughly populated by thieves. And that's far from accurate. Getting burned is infuriating. And in anger people sometimes swing in all directions. Your banner title does this site a large disservice, though we do all feel for you. Remember, never pay directly with a credit card, never send a check or cash. Might mean you have to wait for someone else to sell the same thing in a more legitimate way. So wait. And if the deal is just too good to be true, they yes, it is too good to be true. And anyway, if you're a real audiophile, what in god's name are you doing buying Macintosh equipment??? -- Oh man, I can hear the hair standing up on the neck of some people!! L0L. Sorry, I couldn't pass it up. There's lots of fine Mac gear... or so I've been told. L0L. Sorry again.
Audiogon could more assiduously patrol sellers in their marketplace. But that will take time and that will take people and that will take money. Who wants their membership fee to go up? (and by more than just a dollar or two). And how will that price increase drive down new membership? No easy answers.
A suggestion for Audiogon... whenever someone is identified as a scammer, send out a notice of such to all members. You're already sending us emails everyday so it shouldn't be too hard to add one that hopefully only happens from time to time. Of course Audiogon will still have to go through the process of verifying that an actual scam occurred and it's not just a situation of buyer acting fraudulently maybe to get revenge, for example, because a seller wouldn't bring their price down further. Again, no easy answers.
