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What do you do when you know someone is trying to scam you?

  • 06-07-2016 10:34am
    #1
    armabelle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭


    I sell some things online and some of them are expensive. From time to time I get text messages with general inquiries that I know are coming from a scammer. Is there no way to report these guys so that our society becomes free of such scum? All it would take was for me to follow through with him and when the scam time comes a cop could be waiting around the corner. It would be too easy. Crime of this nature is really becoming a problem and I am sure many people are in the same position as I am but what can we do about it?


Comments

  • #2
    me_irl
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,400 ✭✭✭me_irl


    Block/report the number.

    Call the cops Gardaí if they get offensive / threatening.


  • #3
    smash
    Closed Accounts Posts: 34,809 ✭✭✭✭smash


    armabelle wrote: »
    All it would take was for me to follow through with him and when the scam time comes a cop could be waiting around the corner. It would be too easy.

    What type of scammer shows up to make a transaction? I've only ever dealt with scammers who conduct business online in the hopes of getting a money transfer.


  • #4
    mjavi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 106 ✭✭mjavi


    How can you tell that they are scammers? Just genuinely interested since I also sell stuff online.


  • #5
    me_irl
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,400 ✭✭✭me_irl


    armabelle wrote: »
    All it would take was for me to follow through with him and when the scam time comes a cop could be waiting around the corner. It would be too easy.

    Also, isn't that entrapment?


  • #6
    armabelle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭armabelle


    me_irl wrote: »
    Also, isn't that entrapment?

    No, entrapment is when the crime is induced by a law enforcement agent, not having one around the corner to arrest the guy that just stole my stuff


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  • #7
    armabelle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭armabelle


    smash wrote: »
    What type of scammer shows up to make a transaction? I've only ever dealt with scammers who conduct business online in the hopes of getting a money transfer.

    if you are selling something of value, you would be getting not sending a transfer


  • #8
    armabelle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭armabelle


    Cookie_Dough wrote: »
    Report to wherever you sell (donedeal, ebay, adverts etc) other than that just ignore and take it as an unfortunate consequence of attempting to sell stuff.

    yeah I could do, but wouldn't it be worthwhile to catch these guys I mean how many people down the line could get shafted if these guys dont get caught? Aren't high taxes in a country like Ireland supposed to help make society safer by having some kind of crime "line"?


  • #9
    armabelle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭armabelle


    me_irl wrote: »
    Block/report the number.

    Call the cops Gardaí if they get offensive / threatening.

    Sure will, but I won't even get back to the guy because I can see it is a scam right away.

    I will report the number to Gumtree though, maybe they could have a list of scam numbers that buyers could cross check? that way criminals would need a new number every time.


  • #10
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    armabelle wrote: »
    I sell some things online and some of them are expensive. From time to time I get text messages with general inquiries that I know are coming from a scammer. Is there no way to report these guys so that our society becomes free of such scum? All it would take was for me to follow through with him and when the scam time comes a cop could be waiting around the corner. It would be too easy. Crime of this nature is really becoming a problem and I am sure many people are in the same position as I am but what can we do about it?

    It the resources needed, it is well know but not much talked about fact : the financial institutions have a threshold before they trigger a full fraud investigation.


  • #11
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    The vast majority of crime is a mixture of motive means and opportunity.

    Motive is never going to change so all you can focus on is means and opportunity, in other words make it difficult for them through the use of technology ect.


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  • #12
    smash
    Closed Accounts Posts: 34,809 ✭✭✭✭smash


    armabelle wrote: »
    if you are selling something of value, you would be getting not sending a transfer

    Not necessarily. What they usually do is say that they'll send you a draft for €x more than the asking price to cover shipping, then they'll say that the shipping is less than what they've sent you so can you just transfer the difference back to them.

    Or they'll turn up with a fake draft for €x more than the asking price and say they got it wrong and ask you to reimburse them the difference with cash.

    Anyway, you still haven't explained the manner in which people are trying to scam you.


  • #13
    Winterlong
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,759 ✭✭✭Winterlong


    If you had a lot of time on your hands and an evil mindset you could try to scam the scammer.

    http://www.419eater.com/


  • #14
    regi3457
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 253 ✭✭regi3457


    smash wrote: »
    Not necessarily. What they usually do is say that they'll send you a draft for €x more than the asking price to cover shipping, then they'll say that the shipping is less than what they've sent you so can you just transfer the difference back to them.

    Or they'll turn up with a fake draft for €x more than the asking price and say they got it wrong and ask you to reimburse them the difference with cash.

    Anyway, you still haven't explained the manner in which people are trying to scam you.

    I don't know from time to time as well because I haven't responded to their messages but I can sometimes see the way it is worded that it is a scam. I had same issue as OP. nothing you can do about it. just ignore


  • #15
    armabelle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭armabelle


    Winterlong wrote: »
    If you had a lot of time on your hands and an evil mindset you could try to scam the scammer.

    http://www.419eater.com/


    this is awesome! I will look into it and get the bastards! mwa haha


  • #16
    armabelle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭armabelle


    mjavi wrote: »
    How can you tell that they are scammers? Just genuinely interested since I also sell stuff online.

    ok so I am selling something that is very niche market and the interested buyer sends me a text message that sounds too generic like: Hi I am interested in your music item, is it still available? What I am selling is in that section but anyone buying the thingw would never call it a music item, that is just lame. They obviously have no idea what the thing is for and just that it is expensive.

    The music "item" in this case is actually a piece of studio gear


  • #17
    Winterlong
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,759 ✭✭✭Winterlong


    armabelle wrote: »
    this is awesome! I will look into it and get the bastards! mwa haha

    There is a lot of reading in there. Enjoy!


  • #18
    allthedoyles
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,893 ✭✭✭allthedoyles


    Got 3 phone calls at work this morning from scammers - all UK numbers


  • #19
    regi3457
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 253 ✭✭regi3457


    allthedoyles wrote: »
    Got 3 phone calls at work this morning from scammers - all UK numbers

    same thing happened to me, all UK numbers as well


  • #20
    RobertKK
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 33,761 ✭✭✭✭RobertKK


    I was in Dublin yesterday, and didn't see any problem with immigrants...how a Dublin woman, who was kind of rough looking and maybe on drugs - lets just say not trustworthy looking, stopped me on O'Connell st near the spire looking to use my phone to make a call. She got a negative response.
    I wasn't going to hand over my smartphone to a complete stranger on the side of the street.

    Then this guy stopped me near the Jeannie Johnson on the Quays asking if I was from Dublin, I said no, he then gave me a sob story about being from South Africa, he lost his money for his hotel room and his girlfriend was somewhere else trying to sort things, he said they went to the Gardai who got for them accommodation at a hostel but he wanted to stay in a hotel as he had valuables. I lied to him and said I had no money on me, did mention I had my bank card, he then asked if I would go to an ATM and he would pay me back on Monday. I said sorry can't help.
    Felt it was a scam from the start, I listened with no plan of handing over money that i would never see again in my opinion.

    I probably looked like a tourist as I hadn't walked around Dublin since I was a child, so was enjoying the nice day and the city. I had a good day in Dublin, but felt like one person wanted to relieve me of my phone and another of my money.
    I was on my own, so maybe they thought I would be a soft touch.


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