Buying a laptop out of the sde of a car

Civilian_Target · 2006-07-02 20:08:16

Was walking down by Power City in Coolmine and some guys pulled up in a car beside me. They asked me for directions, and then tried to sell me a laptop, a Sony Vaio. Obviously, I don't buy laptops at the side of the road. I presumed it was some sort of scam, if so, how does it work? Or is it just a stolen laptop?

02-07-2006 08:08PM

#1

Civilian_Target

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Was walking down by Power City in Coolmine and some guys pulled up in a car beside me. They asked me for directions, and then tried to sell me a laptop, a Sony Vaio. Obviously, I don't buy laptops at the side of the road. I presumed it was some sort of scam, if so, how does it work?

Or is it just a stolen laptop?

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#2 02-07-2006 08:10PM

aidan_walsh

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Either or. Depending on the scam you could end up buying a Viao box with an included brick, the shell of a laptop, or something stolen.

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#3 02-07-2006 08:14PM

LovelyHurling

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If its a Compaq with a kind of T-shaped scratch on the front and smelling distinctly of cow**** tell them I want my laptop back.

EDIT: Just noticed brand. Ill keep hoping so.

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#4 02-07-2006 08:16PM

Ruu_Old

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A known scam alright. more of it

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#5 02-07-2006 08:16PM

harney

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I think they bring you to a car park and switch the bag at the last minute - some guy was on here complaining before after he got stung near city centre, condenced milk was the bargain of the day I believe :rolleyes:

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#6 02-07-2006 08:43PM

_Kaiser_

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Someone here reported they got done at Lidl in the Blanch Centre.. sounds like it could be the same scumbags.

If you got the reg I'd report it

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#7 02-07-2006 08:48PM

Huggles

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HOW?! HOW?! Could any normal person even consider buying a laptop at the side of the road! Jesus wept the stupidity bowls me over! :mad:

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#8 02-07-2006 09:31PM

fillmore jive

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TheGooner wrote:

HOW?! HOW?! Could any normal person even consider buying a laptop at the side of the road! Jesus wept the stupidity bowls me over! :mad:

Yeah, especially if it's second-hand. I mean, there could be anything on it:eek:

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#9 02-07-2006 09:34PM

Creamy Goodness

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argos books is another filler i believe.

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#10 02-07-2006 09:35PM

paddy

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Civilian_Target wrote:

Was walking down by Power City in Coolmine and some guys pulled up in a car beside me. They asked me for directions, and then tried to sell me a laptop, a Sony Vaio. Obviously, I don't buy laptops at the side of the road. I presumed it was some sort of scam, if so, how does it work?

Or is it just a stolen laptop?

I was asked the exact same a week ago, looking for directions to the m50 from the new roundabout at powercity, they were in a hiace strangely enough, one sounded like a traveller and the other like a eastern european.
Was it a grey Sony Vaio by chance?:)

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#11 02-07-2006 09:35PM

mikemac

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TheGooner wrote:

HOW?! HOW?! Could any normal person even consider buying a laptop at the side of the road! Jesus wept the stupidity bowls me over! :mad:

Greed! They believe they are getting something at a knock-down price

They would probably have few qualms about buying stolen goods either.

They don't deserve sympathy, only ridicule

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#12 02-07-2006 09:46PM

Plug

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I said this on another topic:

me wrote:

This is a sickining storey but anyway its funny if its not you. It happened to 3 men at different dates.
Right....knackers approached this man and produced a top of the range laptop they show him it and say "thats yours for E500". So the knackers put the laptop back in the bag. Now they had 2 bags so when he biught it he walked off delighted with his new laptop, opened it and low and behold 2 litres of milk This happened 3 times Kilkenny

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#13 02-07-2006 09:48PM

Damomanye

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It's happened a few times down here in Limerick. Argos books and milk cartons to cardboard just to name a few of the things found when the victim opened his "laptop case"

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#14 02-07-2006 09:54PM

Plug

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Ever watch street crime uk? I saw one where yes 2 Irish knackers where selling "laptops" and the coppers pulled them in but they couldn't prove anything:rolleyes:

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#15 02-07-2006 09:56PM

nlgbbbblth

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Do these guys do PCs with cathode ray tube monitors or is it just laptops?

Have no sympathy for anyone who falls for this sort of scam.

If it's too good to be true etc.

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#16 02-07-2006 10:11PM

mad m

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Pity you didnt think of getting reg and ringing Gardai.

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#17 02-07-2006 11:01PM

KdjaCL

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[posted this before]Ask to see it and look at the bottom say its from 1999 and offer them a score for it.

happened to me twice outside Aldi on Fonthill road.

kdjac

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#18 02-07-2006 11:12PM

Kintarō Hattori

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I work in an electronics shop in the city centre and we've seen this happen to a few people outside the store. It most recently happened just last week.

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#19 02-07-2006 11:21PM

PeadarofAodh

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Exact same thing happened to me. Was walking down Fosters Avenue and a Hiace pulled up suddenly next to me and scared the **** out of me, was ready to run. The guy leans out and asks do I want to buy a laptop in the shadiest tone imaginable, sees me standing there with my fists clenched ready for trouble and shaking my head, then just drives off!

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#20 02-07-2006 11:31PM

ullu

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About four or five years ago, I was walking past the Dundrum Shopping Centre construction site when a saloon car with three blokes in it abruptly pulled over. The guy in the back opened the door and tried to usher me in saying "We've got a laptop for you, three hundred quid". I politely declined and they drove off.

About three weeks later, I was at the main bus stop in Blackrock village and the same car pulls over. The guy in the back opens the door and before he can say anything, the bloke in the passenger seat just points at me and laughs, saying "We already asked him". At least they were persistant.

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#21 02-07-2006 11:31PM

lostexpectation

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eo980 wrote:

I work in an electronics shop in the city centre and we've seen this happen to a few people outside the store. It most recently happened just last week.

print out a roll of stickers warning of scam artists etc and put them on on the poles etc nearby

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#22 03-07-2006 12:09AM

Esel

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lostexpectation wrote:

print out a roll of stickers warning of scam artists etc and put them on on the poles etc nearby

Don't blame the Poles!

Not your ornery onager

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#23 03-07-2006 12:14AM

Gazza22

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Silver car??? Foreign guys?

I was offered the same laptop [i think] yesterday, at Lidl carpark walkinstown.....

Told them to get lost, it was obviously stolen

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#24 03-07-2006 12:23AM

lostexpectation

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esel wrote:

Don't blame the Poles!

lol :P

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#25 03-07-2006 01:54AM

Terry

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got milk?

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#26 03-07-2006 08:16AM

Ste.phen

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julep wrote:

got milk?

nope, i sold it to some guy for €500

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#27 03-07-2006 08:31AM

oneweb

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lostexpectation wrote:

print out a roll of stickers warning of scam artists etc and put them on on the poles etc nearby

esel wrote:

Don't blame the Poles!

lmfao what a great way to start tha week, cheers esel and lostex!

But yeah, anyone who buys dodgy goods like that deserves to be conned, it's called Darwin's theory of natural selection...

It is what it's.

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#28 03-07-2006 08:37AM

28064212

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mad m wrote:

Pity you didnt think of getting reg and ringing Gardai.

Meh, let them run the scam. Anybody stupid enough to fall for it deserves to have their money taken off them

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#29 03-07-2006 11:05AM

cournioni

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Same thing happened to me between Cootehill and Cavan town, just got out of the car to check one of the tyres because something was rubbing against it. Next minute a 06 Hiace pulls up beside me and the driver asked me (in a tinkers accent) did I have a puncture, I said no I was just checking the wheel.

He then asked me "would you like to do us a favour, boss?", knowing that they weren't exactly going to ask me to help them with anything "legal", I decided to say "depends" just out of curiosity. He then went on to say "meself and me friend here are settin up a JVC plasma tv screen business in Cootehill there, and we were wonderin if you'd like to hold onto a few of them for us. There is a free plasma tv in it for you. You'd be doin us a huge favour, boss!". I just chuckled to myself and said "nah, you're ok mate."

The funniest part of it was how fast they sped away.

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#30 03-07-2006 11:34AM

okidoki987

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meself and me friend here are settin up a JVC plasma tv screen business in Cootehill there, and we were wonderin if you'd like to hold onto a few of them for us. There is a free plasma tv in it for you. You'd be doin us a huge favour, boss!". I just chuckled to myself and said "nah, you're ok mate."

Where's the scam here?

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#31 03-07-2006 11:47AM

Gone West

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they give you 5 or 10 tvs that they stole. You keep them in your garage or whatever. They can only fit 3 or so in their van at a time. So they go around house to house selling the stolen tvs. So as they sell tvs (and they do, people dont give a **** where they come from, and knwo theyre stolen.)
then they keep coming back to your house to collect tvs (to top up their van!) over the course of their scam.

n the end they may or may not leave you with a tv.
More likely they will use their newfound access to your garage/etc to rob you instead.

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