Watch out for a Scammer(s) on the Board!

[Directly]

F/F PayPal money already in someone account once transferred-was told by PayPal--few years ago at the National I was on the hunt for a Goudy Gehrig. Found one was short on the balance so transferred the dealer 1,000. My mistake I enter the wrong user name--money went to someone else I never knew--when I returned home I had a email asking why I sent him 1,000?--there are honest people left in this world he sent me my 1,000 back through PayPal--yes pay extra for goods and services, unless its someone you know--good luck on getting a refund, but I wouldn't hold my breath--

[chalupacollects]

Call your bank and tell them it was fraud...

[Leon]

Originally Posted by chalupacollects

Call your bank and tell them it was fraud...

Won't do any good with Zelle. That money is gone once it's transacted.
.

[Casey2296]

Sorry to hear that happened Pete, hope you can get resolution. It's been posted before but is always a good reminder. Vet the seller, if he is a new member with very few posts ask for references or PM Leon, don't post your email in the BST listing, go though the net54 messaging system first.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Sorry to hear that happened Pete, hope you can get resolution. It's been posted before but is always a good reminder. Vet the seller, if he is a new member with very few posts ask for references or PM Leon, don't post your email in the BST listing, go though the net54 messaging system first.

And always, always ask for their Net54 id so we can vet them. And be careful, they could give a good id but not be that person. One time a fraudster impersonated SB1 to me. But his name wasn't Scott !! I guess he didn't know I have known Scott for around 25 yrs...
.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

It appears that most of these scammers reach out via email vs. Net54 PM. Would it perhaps seem like a good idea to eliminate the direct contact via email feature? I'm honestly curious, does it serve any beneficial purpose, anyway? If email info needs to be exchanged, it can be done so via PM, but if not, eliminating the "Send an email to ___" feature might be a small, preventative wall between the scammers and their marks. I do know that this option is incorporated into the usual software that the site employs, so not sure how easy/difficult it would be to remove. Maybe there's something I'm missing and my idea has less merit than I think; just trying to help.

Also, it would obviously be a great idea for prospective buyers to not include their emails anywhere in their posts. Again, if and when this info needs to be exchanged, it can be done so privately at any time. In a similar vein, would it not be a wise idea to eliminate personal email addresses in the Vintage Links section at this point? That section of the site seems rather antiquated from a 2022 perspective; an email contact list harkens back to the internet of the 1990's. All of those people can still be contacted through PM, so no sense in providing scammers with easy options.

[pcoz]

Good advice Phil, thanks. I called PayPal, and they said they can only interact if the payment was made through goods/services, not friends/family. Since it was not an unauthorized payment, although a fraudulent transaction, there's nothing they can do. Leon you're right about Zelle, that's why he asked for my payment first to come that way, as it's an immediate and no recourse transfer of funds. Lesson learned the hard way.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by pcoz

Good advice Phil, thanks. I called PayPal, and they said they can only interact if the payment was made through goods/services, not friends/family. Since it was not an unauthorized payment, although a fraudulent transaction, there's nothing they can do. Leon you're right about Zelle, that's why he asked for my payment first to come that way, as it's an immediate and no recourse transfer of funds. Lesson learned the hard way.

Really sorry to hear that, Pete. We have had countless discussions, on the front page, about scammers over the last year to the point I almost locked some of the threads. I am a little surprised you never saw one of them. They were very popular sometimes. I hate these kinds of learning lessons. I get them from time to time and they are never fun.
.

[pcoz]

Thanks Leon, I should've been more aware knowing this happens and how the world can be at times. It wasn't a super expensive lesson learned, but still not too much fun. Apologize if this was a redundant thread topic, I somehow missed seeing them over the past year.

[BobC]

Though you can't get the money back through Zelle, have you at least tried asking them for the contact info, address, etc., of the person you sent the money to? Since Zelle is a bank-to-bank transfer, the party had to open an account with some bank and give them the necessary info to open it. And if they refuse, ask them if it is better for you to contact local police or federal authorities (assuming the money crossed state lines) so they know they will be contacted by the authorities if they refuse to be cooperate with you, and then do follow up and actually contact and report the fraud/theft to the appropriate authorities.

You might get lucky and actually be able to get some real info on the person that did this to you, and likely others. But don't hold your breath. It is sickening given our modern society and modern technology how easy it is for people to open accounts using fake or stolen info, and is a testament to how lazy businesses truly are in allowing criminals to so easily open such fake accounts. The complicity of businesses in making it so easy for someone to get ripped off is appalling, and they should be held to account for such reckless aiding and abetting. Sadly, they are not though.

Sorry to hear you got taken.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Sorry to hear that happened Pete, hope you can get resolution. It's been posted before but is always a good reminder. Vet the seller, if he is a new member with very few posts ask for references or PM Leon, don't post your email in the BST listing, go though the net54 messaging system first.

Agreed and well said.
Sadly any one of us this could happen to.

[Leon]

Another member just emailed me with sb1 wanting to sell him a card. His name isn't Scott though....total scam.
.

[obcmac]

The first clue was being offered the card you wanted at a fair price...so rarely happens ;-) If someone wants to throw a middy bread southworth my way, I can pay in apple gift cards.

Mac

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by mrreality68

Sadly any one of us this could happen to.

+1, but I will say and reiterate what others have said. Take the advice, check this stuff carefully before you pull the trigger on any deal.

[oldjudge]

Pete--Sorry to hear that both for you and for the honest people who use the BST.

[BCauley]

Originally Posted by Directly

PayPal--yes pay extra for goods and services, unless its someone you know

This 100%. I think I've paid via F&F one time across all platforms/social media for trading cards and that was on here to an individual who has an impeccable standing on here. Aside from that, I stick with G&S while buying or selling. Only time I use F&F is when I pay my brother-in-law for his yearly fantasy league or if I'm paying a friend back if we're splitting a dinner bill or something.