The amount and type of scams out there continue to amaze me. The easy fix here is to avoid FB Marketplace and buy directly from reputable dealers or ebay sellers with good standing and high volume. And even then, there is no guarantee. I’ve received poorly packed cars that came broken from reputable dealers to cars that were not properly secured in the case or left loose to beat themselves to oblivion by the time they show up. At least the reputable dealer will make the situation right for you.
Yes, I normally do buy from reputable dealers, and fortunately every transaction has ended happily. It's those out-of production cars that leave us to the second-hand wolves if it's something we want and is no longer available new anywhere. Thankfully, I've reached a point where there isn't much at all that I need (want, lol) from anyone's back catalog and can now just purchase something new if it strikes me, but I feel for anyone who is coming into the hobby and finds themselves in the position most of us were in as newbies, wanting to drive those older cars around the track. It's great that some of the top dealers sometimes offer older models, but that can take years to show up and many of us get itchy waiting, lol. Oh well, just be careful out there, like everything else! Take care and thanks for watching and reaching out!
Wow, sorry this has happened to you. I’m like you, I can’t get my head around these scam artists. We’ve got to be sooo careful these days. Hope it all sorts out for you. 🏁
Thank you! Facebook immediately said they are refunding my purchase, which is great and also leads me to believe there may have been other claims against this seller. I'll be made whole, so all is good, but you're right, me must be careful in everything we do. That's so difficult when all I want to do is be lazy and drive slot cars, Lol. Have you seen Dave Kennedy's latest video on someone spoofing the website of a popular slot car dealer in the US? I'm afraid it's only going to get worse. Thanks again, be well, stay safe, and keep those adventures coming, I really, really enjoy your channel!
sorry to hear you had to deal with people like that. ive been lucky that this has not happened but thanks for sharing makes a person more aware of the crap thats happening.
Thank you very much! This world is upside down. I just watched a video of two separate porch pirates fighting over a parcel that UPS just dropped off on someone's porch. Insane! And Dave Kennedy tells us to be careful because someone had set up a fake website pretending to be LEB Hobbies! Be well and stay safe!
You're making something simple very complicated by overthinking it. You keep the product you receive unless you are informed to return it and pay the mailing cost.
Dang, sorry to hear you had to go threw all this. It’s annoying for sure and like you I cannot believe stuff like this happens. Glad FB marketplace is refunding you.
Thank you so much, Massimo! Through the excellent feedback I've received in the comments, I've learned that the way these scammers operate is by cloning someone's legitimate site or Facebook account, then when someone orders from the scammer, they use a stolen credit card, order a product of similar value from a store, then have that shipped to the seller. They are counting that while the buyer may be irritated that they didn't get what was ordered, they did receive something close and similar value, so they may not even report the problem. That way, the scam can continue going until it does get reported. I just can't fathom it. To me, it's much easier to get up, drive to work, punch in, and earn money after a hard day's work. I don't know how people can live with themselves stealing from others. Oh well, stay safe out there!
If it's any consolation, I don't know why people watch me take things out of boxes! My understanding on the repayment is the card companies have either a contingency or an insurance for this as a loss so everything is covered (I think) and you got a free car you don't need.
You sound like a good guy. You're going to get a refund and your grandson gets a new car. eBay will suspend the account and they probably have insurance for this type of situation. I would still contact the authorities about the lady near you. Stay Blessed.
Thank you so much! I've boxed up the car and am waiting to hear back from the store. I've checked and the nearby address on the invoice doesn't exist, so I'm not sure if the local police could do anything, but I'll call them regardless.
@davegedeon3767 Thank you so much! Yes, unfortunately there's plenty of evil in the world and no way to dodge it all. I just wanted to share this so people don't let their guard down and always do as much as possible to protect themselves.
I'm confused as to the scam. How does the scammer get paid? As far as the car, I believe you should keep the car until the store instructs you otherwise. I, too, am honest, but there's no sense to returning the car until you get more information. Very confusing. I'd probably stick the address of the lady in your town in Google Maps and take a drive to check out if the address is real out of curiosity.
Excellent advice, thank you! I'll hold the car until I hear back from the store. I honestly don't understand how the seller gets paid, other than they'd have to keep opening accounts each and every time after their current one gets shut down. To me, that seems like a lot more work than just clocking in and doing an honest day's job. I checked Maps and the address doesn't exist, nor does anyone by that name in my state that I can see. I thought it was either very odd or very coincidental that they stole and used a card from someone from my very city. So this was all very intentionally set up. Anyway, thank you for watching and helping out, and stay safe and alert!
Scammer obtains Person A's credit card details and uses it to buy things which are sent to Person B, who sends scammer money. It's a way of laundering effectively a stolen asset into more clean money
Furthermore, person A has cloned someone else’s FB account, so in fact you have no idea about their operating location, or even country. Not only should you inform FB(as you did), but also your own credit card company that you used to pay on Marketplace so that they can stop and try to reverse the payment to the scammer. They probably send you a car using someone else’s money simply to increase the number of victims that don’t even alert the authorities as they got something of near-equivalent value. That means the scammer can keep using that cloned FB identity a bit longer to steal and launder yet more money.
Yeah, it's very weird. I'm just going to sit back a bit and see how it plays out before making any move, but i just want to do the right thing. Wasn't this a Twilight Zone episode? Lol. Thanks for watching and commenting!
