Does this vehicle look familiar?

[lostmarbles]

HighCountryCruiser has opened a discussion on this forum about "eBay experiences" so I thought you may like to have a laugh about how someone in "little ol New Zealand" goes about doing an eBay/Trademe scam.

(I think this is educational because lots of people source their parts from on-line auctions so hopefully Woody won't throw it off.)

Yeah - OK. I'm not laughing that loud because I got ripped off to the tune of $75. (And that's about 6 hours pay for bus driving!)

Here is the photo that appeared on Trademe which is the New Zealand equivalent of eBay. A fine kiwi gentleman is Southland implied he was "wrecking" it:



In HighCountryCruiser's thread, KY Longhunter recognised that photo as coming from here:

FJ40 lift installation and other info.

Now have a look at the "fine gentleman's" posting on Trademe:

FJ40 Landcruiser Parts for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

He even tries to rip off Trademe by pretending the part I bought off him cost only 75 cents instead of $75.00

With MUD at our disposal, we have a very powerful tool that can be used to protect us from scammers as well as its many other uses!



Thanks for everyone's help here. I'll have to think about where I go from here. The NZ Police should be ashamed of themselves if they don't want to help me. (I haven't approached them yet.)

 

[lostmarbles]

OK. No-one's said it yet so I'll say it myself. I must be stupid!!!!

There were warning signs all over that Trademe post that said "BEWARE".

The vehicle looked far too nice to be "wrecked for parts" for a start!

Truth is - I was highly suspicious but I went ahead anyway. One factor in favour of going ahead was that this guy has traded quite a bit and had only one negative feedback. (He's got 2 now - and been thrown off - thanks to me.)

And of course I REALLY wanted that plastic duct.

Also, his trading performance had me confused too. He looks more like a "no hoper" than any sort of "intelligent criminal". But then that description applies to most "crims" from my experience. Thank heavens for that too. (Think what police crime-solving statistics would be like if that wasn't the case!!!)

Sure he never said the vehicle he was wrecking actually WAS the vehicle he showed in the picture. But the Questions and Answers prove he was happy to have people think that it was.

I wonder what he said to the person who asked to view it?

I know - I think I'll try contacting some of those people..................................................................(Idle minds)

 

[cpratt]

Never seen the truck before, but that looks like a US license plate, Utah plates maybe?

 

[dirtywilks]

That's ResidualBoulders 40.....

https://forum.ih8mud.com/chit-chat-section/23448-canyon-calling-my-name.html

Good Luck seeing your $$ again..

 

[RumBum]

That's ResidualBoulders 40.....

https://forum.ih8mud.com/chit-chat-section/23448-canyon-calling-my-name.html

Good Luck seeing your $$ again..

Yeah, hasn't his truck been used another time for a scam too? Nice truck either way. Wish my truck was nice enough to be used for a scam. Sorry to hear you're out the $75.

 

[KY854RUN]

Tom,

You're not stupid. Many people are getting ripped off on these types of web sites. It takes a bit of research on who the seller is sometimes to find out if they can be trusted and that goes for buyers too.

In the Trademe ad, question 11 asks the seller about the fact that the photo is of a left hand drive FJ. The seller says that it is not left hand drive. But, the photo is clearly of a LHD FJ40.

The license plate looked familiar to me. I believe that it is a Utah license plate. I went to the FJ40 lift installation site to check it out. I shortened the web address to just the .com and got to a house plan site. At the top of the page, across from the England Design Company name, is a small ad for art by Stacie England. On her web site about page, it says that she was born and raised in the Ogden, Utah area. So that is a photo of a US Cruiser.

Also, aren't the vehicles in New Zealand all right hand drive?

Good luck getting your money back.

 

[lostmarbles]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm still "gathering forces" before I approach the police here.

I dunno what it is like in other countries, but here the police like to portray "being overworked" and not having the time to deal with so-called "petty crime".

I just want to gather so much information on this guy that it will be too embarrassing for the police to ignore me. I'll keep you informed of how I get on.

I'm about to try contacting other people he has attempted to trade with (although Trademe don't make this easy for me. It really should be their job - or that of the police).

 

[lostmarbles]

Yeah, hasn't his truck been used another time for a scam too? Nice truck either way. Wish my truck was nice enough to be used for a scam. Sorry to hear you're out the $75.

Yeah. That's the ultimate coimpliment. When your truck is used in a scam

 

[lostmarbles]

Hi Folks.

Today's a lovely fine warm calm day. (New Year's Day too.)

I've been spraypainting the kick-vent area on the RH side of my cruiser this morning. Will post a few pictures shortly to finish off that "kick-vent thread" too.

But I've actually been wasting most of the day chasing up this damn Trademe scam.

And look what just arrived in my Email Intray:

----- Original Message -----

From: XXXXXXXXXXX
To: Tom XXXXXXXX
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 3:03 PM
Subject: RE: Trade Me -- A response to your question (Auction no.133017805)


whats your postal addy ta?you wanted the duct aye?





If you want to follow the NZ thread that probably led to this Email, here it is:

Offroad Express 4wd forums

Or maybe it was this one right here on ih8mud??????

But thanks everyone. (We're not there yet though. - I still haven't got that little duct in my hands.)

 

[KY854RUN]

In your NZ thread, you were puzzled about why someone would give good feedback when they had had trouble dealing with that person. Well, I have seen it here on Ebay too. Here is how it seems to work. The person causing the troubles refuses to post feedback until the one they are troubling posts feedback. If bad feedback is posted, then the one causing all of the troubles posts bad feedback. Ebay has finally gone to a system that lets you rate the transaction anonymously. The system won't post your rating until several others have rated that person after you have rated them. Hopefully this will help those who are honest on Ebay.

As far as you getting your duct, I'd still be talking to the police. Because he may be leading you on with this E-mail, hoping to buy himself time to clear out the account and move on.

 

[lostmarbles]

In your NZ thread, you were puzzled about why someone would give good feedback when they had had trouble dealing with that person. Well, I have seen it here on Ebay too. Here is how it seems to work. The person causing the troubles refuses to post feedback until the one they are troubling posts feedback. If bad feedback is posted, then the one causing all of the troubles posts bad feedback. Ebay has finally gone to a system that lets you rate the transaction anonymously. The system won't post your rating until several others have rated that person after you have rated them. Hopefully this will help those who are honest on Ebay.

As far as you getting your duct, I'd still be talking to the police. Because he may be leading you on with this E-mail, hoping to buy himself time to clear out the account and move on.

Thanks Kevin. I think you've hit the nail on the head perfectly with your assessment of the situation I'm in here, and with your explanation of the conflicting "feedback".

I'm pretty sure "Trademe New Zealand" uses the old unhelpful method.

Still - I couldn't care less if I get rated badly in this case. (I wonder if someone who's "suspended" can even rate me though? Hmmmm.) Trademe is not a significant part of my life anyway and principles are very important to me! (I've probably bought more on eBay Australia than Trademe New Zealand too.)

 

[yellowstoner]

I wonder if Residualboulder could file a copyright infringement claim against the guy? The seller obviously didn't have permission to use that image--especially for a fraudulent commercial transaction.

 

[lostmarbles]

I wonder if Residualboulder could file a copyright infringement claim against the guy? The seller obviously didn't have permission to use that image--especially for a fraudulent commercial transaction.

Yeah. Interesting idea.

The latest news on all this is that someone representing "slarris_whanau" has contacted me promising that the goods I ordered will finally be despatched. (Reason given for the "poor behaviour" is "making the mistake of sharing a trademe account".)

I've got to give him the benefit of the doubt here.

And I have made contact with another person (fellow MUD member) who paid for an item from that auction and didn't get his part either.

To be fair on the NZ police - if I had contacted them earlier and we then got our parts, they could have put man-hours in with no "conviction result"- so I understand why they wouldn't be interested at this early stage. Their crime-solving statistics are important to them because the world is very "political" these days. (I still haven't approached them.)

(PS. Unfortunately "Political" is often synonymous with "uncaring".)

 

[lostmarbles]

Well - I'm sure no-one here on MUD is surprised that I still haven't either got my "plastic duct" or received a refund of my $75.00. (And that I'm back in the familiar "no reply to Emails" situation.)

I've been away on holiday for a while but now I'm back, I've just got off the phone from talking to Wellington Central Police Station.

The NZ police say (on their website) that they have a policy of NOT accepting on-line information/complaints. Weird Eh? (But not unexpected.) The police station confirmed this policy by refusing to accept an Email message (which would have made their job much easier).

So instead I've put together 4 pages of information about this scam that I'll drop off at Wellington Central tomorrow.

It wouldn't be wise for me to detail the contents here but there is information that will make "locating the culprit" very easy and that provides proof that I am not the only victim of this particular scam. (The other known victim I've teamed up with has helped me immensely.)

I'll let you know of any developments as/if they eventuate.

(I don't care if I don't get my $75.00 back so long as he ends up regretting his actions and reluctant to repeat them on others.)

 

[lostmarbles]

Just contacted the NZ police in the last few minutes to see where my complaint is at ---- and I've been pleasantly surprised.

When I filed the complaint on 22 January, the officer receiving it refused to even read one word of it. She kept stating that "the police can't necessarily investigate my complaint" (above my constant interruptions). Then, after pleading with me to let her get a word in, she added that the NZ Police have a policy of not investigating Trademe disputes where "safetrader protection" isn't used (because doing so would overload them with work). But then she weakened and said she would put my complaint forward anyway in the hope that an exception could be made. (I must be truly charming Eh?).

You can see from that experience that today I expected to have to start applying more pressure in order to get action. (I was considering a letter to the Minister of Police.) But my call has just revealed that my complaint didn't end up in the trash can after all.- It's actually gone to the offender's home town for investigation!


I think the real reason I've been so "lucky" is that all the evidence I've provided has been "concrete" and "clearly stated". And most of the work in locating and identifying the offender has already been done. (As we know, people on trademe/eBay can hide their true identity. ---- Just like people on MUD. ---For all most of YOU know, I'm a 16 year old school girl living in Minesota!!!!!)

 

[Poser]

Minnesota....

 

[cruiserloser]

I dont buy it. If my high school memories serve me, 16 year old girls from Minnesota are much better at avoiding scams.

 

[lostmarbles]

I dont buy it. If my high school memories serve me, 16 year old girls from Minnesota are much better at avoiding scams.

Did they avoid you?

Minnesota was just a random place-name I pulled from the darker reaches of my troubled mind. To be honest, I don't even know what USA state it's in. Sorry for mis-spelling it.

Actually I'm just getting revenge for what you folks in the USA do to us! When I was a kid watching "McCale's Navy" on TV, they showed a map of New Zealand and portrayed it to be some uncharted island they'd just discovered. So "Minnesota" is to me what "my whole country" is to many people in the USA.

 

[antFJ]

Minnesota was just a place-name I pulled from the darker reaches of my troubled mind. To be honest, Idon't even know what USA state it's in. Sorry for mis-spelling it.

....Minnesota is a state.....

No but really, i just read this whole thread and I wish you luck - this is one of my biggest issues with online buying - for the most part I'm a very trustworthy person and I know that can get me in trouble. But it shouldn't be that way.

 

[lostmarbles]

....Minnesota is a state.....No but really, i just read this whole thread and I wish you luck - this is one of my biggest issues with online buying - for the most part I'm a very trustworthy person and I know that can get me in trouble. But it shouldn't be that way.

Yes. It's true. I AM indeed thoroughly ignorant about the USA!

Thanks for the good wishes.

Good on you for trusting people. I believe we should never lose sight of the fact that most people (by far) out there are honest and trustworthy.

In the future I will probably still buy from private individuals on Trademe/eBay without using "a safetrader intermediary" provided there isn't a large sum of money involved (as in this case). So this experience hasn't changed me -- Except I will try to exhibit more restraint where I get suspicious of the seller -- And I will place little or no trust in trademe/eBay feedback data.

Trademe/eBay is no different from most other businesses - Their efforts are directed mainly at increasing their turnover/profits rather than at protecting individuals.

Reminiscing: .....When I was much younger, you could never pass someone in the street (unless it was CROWDED) without some sort of acknowledgement - like saying "Hullo". Nowadays, when I walk to the bus stop to catch the bus to work, the majority of people that I pass avoid eye contact with me. Maybe I look more SCARY in my old age - but I suspect the real reason is "mistrust" generated by the constant media reports of "crime". This unfriendliness "ANNOYS ME TO HELL". You can't even say "hullo" to someone who is avoiding eye contact!

Back to this situation - When I do find someone exhibiting dishonest tendencies who really needs a "kick up the backside" (like this scammer) I will go the extra mile to ensure they get it!