Need help - Ripped off on line

Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Messages
1,068
Likes
85
Location
Nu Mung Ba
Feedback: 5 / 0 / 0
I got it to long range shooting, and joined a long range shooters forum.

After discussung mnay options on the I was pretty sure I wanted to get a Leopold Mk3 scope. Where upon I got a PM on the forum that someone had the pretty much the scope I wanted for a reasonable price.

On 7/20 they asked me to text them via a phone number but I emailed instead.

They sent photos of the scope and their home address and I said OK and paid via Paypal.

It was a littie curios that the emial on paypal was different from the sellers but that has happened before.

I next got more curious when they asked for a screen shot of the payment, which I sent them and they said they would ship the scope.

Several days later I asked if it had shipped and they said that they had a family emergency and they were out of town but back on Sunday and would ship Monday the 26th

Couple of more emails but no shipping.

On Thursday the 29th I emailed, texted and PM's them the if they did not ship it on Friday the 30th I would like my funds returned.

Silence on all communications.

What ar my next steps?

Thanks!
 
I believe another member had same type of scam and posted here about it and most people me included said live and learn you are out of luck. Few days later he posted he disputed the charge with PayPal and they refunded him.
 
I got it to long range shooting, and joined a long range shooters forum.

After discussung mnay options on the I was pretty sure I wanted to get a Leopold Mk3 scope. Where upon I got a PM on the forum that someone had the pretty much the scope I wanted for a reasonable price.

On 7/20 they asked me to text them via a phone number but I emailed instead.

They sent photos of the scope and their home address and I said OK and paid via Paypal.

It was a littie curios that the emial on paypal was different from the sellers but that has happened before.

I next got more curious when they asked for a screen shot of the payment, which I sent them and they said they would ship the scope.

Several days later I asked if it had shipped and they said that they had a family emergency and they were out of town but back on Sunday and would ship Monday the 26th

Couple of more emails but no shipping.

On Thursday the 29th I emailed, texted and PM's them the if they did not ship it on Friday the 30th I would like my funds returned.

Silence on all communications.

What ar my next steps?

Thanks!


Have you ever seen that movie "Taken"? Yeah, do that. But not Taken II, he will laugh at you.
 
I have made it a point not to even answer PMs or Emails trying top sell shit.
So Far very lucky and no rip offs. Had a few problems but nothing Credit Card was not willing to Handle.

So no paypay friends/family BS
Straight up paypal have them submit a request for money
 
If you used friends and family then just dispute it with the expectation that it's a loss. Don't be a skinflint about a 3% credit card or paypal fee when dealing with unvetted sellers.
 
Can you contact seller through paypal? That way they could see all your comms or lack thereof. Definitely Contact PayPal and file a complaint on the deal , if u used bank account payment that is one of perks for that 3%. I’ve had no contact sellers and once PP confirmed same/no resolution refunded my $. Also try pming the guy on the other forum, can tickle his account on that as well you reporting to the mods there. If the guys gonna screw you, make him squirm a bit.
 
Someone recap for me:

In this kind of scam...
...where someone comes out of the woodwork
and tells a prospect that they have exactly the item which
the prospect just mentioned online that they are looking to buy;
and they are willing to sell it, but only if payment is made
using a non-disputable/non-refundable method...
...isn't the criminal usually even anonymous -
using untraceable communications and banking?
 
Unless it is actually a friend, I never agree to send funds using Paypal "friends and family", it's a sure sign of a scam (as is Venmo, etc).

Paypal's buyer protection for "goods & services" especially where the seller never even tried to ship anything, is not half bad. IIRC, rifle scopes do not fall under their AUP policy against transactions involving "certain firearm parts or accessories"
 
Paypal lined to a bank account
Not good. I bought quite a lot using direct pay via PayPal but , you know yourself now which signs to look for. Emails must match, seller needs to be known and the email verified to be associated with the seller.
To dispute friends/family transaction with PayPal is usually problematic and should go via credit card company complaint.

Good luck to you anyway, who knows.
 
if it was sending cash through friends and family you are screwed. if it was a credit card you may have recourse through your credit card company.
this, unfortunately PP DGAF about scammers. My friend got ripped off by instagram ammo scammers and for a while I was finding their (obvious) scam accounts and "enquiring" and I'd send them a link that imitates paypal but when they click it I grab the ip, general location, device, ISP etc, typically sending certain details to them is enough to scare them and get them to close up shop, but IG and PP don't care and rarely do anything. It wasn't much, but It got a few hundred of them to shut down for a least a little bit. Here are screenshots of one exchange
View: https://imgur.com/a/6GHiMEw
(it's not a grabify link, don't worry haha) They all use the same FFL copy from a dude they found online in Maine, he gets calls DAILY asking where TF their ammo is, he of course knows nothing about what's happening. It's wild, but unfortunately like others have said unless you used a CC or pp good and service the money is gone-ski
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom