Community
Seller BEWARE! Warning for anyone selling online. Red Deer man bombarded by scam artists
This article is submitted by Tim Lasiuta of Red Deer
Kijiji, navigating scam buyers
It all started with what seemed to be a good idea.
I needed to sell a few items and other than eBay, Kijiji was the next best option. After all, I had success on precious occasions selling other items and services to help make ends meet in a tough Alberta economy.
Comic books in hand, my ad seemed pretty simple.
“Collectors comics for sale, $1000 in value. Asking $500. Contact Tim at….”
Not that I expected people to come running out of the electronic bushes to fight over my well cared for comic books and anthologies, but I did not expect what happened over the next 3 days.
I had included my cell phone number so I could at least talk to people about what they might want. However, with the advent of the global marketplace sellers are exposed to international buyers.
Shortly after posting my ad, I received a response via text asking what seemed to be a legitimate response.
“I want to buy my son a birthday present. This is a surprise. What is your firm price? Why are you selling? What is your phone number? What is your paypal account? What is your address so we can pick them up?”
That all seemed good once I answered the questions and sent pictures of all 70 comic books and 30 hardcovers.
Within a few minutes, I received the following response:
“Okay, sound good. I will pay you through PayPal, you can easily get money in your PayPal and transfer it into your bank account. Let me know if you accept my method of payment and I will also contact the shipping company that will come down to your location for pick up after the payment clears to your account.”
It still sounded okay, but not quite normal. After all, I had sold much through paypal and people just transfer funds as required.
That did not prepare me for what was next though.
I received what seemed to be a PayPal notice for $850 usd. However, I wanted $500. And the note included a shipping agent contact stating I had to send $300 to the agent to release the $850!
By this time, I was very suspicious and knew that was a scam.
I continued with the conversation and was assured this was not a scam and the funds really were on hold. They did want them.
By this point, I gave up on this particular scammer and waited for a legitimate local buyer.
The end was not near however, as 3 more individuals contacted me over the next 2 days to offer the same thing! All were out of country phone numbers, Colorado, Nevada and Indiana.
Looking back on the transaction, I researched their methods and discovered that the pay to release funds is not new and was based in Nigeria originally. Now, it seems to come from the United States.
Their pattern can be summed up in four steps.
- Contact you saying they cannot come to see the asset in person and ask you questions.
- They agree to the price, no matter how large.
- They theoretically send you more than you ask for, demanding an advance payment to release the funds.
- You will never receive the rest, your paypal account is zero with no option to recover.
The buyers, as it were, hide beneath foreign cell phone numbers and redirected email addresses. Once you engage them with the $300, you can no longer fight the battle. Report these individuals IF you can identify them, but otherwise run!I write this cautionary tale so other sellers can be aware of those who prey on potential sellers, no matter where you live.
By the way, there is no happy ending to this story yet. My comic books are still for sale and I still need to post items to make rent this month.
May you all find real buyers.
Tim Lasiuta
403-396-1773
From the Facebook page of Nicole Maurier
From GoFundMe
News release from the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce
Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce to form Task Force on Homelessness in Red Deer
The Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be convening a Task Force of community and business leaders to address the issues of homelessness and identify actionable steps which can be taken to tackle this generational challenge in Red Deer.
“With the release of the City of Red Deer’s Point in Time (PIT) Report on homelessness last week we are very concerned and disappointed with the effectiveness of the strategies currently in place, and the urgency by which we need to turn this situation around within our city,” commented Scott Robinson CEO of the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce. “Clearly our current strategies are not enough, and we need to elevate the urgency by which we get things done to reduce the number of citizens who are without a place to live. The growing number of people who are homeless is not sustainable and is impacting on our sense of pride, safety and attractiveness of our city to business and industry.”
“We will share more about this Task Force and the next steps in the coming weeks. Time has run out to act with conviction, courage, and clarity. Our community and citizens deserve that from our community leaders, and we are ready to bring the business community and the urgency required to the table.”
Over the next 60 days, the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be reaching out to its business and social agency partners to build the Task Force on homelessness and establish a strategy to address the critical steps that need to be taken to reverse the trends and further our community’s vision as a vibrant and healthy city.
Matt Cassidy, Chamber Board President. remarked “Our Chamber is positioned to be the collaborative leader in connecting our business community, social agencies, and elected officials together, to find tangible progress on this complex issue. All businesses rely on the vibrancy of our community as they strive to be sustainable, innovative, or grow, and the results of the PIT Report indicate that we need to do much more. This task force will help hold our leaders accountable for the actionable progress needed and engage one another effectively.”
“In speaking with our membership, and those working closely with the vulnerable populations there are best practices and models for delivery that are successful in other parts of the world that we need to start implementing” says Robinson. In addition, we need to look at ways that our private sector can get more involved and bring their expertise and strategic thinking to the table. As a collaborative community we also need to ensure that governments at all levels are delivering on their promises of affordable housing and eliminating barriers to expediting these investments.
Established in 1894 the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan, collaborative business leader representing over 825 member businesses. As one of Red Deer’s oldest and most established membership organizations we are striving to build a vibrant community that fosters an environment where businesses can lead, be innovative, sustainable, and grow.
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