Well, guess I got scammed by a member here

[ScottinTexas]

I suppose eventually it will happen to all of us. I'm hoping I'm wrong but it's not looking good.

I posted here looking for some specific Uzi mags. A member since February pm'd me, said he had some, texted me 3-4 pics.

We agreed to a deal, I paid with USPS MO.

MO was delivered 9/6 and per USPS, has been cashed. I've asked and called seller about tracking and no response since 9/6.

I'm not going to post seller's info unless it becomes clear he's a scammer instead of a decent guy with extenuating circumstances.

In the meantime, be careful about doing any deals with someone in Pittsburgh. Again, I might be jumping the gun but my sense is this is not right or normal.

Has anyone tried to file a claim for a stolen Money Order under circumstances like this, and if so, what was the outcome?

 

[chili17]

Its only been 3 days. Give it a week or two

 

[nklf]

Sorry to hear about your issue. Hopefully the seller is just out of pocket and will reply soon. In my experience, as long as the MO was cashed by the person whose name was written on the Pay To line, the USPS won't help. They may be able to give you DL# the person used as ID when he cashed it, but not much beyond that. I'm not sure they provide much help even when the MO is stolen. Years ago, I had a customer make a loan payment with a couple of MOs. Thought nothing of it. Several weeks later a lady I'd never seen before shows up at our branch accusing us of stealing her MO. Turns out my customer worked for the phone company processing payments. She took a couple of MOs out of the incoming mail, erased the phone company's name and then used them to make her loan payment. Of course after her phone was cut off for non-payment the original purchaser of the MO contacted the USPS and all they did was tell her who cashed the MO and sent her to me. We identified who brought the MOs to us and helped her with her police complaint, but the USPS did virtually noting to help her.

 

[ScottinTexas]

Its only been 3 days. Give it a week or two

I intend to do that, but for context, he responded promptly to texts until the MO arrived, then went radio silent. That's what concerns me.

 

[deadduck]

I had 2 incidents with not receiving my items but NOT from this forum.
You guys I totally trust. :tongue


First was an individual on a long distance shooting forum that was selling an old monster scope. I talked to him on the phone and had lots of back and forth emails before sending him a USPS Money Order. After no response from emails, forum PMs and calls I did some digging. Found out his dad was the Chief of Police in some city in down south and they shared the same address.
So I basically made an extensive file (dossier) on him complete with the record of emails, PMs, description of our phone conversations and his original ad to sell the scope. Also I had a friend that was a postmaster who told me that because I payed with a Postal Money Order, it was considered to be a federal crime therefor would be a felony. (that's what he told me so I used it)
I sent the dossier and info as a USPS Priority w/ signature conformation directly to his daddy - the Chief of Police.
One week later a beautiful monster scope showed up at my door. I still smile thinking that kid got the livin crap beat out of him.


Second was a Gunbroker deal that the guy just dropped off the planet. I was so angry. After all attempts to get the item, (I really wanted it and not the money back) his family contacted me to to say their father had just died and they were going through all his accounts and stuff and found some auctions still open. I did eventually get my item from his daughter. I felt terrible for being so mad.
As excuses go.... being dead is definitely one of the best.

 

[cajun 22]

You can put a trace on the money order after 60 days. It cost $5 last time I did this. They can tell you that it was cashed but cannot release any info other than that. The trace will produce a front and back copy of the MO with the payer's signature and dl number. You can send that as proof and tell them that he will be reported to the feds if your item does not come through.

Good Luck

 

[GaGunner]

This forum taught me the importance of using Postal Money orders and conducting some of the business via the U.S. Mail I have been very lucky both as buyer and seller in all my transactions. As I said when I responded to the recent appeals for contributions, this forum has taught me stuff and made me money. I hope everything come out roses for you.

 

[LotsaTiques]

This is why GIVING and GETTING feedback is important. I always look for good feedback before I send any funds.

Good luck Scott.

David

 

[ScottinTexas]

Well I think I can close the books and write this off as a stupid tax. I'll never see the cash or mags from this deal, and the best I can say is I learned my lesson. And I should have known better.

For the benefit of others on this forum...

As for my scammer, djj657 WAS his username here on Uzitalk. RoverDave banished him.

He joined in Feb-March 2022.

He responded to my 'WTB' post.

I sent him a sizable USPS money order and crickets since then when - before the MO was cashed he was easily reached and always responded.

I was tracking the MO and saw it arrived 9/6/2022. I texted him, he responded and said he 'would check when he got home'. I never heard back, despite calling and texting. So that is all I need to know.

The day after the MO was delivered I googled his address. Uh oh. I knew then. This is not a likely place to have what I 'bought'. Draw you own conclusions. Lesson #1: google the address you are provided.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/7366+Hamilton+Ave,+Pittsburgh,+PA+15208/@40.4536942,-79.8933368,3a,80.1y,181.92h,74.14t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7H537gvYrQ79ju9B8F7EZQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x8834edc0ee06416d:0xf7e28cca48a3c79c!8m2!3d40.4535526!4d-79.893348

Lesson #2: He sent me pics, his prices were reasonable; not great, but fair, as I would expect from a member here. But I should have and didn't ask for a pic with my UT name on a piece of paper. Mistake. I was operating under the assumption he was a legit UT member.

I checked his home page on UT and noticed a few known members had been there. After the fact I reached out to one and he responded that 'my guy' had offered the legit UT member some night vision gear but the legit UT member was uncomfortable or not very interested and nothing happened.

Lesson #3. His name as given is Lashawnte Law. Well, maybe that should have set off a lot of internal alarm bells. Sorry, but it did, but again, I'm thinking 'he's not offering me a great price, he's been on UT for 6-8 months, he posted he contributed $ to the forum and make a few comments that indicated he had some knowledge'.

In hindsight, I was dumb and fell for a patient, smart scammer.

I know the MO was cashed 9/7/2022, and I filed a report / fraud complaint with the USPS Postal Inspectors but I have no expectations anything will come of it.

I googled his cell# and it appears likely it is a burner phone or Obama phone or something like that; it's a small provider in North Carolina that just smells like a federally funded deal, or one of those off-brands WalMart sells. It's not a recognizable provider, so that's another thing to check IN ADVANCE.

Anyway, I always trusted UT members but I can't say that now (exceptions of course). Let my lesson maybe save you guys some pain; just because someone is a member, unless he's been on for a LONG time, presume that person is this guy under a different, new username.

I told RD and the new site owner that even though unpopular, UT probably needs to go to restricting the WTB/WTS section to members with 50+ posts. I know that's not fair to some long-time lurkers, but when 'members' use that to scam people, maybe we all need to up our game.

I'll also suggest that all of us should, if we see something weird, let RD know, even if we personally aren't interested in whatever is being offered, ESPECIALLY if we have posted a 'WTB' listing. You might get the turd thrown out of the punch bowl.

 

[Hey...]

Thanks for posting. I’m due for a burn deal sooner or later, but I’m expecting it from GB.

Note to get a PO Box, as I killed a deal from a member that got info on me from my home address given, easily obtainable but I was pissed it was presented as leverage in basic communication. Deal Over.

p.s. no hard feelings, we’re past that now.

 

[KickStand]

Thanks for posting and I’m happy RoverDave got rid of him.

At the end of the day, you learned something from this experience and be thankful that they didn’t get more cash from you.
Also, when I’m considering buying something off here, I first look to see if they’re an UziTalk Supporter. That will usually tell you a lot about the person but nothing is guaranteed.

 

[ScottinTexas]

Thanks for posting and I’m happy RoverDave got rid of him.

At the end of the day, you learned something from this experience and be thankful that they didn’t get more cash from you.
Also, when I’m considering buying something off here, I first look to see if they’re an UziTalk Supporter. That will usually tell you a lot about the person but nothing is guaranteed.

He actually posted that he was a UT supporter, but no 5-star logo appeared by his username. Sometimes there is a delay but that too was a lie I guess.

 

[OldBesty]

Unfortunate it happened. Sounds like you neglected exercising due diligence to minimize risks while ignoring some red flags.

Why would you think someone with 20 posts is a legit UT member? I will have to disagree this person is a smart and patient scammer. You were vulnerable; probably have been long time and it caught up to you. My first lesson was on eBay 20 years ago...was taken for about $400 on a vintage McIntosh receiver that never shipped. Neglected following through with disputing it at the time because I was too busy with work.... You might want to report at i c 3 . g o v , or maybe the local police precinct for that address.

Internet. Sheesh!

 

[Jmacken37]

OldBesty, re-read your post. ScottinTexas got hosed and posted his lessons learned as a warning to other members. No need to kick him when he's down!

 

[OldBesty]

Jmack,

Nobody is kicking anyone when they are down... "Sheesh!" was directed at the unfortunate reality of the "Internet" being such a hotbed for fraud and scams (and was NOT directed as personal insult to the OP in any way)

 

[Offmarksman]

I got burned once. Member many would recognize, from a few years back. Haven’t seen any posts in a while, but do still see him over on Sturm. I traded some semi Mac parts for some s zmags. Never got them. Followed up numerous times and was advised having personal problems; so I cut some slack. Never got my mags, and wrote it off. It happens sometimes. However, I’ve had a great experience with the vast majority of members on here.

 

[Jmacken37]

https://www.gunbroker.com/All/search/completed?Keywords=suomi%20drum&Timeframe=1&Sort=1&PageSize=48