Amazing deal for a REV B on ebay

[tubbymac]

looks like ebay killed his account and canceled all the purchases. I wonder what paypal is going to do now..

Alright I'm hooked now. This is like some weird combination of Lost and CSI: Macrumors Miami. The plot just took a twist and now I can't wait to see how this ends.

Hope Paypal managed to stop the funds from getting to the scammer and everybody gets their money back.

[NickM]

Alright I'm hooked now. This is like some weird combination of Lost and CSI: Macrumors Miami. The plot just took a twist and now I can't wait to see how this ends.

Hope Paypal managed to stop the funds from getting to the scammer and everybody gets their money back.

It doesn't matter if the funds are on hold in the seller's account, or if he already withdrew them and is spending it at the casino.

PayPal protects eBay buyers. Period.

[SFStateStudent]

Hey everyone, I'm not looking to bust up the party, but I'm concerned that this has become one of those threads that resembles a train wreck or a really bad accident. As much as I don't want to look, I can't help myself and I click on the thread, and it's almost become uncontrollable. I'm concerned that the many rules regarding posting of anyone's personal information has been overstepped; someone has been tried and convicted by many people and I'm hoping the Mods can put an end to this thread or at least find an appropriate forum for many of you to follow-up and voice your concerns. This has become an eBay/PayPal Complaint Central, and I'm just as guilty as the rest, but I'm asking for a cease-fire and give it one more day, then get on with your "bad-self" and take the necessary steps to address the issue with eBay/PayPal/Seller as their rules of engagement allow...:(

[NickM]

looks like ebay killed his account and canceled all the purchases. I wonder what paypal is going to do now..

FYI, his account was not "killed."
It does NOT say "No longer a registered user" on his page. (as of right now, anyway)

http://myworld.ebay.com/usedsnoopy?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1181

However, the auctions were pulled...and killed.

[eVolcre]

FYI, his account was not "killed."
It does NOT say "No longer a registered user" on his page. (as of right now, anyway)

http://myworld.ebay.com/usedsnoopy?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1181

However, the auctions were pulled...and killed.

Why would this happen?

Hey everyone, I'm not looking to bust up the party, but I'm concerned that this has become one of those threads that resembles a train wreck or a really bad accident. As much as I don't want to look, I can't help myself and I click on the thread, and it's almost become uncontrollable. I'm concerned that the many rules regarding posting of anyone's personal information has been overstepped; someone has been tried and convicted by many people and I'm hoping the Mods can put an end to this thread or at least find an appropriate forum for many of you to follow-up and voice your concerns. This has become an eBay/PayPal Complaint Central, and I'm just as guilty as the rest, but I'm asking for a cease-fire and give it one more day, then get on with your "bad-self" and take the necessary steps to address the issue with eBay/PayPal/Seller as their rules of engagement allow...:(

I disagree. Let it stay open until the members get some resolution. It may have been stupidity, but, at the end of the day this is the MR community.

[NC MacGuy]

I think it's official:

Our records show that you recently received an email from usedsnoopy through the Ask Seller a Question or Contact eBay Member features. This email may be fraudulent and an attempt to do one of the following:

- Obtain your eBay password
- Gain access to your eBay account
- Use your eBay account for fraudulent activity
- Set up an outside-of-eBay transaction which may be fraudulent

This kind of email is often called a "phish" or "phishing attempt," and the people who send them are known as "phishers." Phishers use these methods to try to get your personal information, such as user names, passwords and credit card details. Because the emails may sometimes come through the eBay system, the phisher may seem to be trustworthy and have a good reason to contact you.

***Important - Protect Your Personal Information***
- Don't reply to the sender either through the eBay system or your personal email account.

- Don't open any links or cut and paste any Web addresses into your browser from the phishing email.

- If you think you may have entered personal information such as your password, Social Security Number, or credit card information into a website based on a request from a phishing email, you need to act *immediately* to protect yourself from identity theft. For detailed instructions about the steps to take, please go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/protecting-identity-theft.html

***What to Do If You've Already Sent an Item or Payment***
If you've already sent payment to or shipped an item to a person who asked that you take the transaction outside of eBay, we recommend you take the following steps:

1. Contact the payment service that you used to make the purchase. If you paid by credit card, most card issuers provide consumer protection in online fraud cases.

2. Please complete the "Item Bought Outside of eBay" form or the "Item Sold Outside of eBay" form. To find these forms, please go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/isgw-fraud-non-ebay.html

Click the "Item Bought Outside of eBay form" or the "Item Sold Outside of eBay form" link. Enter your information in the page that follows, and then click the "Submit" button. The information you provide will enable us to work more effectively with law enforcement in case an investigation occurs.

3. If you were the seller and shipped the item to a fraudulent buyer, contact the shipping carrier that you used. That company may be able to assist you further. If you sent the item through the U.S. Postal Service, file a mail fraud claim. To do so, please visit:

http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/

4. Contact the local law enforcement where you sent the payment or item. The authorities where the seller or the buyer lives might be able to provide additional assistance. To find local law enforcement, go to:

http://www.usacops.com/


Sincerely,

eBay Trust & Safety team

The MBA/MBP listings have been yanked and tagged as invalid items:

[bugout]

Play along at home kids...

http://trkcnfrm1.smi.usps.com/PTSInternetWeb/InterLabelInquiry.do?origTrackNum=21038555749013492145

He may not have been unregistered.. but look what happens when you try to email him:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/5021/myebaymymessagescontact.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/myebaymymessagescontact.jpg/1/w432.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img525/myebaymymessagescontact.jpg/1/)

[macPlayer15]

I got the same eBay email stating item was removed. One question, I received about 10 emails all identical about eBay removing the listing and a few from paypal. Did u guys also get multiple emails?

[bugout]

I got a bunch from ebay but I didn't get anything from paypal.. what did paypal send you?

[NC MacGuy]

Play along at home kids...

http://trkcnfrm1.smi.usps.com/PTSInternetWeb/InterLabelInquiry.do?origTrackNum=21038555749013492145

It will be interesting to see what arrives if anything. I'm guessing nada.

[kinkster]

Like many others I woke up to that nice message from ebay, lul.

However I doubt we'll be able to get much more information since it's no basically up to paypal/ebay.

[OnceBitten]

HAd it happen to me - but I am in Vancouver Canada. I had to end up going in for an interview with a detective - lots of questions about the seller - they wanted to see if there was a connection - like maybe i KNEW the seller from my group of friends etc etc....

I had to prove i did not know the person - and did not know it was stolen...

Wasn't from a store -but from a laptop purchase through an online ad.

Cops contacted me about 1 month after i bought it.....

They told me since I didn't KNOW what was going in - they wouldn't pursue anything against me.I think Canada might be different, seems he no one does nothing at all, Lost 2 myself?

[mac jones]

I told you so. :D

[andiwm2003]

so, did the guy get any money out of this now? is it possible for him to withdraw the money for one or more MBA's before they lock the account?

e.g. instead of withdrawing the money can he use the funds in the paypal account to pay another item on ebay or any other shop?

[macPlayer15]

I got a bunch from ebay but I didn't get anything from paypal.. what did paypal send you?

Paypal sent me an email saying they know ebay cancelled the posting and I should start a dispute resolution. I did so and it automatically got escalated.

I also called Visa and they temporarily returned the full amount. They just told me to fax them the emails ebay and paypal sent, i.e. email from ebay stating fraudulant listing so cancelled, and the one from paypal stating i should start dispute.

[HiFiGuy528]

Keep us posted on the Pay Pal claim process. Sorry to see this has gone south.

[bigjnyc]

well this was fun while it lasted. Has anyone tried calling him? Although i highly doubt you'll get an answer but you never know.

[macPlayer15]

well this was fun while it lasted. Has anyone tried calling him? Although i highly doubt you'll get an answer but you never know.

I still think he had the laptops, i just think he obtained them illegally, thus violating ebay's rules.

[bugout]

ya right.. he "promised" again yesterday that it would be shipped and it was on it way to the post office and still there's no status update.

[bugout]

i called the number on page one of the thread..

I talked to josef.. he said the airs were shipped yesterday and that ebay shut down their paypal and ebay accounts because someone bought some of the airs with a stolen paypal account and they are resolving the issues.

lol.. this is a pisser

[OnceBitten]

i called the number on page one of the thread..

I talked to josef.. he said the airs were shipped yesterday and that ebay shut down their paypal and ebay accounts because someone bought some of the airs with a stolen paypal account and they are resolving the issues.

lol.. this is a pisser

and it goes on.

[OnceBitten]

I just sent a message to UsedSnoopy on ebay with the link to this thread.

If he's legit he'll respond, if not he's running for the hills.

Really stupid to do that.

[mac jones]

i called the number on page one of the thread..

I talked to josef.. he said the airs were shipped yesterday and that ebay shut down their paypal and ebay accounts because someone bought some of the airs with a stolen paypal account and they are resolving the issues.

lol.. this is a pisser

I told you don't get involved.

This is classic misdirection. This guy has obviously done this before.

Except his mistake was to sell them so cheap; it sends up red flags.

And further, your going to be getting a lot of very patronizing comments well deserved. :D

[bugout]

I told you don't get involved.

This is classic misdirection. This guy has obviously done this before.

Except his mistake was to sell them so cheap; it sends up red flags.

And further, your going to be getting a lot of very patronizing comments well deserved. :D

I already filed the dispute.. now i'm just having fun.. :)

[mac jones]

I already filed the dispute.. now i'm just having fun.. :)

Ok your on to him, great.

But others just coming to the thread or who are confused play into it.

As a matter of fact this thread probably should be shut down with a big warning label on it :"Let this be a warning to those who think Apples grow on trees" :D

[Scottsdale]

I am going to be LMAO tomorrow when you all report receiving your brand new rev B MBAs...

I have had someone buy two domain names from me for $3900 about two years ago. The transaction did NOT involve eBay. The buyer hijacked someone's PayPal account and paid me $3900. Within 20 minutes, PayPal had frozen my account thinking I had been involved. Actually, it was a sale on a domain name forum. So, PayPal was able to get IP addresses and etc and look on the forum I used to sell the names to find out it was true.

Within 24 hours, PayPal had fixed my account. So, this does happen. What the scam involves is using phishing techniques to get people to enter their username and password for PayPal into a dummy site. Then, they go to PayPal and pay with real funds using those hijacked accounts. It happens all of the time with domain name sales. It's a very common scam. So, the con artists cannot pull the money out nor can they transfer it to their own account as the funds will be stopped. So, they buy things to get their hands on either virtual or actual products and sell those to get the money.

Very common. I would say it's a possibility for this to be true here. And eBay would know and start putting accounts on hold too.

[bugout]

It doesn't quite add up though.. I get why Paypal would lock the accounts up, but why would ebay kill the listings unless they suspected stolen property. The other weird thing is he's not a "no longer a registered user" that they usually do. THe account is in some limbo state that I've never seen before.

This one is a first for me.

[bossxii]

This just gets better every time I log in! Not only would this all be end perfectly if someone received an actual MBA, but also if he was legit and actually bothered reading this thread.

All of course is a pipe dream because no MBA's will be received and he's too busy working on his next scam (or already using another one) now to take time to read this thread. Entertaining yes, but doubtful if he does.

What I would like to know is just from this thread how many MBA's were ordered? I have seen 3 or 4 people talk about contacting him, but curious how many people actually purchased from this thread along? 3? 4?

I guess the next chapter will be to see how many of you get all your money back and what sort of hassle (or not) there is in getting it back. Good Luck! I'll be watching the drama unfold haha

[NC MacGuy]

I think if he ever had any, he would have posted or emailed a picture, given a serial number or allowed pickup. Actually, I think it had scam written all over it from day one. The first flag is no picture of a product either MBA or MBP. The second is it was totally out of character for that seller to offer computers for sale, let alone new high-end ones. The third was the account was inactive for over three months.

I do think that you'll get your money back.

Who knows, maybe they were phishing for a paypal account clear enough to pay for it along w. email, address, phone, etc. and try to get into those.

[bugout]

and then there's stuff like this that just confuses me..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=320342617105

There's are at least 4 or 5 big reputable sites that sell it for less then that..

[McGilli]

It doesn't quite add up though.. I get why Paypal would lock the accounts up, but why would ebay kill the listings unless they suspected stolen property.
This one is a first for me.

Funny thing - I ordered a product from an ebay seller a month ago. it took a little long to get to me - but IT DID arrive. so when i went to leave feedback - the item listing had all been removed. i emailed ebay and they said the listing contained posting violations. they said it was a private matter and could not tell me what was wrong with the listing - but i would NOT be able to leave feedback of any kind for the seller. but i received the product i ordered... weird....

[bigjnyc]

i called the number on page one of the thread..

I talked to josef.. he said the airs were shipped yesterday and that ebay shut down their paypal and ebay accounts because someone bought some of the airs with a stolen paypal account and they are resolving the issues.

lol.. this is a pisser

wow they are still picking up the phone and carrying on the charade lol. I think that means that paypal is holding the money and they are trying to figure out a way to get it out. If they had the money already i don't see a reason for them to continue entertaining people via email or on the phone. These guys are really weird. Most scammers would have been long gone and unreachable by now.

[macPlayer15]

Funny thing - I ordered a product from an ebay seller a month ago. it took a little long to get to me - but IT DID arrive. so when i went to leave feedback - the item listing had all been removed. i emailed ebay and they said the listing contained posting violations. they said it was a private matter and could not tell me what was wrong with the listing - but i would NOT be able to leave feedback of any kind for the seller. but i received the product i ordered... weird....

what did u order, it may have been stolen

[macPlayer15]

wow they are still picking up the phone and carrying on the charade lol. I think that means that paypal is holding the money and they are trying to figure out a way to get it out. If they had the money already i don't see a reason for them to continue entertaining people via email or on the phone. These guys are really weird. Most scammers would have been long gone and unreachable by now.

They either think they can outsmart the system, or like i said before, they have the laptops, but have got them through illegitimate means. I agree these guys are very weird...

[eVolcre]

I.JUST.CAN'T.STOP.CLICKING.ON.THIS.THREAD.
:eek:

eV

[bossxii]

I.JUST.CAN'T.STOP.CLICKING.ON.THIS.THREAD.
:eek:

eV

lol

I just stepped out to lunch but had to check myself, I am interested to see if anyone actually gets a box (MBA) or full or rocks lol.

[NickM]

I am on the phone with PayPal right now.
Ok, I'm off the phone. That took a total of 3 minutes or so.

I told the lady to cancel my transaction. She instantly put the money
back into my PayPal account.

She said that my (and most likely everyone elses) money had not even reached this guy's PayPal account yet.... that it was on hold.

I expected it to take a few days, but she said it went through instantly because it actually hadn't hit HIS account yet.

I suggest that everyone call PayPal and tell them that you want to cancel
the transaction.
***** this guy.


edit - I wanted to add something... The reason that he (probably) hasn't shipped anything out yet is because all the money hasn't actually reached his account yet. He is probably haggling with PayPal and eBay, trying to actually get access to the funds... either before shipping out laptops that he DOES indeed have, or before running away with everyone's money. I say get out while you can.

I am now going on my FOURTH attempt at buying a MacBook Pro through eBay in less than a month. :(
I will NOT be paying anyone without talking to them on the phone first. and seeing pictures of the actual product.

[bigjnyc]

I am on the phone with PayPal right now.
Ok, I'm off the phone. That took a total of 3 minutes or so.

I told the lady to cancel my transaction. She instantly put the money
back into my PayPal account.

She said that my (and most likely everyone elses) money had not even reached this guy's PayPal account yet.... that it was on hold.

I expected it to take a few days, but she said it went through instantly because it actually hadn't hit HIS account yet.

I suggest that everyone call PayPal and tell them that you want to cancel
the transaction.
***** this guy.

lol imagine you get a macbook air in the mail on thursday that would be funny. Highly unlikely but funny.

[McGilli]

what did u order, it may have been stolen

Just some $15 slipmats for turntables.

So - even if it turns out this MBA listing was legit and everyone gets their MBA's - it looks like no one would be able to leave any sort of feedback (good or bad) on the guys account....

[macPlayer15]

I am on the phone with PayPal right now.
Ok, I'm off the phone. That took a total of 3 minutes or so.

I told the lady to cancel my transaction. She instantly put the money
back into my PayPal account.

She said that my (and most likely everyone elses) money had not even reached this guy's PayPal account yet.... that it was on hold.

I expected it to take a few days, but she said it went through instantly because it actually hadn't hit HIS account yet.

I suggest that everyone call PayPal and tell them that you want to cancel
the transaction.
***** this guy.


edit - I wanted to add something... The reason that he (probably) hasn't shipped anything out yet is because all the money hasn't actually reached his account yet. He is probably haggling with PayPal and eBay, trying to actually get access to the funds... either before shipping out laptops that he DOES indeed have, or before running away with everyone's money. I say get out while you can.

I am now going on my FOURTH attempt at buying a MacBook Pro through eBay in less than a month. :(
I will NOT be paying anyone without talking to them on the phone first. and seeing pictures of the actual product.

What did you tell the paypal lady for her to refund you? just that ebay cancelled the listing??

[NickM]

What did you tell the paypal lady for her to refund you? just that ebay cancelled the listing??

Yeah... prefaced by how this was my THIRD failed attempt in a row at buying a MB Pro on eBay recently.

I told her that the guy had multiple auctions up, with a total of over 40 different laptops for sale.

She then told me that I had two options: to either give it a few more days and see what happens, or to pull out now. At first she said it would probably take a few days for the money to go back into my account, but then it went back instantly... and she explained that it was because none of the funds ever actually went into "Ruben's" (or is it David? or Josef?) account.

Pull out. Pull out. Pull out.

[macPlayer15]

Ok nice, i'll call when i get off work tonight, they are open until 10pm PST which is great

[robeddie]

What did you tell the paypal lady for her to refund you? just that ebay cancelled the listing??

Unless I'm mistaken, paypal is owned by Ebay ... which means essentially they're one in the same. You're question seemed to infer otherwise.

[NickM]

Unless I'm mistaken, paypal is owned by Ebay ... which means essentially they're one in the same. You're question seemed to infer otherwise.

EBay did buy PayPal, but they are still seperate companies.

[DanielNTX]

Really stupid to do that.

Not stupid. I say let UsedSnoopy speak if he wants directly on this thread.

[macPlayer15]

Not stupid. I say let UsedSnoopy speak if he wants directly on this thread.

Or better cover his tracks the next time he wants to scam someone, i agree, he should not have been tipped of about this forum

[OnceBitten]

Or better cover his tracks the next time he wants to scam someone, i agree, he should not have been tipped of about this forum

Yep, wrong thing to do. someone needs attention.

[HiFiGuy528]

Seller's listings was FULL of RED FLAGs. If you guys still think you'll get what you paid for, stolen item or not. I have some U.S. banks stocks to sell you. :)

[Hawkeye411]

I got the same Ebay email (part of the email below). I wonder how much many he made before they finally froze his accounts??

========================================
Our records show that you recently received an email from usedsnoopy through the Ask Seller a Question or Contact eBay Member features. This email may be fraudulent and an attempt to do one of the following:

- Obtain your eBay password
- Gain access to your eBay account
- Use your eBay account for fraudulent activity
- Set up an outside-of-eBay transaction which may be fraudulent

[bugout]

that's just ebay's standard from letter..

[macPlayer15]

I got the same Ebay email (part of the email below). I wonder how much many he made before they finally froze his accounts??

========================================
Our records show that you recently received an email from usedsnoopy through the Ask Seller a Question or Contact eBay Member features. This email may be fraudulent and an attempt to do one of the following:

- Obtain your eBay password
- Gain access to your eBay account
- Use your eBay account for fraudulent activity
- Set up an outside-of-eBay transaction which may be fraudulent

I think it was all frozen, someone above said they spoke to paypal agent who told them all funds were frozen

[Thetacoking2]

I think it was all frozen, someone above said they spoke to paypal agent who told them all funds were frozen

It was all frozen is what the lady told me. She said that by tomorrow, it should be credited back to me. Just FYI

[Hawkeye411]

It was all frozen is what the lady told me. She said that by tomorrow, it should be credited back to me. Just FYI

That's good!!! :D

[agbot]

Funny thing - I ordered a product from an ebay seller a month ago. it took a little long to get to me - but IT DID arrive. so when i went to leave feedback - the item listing had all been removed. i emailed ebay and they said the listing contained posting violations. they said it was a private matter and could not tell me what was wrong with the listing - but i would NOT be able to leave feedback of any kind for the seller. but i received the product i ordered... weird....

My dad ordered some random thing from eBay, it arrived exactly as described. Done deal. A short time later he received an email saying the sellers account was highjack or something and gave him info on how to initiate a refund (even though he actually got what he paid for). I would imagine that a scammer having hijacked an account would want to keep valid transaction and good feedback trickling in on the cheap stuff while baiting, say, the MBA buyers.

[jessica.]

Seller's listings was FULL of RED FLAGs. If you guys still think you'll get what you paid for, stolen item or not. I have some U.S. banks stocks to sell you. :)

This from the guy who never really indicated whether his too good to be true item ever showed up. ;)

[bugout]

This is fun..

I just called again and talked to "ruben" this time.. He said all the shipments were dropped off at the post office this morning.. lol :D

Why are they even bothering answering the phone at this point.

[HiFiGuy528]

This from the guy who never really indicated whether his too good to be true item ever showed up. ;)

:):):) I know what you are referring to. I lost my job before the item was to be shipped. I contacted the seller and my money was refunde within an hour. Didn't even have to call the seller. I guess it was just a KILLER deal that I had to missed out on (not a scam like everyone on the thread said). Anyways, I have a job now and bought a MBP 2.5ghz for $1899 shipped, NEW. Got it today. See my post here with pics.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=655479

[NC MacGuy]

This is fun..

I just called again and talked to "ruben" this time.. He said all the shipments were dropped off at the post office this morning.. lol :D

Why are they even bothering answering the phone at this point.

I thought they were dropped off Monday? I think he's not telling the truth or their truck broke.

[bugout]

I thought they were dropped off Monday? I think he's not telling the truth or their truck broke.

They were

1) Dropped off monday.

2) On their way to the post office now - on Tuesday

3) Dropped off this morning - today.

how fun!

[spacecadet610]

Very stupid. Here we are collaborating on figuring out whether and how this person is trying to scam us and you go ahead and take away our advantage of secrecy.

Now he can potentially know what everyone is thinking and plan accordingly.

Not a big deal since his gig was basically up by the time you betrayed everyone, but still totally inappropriate for you to do that.

Not stupid. I say let UsedSnoopy speak if he wants directly on this thread.

[kinkster]

This is fun..

I just called again and talked to "ruben" this time.. He said all the shipments were dropped off at the post office this morning.. lol :D

Why are they even bothering answering the phone at this point.


Just curious..what'd he sound like? Age? Nationality?

[bugout]

Just curious..what'd he sound like? Age? Nationality?

No idea on age.. could be anywhere in his 20's or 30's..

Could be an Israeli accent as stated earlier.

[NickM]

PayPal and eBay both deal closely with the FBI and several other fraud agencies.
They obviously have his bank account info, a working phone number, etc.

He will be caught eventually... if he is indeed trying to scam everyone... or is selling stolen merchandise.

To anyone who is still waiting on this guy: Stop wasting your time. Call PayPal, tell them you want to cancel the transaction, and get your money back.

[bugout]

PayPal and eBay both deal closely with the FBI and several other fraud agencies.
They obviously have his bank account info, a working phone number, etc.

He will be caught eventually... if he is indeed trying to scam everyone... or is selling stolen merchandise.

To anyone who is still waiting on this guy: Stop wasting your time. Call PayPal, tell them you want to cancel the transaction, and get your money back.

My transaction "cleared" instantly the day I paid... It's all in Paypal's and Amex's hands now..

[NickM]

My transaction "cleared" instantly the day I paid... It's all in Paypal's and Amex's hands now..

I guess it's different for credit card users maybe...
Or the fact that you seem to have bought and paid before me and the time where PayPal started immediately putting any payments to him on hold.

My transaction also seemed to "clear" instantly when I paid him. It never said "on hold" on my account's summary page. However, when I called to cancel the transaction, the lady said that the funds were indeed on hold.
Like I said before, my funds instantly went back into my account when I called PayPal and told them I wanted out.

You're still protected... just might be inconvenienced a little by having to wait.
If you didn't read my earlier post, this guy was my THIRD attempt at buying a MacBook Pro on eBay in the past couple weeks.

[mikey28]

I just sent a message to UsedSnoopy on ebay with the link to this thread.

If he's legit he'll respond, if not he's running for the hills.

Since you are not involved (a victim) of the scam, you really had no right to do that. I think you were injecting yourself into the situation so that you could feel a sense of importance. Not too bright... Sometimes I think common sense is not common at all...

[OnceBitten]

Since you are not involved (a victim) of the scam, you really had no right to do that. I think you were injecting yourself into the situation so that you could feel a sense of importance. Not too bright... Sometimes I think common sense is not common at all...

Thank you, totally agree.

[bossxii]

PayPal and eBay both deal closely with the FBI and several other fraud agencies.
They obviously have his bank account info, a working phone number, etc.

He will be caught eventually... if he is indeed trying to scam everyone... or is selling stolen merchandise.

To anyone who is still waiting on this guy: Stop wasting your time. Call PayPal, tell them you want to cancel the transaction, and get your money back.

No they don't get caught, that's the point. The information he listed on ebay is SOMEONE ELSE'S INFORMATION. The phone number, address etc.. The phone number someone said they were talking to him on is a pre paid cell phone. I can buy one in Best buy with cash and they will never know my name, register it as anyone I wish and move on.

They don't get caught, that's the whole reason they do it over and over again and while he may not see all or even some of this cash this time, he/they will hi jack another account and eventually get money from someone.

Just because you talk to someone on the phone and get a "picture" of a item doesn't mean squat. I can fabricate up an entire person if you wish? Name, phone number address, pictures of all sorts of "Ebay items" I could sell. If that is all it takes to convince some of you it's "real" I feel for you, because your way to trusting.

The first clue this was a scam is he very simple fact someone questioned it enough to post a question on a message board because his gut told him this was BS. If your not 100% sure it's legit up front, it likley isn't. If you have to get confirmation just to convince yourself it's ok "to be stupid" your likely going to get scam'd. Nothing about the outcome of this entire thread should suprise anyone if you read it from the start and all the enteries. There were lots of people calling BULLS@#T the entire way.

In the end I'm glad people are not getting hosed for 1k+ a pop but if it did it would only make anyone that did lose money more careful in the future. The good part about being scam'd one time... it will never likely get you again because you will remember losing money and how that pissed you off and you will be a hundred times more careful and let common sense do your online shopping for you :).

[NC MacGuy]

Since you are not involved (a victim) of the scam, you really had no right to do that. I think you were injecting yourself into the situation so that you could feel a sense of importance. Not too bright... Sometimes I think common sense is not common at all...

Couldn't agree more!

[bigjnyc]

This is fun..

I just called again and talked to "ruben" this time.. He said all the shipments were dropped off at the post office this morning.. lol :D

Why are they even bothering answering the phone at this point.

I'm just curious what did you say to him? did you play along or did you pretty much call him on his BS and tell him the gig was up?

[bugout]

I'm just curious what did you say to him? did you play along or did you pretty much call him on his BS and tell him the gig was up?

Oh I'm just playing along...

[DanielNTX]

Since you are not involved (a victim) of the scam, you really had no right to do that. I think you were injecting yourself into the situation so that you could feel a sense of importance. Not too bright... Sometimes I think common sense is not common at all...

It's on the internet, it's on google. I involved myself because I'm a member of this forum. So I have the right. If you guys wanna make a non-public forum and go chat about it, go right ahead.

[mikey28]

It's on the internet, it's on google. I involved myself because I'm a member of this forum. So I have the right. If you guys wanna make a non-public forum and go chat about it, go right ahead.

no, actually, you had the right to COMMENT, not to involve yourself in something you CLEARLY are not involved in. But I think you know that now, and are just feeling stupid...

[DanielNTX]

no, actually, you had the right to COMMENT, not to involve yourself in something you CLEARLY are not involved in. But I think you know that now, and are just feeling stupid...

Nope, not stupid... like those that fell for this scam.

[harry454]

I hope it works out for you guys and you get your money back, stupid scams

[dawnraid]

Nope, not stupid... like those that fell for this scam.

Those that brought the MB's were under the full pretense that they were likely entering into a scam, and that they were possibly not going to actually receive their laptops. However they decided to purchase them anyway because they knew they had they had the full protection of paypal and their credit card companies. They knew the worst thing that could actually happen was that they would have to wait a couple of weeks to get their money back, they didn't "fall for the scam" nor did they loose anything other than some time. You come across as an extremely childish person who deserves little respect. You shouldn't have taken matters into your own hands when you were not directly involved with the matter.

[spacecadet610]

Back to topic..

Not surprisingly I never got a USPS tracking number like some people did. I already filed a paypal dispute yesterday morning so i'm just waiting for my money back.

I can't believe this guy is responding to phone calls. Maybe we should have someone call him saying he wants to buy 10 laptops and will send him a certified check in the mail. Then we could have the cops or whoever apprehend whoever gets the mail.

Ruben probably wouldn't fall for that but he doesn't seem like the smartest tool in the shed

[Stachelsk]

Back to topic..

Not surprisingly I never got a USPS tracking number like some people did. I already filed a paypal dispute yesterday morning so i'm just waiting for my money back.

I can't believe this guy is responding to phone calls. Maybe we should have someone call him saying he wants to buy 10 laptops and will send him a certified check in the mail. Then we could have the cops or whoever apprehend whoever gets the mail.

Ruben probably wouldn't fall for that but he doesn't seem like the smartest tool in the shed

I'd just call PayPal directly, and you'll get your money back instantly.

The cops are probably already on him. Regardless of not if he used someone else's account, his IP address and possibly other information was logged. They can find him very easily, if they want to. I would think that a $100,000 fraud attempt would be a valid reason.

[OnceBitten]

If he cant get to the money, and its all there, is it still a scam?
I am not sure?

[spacecadet610]

I just called Paypal, and they said by their policy they are required to wait 10 days for the seller to respond to the dispute before they can release the funds. She reassured me that I will get all my money back if this guy is a fraud. I mentioned a "friend" that already got their money back and she doesn't know how that is possible.

I somehow doubt this guy will get caught.

I'd just call PayPal directly, and you'll get your money back instantly.

The cops are probably already on him. Regardless of not if he used someone else's account, his IP address and possibly other information was logged. They can find him very easily, if they want to. I would think that a $100,000 fraud attempt would be a valid reason.

it's an ill-planned failed heist

If he cant get to the money, and its all there, is it still a scam?
I am not sure?

[eddieaus]

Back to topic..

Not surprisingly I never got a USPS tracking number like some people did. I already filed a paypal dispute yesterday morning so i'm just waiting for my money back.

I can't believe this guy is responding to phone calls. Maybe we should have someone call him saying he wants to buy 10 laptops and will send him a certified check in the mail. Then we could have the cops or whoever apprehend whoever gets the mail.

Ruben probably wouldn't fall for that but he doesn't seem like the smartest tool in the shed

of course he wouldn't fall for that, he's probably reading this thread right now.

[NickM]

I just called Paypal, and they said by their policy they are required to wait 10 days for the seller to respond to the dispute before they can release the funds. She reassured me that I will get all my money back if this guy is a fraud. I mentioned a "friend" that already got their money back and she doesn't know how that is possible.

I somehow doubt this guy will get caught.

I definitely got my money back immediately.
Maybe the money you sent "Ruben" already entered his account by now. The money I sent was not even in his account yet... it immediately went on hold when I sent it. (so the lady told me, and even though it showed up as "completed" on my transactions page)

[NickM]

Just because you talk to someone on the phone and get a "picture" of a item doesn't mean squat. I can fabricate up an entire person if you wish? Name, phone number address, pictures of all sorts of "Ebay items" I could sell. If that is all it takes to convince some of you it's "real" I feel for you, because your way to trusting.

The first clue this was a scam is he very simple fact someone questioned it enough to post a question on a message board because his gut told him this was BS. If your not 100% sure it's legit up front, it likley isn't. If you have to get confirmation just to convince yourself it's ok "to be stupid" your likely going to get scam'd. Nothing about the outcome of this entire thread should suprise anyone if you read it from the start and all the enteries. There were lots of people calling BULLS@#T the entire way.

In the end I'm glad people are not getting hosed for 1k+ a pop but if it did it would only make anyone that did lose money more careful in the future. The good part about being scam'd one time... it will never likely get you again because you will remember losing money and how that pissed you off and you will be a hundred times more careful and let common sense do your online shopping for you :).

First off, you can NEVER be 100% sure anything is legit upfront...especially when you're talking about buying through eBay.
There are signs that show a seller's legitimacy, and "Ruben" actually seemed pretty damn legit.
I've been a registered user on eBay for 10 years, and I'm also not a moron.
His account had 200+ positive feedbacks, and had been registered for a decent amount of time. He was selling the MacBook Pros at a very good price, but there was nothing UNBELIEVABLE about the price he was asking.
Auctions for brand new MacBook Pros end every day around the same price that he was asking.
Most importantly, I would never send anyone I didn't know a money order or check.
I exclusively use PayPal. I'm 100% protected.
Worst case scenario, I'm out of a little time. An inconvenience, but not the end of the world.

I got my money back...immediately upon calling PayPal.

Second, please don't "feel" for me. If anything, I should be the one doing the feeling... for YOU because you don't understand the concept of the contraction "you're" which is the word to use when you want to combine You and Are.
If you aren't involved with this guy and his eBay shenanigans, why are you posting here? Do you really feel THAT superior and "smarter" than people who are posting here for a legit reason? Maybe I'm the only one who took it this way, but your post came off kinda pompous to me.

Lastly, what are you talking about? Do you honestly think that eBay, PayPal, the FBI can't track this guy down if they wanted to??
If he is indeed scamming people, he is attempting to scam a LOT of money.
It would be SIMPLE for the FBI alone to find the guy... prepaid cell phone or not. Like someone else said, it's called "IP addresses" and "bank account information."

[grefwe123]

I was one of the last 8 person who bought the MBA stupid of me to do that still havent received A tracking number no more response for this seller. Good thing im covered by paypal but will only receive the money after 11 days if this person did not respond.


So stupid of me to fall into this :eek: learned my lesson should have been a gift for my kid this saturday

:(

[NickM]

Everyone who hasn't already should CALL PayPal and speak to someone about this situation. The more people who actually call and complain about this guy, the better.... and the better chance that they will speed up the whole process for those of you who are having to wait for a refund.

Did anyone else aside from me get reimbursed immediately upon calling?

[grefwe123]

i have to wait for 10 days for the dispute tried to get the money back but all i have to do is wait how did you get right back need to get the money cant wait

[macPlayer15]

i have to wait for 10 days for the dispute tried to get the money back but all i have to do is wait how did you get right back need to get the money cant wait

Same with me, i argued for about 10 mins, the stupid paypal person said even if the guy a complete fraud, closes his ebay account and paypal account, i still have to wait 10 days. I told them i called visa and blocked the funds, she tells me visa will take 105 days for an investigation, i told her visa temporarily reversed the charge to my account and said it iwll take max 30 days, and in those 30 days i don't have to pay the charge because its temporarily returned.

[bugout]

ok get this..

Ruben called me.. He said there were 2 batches of airs that went out, one on monday and another yesterday and that I will be receiving mine by the end of the week..

These guys are nuts.. don't they realize its over? lol

[The Toddfather]

"Auctions for brand new MacBook Pros end every day around the same price that he was asking."

Really, where?

[spacecadet610]

Paypal woman told me his funds were frozen but they had a policy of waiting 10 days to release it

I definitely got my money back immediately.
Maybe the money you sent "Ruben" already entered his account by now. The money I sent was not even in his account yet... it immediately went on hold when I sent it. (so the lady told me, and even though it showed up as "completed" on my transactions page)

[NickM]

Paypal woman told me his funds were frozen but they had a policy of waiting 10 days to release it


I know... this guy is my THIRD attempt in the past few weeks to buy a MacBook Pro on eBay... as I keep saying.
The first time, it took about a week, then finally the just reimbursed me.
The second time, the seller mysteriously refunded my money after a couple days.
This time, I told the lady that I wanted out of the transaction. She said it would take 2-3 days for the funds to hit my account again. Then she said, "OK, nevermind... the funds went through immediately." And then they were in my account.

Really, where?

On eBay. "Ruben" wasn't asking THAT unbelievably low of a price.
If someone has 40, 50, 60 laptops to sell... they would more than likely not try to charge top dollar for them all. They would probably want to cut a good deal to get rid of them a lot quicker.

[The Toddfather]

To quote you again, you stated:

"Auctions for brand new MacBook Pros end every day around the same price that he was asking."

I'm just curious to see what auctions you're talking about, I've been unable to find them. If you could post a link to one that would be great.

[NickM]

To quote you again, you stated:

I'm just curious to see what auctions you're talking about, I've been unable to find them. If you could post a link to one that would be great.

Quoting me again isn't necessary... I know what I said.
You must not be searching hard enough. Try filtering out everything else that comes up when you search "MacBook Pro."
Put the minimum price at $500... that will cut out all the accessories and crap that isn't actually a MacBook Pro laptop.

One is ending soon that I am hoping to win. I don't want to give it any more attention than necessary ;)
If I win it, or if I don't, I'll post a link then.
This seller has been selling them on a regular basis for a while now... and he has 4 or 5 listed in separate auctions right now.

[bossxii]

First off, you can NEVER be 100% sure anything is legit upfront...especially when you're talking about buying through eBay.
There are signs that show a seller's legitimacy, and "Ruben" actually seemed pretty damn legit.
I've been a registered user on eBay for 10 years, and I'm also not a moron.
His account had 200+ positive feedbacks, and had been registered for a decent amount of time. He was selling the MacBook Pros at a very good price, but there was nothing UNBELIEVABLE about the price he was asking.
Auctions for brand new MacBook Pros end every day around the same price that he was asking.
Most importantly, I would never send anyone I didn't know a money order or check.
I exclusively use PayPal. I'm 100% protected.
Worst case scenario, I'm out of a little time. An inconvenience, but not the end of the world.

I got my money back...immediately upon calling PayPal.

Second, please don't "feel" for me. If anything, I should be the one doing the feeling... for YOU because you don't understand the concept of the contraction "you're" which is the word to use when you want to combine You and Are.
If you aren't involved with this guy and his eBay shenanigans, why are you posting here? Do you really feel THAT superior and "smarter" than people who are posting here for a legit reason? Maybe I'm the only one who took it this way, but your post came off kinda pompous to me.

Lastly, what are you talking about? Do you honestly think that eBay, PayPal, the FBI can't track this guy down if they wanted to??
If he is indeed scamming people, he is attempting to scam a LOT of money.
It would be SIMPLE for the FBI alone to find the guy... prepaid cell phone or not. Like someone else said, it's called "IP addresses" and "bank account information."

First off if I offended you, my apologies. It was not intended but as text does not reflect the intent of some words.

Ebay, Paypal and the FBI won't catch these people, Ebay and Paypal are a joke, the FBI, if they could catch these types of scammers we wouldn't have had these types of scams escalate for the past 20 years. If anyone has read any of the articles about the various "419" scams these types of listings become more obvious.

To the point about IP addresses, for 29.95 I can make my IP address show up anywhere in north america, canada or mexico. I thnk 59.95 gets you world wide IP's. This is not tough to do.

To your point about a bank account, again people get their identity stolen every day and I'm sure if these people wanted to they could create an online bank account without much trouble. All without using their real information.

This type of scam is rampant throughout Ebay, Craigslist and many other online venue's my interest in the thread was to give an opinion (that was asked for originally but the OP) about if this was Legit or not. I was unaware I needed to be a total dumbass and try to buy one from "Ruben's" Ebay posting to give an opinion. My bad.

[NickM]

First off if I offended you, my apologies. It was not intended but as text does not reflect the intent of some words.

...

I was unaware I needed to be a total dumbass and try to buy one from "Ruben's" Ebay posting to give an opinion. My bad.

Please don't offer fake apologies if you are obviously only interested in still trying to sound like a self-righteous and pompous a$$hole.



I understand that people can and do spoof their IP addresses.
I'm just taking a stab in the dark with this one......but I have a feeling that the FBI has more resources and knowledge than YOU on this subject.
I also have a feeling that they can find anyone they want to...If they want to.

[spacecadet610]

Is it just me or has the testosterone level in this thread escalated the last couple days?

It seems this thread has run its due course and degenerated into bickering.

Well it was good while it lasted.

[bugout]

It's not over here yet.. These guys just need to chill a bit

[Rondue]

Stop bitching jeez

[bossxii]

Please don't offer fake apologies if you are obviously only interested in still trying to sound like a self-righteous and pompous a$$hole.



I understand that people can and do spoof their IP addresses.
I'm just taking a stab in the dark with this one......but I have a feeling that the FBI has more resources and knowledge than YOU on this subject.
I also have a feeling that they can find anyone they want to...If they want to.

"Create an online bank account"?
What is that? Aren't most online bank accounts tied to REAL bank accounts, which require information that can be traced back to someone?

If you don't understand how it all works nothing I can say will help that. I don't care what petty name you wish to call me. The questions you ask and statements you have made indicate you don't know how they do it.

I do. nuff said.

[NickM]

If you don't understand how it all works nothing I can say will help that. I don't care what petty name you wish to call me. The questions you ask and statements you have made indicate you don't know how they do it.

I do. nuff said.

Once again, you are trying to come off as more intelligent and all-knowing than all of us "dumbasses."
Once again, you are pretending like you're more capable than the FBI.
Get a life and get out of the thread. You aren't involved with this situation.
You've said what you wanted to. Now you can leave, since you're better than all of us and already know everything.

I already got my money back...and anyone else who paid through PayPal is insured.
All you're doing now is trying to argue...and I'm not going to play your internet forum "Mr. Knowitall better-than-everyone-else" game.

Feel free to take the last word again, if you your internet ego really needs it.
I won't be giving you any more attention.

Once again...to everyone else who is actually involved with this, just call PayPal, if you haven't already.

[bossxii]

lol grow up already. Life is to short to be bitter all the time.

[mshaf]

I'm dumber for having followed this forum....

[grefwe123]

talk to my credit card firm best thing they can do is dispute the amount with paypal they will temporarily reimburse the payment until they can resolve it with paypal hope paypal can reimbursed it right away

[mac jones]

I'm dumber for having followed this forum....

this thread is an inspiration to scam artists everywhere. :D

[kinkster]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=250379075581


You can pick up some pretty good real ebay deals on Rev. Bs :)

just got that from a mac rumorer.

[bugout]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=250379075581


You can pick up some pretty good real ebay deals on Rev. Bs :)

just got that from a mac rumorer.

Not that great considering you can get an open box from macmall.com for $1529

[NickM]

Check out this guy's current auctions, feedback, and past auctions.
Pretty decent prices... some were just barely over what "Ruben" was asking.
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZswing_lineQQhtZ-1

[kinkster]

Not that great considering you can get an open box from macmall.com for $1529


Yeah that's a good deal to, but I needed the super drive anyway. Plus iLife 09, sleeve, bag, and most of all confirmed no lines.

ya some people "can't see them" but im not to worried.

[tubbymac]

...and most of all confirmed no lines.


Now that's a good deal. I'd take that over a new one with a chance of lines any day.

[OnceBitten]

Mail call. ?

[bugout]

As I said before.. feel free to play along at home..

http://trkcnfrm1.smi.usps.com/PTSInternetWeb/InterLabelInquiry.do?origTrackNum=21038555749013492145

Of course there's been no change.. I can't believe the guy actually called ME yesterday to say it went out tuesday..

[Stachelsk]

To the point about IP addresses, for 29.95 I can make my IP address show up anywhere in north america, canada or mexico. I thnk 59.95 gets you world wide IP's. This is not tough to do.


IP spoofers fall in the same category as script kiddies. Spoofing your IP address isn't going to hide #@$% from a legitimate agency or group of detectives who have access to the correct software and resources. If spoofing your IP address worked, everyone would be doing it, and nobody would be getting busted by the RIAA/MPAA for downloading copyrighted material illegally.

Anyways... good luck with the tracking. He's only got like a few more days or so that he can toss things up in the air, considering he said it got sent out Tuesday.

[NickM]

I bought and paid for another MB Pro last night on eBay. $2030 shipped 3 day select UPS shipping. I'm going to try and pay the extra $15-20 and hopefully have it delivered on Saturday.
The guy I bought from this time has 3000+ positive feedbacks on eBay, been a member since 2000, owns a store up in MA... seems legit so far. (deja vu)

[Thetacoking2]

ok get this..

Ruben called me.. He said there were 2 batches of airs that went out, one on monday and another yesterday and that I will be receiving mine by the end of the week..

These guys are nuts.. don't they realize its over? lol


lol, I cant believe he is still going on with this charade. Oh well. The mailman will have not idea why I keep staring at his hands, lol

[bigjnyc]

lol, I cant believe he is still going on with this charade. Oh well. The mailman will have not idea why I keep staring at his hands, lol

lol wow that guy is a real piece of work huh. I guess he is trying to keep people around and hopeful long enough to try and get some of the money out of paypal. Looks like he is failing miserably :D

[NickM]

lol wow that guy is a real piece of work huh. I guess he is trying to keep people around and hopeful long enough to try and get some of the money out of paypal. Looks like he is failing miserably :D

Or he has just been busy lately and not gotten around to shipping the laptops that he actually has..... I still wonder if maybe he IS legit and just having a rough couple weeks. LOL
Oh well...

[spacecadet610]

If I end up getting a MBA from "Ruben", I'll eat it.

Or he has just been busy lately and not gotten around to shipping the laptops that he actually has..... I still wonder if maybe he IS legit and just having a rough couple weeks. LOL
Oh well...

[dborja]

'Sure is quiet here. No posts in the last 90 minutes... :eek:

[bugout]

lol.. mailman just came.. and of course nothing..

Well, he did have a few things I bought during the woot off last week. :)

[jessica.]

^^ You don't really think you're getting it do you?

And talk about ...
http://thegrandnarrative.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/beating-a-dead-horse.gif

[NickM]

bugout,

Have you even filed a dispute/claim with PayPal?
I think they opened a dispute/claim for everyone who purchased from "Ruben"... but I don't know for sure.


On a happier note, for myself, I'm expecting a MB Pro on Saturday. fingers crossed.....

[bugout]

bugout,

Have you even filed a dispute/claim with PayPal?
I think they opened a dispute/claim for everyone who purchased from "Ruben"... but I don't know for sure.


On a happier note, for myself, I'm expecting a MB Pro on Saturday. fingers crossed.....

Yep.. i stated the dispute on monday.. and notified amex..

[OnceBitten]

bugout,

Have you even filed a dispute/claim with PayPal?
I think they opened a dispute/claim for everyone who purchased from "Ruben"... but I don't know for sure.


On a happier note, for myself, I'm expecting a MB Pro on Saturday. fingers crossed.....

He filed before anyone, post pics when you get it.

[bugout]

Ruben doesn't seem to be answering his phone today :D

[bugout]

Oh try again :):rolleyes:

I've been calling every 15 minutes lol

[NickM]

post pics when you get it.

I will, but this time I have bought from someone else... which is why I expect it to show up. The guy shipped it UPS 2 day air w/ Saturday delivery.
He gave me a tracking number, which should be active in a few hours or so hopefully.

[bigjnyc]

I've been calling every 15 minutes lol

You should just lay it out for him if he picks up and let him know that you are already on to him and to cut the bull about the item being shipped.

[bugout]

You should just lay it out for him if he picks up and let him know that you are already on to him and to cut the bull about the item being shipped.

I like playing along.. Someone answered a few minutes ago and said Ruben wasn't there and to call back in 2 hours.

Also, the usedsnoopy ebay account is now unblocked and can receive emails.

[NickM]

You should just lay it out for him if he picks up and let him know that you are already on to him and to cut the bull about the item being shipped.

I like this idea.
If anyone gets him on the phone again, tell him that everyone knows that he's a phony and that he's been telling everyone the same, pathetic crap.
I'm curious to see how he'd respond to that.

[spacecadet610]

nah i think you should keep stringing him along.

You should just lay it out for him if he picks up and let him know that you are already on to him and to cut the bull about the item being shipped.

[NickM]

nah i think you should keep stringing him along.

Didn't someone already email him a link to this thread?
He's probably read the whole thing, but he's still telling people stories...
I think it would be funny to see how he responds to being directly asked, "WTF is going on???"

[HiFiGuy528]

Didn't someone already email him a link to this thread?
He's probably read the whole thing, but he's still telling people stories...
I think it would be funny to see how he responds to being directly asked, "WTF is going on???"

scammer don't go on forums, it doesn't make money. :D By the time he's finished reading this thread, he would have made $60K off of us. :)

[mac jones]

A crime scene a weak old, bad guys long gone. Nothin left but gawkers.

Move on folks there's nothing here.

[wetrix]

Alright I'm hooked now. This is like some weird combination of Lost and CSI: Macrumors Miami. The plot just took a twist and now I can't wait to see how this ends.

Let's hope this isn't like Lost because then the scammer will just escape to 1950 to when paypal didn't exist :-( Or maybe he'd just move the country he's in to evade the police.

Everybody is pretty emotional here. The people who have been scammed are ultra defensive and people who thought it was a scam from day 1 (like me) are acting like they KNEW it was a scam. Relax! New iMacs and Mac Pros will come soon and then we can all join together again and bitch about the lack of FIREWIRE YAY!

[tubbymac]

A crime scene a weak old, bad guys long gone. Nothin left but gawkers.

Move on folks there's nothing here.

Count me in as a fickle viewer. Now that everything's wrapping up this thread bores me. Just a few days ago I was glued to my seat though.

[spacecadet610]

Yeah i think the thread is dead.

Everyone thought it was a scam, even people that bought it. But no one was actually scammed becaused no one will lose any money.

It was the poor scammer that lost out on this.


Let's hope this isn't like Lost because then the scammer will just escape to 1950 to when paypal didn't exist :-( Or maybe he'd just move the country he's in to evade the police.

Everybody is pretty emotional here. The people who have been scammed are ultra defensive and people who thought it was a scam from day 1 (like me) are acting like they KNEW it was a scam. Relax! New iMacs and Mac Pros will come soon and then we can all join together again and bitch about the lack of FIREWIRE YAY!

[NickM]

Ruben just called me. He wanted me to tell everyone that he's very sorry.
He said that his feelings are hurt by all the negative things everyone has said about him.

He also said that to make up for this big misunderstanding, he wants to offer everyone MacBook Airs and
MacBook Pros at a one-time special sale price. Anyone interested?

[Consultant]

Ruben just called me. He wanted me to tell everyone that he's very sorry.
He said that his feelings are hurt by all the negative things everyone has said about him.

He also said that to make up for this big misunderstanding, he wants to offer everyone MacBook Airs and
MacBook Pros at a one-time special sale price. Anyone interested?


Special price for non-existing products. Wow. What a good deal.

Instead of MacBook Air, you will get AIR that is waiting to ship.

You've been warned. Don't shoot yourself in your foot again.

[spacecadet610]

Dude i think he was kidding.

Special price for non-existing products. Wow. What a good deal.

Instead of MacBook Air, you will get AIR that is waiting to ship.

You've been warned. Don't shoot yourself in your foot again.

[McGilli]

I just ordered one!!!!

He posted this for sale !!!

MACBOOK 'AIR'

This is the air, that shipped inside the box of a MacBook - yours for a cheap price!


How could I not be tempted!

[manhattanboy]

I just ordered one!!!!

He posted this for sale !!!

MACBOOK 'AIR'

This is the air, that shipped inside the box of a MacBook - yours for a cheap price!


How could I not be tempted!

LOL!!!
Just buy from Apple...
The scams are not worth it!

[NickM]

LOL!!!
Just buy from Apple...
The scams are not worth it!

Ewww...no way. I saved almost $700 buying my MB471ll/a on eBay.
All I lost was a little time...well worth the money saved.

[grefwe123]

since i was one of the people who was scammed by ruben lesson learned dont buy right away investigate, ask. Good thing Im covered by paypal. Its just the feeling of being fooled is just hard to take well
lesson learned :apple:

[bugout]

I just wont a new sealed rev b on ebay for $1365.. from a very high feedback seller that sold some expensive stuff recently. :) woot

Hopefully this one will show up.. :D

[NickM]

I just wont a new sealed rev b on ebay for $1365.. from a very high feedback seller that sold some expensive stuff recently. :) woot

Hopefully this one will show up.. :D


Nice. :)
I just tracked my package again and it's actually scheduled for Saturday. I am excited ;) Hopefully it isn't just a phonebook in the box.

[Thetacoking2]

I just wont a new sealed rev b on ebay for $1365.. from a very high feedback seller that sold some expensive stuff recently. :) woot

Hopefully this one will show up.. :D
Do they have any more?

[bugout]

Do they have any more?

Nah..it looks like it was just a one off..

1365 fora new sealed 1.6/120 with a super drive and ethernet adapter. Hell of a deal and still "too good to be true" :D

[eVolcre]

Nah..it looks like it was just a one off..

1365 fora new sealed 1.6/120 with a super drive and ethernet adapter. Hell of a deal and still "too good to be true" :D

Bugout,

You have some serious cajones! LOL

eV

[Thetacoking2]

Nah..it looks like it was just a one off..

1365 fora new sealed 1.6/120 with a super drive and ethernet adapter. Hell of a deal and still "too good to be true" :D
It wouldnt be here soon enough before I go back to Iraq anyway, well, this was an interesting way to spend some of my time back here in the states. Bugout, I hope all goes well with this one, and I hope you enjoy it very much. I will just have to wait longer for mine, much longer, lol.

[Consultant]

I just ordered one!!!!

He posted this for sale !!!

MACBOOK 'AIR'

This is the air, that shipped inside the box of a MacBook - yours for a cheap price!


How could I not be tempted!

Nice variation on the joke. =)

I think some people will probably not read or do their research before
buying some of earth's atmosphere for $1199
Sounds lighter than the PPP-Powerbook.

[NickM]

I wish I would have thought to record my phone conversation with "Ruben."
It would have been pretty funny to use his voice and sample it over a cheesy techno/electronic song called "Ruben's Sweet Steals and Deals."

Is anyone still trying to contact him? If so, have you talked to him again?
It's weird that the eBay account was never pulled or suspended...... Maybe a sign that he WAS actually using a hijacked account?

[bugout]

I wish I would have thought to record my phone conversation with "Ruben."
It would have been pretty funny to use his voice and sample it over a cheesy techo/electronic song called "Ruben's Sweet Steals and Deals."

Is anyone still trying to contact him? If so, have you talked to him again?
It's weird that the eBay account was never pulled or suspended...... Maybe a sign that he WAS actually using a hijacked account?

The ebay account was semi-pulled as in you could not longer contact the seller.. then the day before yesterday it was restored..

I've been trying to call "ruben" for the last two days.. I keep getting someone that says call back in an hour.. then nobody answers.. then "Call back in 2 hours". They're not even bothering with answering today. lol 6 days until the paypal refund. :)

[macPlayer15]

I wish I would have thought to record my phone conversation with "Ruben."
It would have been pretty funny to use his voice and sample it over a cheesy techo/electronic song called "Ruben's Sweet Steals and Deals."

Is anyone still trying to contact him? If so, have you talked to him again?
It's weird that the eBay account was never pulled or suspended...... Maybe a sign that he WAS actually using a hijacked account?

I don't think they will pull or suspend his account until after they have 100% proved he is a fraud, at which time we would all get our refunds. eBay i think first freezes the guys paypal account, the sends "Ruben" an email, which he has like a week or 10 days to answer.

[McGilli]

Maybe he had no stock - but once the orders rolled in - he then ordered from his supplier and basically drop-ships them to all that ordered? That could take a few extra days or a week....

But of course - he has told people they already shipped early this week...


I read the whole thread - but remind me : did EVERYONE who ordered one get the USPS tracking number? and it just says electronic notification received?

[manhattanboy]

Ewww...no way. I saved almost $700 buying my MB471ll/a on eBay.
All I lost was a little time...well worth the money saved.

Having to deal with people everyday... let me say this.
Most people are b#stards and are not to be trusted. Sorry, but if you live in a city that's the case.
I've seen too many thefts and beatings in broad daylight where people don't give a f8ck.

However: Yes it's awesome to save money... but that's what the new PC netbooks and regular macbooks are for!

[macPlayer15]

Maybe he had no stock - but once the orders rolled in - he then ordered from his supplier and basically drop-ships them to all that ordered? That could take a few extra days or a week....

But of course - he has told people they already shipped early this week...


I read the whole thread - but remind me : did EVERYONE who ordered one get the USPS tracking number? and it just says electronic notification received?

No, i ordered one and did NOT receive the USPS tracking info, he kept saying tmr tmr, then when tmr came the listing was removed. I have already filed the dispute with paypal and visa.

[Consultant]

I wish I would have thought to record my phone conversation with "Ruben."
It would have been pretty funny to use his voice and sample it over a cheesy techno/electronic song called "Ruben's Sweet Steals and Deals."


Good idea. I would have thought someone would have made one already, but guess not. However here is

eBay Scammer on Judge.Judy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDK6ctRjqw
This needs to happen to more scammers =)

[Hawkeye411]

Good idea. I would have thought someone would have made one already, but guess not. However here is

eBay Scammer on Judge.Judy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDK6ctRjqw
This needs to happen to more scammers =)

I love that episode! Can't believe that she would actually go on TV. I wonder what she was thinking. I seems that she actually believed that the judge would rule in her favor LMAO!!

Ebay Scammers!! :mad:

[Rondue]

Outside of that show being a complete circus, the only thing that screwed her was the fact that she listed the weight of the item at 4 oz which screwed her.

[Thetacoking2]

Just wanted to update everyone, the money is back in my account, I got credited earlier today. FYI

[NickM]

Just wanted to update everyone, the money is back in my account, I got credited earlier today. FYI

Nice.
My MB Pro arrived a few hours ago :)
So far, I couldn't be happier...
Except that the mini-DV to HDMI plug my girlfriend got me as a Valentine's present isn't the right plug apparently. It's a little too big. I thought mini-DV was one standard size... but I guess I was wrong.
Aside from that, this thing is very, very nice.

[bugout]

Congrats!

If its the new unibody then they switched to Mini displayport..

Nice.
My MB Pro arrived a few hours ago :)
So far, I couldn't be happier...
Except that the mini-DV to HDMI plug my girlfriend got me as a Valentine's present isn't the right plug apparently. It's a little too big. I thought mini-DV was one standard size... but I guess I was wrong.
Aside from that, this thing is very, very nice.

[NickM]

Congrats!

If its the new unibody then they switched to Mini displayport..

It is the new unibody model...
It seems that she got me the mini-dvi to dvi, when I need "mini displayport" to dvi, I guess.

[sickmacdoc]

It is the new unibody model...
It seems that she got me the mini-dvi to dvi, when I need "mini displayport" to dvi, I guess. Yes, you are correct- you need this guy (http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB570Z/A?mco=MzE2OTkzMA).

[wetrix]

Nice.
My MB Pro arrived a few hours ago :)

From usedsnoopy/Ruben? Or from somewhere else?

Edit: Sorry my bad, I just read a couple pages back. It's from somewhere else. I would have been very surprised if you had received it from Ruben.

[NickM]

From usedsnoopy/Ruben? Or from somewhere else?

Edit: Sorry my bad, I just read a couple pages back. It's from somewhere else. I would have been very surprised if you had received it from Ruben.

Yeah... I'm still hoping that "Ruben" hasn't realized that I got my money back and he still ships me one... NOT. I know that will never happen.

[macPlayer15]

Anyone gotten their money back from paypal yet? or still waiting on the 10 days?

[kinkster]

Anyone gotten their money back from paypal yet? or still waiting on the 10 days?



Pretty sure a couple of people have yeah. But they didn't all get it at the same time, so I wouldn't worry that you won't get a refund just yet.

[bugout]

Just got my refund...

[Veinticinco]

Except that the mini-DV to HDMI plug my girlfriend got me as a Valentine's present isn't the right plug apparently.
And they say romance is dead.....

[bugout]

Just in case anyone is still following this embarrassing nightmare..

I went ahead to try for another rev b air in an auction (not a buy it now) and won a new sealed 1.6/120 with a superdrive and ethernet adapter for $1365 on Feb 26th and paid and extra $25 to have it sent overnight. The guy's feedback was 678/100% and had some recent high dollar (over $1500) digital camera sales. The guy said he was traveling and would be back Saturday the 28th and ship it when he got home.

I received the shipping notification email on Sunday the 1st... Tuesday morning rolls around and the tracking doesn't update.. no biggie I guess since the USPS tracking sucks and usually won't update until something is delivered. Noon comes and goes, and so does the mail delivery.. no package. I send the guy an email and ask what's up and he said he dropped it off at the post office at 11:30 am Monday. He also said something like this happened to him before and that I should give it another day. Well, Wednesday's mail comes and goes and still no update on the web site, so I go ahead and file the dispute with paypal and they immediately credit me back because of the previous problem I had.

The guy actually had the nerve to tell me that he won't refund me and that I should file for an insurance claim with the post office. If the guy actually is telling the truth and the post office "lost" they only insure up to 500 anyway.

Yesterday morning I get an email from ebay saying they canceled the auction and I checked the guys account and he's "no longer a registered user".

I figured I couldn't possibly get screwed 3 times... so the night before I won another auction, this time for a used 1.86/128GB SSD with 11 months left on the warranty for $1605. It arrived an hour ago and is absolutely mint. I'm happy to say, that I'm typing this out on it now..

Whew...

[M.a.r.k.]

hehehe man you really had some tough times with getting a mba.
But since you are a proud owner of a macbook air right know, congrats :D

[Maks]

Nice deal, glad you finally ended up getting one!

[mikey28]

I am glad that it worked out for you.

But I am troubled by part of your post: you are still looking to get "something for nothing". Come on a NEW 1.6/120 WITH superdrive for $1300??

You're not really learning...

But all's well that ends well, I understand that.

It's just a bit unsettling...

[bugout]

Take it easy there big guy.. It was an auction where my max bid was $1575...

I have nothing to learn, and I would do everything again exactly the same way..

[The Toddfather]

I have nothing to learn, and I would do everything again exactly the same way..

I lost what little respect for you I had, only a fool has nothing to learn.

[bugout]

I lost what little respect for you I had, only a fool has nothing to learn.

While you losing respect for me will most certainly be the low point of my existence, I was merely referring to this eBay experience.

I know I have plenty to learn in everything else :)

:cool:

[tigres]

Hey bugout,

OT for a second... let me ask you or someone else something; as this has become mainly an Ebay thread...

I sold an item yesterday (it ended) all's well, the guys cool 300+ and 100% feedback such as myself. He wants to pick it up which is great for me as it will be a PITA to ship.

Anyway, he pays me via paypal and of course because it is >500, they tell me my $ is on hold for 21 days until feedback is sent, and the item is delivered with tracking #.

What the hell kind of BS is this. What should I do, let the guy come 2 hours on his way Monday, and not get my $ for 21 days? I called paypal, and they told me that I could get it in 3 days, after all of the above is verified in the system. WTF.

Anyway, I assume I should not release the equipment to him until this paypal transaction clears my account. I did ask him to pay another way and to Piss on paypal, however he said he uses the paypal CC method and really wanted to go that route.

Advice? kthx:confused:

[bugout]

You're not protected with paypal with a local pickup...

Give the guy a refund and have him pay cash in person...

[bugout]

Just to elaborate a little more.. The guy could say he never received it and get his money back from paypal, and you'll have no "proof of delivery".

[tigres]

Just to elaborate a little more.. The guy could say he never received it and get his money back from paypal, and you'll have no "proof of delivery".

Even if he gave positive feedback already?

[bugout]

Even if he gave positive feedback already?

Good question.. but why would he leave positive feedback before receiving it?

[tubbymac]

Even if he gave positive feedback already?

Just thinking outside the box here, but what about just asking/demanding that he takes a picture with you when he comes for the local pickup? You + him + MBA + current newspaper in the shot should be enough of a deterrent for any scams.

[kinkster]

I would just ask him to wait a couple days until the money clears.

[mcruzader]

I would just ask him to wait a couple days until the money clears.

Even if the money clears, that won't stop PayPal from reaching in and placing the money on hold again if the guy files a dispute.

[macPlayer15]

Ask for the guys drivers license then write down the license number. Also get him to sign a piece of paper stating he picked it up and match the signature to his drivers license.

[sickmacdoc]

<clip>

Anyway, I assume I should not release the equipment to him until this paypal transaction clears my account. I did ask him to pay another way and to Piss on paypal, however he said he uses the paypal CC method and really wanted to go that route.

Advice? kthx:confused:

With that in mind, as well as the other things noted above about not being covered by PayPal for local deliveries why don't you tell him that you will be happy to refund him and he can then go to his bank and get a cash advance on the credit card to pay you in cash so that you are covered? Unless your original ad said local pickup was ok he is changing the terms of the auction and you should be able to as well. If your ad said local pickup was ok, then unfortunately you are bound to accept PayPal for payment.

Thanks eBay.:(

[tigres]

Hey all,

Thanks very much for the input, sorry for the delayed response I was out yesterday.

Here is an update that you all may find useful. The winner and I have spoken, and he also called Paypal explaining his concern about the new policy. He went ahead and left me positive feedback. I called paypal and notified them that I was not shipping this until my funds were released, period.

The woman asked if positive feedback from the buyer was left (and she checked the auction to verify) and said "why would he leave feedback before he received the item", nonetheless, she immediately released the funds.

As I was on the phone, the funds were indeed released to me. I then did a transfer to my bank (of course another 2-3 days.)

Anyhow, addressing the above posts (again thank you all) I will get a copy of his drivers license, and have him sign a pick up receipt. Additionally, YES I did state in my auction that pick up was OK, thus forcing me to abide by the local pickup rules of my own auction.

Lesson learned here, and fortunately (so far anyway) it appears that all will work out. This sure will advise me in the future to stop selling items on e-bay. What's to stop them from all of the above, shipping it out, and having a scammer (buyer) say it was broken/never arrived/ box of rocks, whatever... does seem that the system is 100% buyer related now.

This really rubbed me the wrong way. I have a feeling the only reason she released my funds were that we (both I and the buyer) had 100 feedback, and we were good members (who both contacted PP) and had 8+ years as e-bay customers.

Whatever. I will think twice next time to sell a high priced item.

[bugout]

You can always do local pickup in the future, you just have to stipulate that it has to be in cash.

[tigres]

You can always do local pickup in the future, you just have to stipulate that it has to be in cash.

True, good point.

[The Toddfather]

Lesson learned here, and fortunately (so far anyway) it appears that all will work out.

Whoa, someone that actually learns from a mistake!:)

I have nothing to learn, and I would do everything again exactly the same way..

I'm glad it all worked out for you T, your post helped me avoid a potential issue on a new listing. Thanks!

[tigres]

Whoa, someone that actually learns from a mistake!:)



I'm glad it all worked out for you T, your post helped me avoid a potential issue on a new listing. Thanks!

Hey, glad I could help. Good luck with your listing.