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My friend just got scammed on CraigsList

If this ever happens to me i'd make a new email address and respond to the same ad. I would assume he does this scam on a regular basis. Set up a time to meet and inform the police.

Luckily everyone i've dealt with on CL have been great honest people. Its a shame how little you can trust people any more.


Good luck taking this guy down!
 
cowsrus said:
very nice, seems like there is the possibility of that not actually being the guy so try and contact him before you actually report him

as for buying things on craigslist, it is generally awkward when meeting someone to buy something, and the more you inspect something the more of an insult it is to the person that you are assuming they are trying to rip you off, but you are spending around $400 and you will never see this person again so spend 5 minutes turning it on and making a call, check the settings etc, etc it doesnt hurt to be a dick and take a while in this situation no matter how awkward it is
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Remember he did check it at first. The scammer did a switch when my friend went to his car.
 
CJayC said:
Remember he did check it at first. The scammer did a switch when my friend went to his car.
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pretty crafty, but i would agree with these guys as saying always have a friend with you, also check out the phone in your car after you make the deal, if it isnt what you paid for follow that *******

btw please post back with the results of this because a scammer trying to scam a cop sounds like the story will have an awesome ending
 
CJayC said:
I won't be doing that because he's a cop himself and his cop friends know and I don't know if you know this but police officers are deemed "credible persons" by the court, meaning they take their word as evidence. That's one of the reasons why they can simply say you ran the stop sign and have no other evidence. He's going to drive by in his police car at 5AM tomorrow just to be sure that's him. He remembers what the car looks like so that'll be enough justification for him to know that I found the right Ryan Williams.
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Wow, so your friend that fell for it is a cop?
Then he dont need you doing any investigative work. All he had to do is take down his licence plate and then go and find him.
I wouldnt bother trying to sue him in court cause most times they dont even show up and also dont pay the judgement then good luck getting your money.
 
This is a classic bait-and-switch, and is easy to avoid if you get the product in your hand before the money is exchanged. At the very least, you never let it out of your sight once you've confirmed it's real.
 
That's very unfortunate. I sell and buy items off Craigslist somewhat often. Here are a few tips I always follow:

1. Always meet during the daytime in a very busy location such as Starbucks or local coffee/tea shop. This allows you to bring your cash with you and the transaction can be made right there. If your friend didn't go back to his car he would have gotten the REAL iPhone and not the fake.

2. Always - always - check the item before driving off. I did this three times with a very expensive SLR camera I bought last year.

If I were your friend I would go to the police, assuming he has this seller's phone number and email you can track him down. All this seller will do is resell the iPhone again. You MIGHT want to try and find his ad on Craigslist again and pretend you're someone else interested - get a new email address.
 
Applejuiced said:
Wow, so your friend that fell for it is a cop?
Then he dont need you doing any investigative work. All he had to do is take down his licence plate and then go and find him.
I wouldnt bother trying to sue him in court cause most times they dont even show up and also dont pay the judgement then good luck getting your money.
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He obviously did not get the license plate number because he didn't think this would happen.
 
CJayC said:
This guy is as good as dead. I found out who he is and here's how I did it. Click play as slideshow and use the arrows

http://img375.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=step1y.jpg

Also note that my friend is a cop and has a lot of cop friends ;)
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Some very good detective work there. Sorry to hear about this. I'm definetly more aware now. If you found that much about him like that though, the way I am on the internet, people could probably find out the very room I'm sitting at in my house. :eek:
 
Friend of mine got in the same situation, he actually though is bargain and bought two of them, for $200 each brand new knock offss
 
DjAmTraX said:
I would call the seller and tell him you are really happy with the phone and that your friends wants one too. Meet with the seller again but this time bring two guys to hide across the street and a 9mm in your pocket. You can fill in what to do next.
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Yeah that is a VERY smart way to handle this. :rolleyes:

Not trying to be a jerk but your friend is an idiot and should be made fun of relentlessly. A fool (edited for stupidity) and his money are soon parted as they say, looks like your friend learned a valuable lesson.

CJayC said:
This guy is as good as dead. I found out who he is and here's how I did it. Click play as slideshow and use the arrows....Also note that my friend is a cop and has a lot of cop friends ;)
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What? He's a LEO? Wow, I feel bad for that community if he is patrolling their streets. Fell for a very easy scam and we should expect him to be competent at his job? Scary.
 
Applejuiced said:
Heard that happened to many people.
They buy an expensive iphone and they dont bother turning it on to test it out at all.
Just like ebay, craigslist, flea markets the rule is trust noone and always have in the back of your mind that you might be falling into a trap or scam.
Double and triple check many times before handing the money or product to the other person.
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Exactly.

I have sold several phones on Craigslist the past year. One was my 3G, 3 blackberry storms and a motorola droid. Only two people out of the 5 turned on the phone. Only one called me back a minute after sale concerned about something. He was new to the phone and was unsure about something. He was fine after we talked.

Anyways - I MAKE everyone I sell a phone to - look at me turn it on and show it to them. I make them look it over and touch it. I can't believe most of them say no, that's not necessary. BS! For your peace of mind and my own - look it over and turn it on! Make sure it works.

It's crazy! I bought a PS3 Slim off Craigslist for a gift. The couple was really nice, we met in a parking lot of a busy grocery store. The box was sealed and I asked if it was resealed, they said no. I handed them the money and asked if they could wait while I open it and make sure there wasn't a brick inside. She gave me a funny look but agreed. Everything was in there, looked and smelled new. All sealed up. I thanked her and I was done.

You can't trust ANYONE!
 
lol if that is the guy, I would have more fun than just getting him arrested. I would pull his wife over and notify her that her husband(the POS) had died in a car accident, and then rofl and drive away.
 
At least he got $50 off, right?

I was talking to a girl at work who saw this really nice looking Sony Vaio laptop on Craigslist for $300 and asked if she bought it. I said NOOOO!
 
army91c said:
Yeah that is a VERY smart way to handle this. :rolleyes:

What? He's a LEO? Wow, I feel bad for that community if he is patrolling their streets. Fell for a very easy scam and we should expect him to be competent at his job? Scary.
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I told you the circumstances under which he was scammed. He wasn't keeping an eye out for a Sci-phone bait-and-switch.
 
rmatthewware said:
At least he got $50 off, right?

I was talking to a girl at work who saw this really nice looking Sony Vaio laptop on Craigslist for $300 and asked if she bought it. I said NOOOO!
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Did you say no because you wanted to buy it or was there was something fishy about the laptop and you were advising her to not buy it?
 
CJayC said:
I told you the circumstances under which he was scammed. He wasn't keeping an eye out for a Sci-phone bait-and-switch you jerk.
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I am around LEO's all the time (friends/family, co-workers) and some of them had a pretty good laugh at your friends expense! (I'm at work as I type)

Don't be angry though..... hanging out with someone like your friend (with his questionable decision making skills) probably makes you look smarter!
 
XciteMe said:
Are you practicing to be a crime writer??? This is all obviously one big made-up story.

A great, elaborate one, but a story nonetheless.
Your friend who got scammed so blindly, just happened to be a cop? :rolleyes:
And then all this detective work you did? :rolleyes:
Nice one.
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Wow, you finally typed something I could agree with! Not sure if he made it up or not but it IS a very funny story!
 
Are you practicing to be a crime writer??? This is all obviously one big made-up story.

A great, elaborate one, but a story nonetheless.

Your friend who got scammed so blindly, just happened to be a cop? :rolleyes:

And then all this detective work you did? :rolleyes:

Nice one.
 
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