This is all too common. I placed an ad in swap.QTH.com looking for a
77SX for sale and got several suspicious replies to my request. Not
trusting people I don't know I checked the IP address that's included
at the bottom of the QTH notification and used this website to do so:
http://aruljohn.com/track.pl Thought the seller said he was in the
UK, he was in California, near Los Angeles. He had a ham call but
checking it out on QRZ, the ham was a SK. I left word of the scam on
the forums.
After finding a SX within driving distance and buying it, I placed
another ad looking to find a Dahl replacement for it like the one I
sold a few years ago and can now use where as then it was excess.
Again I got the same issue except I was getting text messages to my
phone and not phone calls in reply. I got an email from the seller
and I looked at the header data for the originating IP and used the
aruljohn website to see a map of the IP location and this one was
overseas.
Looking at the email address, an odd one from the UK starting with
2e0 something, I checked with QRZ and it looked good call with the
same email. I did a search on eham for the call and found it was one
that was known to be a scammer and that they had hijacked the 2e0
email. QRZ removed the call from its database.
So along with all the other things like getting their call, their
email, check the location of where they are saying they are at and
then you'll be more aware of reality.
Still looking for that Dahl transformer for the SX...
Gary
KA1J
> I did a search on Craigs list (nationwide) about a QRO amplifier,
as
> there seemed to be a deal floating around. It was a QRO HF 2500
> going for $1500 or 1600. It turned up in Boston and also in LA,
> similar advertisement. After inquiring to the LA one to see if it
> was for sale (as the ad looked old),
> I got a strange reply from john.chesterson@gmail.com.
>
> "Thank you for your email. I am glad that you want to buy my QRO HF
> 2500 Amplifier. My asking price is US $1,600. From the beginning I
> want to tell you that I left US a couple of days ago (the day after
> I put the product on sale) and came to UK for my job (I am a member
> of the "Save the Children Foundataion"). If you still want to buy
> it, we can do it in a very safe way using an escrow company. They
> will handle the delivery (because I had to take it with me here) and
> will give you 10 days of inspection so you can test and see that it
> is exactly as described by me in my ad. I will pay all
> shipping/escrow fees. Thanks, John."
>
> Something didn't seem right: escrow company, taking 80 lbs of
> amplifier to UK for a job, giving me personal details about the
> employer there, and the prepaid shipping and escrow fees. I expected
> the next transaction to ask for me to wire the money to the escrow
> company. I replied to Mr. Chesterson by asking for photos of the
> amplifier, for his amateur call so I could look him up, and assure
> him that I could wait until he returned to US to deal, if he still
> had it then. Its been a couple of days now, silence.
>
> So I warn everyone here, to be careful with deals that are too good
> to believe, like this one.
> 73
> John
> K5PRO
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