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Phase One listing SCAM - watch!

vieri

Well-known member
Hello everyone,

a member just pointed to my attention that someone is trying to sell a Phase One kit using all my images and listing I posted here on GetDPI in 2011. The seller is not me, the items have already been sold, and this is definitely a scam. Please do not fall for it.

Here is the listing:

Phase One Sale P65 645DF 5 Lenses etc Etc | eBay

I already reported the sale to eBay and contacted the seller directly as well asking to take it out.
 

TheSummerEnds

New member
I can absolutely vouch for this and also reported this to ebay last week.
There was a "seller" in the UK who used this same listing in late January that I had fallen victim to...and am now working hard to try and recoup my losses with little to no help from ebay.
A week after the scam fell through I had found vieri's post here trying to sell these items from Dec of 2011 via google image search.

I am actually quite shocked that ebay has not removed the auction yet.
 

felix5616

Member
I contacted the seller, asked for the serial number which he refused tp provide(red flag # 1) and asked if I could pick up the gear after a demo and pay cash but he refused, said he could only ship(red flag #2)
 

wryphotography

New member
I contacted the seller, asked for the serial number which he refused tp provide(red flag # 1) and asked if I could pick up the gear after a demo and pay cash but he refused, said he could only ship(red flag #2)
yea i saw this on ebay as well, and doing research i found the same listing verbatim on DPreview from 2011 and sent the seller a link and never heard back.
 

Vlad

Member
This is exactly the same pictures that were used on a previous listing that I nearly feel for.

At the time the seller was claiming to be from the UK. I can post more information later, this is a CLEAR scam.
 

vieri

Well-known member
Thanks everyone! I did report it myself a couple more times, but still no changes. I am afraid Daniel is right...
 

kalex

Member
Ebay and Paypal have gone to crap lately. Fees are astronomical. I was just selling a camera and got a sophisticated scammer. Contacted me through ebay by making an offer. Person paid for the camera and paypal put it on verification hold. While verification was happening I got an email from ebay telling me that account that bid on this was compromised. About an hour later I get a "all clear" email from paypal to ship the item. Idiots
 
What would have happened if you had shipped? Paypal will take back the payment?

Ebay and Paypal have gone to crap lately. Fees are astronomical. I was just selling a camera and got a sophisticated scammer. Contacted me through ebay by making an offer. Person paid for the camera and paypal put it on verification hold. While verification was happening I got an email from ebay telling me that account that bid on this was compromised. About an hour later I get a "all clear" email from paypal to ship the item. Idiots
 

TheSummerEnds

New member
The crazy thing is...this is still up!!!
Even crazier...the seller, will probably get away with it if they ever make the sale.
I'd venture to say that a handful of H4Ds up on ebay right now are total scams as well.

Some interesting facts about internet related scams like this I just learned from an attorney friend in higher places. If you get sucked into one of these, you pretty much are not getting your money back, especially if it is dumped into an overseas account and the money is moved quickly. In the US, the FBI will only proceed with the case if the loss is in excess of a half million USD...from a single scam or multiple scams from the same criminal/group. Local authorites, BBB, FBI/ic3 are going to do nothing because it cost them too much money to process the investigation through D.C., especially if the investigation is handed over to another country and the money was moved via wire. You would have better luck pumping your money through a document shredder, tossing it in the toilet, flushing, and going to your local waste water treatment plant with a fishing net to get your money back.
 

shlomi

Member
I don't understand how you get scammed on ebay.
I bought and sold several backs and it always went well.
I just bought a back for $12000 and it went without a hitch.

You just need to heed some common sense rules.

For instance: a seller with 0 feedback on sales like this one, you don't buy a $25000 from them - $100 max.
You only consider high value items from seller with high and 100% feedback on sales - don't confuse feedback on buys with that of sales.
If there is bad grammar in the auction you walk away.

If on the face of it everything looks good, then you go do manual verification.
You converse with that person online, ask them all the questions you have, and then look at their answers and think.
If there is any red flag, then you walk away.
If it is someone selling a digital back, then verify he is a photographer.
Look at his website and google his name.
Call the number on his website to see the same person answers.
Make sure the same name is on all the accounts - ebay, paypal etc.

If you are very careful then there are a lot of great deals to be had on ebay, but of course there will always be scammers trying to take your money -- you should just make the effort and pay attention.

In my experience, whenever I bought something from a scammer and asked the money back from paypal, I always got it.
When sending an item to a buyer, you must wait 72 hours if it is a high value item. It can take 48 hours for paypal and credit card companies to notice a scam. If you ship too early then you have a problem. That also happened to me, so I went to the post sorting office and insisted on getting my package back before it left the country.
 
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