Price scams

If you are a nerd, inexhaustible-price-tracker, (too often) fancying some expensive gadget to be bought but being permanently strapped for cash? Well, that’s me. And sometimes I get damned by the false surprises of coming across scams like this (or this, or this). A brand new Nikon d90 for 600€, The worst is my reaction of almost forcing myself to believe that it could be true, who knows, someone could be taking stuff straight from factory and selling it half-priced over the Internet. So I always waste those seconds of my life carefully writing those people with strange names, only to be answered in few minutes by some automaton. This time the name was not strange, it sounded very English:

Hello
Thanks for your interest
We have in stock the brand new Nikon D90
It comes with it complete company accessories along other manuals..
It also comes with 2 years warranty and 1 year return policy
It cost just $700usd including it postage fee
You will transfer the money through MoneyGram

We are company located and registered in England,UK
Send me your shipping address so I can send you the package of the camera to be received in two days.
Regards

Peter Johnson

[This message was sent in Spanish by some automatic translator, here it was re-translated back to English]

Well, I’m conscious enough to not even consider doing a money wire to anyone on the Internet. So I do my best (improvising indeed some scam of my own):

Dear Mr Johnson,

I’d be delighted to trust you and buy your very good offer. In fact, I work in a photographers cluster, and had I any evidence that your deal be fair I’d ask you for 5 (or more) additional units for group mates. However, I hope you will understand that I can’t send my money to some unknown source from London and wait to receive a brand new camera in return. Please, I don’t mean any disrespect, I just would like to be given some reassurance and more information.
One possible way to proceed is to send me first one camera, so I can inspect it and see if everything is allright, and then I send you the money with whatever means of payment you prefer. From then on, I would have earned your trust and I could ask you for more items. Does it sound fair to you?

Thanks,
Bernat.-

After this offer, there’s usually no more automatons. No matter how potentially good customer I could be, this individual vanishes forever. But not this time. This guy whose name we’ll never know (though certainly ain’t Peter Johnson) tried this:

Hello,
Thanks for getting back to me in Englsih
I quite understand your point, it is not an easy thing to transfer 650euro to unknown person in London withou any guarrantee, but it is the same thing here because i am seller who sells online for the past 6 years now.
I am an old man of 61 years and ever since i have retired from my work i decided to invest my money in Electronics business such as camera, phones, laptop, DJ equipment e.t.c and due to this i have heard alot of bad experience with some bad buyer.
As i am talking to you now my paypal account as been deactivated due to an unserious buyer who claim to make the payment through paypal with another person’s stolen paypal account and this has lead to my account deactivated can you imaging?
So, in this case since you decide to buy 5 unit i can allow you to make the payment directly to our bank account and the 5 camera’s will be shipped after the confirmation of your payment but if you decide to buy 1 unit you will make the payment through MoneyGram Money Transfer.
Moreso, i can’t just advice you to transfer the money just like that without any proof of guarrantee of receiveing the package so i will send you my international passport to confirm whom you are dealing with because i can see you a good buyer.
Send me your shipping address so i can package the camera for
shipping.
Await your response
Thanks

I’m flattered this guy took the time to put together this touching little soap opera. Now, seriously, never be duped by one of this scams, even if it’s a charming 61 year old grandpa selling electronics. They are just too obvious! Do a Internet search before. For instance, this site is interesting. Almost always there will be other victims crying around. My experience have taught me that half-priced brand-new stuff just does not exist. Scam, scam, scam! But if you find a real one, please, let me know!

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