Purchased Laptop on Facebook Marketplace. Paid Money to Person Who Had Stolen Someones ID

Lwhereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 19:08
Last edited 12/07/2019 - 19:17 by 1 other user

Hey guys, apologies if I'm posting this in the wrong section of the site I'm just not quite sure what my best options are regarding being a victim of online fraud/theft for a deal that took place on Facebook marketplace (go figure)

For convenience sake I will refer to the person who has frauded me as "Larry" and the person wHo has his identity stolen as "Barry"

I recently sent funds to a bank account for a new laptop however it has since turned out that
1) the seller was using a fake profile and had stolen someone else's ID. (I had asked for photo I.D with address and he had sent me photos of license and passport of the person's identity he had stolen)

2) the seller has since blocked me after receiving funds

3) I managed to get in contact with the person whos identity was stolen (Barry) to which he has confirmed that he had made a mistake on his own end and sent photo ID to Larry as it turns out that Barry had previously sold aforementioned laptop to Larry and Larry had requested ID to which Larry has since masqueraded as Barry online.

4) I have since managed to obtain what i strongly believe to be Larry's address given Barry had previously sent the laptop to this address.

Given that I have Larry's bank account details as well as his address and his real name (it is vietnamese if that helps..?),evidence that fraud has taken place via screenshotsof measages (i am considering printing these out to build my "case") as well as evidence from Larry thT he has had his identity stolen by Barry, is there any way I can get the money I've transferred back?

I've previously been a victim of fraud before and the most my bank could do was "request " the funds to be transferred back from the other bank (NAB) to which the criminal on the other end can simply just refuse the request and the case is then closed. That's it.

So given that this time both Larry and I are with Commbank, what is the best way for me to get my money back?
I have considered paying a friendly visit to Larry but his house is quite secure and is a 2 Storey house thus not as convenient..)

Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you:)

Financial

Related Stores

Facebook
Facebook

Comments

  • PissLUR on 12/07/2019 - 19:11
    +8

    police matter.

    • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 19:31

      I'm honestly just hoping for the funds to be traced back and refunded as I'm assuming a police case would take quite some time..

      • Flossy08 on 02/03/2020 - 13:12

        I think I've been scammed by the same person. I have reported to my bank and the Cybercrime website, do you have any further details on this person I could add to my 'Barry the Scumbag' file?

    • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 12/07/2019 - 23:08
      +4

      You better Harry cause larry and Barry might know Gary.

  • qwerty on 12/07/2019 - 19:14
    -2

    Member Since
    51 min ago

    • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 19:18
      +3

      I'm a longtime lurker who normally looks for a good tech deal or whatever promos food outlets are doing as I'm a huge foodie but I've decided to make an account as a majority of the people on here have a wealth of knowledge and experience that I wish to draw upon

      • Baysew on 12/07/2019 - 19:21
        +8

        Welcome to OzBargain. This is a place where people are careful and savvy with their money.

        Hope you fit in.

        • o53djz7qTPY4der on 12/07/2019 - 19:47
          +2

          And either fall into the "have car insurance, don't buy things on gumtree by bank transfer" or the "don't have car insurance and transfer any sum of money to anyone for anything on gumtree" camp.

  • mskeggs on 12/07/2019 - 19:22
    +2

    I’m pretty sure Larry isn’t a Viet name.
    Have you gone to the station and talked to the cops yet?

    • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 19:28

      I used Larry just for convenience sake but I have a strong feeling that Larry is also here on a visa, as for how I'm going to use that to my knowledge is TBD.
      I haven't gone to the cops yet as this occurred over the space of about a week or so and have only gathered/finalized the evidence today not to mention today was the first day I managed to successfully make contact with Barry who s information was very useful to me today.
      I will most likely go tomorrow and then hit up CBA

  • toniyellow on 12/07/2019 - 19:27
    +3

    If you are the victim of an online fraud or scam you should report the incident to the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN).

    https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/crime-types/cyber-crime/on…

    Mistaken Internet Payments
    If the money is still in the other person’s bank account …the funds [may, depending on how quickly you reported] be returned to you. If the money is not in the other person’s account when the receiving bank is notified, then the receiving bank must make a reasonable attempt to get the money back

    https://www.afca.org.au/about-afca/publications/

    • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 19:29

      I have previously reported a matter to them but they did not respond as such I have very little faith in them, however I am still considering filing a report witb acorn, just hesitant with wasting my time

      • toniyellow on 12/07/2019 - 19:40

        They have limited funding so will investigate a limited amount of cases. They likely prioritise based on people who lost the largest amounts and stopping repeat offenders. It costs nothing to put in a report so you may as well and even if it is just a laptop after a year or so if person has repeat offended enough then perhaps they will become a priority.

        If you have waited more than 7 days to tell your bank, their powers are reduced. If you get scammed a 3rd time, make sure to call them first.

      • jjjaar on 12/07/2019 - 19:54
        +4

        I have previously reported a matter to them

        Ok just stop buying things online

  • o53djz7qTPY4der on 12/07/2019 - 19:45
    +4

    What difference does the house being two-story make?

    Side note: Why do people keep buying expensive stuff on gumtree and Facebook by bank transfer?

    • CyberMurning on 12/07/2019 - 19:49

      Agree without Proper platform and protection, only cash and pickup.

      • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 20:07

        Yeah I will now follow this principle to a T. My greed got the better of me I guess, the deal was too good to pass up..

    • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 20:06

      Some good deals can be found at a fantastic bargain price (aren't we all on here for bargains anyway?) However obviously there is no buyer protextion hence a big disadvantage

      As for the two storey house being a disadvantage.. yes

      • o53djz7qTPY4der on 12/07/2019 - 20:29
        +1

        If something looks too good to be true, it often is.

    • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2019 - 21:14

      Amen to the 2 storey part. Anyone who watched Dawson's Creek would agree.

  • CyberMurning on 12/07/2019 - 19:50
    +3

    Bikies vs Vietnamese gang

    This is interesting

  • Rumbaar on 12/07/2019 - 20:05
    +5

    Frauder / Non-Frauder would have been better 'names' for the story.

    Is this even a question? Police matter.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2019 - 21:50

    You should try contacting your bank to see if they can reverse the direct deposit (I am not sure they will be able to but it can't hurt to try).

    • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 22:24

      I've just tried calling them and they said because it's fraud it now becomes a legal matter…if it was a scam on the other hand I believe I would have been protected, at least according to the call operator from commonwealth.. :/

      • [Deactivated] on 13/07/2019 - 00:20

        and the police will probably try and tell you it's a civil matter

  • ihbh on 12/07/2019 - 22:46
    +2

    Is Larry's surname Nguyen by any chance?

  • pegaxs on 12/07/2019 - 23:07

    “I bought something on gumtree/Facebook and was scammed” seems to be the new OzB meme…

    Police report, hand that to the bank as evidence of fraud, wait with both police and bank sit on their hands…

    • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 23:21

      Can you tell me what you know of this process? I.e what sort of communications will be held between the bank and the police? As well as an estimated time frame for this type of case? Cheers

  • Eeples on 12/07/2019 - 23:09

    Was Larry supposed to post the laptop to you?

    As he apparently lives near you…. why didn’t you set up a meet?

    • whereismysupersuit69 on 12/07/2019 - 23:25
      +1

      Nah Larry was the person who's identity was stolen and lives very far from me (he's in Wodonga whereas I'm in Melbourne CBD )

      Barry on the other hand is in Springvale however whilst posing as Larry he stated Melbourne was too far as the ID he had showed me (which was Larry's) indicated he was in Wodonga as such as such we agreed to ship the item..hence the current situation

      On another note, if anyone knows anything about burning houses, extortion or blackmail please PM me
      Bikies welcome

      • Some Human on 13/07/2019 - 00:58
        +3

        I thought Barry was the victim?

        • Melb69 on 13/07/2019 - 06:51
          +1

          Who's on first. Larry or Barry. Doesn't the OPter say Larry is the fraudster in description.

          For convenience sake I will refer to the person who has frauded me as "Larry" and the person who has his identity stolen as "Barry"

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg

      • Flossy08 on 29/02/2020 - 09:40

        I think I’ve been a victim of this guy too. I’ve lodged a case with my bank and plan to go to the police if this is unsuccessful. Do you have any more details on this lowlife?

  • Kaz0551 on 13/07/2019 - 08:13
    +2

    marketplace (Facebook / Gumtree) = cash and pickup

  • Seraphin7 on 13/07/2019 - 08:24

    Is there any way I can get the money I've transferred back?

    Yes. Present your evidence to the police and see if they are willing to take this on as a prosecution. Otherwise, lawyer up and pursue this through the civil courts.

    The bank, quite rightly, isn't going to do anything.

  • Love a bargain on 13/07/2019 - 19:51
    +1

    If someone sends you a copy of their ID over the Internet just like that, that's probably a red flag.

    I would never have given someone my ID like that (perfect recipe for identity fraud).

  • brendanm on 13/07/2019 - 20:43
    +2

    Has been scammed before.
    Falls for likely scam on Facebook marketplace and pays via direct debit
    I suspect there is a good chance op will be getting scammed again at some point.

  • enmanueljeffren on 14/07/2019 - 09:34
    +1

    I would never have given someone my ID like that (perfect recipe for identity fraud).

  • crashloaded on 14/07/2019 - 13:54

    Hire liam Neeson.

  • Rogerrr on 04/01/2020 - 11:18

    I think we have been scammed by the same person (lutanhoa from wodonga). https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/510510 Would like to tell me if you ever gor your money back?

    • Rogerrr on 04/01/2020 - 16:52

      Please let me know if you would like to discuss this further. This is a repeat offender that will offend again and if we are able to share information we might be able to track him down.

      • Flossy08 on 29/02/2020 - 09:39
        +1

        I think I’ve been a victim of this guy too. I’ve lodged a case with my bank and plan to go to the police if this is unsuccessful. Do you have any more details on this lowlife?

        • Htmin on 02/03/2020 - 15:28

          I have the same case as you, just let me know so that i can help you find the way out i think

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join