PSA - Chthonic Selling eBay Gift Cards on OzBargain Classifieds

iDarelones on 06/04/2023 - 19:50
Last edited 06/04/2023 - 21:26

TL;DR - Chthonic agreed to sell me and another person (kalakaar) eBay gift cards however when paid sent me nothing, and Kalakaar a eBay card worth $0. Agreed to send funds back today but as of publishing no response from Chthonic whatsoever. Moral of the story, avoid buying from this seller for the time being.

Backstory

Day 1 (4/4):
Was scrolling through the depths of OzBargain classifieds where I stumble on Chthonic's Post. He/She was advertising $300 worth of eBay gift cards which was exactly what I was looking for. Saw his account was over 10 years old so I stupidly assumed it would be all good! Message Chthonic and asked if they were still available which he/she said only $150 was remaining. I thought no worries, will take the remainder. He sent payment details and I promptly proceeded to pay him (provided proof), couple hours go by no message back, not an acknowledgement nor a gift card code. I thought maybe he/she is currently busy, waited patiently till the end of the day (paid 9AM) alas to no response. I did see that he was in the penalty box so I decided to send him my contact details (phone number and email). No response, nothing. Dead silent.

Day 2 (5/4):
Wake up to find a message around 7AM to my personal phone number in which Chthonic quotes the following. Kalakaar has also received this message later around 8AM.

Hey mate, I ended up in hospital and I can't send a message on OzBargain since they put me in the penalty box for making duplicate posts. My sister is bringing me my laptop tomorrow so I can transfer your money then. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience.

I initially assumed that he's just genuinely in hospital which made me feel really bad for bugging him, until I found this earlier from Chthonic. At this point I'm starting to think if we had all gotten scammed, same story. Same product listed. The cards were all in place. Until I saw comments from people stating that they had got their funds returned from Chthonic. Messaged said people who confirmed they did end up getting their money back, so thought ok, I'll let him transfer me the funds tomorrow (today). An hour or so goes past and I receive this message,

Hey mate sorry to be a scab, could you please xfer (transfer) $130 and i'll pay you back the full amount plus $20 tomorrow? I'm good for it and can send you a photo of my license if that helps. I'm in a ****** situation and get paid tomorrow.

At this point, I'm like WTH? Who in their right mind is going to send you $130 more on top of what I have already sent and never received an item back. I then proceeded to kindly replied that I need the funds for my own self. I then hear no response for the rest of the day.

Day 3 (Today):
I message him around 9AM just wondering when the payment will be made, I hear no response. Check his OzBargain profile and see he hasn't been online in the past 24 hours. The day moves on, I contact him again around 6PM asking when it will be made, to which I receive the silent treatment. Now as I'm writing this, I am 99% confident that I had been scammed out of $130 and so has Kalakaar out of $264.

What I Wish Will Happen.

  • OzBargain mods end up reading this post and could potentially add a warning to possible buyers on the classifieds home page.
  • There is still good in this world and that the person is genuinely in hospital and will send the funds back to both buyers ASAP.

What do you guys think is the actual story? Of course for all of you at home, there is the obligatory poll below. Let me know if you think i'm being a little bit of an ***hole for creating this spiel about him or if you think you would have done the same! Rant over. Back to your scheduled OzBargain spending browsing experience. Have a good long weekend!

Edit - I have his full name, PayID and phone number if that matters

Poll Options

  • 6
    I am being unreasonable for ranting about his actions?
  • 88
    I am being reasonable for ranting about his actions?
Site Discussion

Comments

  • Iwantthebestprice on 06/04/2023 - 19:52
    +8

    What a scumbag! I hope his account is disabled after this. Hopefully you get your gift cards

    Mods should create an option to report dodgy sellers to avoid people buying from them. It’s common courtesy

    • spychiatrist on 07/04/2023 - 22:09
      +1

      Mods should roll-out a "report" button on Classifieds posters, similar to Deals, which other users can see. Reportee can TWAM to contest the report.

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 08/04/2023 - 11:51

      I hope he actually is in hospital.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 06/04/2023 - 19:53
    +4

    Account hacked? Or genuine scumbag?

    Also how much more warning do you really want… where do you draw the line? There’s already the general disclaimer it’s all at own risk…

    • iDarelones on 06/04/2023 - 20:04
      +1

      Yes, I know that OzBargain doesn't provide support however after seeing that his potentially hacked account was 10 years old. I thought it would be all good.

  • AngoraFish on 06/04/2023 - 19:58
    -1

    Account hacked. The hospital reference and "penalty box for duplicate posts" thing is a common line and a dead giveaway.

  • iDarelones on 06/04/2023 - 20:02
    +1

    I don't think his account got hacked because in the previous post he had made, he provided the same PayID and name to me and the previous buyers whom which have got their funds returned. He has also been commenting on previous deals in the past week or 2.

  • randomusername2017 on 06/04/2023 - 20:19

    That's a lot of heavy lifting for $30…

  • kerfuffle on 06/04/2023 - 20:20
    +3

    @Chthonic your response?

    Edit: Which we won't get until the 18th when he's out of the Penalty Box …

    • Iwantthebestprice on 06/04/2023 - 20:42

      Does a penalty box block only stop posting on forums and deals, or does it also stop discussion via DM?
      If it blocks DM thats silly

      • kerfuffle on 06/04/2023 - 20:46
        +4

        It blocks DMs too.

        Source: first-hand experience

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 06/04/2023 - 20:21
    +6

    I think he is using you as short-temr loans, it's much cheaper than Cashies or any of those other places where you end up paying 30% a month…

    • iDarelones on 06/04/2023 - 20:23
      +3

      That's what I was thinking LOL. Says he gets paid tomorrow and had the same excuse for 2 other's in his last post.

      • Heaps for Cheaps on 06/04/2023 - 20:25

        OK, in any case, once the money is returned tomorrow he can rest easy knowing he has dodged the consequences.

  • afoveht on 06/04/2023 - 20:26
    +5

    I have his full name, PayID and phone number if that matters

    Finally, bikies

    • elgrande on 06/04/2023 - 20:45
      +1

      My bikies refuse to do more than a little roughing up unless I can provide a passport sized photo.

  • deme on 06/04/2023 - 21:07
    +9

    ChatGPT TL;DR: The user Chthonic from OzBargain has allegedly scammed two users by agreeing to sell eBay gift cards but not delivering them. Chthonic claimed to be in the hospital and promised to refund the payments but has not responded since. The victims hope that OzBargain moderators will take action and warn potential buyers.

    • AustriaBargain on 06/04/2023 - 22:26
      -4

      And that short description used as a prompt for a short story:

      As soon as Jack saw the post on OzBargain, he knew he had been scammed. The post was from a user named Chthonic who had allegedly agreed to sell two eBay gift cards to two different users but never delivered them. Chthonic claimed to be in the hospital and promised to refund the payments, but he had not responded since.

      Jack was one of the two users who had been scammed by Chthonic. He had been looking for an eBay gift card for weeks and had finally found one on OzBargain. He had contacted Chthonic, who had agreed to sell him the card for a reasonable price. Jack had sent the payment, but he never received the gift card. When he contacted Chthonic, he received no response.

      Jack had initially thought that something must have happened to Chthonic, but when he saw the post on OzBargain, he realized that he had been scammed. He felt angry and frustrated. He had lost a considerable amount of money, and he didn't know what to do.

      He decided to contact the other user who had been scammed, hoping that they could work together to get their money back. The other user was a woman named Sarah, who had also been looking for an eBay gift card for a while. She had contacted Chthonic and agreed to buy the card, but she never received it either. She had sent Chthonic a message asking for a refund, but he never responded.

      Jack and Sarah decided to contact the OzBargain moderators, hoping that they could take action against Chthonic and warn other users about him. They sent a message to the moderators explaining the situation and asking for help. They included screenshots of their conversations with Chthonic, as well as evidence of the payments they had made.

      The moderators responded quickly and promised to investigate the matter. They said that they would contact Chthonic and ask him to explain the situation. If he did not respond, they would ban him from the site and warn other users about him.

      A few days later, Jack and Sarah received a message from the moderators. They said that they had contacted Chthonic, but he had not responded. They had also checked his account history and found that he had been banned from several other websites for similar scams. They had therefore decided to ban him from OzBargain and warn other users about him.

      Jack and Sarah felt relieved that action had been taken against Chthonic, but they were still angry about the money they had lost. They decided to report the scam to the police, hoping that they could get their money back.

      A few weeks later, Jack received a message from the police. They said that they had arrested Chthonic and charged him with fraud. They had also seized his computer and found evidence of several other scams he had carried out. They had managed to recover some of the money he had stolen and were working to return it to the victims.

      Jack felt a sense of justice had been served. He was happy that Chthonic had been caught and would face the consequences of his actions. He had learned an important lesson about online scams and vowed to be more careful in the future.

      In the end, Jack and Sarah had managed to recover some of the money they had lost. They had also helped to prevent Chthonic from scamming other users on OzBargain. The experience had been a difficult one, but they had learned valuable lessons about online safety and the importance of reporting scams to the authorities.

      • afoveht on 06/04/2023 - 23:10

        TLDR: Little ditty 'bout Jack and Sarah

        • DashCam AKA Rolts on 07/04/2023 - 08:38

          TLDR: Jack and Sarah, a little dirty ' bout a deal.

        • gyrex on 07/04/2023 - 09:52

          Two American kids growing up in the heart land

      • Iwantthebestprice on 07/04/2023 - 01:09

        To much writing

      • deme on 07/04/2023 - 11:07

        ChatGPT TL;DR: Jack and Sarah are scammed by a user named Chthonic on OzBargain, who fails to deliver promised eBay gift cards. Realizing they have been scammed, they contact the site's moderators, who eventually ban Chthonic after an investigation. Jack and Sarah report the scam to the police, who arrest Chthonic for fraud and recover some of the stolen money. Through their efforts, they prevent further scams on OzBargain and learn important lessons about online safety and reporting scams to authorities.

  • Munificent on 06/04/2023 - 22:09
    +3

    Looks like he was involved in a car crash on 28/02/23 and had to get his sister to bring the laptop then as well. What an unlucky fella…https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/759019

    • xuqi on 06/04/2023 - 22:17

      Groundhog day kinda scenario then….Poor fella….

  • Eeples on 06/04/2023 - 23:45

    Your OP says you might have been scammed $130? But weren’t you scammed $150?

  • ExPrinceHairy on 07/04/2023 - 06:27
    +2

    Can you lodge a PayID dispute with your bank to get the money back? Someone accidentally deposited money into my bank account a while back, and then I received notice from my bank that they had lodged an incorrect transaction dispute or something (I had to prove that the money was intended for me). Naturally, I didn't hesitate in allowing my bank to give them back their money.

  • lostgoat on 07/04/2023 - 07:40

    We all know the OZB disclaimer on here when dealing with GCs .
    You risked it and have to wear it .

  • TightAl on 07/04/2023 - 08:14
    +2

    Pulled the same thing with me and a few others, I think he is using Ozb as short term credit.

    I asked for the ebay gc during our incident and he wanted to refund me.. Perhaps we were guinea pigs for this bigger scam..

  • 2esc on 07/04/2023 - 09:19

    Sorry i can't give advise as its not something i would consider doing in the first place.

  • Sweet3st on 07/04/2023 - 09:30
    +2

    I was ripped off $50 once in the classifieds, similar situation, except I never got the $ back along with several others. What surprised me was the mod's attitude as they were quite shirty and refused to remove the ad or post a warning, which led to further people losing their $. There seemed to be this Robin Hood type attitude, that the guy must have really needed the money. Maybe we should have an OzB GoFundMe section?

  • gyrex on 07/04/2023 - 09:54
    +2

    If you have his name, contact the police. This is fraud.

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 07/04/2023 - 10:06
    -1

    It is unfortunate that, within the OzBargain community where many assume a sense of friendship and trust, a harsh reality exists.

    The truth is that our members come from various backgrounds. While most are average, well-intentioned individuals, there are also those with criminal inclinations, such as rapists, scammers, shop-lifters, drug dealers, addicts and deviants among us, the user replying to this comment might even be a Uber Eats driver that eats customers food for all we know. We must remain aware of this fact and approach interactions with prudence to ensure our personal safety.

    It would be intriguing to present this moral dilemma to a typical OzBargain member: Imagine you discovered a $100 bill on the ground during an OzBargain gathering, and you were certain that no one would notice if you pocketed it. Would you choose to return the money to its rightful owner, or would you keep it for yourself?

    • holdenmg on 07/04/2023 - 10:20
      +1

      I figure the Reserve Bank keeps increasing rates and needs the Money back, so I guess I'd donate it (but claim the Tax Deduction). lol

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 08/04/2023 - 11:49
      +1

      I got negs, probably from the scammy criminal element around these parts.

      • Sweet3st on 08/04/2023 - 12:49
        +1

        I got negs too ;)

  • outlander on 07/04/2023 - 10:11
    +2

    Guessing drugs

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 07/04/2023 - 10:14
      +3

      I'm guessing it is a gambling issue.

      • outlander on 07/04/2023 - 11:09
        +3

        Yeah that'd do it too. Not one that comes immediately to my mind as gambling has always been a suckers game to me, but a lot of people do seem to go apeshit over it.

  • Hardlyworkin on 07/04/2023 - 12:47

    Friends don't let friends buy second hand gift cards.

  • [Deactivated] on 08/04/2023 - 19:14

    Who is kalakaar and why are they also mentioned in this post by @A4444 who also alleges they got cheated buying giftcards on OzB?

    • kalakaar on 11/04/2023 - 18:57

      Hi Mate. Let me have a look. I have not seen this post earlier.

      • [Deactivated] on 11/04/2023 - 19:08

        How annoying for you to have been allegedly involved in 2 separate instances of gift card scamming on OzB! What a relief for you that it was sorted out in the end!

        • kalakaar on 11/04/2023 - 19:11

          I was saved in these two instances but was scammed last year for $450 for freedom gift cards. I didnt realize to posting it in forums. I will have to make one about that. I had only contacted the mods after a while. User was Turboeagles.

    • kalakaar on 11/04/2023 - 19:07

      I just had a look at the history. So I contacted Ron007 to buy the gift card but he had already sold it by then. I got a message from makeorbreak to buy from him and I was okay. After I while I had change in plans and replied him back saying I no longer want it. Feel lucky A4444 didnt try to con me.

      • [Deactivated] on 11/04/2023 - 19:22
        -1

        lol

        Since we're sharing …. I did a grocery shop instore today and had to return the first trolley because it was defective. Luckily, I was able to then choose a shopping cart that worked properly.

  • iDarelones on 11/04/2023 - 17:55
    +4

    Update - I have received a refund + $5. Unsure about Kalakaar's situation.

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 13/04/2023 - 18:18

      Thanks for the update. I guess the loan was cheaper than the 40% a month Cash Convertors charges.

  • kalakaar on 11/04/2023 - 18:57
    +2

    Hi All. I have received my refund as well finally.

    • Bafranz on 11/04/2023 - 19:11

      Did you get $5 also?

      • kalakaar on 11/04/2023 - 19:14
        +3

        I got $6 extra but transferred it back. Just glad I got my money back. Only now waiting from one another user - Turboeagles to pay me back my $450

        • Bafranz on 11/04/2023 - 19:16

          Good luck..

          • shopaholic111 on 13/04/2023 - 00:19
            +1

            @Bafranz: I got scammed by Turboeagles too, gone completely quiet..

            • lilkid28 on 15/04/2023 - 21:37
              +2

              @shopaholic111: Yes same got scammed by Turboeagles too. Scum has gone quiet ghosting me and a few others. Who else has been scammed by him please voice out. Maybe we should report him to the police.

              • itslittfam on 01/08/2023 - 15:30

                @lilkid28: I'm still out of pocket $430 by this bloke. Have sent him countless emails and msgs on ozbargain. Yes disclaimers were there but this account was since 2009 so I thought was safe. Turboeagles if you can see this - Please transfer my money back

                • Yola on 01/08/2023 - 15:37

                  @itslittfam: This is terrible. Can nothing be done?

                • Uncle Roger on 02/12/2023 - 21:58

                  @itslittfam: Please PM - you're not the only one :(

                  Sorry, only seeing this now for the first time.

              • Uncle Roger on 02/12/2023 - 21:57

                @lilkid28: Please PM - you're not the only one :(

                Sorry, only seeing this now for the first time.

            • Uncle Roger on 02/12/2023 - 21:57

              @shopaholic111: Please PM - you're not the only one :(

              Sorry, only seeing this now for the first time.

  • pacman21 on 03/12/2023 - 13:59
    +1

    Bumping this thread. Looks like Chthonic is at it again. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/816770

    I've unfortunately fallen victim and sent him $850 with zero response for 5 days now. I'm not the only one as well (see the comments in the thread).

    @iDarelones I only have his bank details so if you have more, could you please share them with me as we will have to file a police report if he doesn't respond.

    Could I also resurface your original request to moderators to have some kind of warning developed for these type of users. I'm shocked that he is still allowed to use classifieds after this initial event took place.

  • surajkt on 03/12/2023 - 21:27
    +1

    I have also been scammed for apply gift card.
    I have transferred him 200$. I haven't received the GC and he is not replying to my messages.
    He should be banned and not allowed to be on this community.
    Has anyone received their money back? I have raised a thread on with the moderators. Anything else I should do? Any help is appreciated
    Thanks

  • pacman21 on 01/02/2024 - 09:49
    +1

    How is this user still being permitted to access classifieds when he still hasn't refunded myself or others that he has scammed?

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/827603
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/827878

    This is bordering negligence from Ozbargain now. I hope more users have not been scammed.

    • iDarelones on 01/02/2024 - 10:44

      I've been refunded from him.

      • pacman21 on 01/02/2024 - 12:48

        Hope I receive the same outcome.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join