Scammed by Gumtree Buyer, Suggestions Required

LEducatedfool on 02/07/2023 - 06:49

I have sold my new phone to the gumtree buyer. I did not aware he is scammer until the payment disappeared from my bank transactions.

Bank is escaping from their responsibilities and will not investigate or dispute as they only do for payment going outside.

I have found from simple google searches,he is using the my phone on his no. he is not attending my calls.

I reported to police but waiting for them to take action. Thinking of contacting Current affairs and finanicial omsbudman

is there any way I can find his street address with the phone no ? or any better way I can approach to this issue. Ozbargainers please suggest.

I have asked my mobile provider to block the phone. but the service provider saying they may or may not do it. I am powerless. even though the scammer can be easily found and punished..

Video footage of him is everywhere.no one able to provide me due to privacy reason.

The system here is more of helping scammers than to the General public..

General Discussion

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Comments

    • BrunoBear on 03/07/2023 - 22:45
      -1

      What will be the punishment?

    • Grazz989 on 04/07/2023 - 21:36

      Why are you so confident?

      This sort of scam happens all the time. People don't get their money back 9 times out of 10.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/07/2023 - 01:27
    +3

    You fell for the bank transfer scam, then fell for more scams giving your credit card number away and paying for subscription services claiming to pinpoint people's locations just based of their phone numbers…. OP, gullible people like you are the reason gumtree and marketplace are turning into more shitholes than they already were attracting more scammers who know they can easily make money off people like you.

  • 7ekn00 on 04/07/2023 - 10:34
    +1

    Found them: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/785414 ;)

    • Munki on 04/07/2023 - 12:12

      lol that would be amazing if true.

    • Educatedfool on 04/07/2023 - 11:06

      the 4 th one from the left is how she exactly looks now.

    • Educatedfool on 04/07/2023 - 11:29

      I think the one in the second and third picture behind the lady is the main culprit

  • Educatedfool on 04/07/2023 - 11:33

    anyone know any info about these scammers

    • [Deactivated] on 04/07/2023 - 12:17
      -2

      Yes - contact here

    • penguincat on 04/07/2023 - 16:34

      Question was any of the communication outside of gumtree via apps like whatssapp?

      Did the person show you any sort of transaction pending on their device or know the amount paid? Generally the scam is they tell a mule go to to the agreed address to pick up a phone for X name for simple example Bob.
      Bob to mule I have an item you need to collect from XXX street tomorrow at 12pm. You are then to immediately send the phone to Y location/country Mule says ok.
      Hi Educatedfool I am here to collect a phone for Bob? Educatedfool gives them the phone. Mule then leaves and sends the phone off to Y location/country as directed.
      Where as Bob could be from Africa/Europe. (If they happily showed you ID chances are it was stolen.)
      Meaning police are pretty much powerless. The mule might get charged for handling stolen items but it is also possible that the person who picked it up is getting scammed themselves as part of a romance scam.

      It's the main reason why you are to avoid and block when someone says "My courier/friend/partner/sibling/parent is collecting it." Someone attempted to do it to me. "I'm very busy at the moment I'll send my personal courier to come collect it." (even though I was apparently as little as 55 mins away. Their profile said they where selling balloon animals and cheap cosmetics.)
      I was like nope I don't like that. Are you sure you can't come yourself on a weekend etc? Strangely enough I never heard from them again. I guess they knew I was onto them?

      Good chance that the mule has never even met the person you where originally talking too.

      But your tracking by phone number is just a different version of https://www.9news.com.au/videos/national/family-scammed-out-… where people claimed to remote access a GPS showing a signal bouncing around all over the place and was always several hours old. Then becomes well if you want a more recent live location pay more $$$. Turned out to be phony as they went to the address it was pinging from and nothing was there. Which can also be a another bait for another robbery.

      • Educatedfool on 04/07/2023 - 16:55

        yeah I understand. I have unsubscribed the tracking service already after someone comments here I have used visa Gift card to subscribe that had remaining value of 4$.

  • wheresmymoney on 04/07/2023 - 13:18
    +2

    it's pointless wasting your time on here finding them. Best to seek your local authorities for assistance.

  • nightmarez3k on 04/07/2023 - 15:11
    +3

    Don't sell an expensive phone on gumtree unless they pay cash. Then again it could be counterfeit notes.

    So don't sell expensive phone on gumtree. Buy a phone and use it till it's worth zero.

    If you can afford to buy a new phone before losing your old one on the scam you don't need the money anyway. Mark down as expensive lesson.

  • cnrmlj on 04/07/2023 - 16:19

    I just sold a phone on eBay. In fact i have sold numerous phones over the years on eBay. Yes, eBay takes a large fee each time but i have most of the money and the purchaser has the phone. A small price to pay for piece of mind and not being stuffed around by scammers.

    • Wonderstache on 04/07/2023 - 19:42
      +2

      Curious how you're protected on eBay? Don't they usually side with the buyer, even if they pulled a scam on you?

      • cnrmlj on 05/07/2023 - 11:56

        eBay collects the money and then pass it on. They must have their own checks to make sure it is real money and not an uncleared cheque or other scamming.

        I have sold over 200 items over the years - mainly iPhones, apple tvs, laptops and tvs as i have upgraded and a few other things.

        I have had a couple of people not pay. That's annoying but fees are refunded and item is relisted and sold.

        I had one person buy a TV, came over to pick it up, gave him a demo and he didn't like the apps that were on it. He wouldn't pay. That's annoying but fees are refunded and item is relisted and sold.

        And my personal favourite was the person from Brisbane who ignored me making it clear that a TV was pick up only and still bid. Again, annoying but fees were refunded and item was relisted and sold.

        Items are posted with signature on delivery after payment has been made or cash on pickup and i haven't had a problem.

        Touch wood the good experience continues.

  • monky on 04/07/2023 - 21:20

    Cash is King OP. Sorry about your phone.

  • Tassie lass on 04/07/2023 - 22:36
    +1

    I feel for you l got scammed did a direct debit CBA checked his account details matched his name and they did. Said packnsend would pick it up when payment cleared. Waited for freight tracking number did not receive scammer didnot answer mobile. Contacted bank and they trying too get my $4000. Iam in Tas and my license has been suspended till l pass OTdriving assessment and the wheelchair was in Sydney. In hindsight l should have got a technican to go and check it and have had payment held pending proof of freight company having been paid

    • BrunoBear on 04/07/2023 - 22:57
      +2

      This is a case police & ACA might actually do something about.
      "Heartless thief steals $4k from disabled tassie lass trying to buy wheelchair"

  • raiseyoursteaks on 05/07/2023 - 00:01

    From the way you respond, you totally deserve it. Either that or this entire post is fake.

    Still gullible enough to think any random app there can track our phones without consent/installing additional software on the person you intend to track.

    This is like taking matters into your own hands, for the cost of an iPhone, take this as a learning lesson. Current affairs are not going to boil the ocean for a cheap iPhone..

    You know how many murders will happen if random software out there can use to track mobile phones

  • paloverde88 on 05/07/2023 - 03:48

    at the end of the day, it was a top-of-the-line Philips 4G phone, any questions?

  • Dack Smith on 05/07/2023 - 11:25

    It’s easy enough to scam people on Gumtree, especially through rapid bank transactions from one to another - police won’t get involved in civil matters

    It’s a sure way of making money to help with bills

  • pufffdragon on 05/07/2023 - 19:48

    Yep, username definitely checks out.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/07/2023 - 21:19

    On a side note there seems to be a spike in idiots trying out bank transfer and paypal scams on fb marketplace. Tried selling a laptop last week and got over 10 of them. Usually it's on a poorly made profile with stolen images that can be easily reversed-searched to their source. Gumtree seems to be safer but is filled with it's own breed of idiots trying to lowball at under 50% under market value.

    Gave up and just sold on ebay instead within 24hrs.

  • neosin on 06/07/2023 - 00:03

    Oldest trick in the book!

    I seriously can't believe people still fall for this!

    I've been on Ozbargain for 16 years and this scam has been around since forever!

    It's normally greedy sellers thinking they have a good/quick sale that get caught…

  • winhhh on 06/07/2023 - 12:05

    UneducatedFool more like it

  • FareEvader on 06/07/2023 - 16:35
    +1

    "Bank won't take responsibility"

    How about you take some personal accountability?

  • dfg555 on 21/07/2023 - 07:40
    +1

    I'll never why people dont use some kind of middleman for stuff like this. For example I use PayPal and have had 2 scammers tried to file a complaint of not received item when tracking details proved otherwise, not to mention a video of me packing the item and handing the package to Auspost so those 2 scammers have no leg to stand on

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