Got Scammed Then Tricked The Scammer To Get Money Back

LStealtho on 06/07/2025 - 07:52
Last edited 07/07/2025 - 11:21

Thought I would tell this storey might help someone it's long.
TL: Won't be buying off GT or FBM anymore, not apple stuff anyway, too much hassle, can't trust anyone anymore.

To start off I have been buying for myself, family, and sometimes flipping iPhones/iPads off gumtree, and now mostly FBM for years and years. Never had an issue till now lol.
This one was from GT which I rarely use now.
Broke a few of my rules on this one and ended up with a fake 16 pro max, when I tried to set it up started off ok then it locked to all this Chinese writing on the screen, and couldn't do anything with it, then realised it had a different pill on the top.
Everything looked genuine except for that, box had serial no which I checked on apple site and matched up. Had a reciept from JB. Think I am losing my touch as it came up as bought in September on Apple check serial site, but the reciept had 5/2/25 (fake), didn't pick that up lol. Just on that someone is faking genuine iPhone serial no's owned by someone.

I always meet at their house or get them to come me and do the deal in my garage.
Yesterday I met in small coastal town near where I live.

What this young guy did was only messaged through GT with me, said he was working and his sister would meet me. Gave me her phone and I rang her when I got there. Turned out this girl and her boyfriend met this guy on holidays there this week and he offered her $50 to do it, while he stayed out of it all together.
Turned out the girl didn't know was a fake.

Gave her the $800 cash and went home he deleted the GT chat, but I could still see his profile and saw he had another Samsung phone for sale.
I opened another gumtree account with diff email/phone no, did the deal on the Samsung, same thing happened same girl showed up at local boat ramp, I walked over had took some photos of her also video. didn't know she was in on it then, and I believe her after spending 30 mins talking to her while waiting for the scammer to get back on his boat lol, she was on holidays from Brisvegas with her boyfriends family who didn't know either who was pissed about the photos/vid, but came good when I explained to him and deleted them on condition they helped me get my money back which they did (they were high schoolers)

Scammer comes in makes us wait another 20 mins after putting his boat on trailer and going home to get the cash, had to transfer $30 as he spent it.

Reckoned he had dummy iPhone in the ad which was BS, anyway got my $800 back and wasted 3 hours of my Saturday arvo haha.

At first I thought o'well will make it up on a couple more, but will be giving it away now.
I wouldn't recommend it. Mrs not happy lol.

Mobile

Comments

  • Gunnar on 06/07/2025 - 07:58
    +70

    Wait, I'm confused about this movie. So the cops knew that internal affairs were setting them up?

  • SnowDragon on 06/07/2025 - 07:59
    +1

    Hope you got pics of him and a name to share on social media on local groups/pages.

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 08:28
      +6

      I have his name from the bank transfer, and where he lives.

      • OhNoUShiz on 07/07/2025 - 22:48

        Maybe is fake too.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 06/07/2025 - 08:05
    +14

    Thanks for the story new kid

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 08:29
      +4

      everyone is new once

      • Protractor on 06/07/2025 - 12:00
        +4

        That's not true though, is it?

    • Protractor on 06/07/2025 - 09:53
      +3

      I miss the days where fables began with, once upon a time.

      • Thrift on 06/07/2025 - 14:10
        +5

        And ended with, "And then the whole bus clapped."

        • Protractor on 06/07/2025 - 14:40
          -1

          and brief pause , before, 'who's got another one?' rings out.
          Rinse and repeat….

        • Lastchancetosee on 07/07/2025 - 10:37
          +1

          Or 'hold my drink'

  • pegaxs on 06/07/2025 - 08:09
    +60

    Huh? You scammed a scammer… by… And let me get this clear… by "getting your money back…"

    Your idea of "scamming a scammer" and mine are very different…

    • Gunnar on 06/07/2025 - 08:10
      +1

      I think he’s the $50 high school boyfriend’s mate

      • pegaxs on 06/07/2025 - 08:13

        Oh, they are "high" alright… I think he (she/they/them) is "full of shit"…

        It's a nice LARP, but the story is fake. No scammer is going to just give someone their money back AND direct deposit the $30 they already spent.

        • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 08:31
          -4

          100% happened, he only had $14 in his account he got the girl to transfer hims $16 and he transferred me $30 lol
          talking about late aged teenagers here

          • pegaxs on 06/07/2025 - 12:14
            +6

            @Stealtho: It literally didn't. This is at best a ChatGPT story. The grammar and spelling does not match your woeful attempt at replies, suggesting that your OP was originally written by someone or something else.

            It's what our forefathers would have referred to as "a load of old bollocks".

            • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 12:19
              -2

              @pegaxs: lol whatever, have never used chat gpt

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 08:28

      yeah maybe not scammed him but tricked him, no way I would of found him without a new GT account and pretending to want to buy his Samsung, she had it in her hand when I fronted her.

  • ilove on 06/07/2025 - 08:11

    how did you "MAKE" THE criminal give back the money?

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 08:26
      -3

      Just fronted up pretending to buy the Samsung, she message him and he eventually came back with her boyfriend, they were on a boat picking up people from a sand bank, stood their watching them.

      • Thrift on 06/07/2025 - 14:31
        +4

        how did you "MAKE" THE criminal give back the money?

        • SlickMick on 07/07/2025 - 09:10
          +3

          The kid would rather lose 1 sale and not get in trouble with police

  • Jamesk811 on 06/07/2025 - 08:39
    +11

    You sure you didn’t just wake up from a dream?

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 10:26
      -1

      nope

  • Ocker on 06/07/2025 - 08:45
    +8

    Today's fairy tale

  • 87percent on 06/07/2025 - 08:48
    +20

    . Maybe next time put it through ChatGPT to check it makes sense

    • geekcohen on 07/07/2025 - 06:13
      +6

      Thought I'd share this experience—it might help someone avoid a similar headache. It's a bit of a long read, so here's the TL;DR version first:

      TL;DR: I'm done buying Apple products off Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. Too many scammers now, and it's just not worth the hassle.

      I've been buying, selling, and flipping iPhones and iPads through Gumtree and FB Marketplace for years, mostly for myself and my family. I've always been careful, had my rules, and never really had an issue—until now.

      Recently, I broke a few of my own rules and got scammed on Gumtree. Ended up buying a fake iPhone 16 Pro Max for $800. When I initially checked it, everything seemed legit. The box had a serial number matching Apple’s official site, and there was even a receipt from JB Hi-Fi. I overlooked a glaring issue—the receipt showed a date (5/2/25) that didn't match Apple's record (showing it purchased last September). Rookie mistake on my part.

      The scam became clear when I tried setting it up, and it locked up with Chinese text on the screen. Closer inspection showed the screen cut-out was different (wrong pill shape).

      Here’s how the scam unfolded: the guy selling it only communicated via Gumtree messages. He said he was busy working and arranged for his "sister" to meet me instead. Turned out, she was a random girl on holiday with her boyfriend's family, and the scammer had paid her $50 to handle the exchange.

      After realizing I'd been scammed, I checked Gumtree again and found the same guy selling a Samsung phone. I created a new account, arranged another meet-up, and guess what? The same girl showed up again! This time, I managed to take some photos and video, initially suspecting she might be involved.

      After talking to her for about 30 minutes, it became clear she genuinely had no idea. She and her boyfriend were just high school kids from Brisbane on holiday. Once her boyfriend's family found out, they were understandably upset but agreed to help.

      Finally, we confronted the scammer as he returned from his boat trip. After a lot of waiting around, he eventually refunded my $800 (minus $30 he'd already spent). His excuse? He claimed he advertised it as a dummy phone—which was complete nonsense.

      In the end, I got my money back, but it cost me a wasted afternoon and a lot of stress. Honestly, it's just not worth it anymore. Lesson learned: buying Apple products off Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace isn't safe or reliable these days.

      Stay safe out there—it's a jungle.

  • altomic on 06/07/2025 - 08:50
    +4

    Wait, you’ve been flipping phones for years and years, but this one bad experience is stopping you from doing it again?

    Ok

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 10:26

      for awhile maybe, sell some to MM and webuy if don't need, just the mucking around these days don't enjoy the chase so much especially after yesterday haha

  • JIMB0 on 06/07/2025 - 09:11
    +14

    That’s it folks for today’s episode of “Things That Never Happened.”

    Tune in tomorrow on the internet for another thrilling episode.

  • DingoBilly on 06/07/2025 - 09:46
    +11

    Where's the part where you hooked up with the girl and the scammer gave you $10,000 to keep quiet?

    • El cheepo on 06/07/2025 - 09:52
      +1

      Part two

      • quick-dry on 07/07/2025 - 13:54
        -1

        fake electric bugaloo?

    • Protractor on 06/07/2025 - 09:55
      -2

      The girl was a furry.

    • Bruceflix on 06/07/2025 - 12:20

      You'll need to subscribe to OF for that

  • El cheepo on 06/07/2025 - 09:51

    So… any searched if this is on reddit or wp yet? 😂

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 10:25
      -3

      not on there bud, nice try though

  • brendanm on 06/07/2025 - 09:53
    +7

    $800 for an iPhone 16 pro Max wasn't the first giveaway?

  • Protractor on 06/07/2025 - 10:00
    +4

    Rob Brydon called. (He said if this comment gets negged, OP gets a gig for rivalling Lee Mack.)

    • pegaxs on 06/07/2025 - 12:21
      +3

      "Hi, I'm OP and this is Rob. He is my shady iPhone sales scammer I made pay me back…"

      • Protractor on 06/07/2025 - 12:22
        +2

        "It's a …………………………….TRUE!

        • moar bargains on 07/07/2025 - 11:20
          +1

          I understood that reference

  • Wiadro on 06/07/2025 - 10:26
    +2

    what TLDR

  • ihbh on 06/07/2025 - 13:42
    +1

    anyway got my $800 back

    By asking nicely or bringing muscles with you, etc.?

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 13:53
      -1

      Just played it nice they were 17-18, I didn't care s long as I got the money back.

      • joshash on 06/07/2025 - 14:35
        +1

        Nah man, you get the $800 back, and then you ask them if they want to buy some videos and photos..

        • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 14:57
          -2

          They weren't real happy about me taking the vid and photos as she just had a sarong on and bikini top, wanted some back up though.

  • plmko on 06/07/2025 - 14:50
    +1

    This is one of those made up stories on Reddit where some guy in India then copy and pastes into some AI voice generator for a Youtube video

  • try2bhelpful on 06/07/2025 - 14:51
    +1

    Do not use social media to buy stuff.

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 16:04
      -3

      nah FBM is ok, just sold a 27" 4k monitor

      • SlickMick on 07/07/2025 - 09:15

        lol a friend got done with the exact same scam on FBM.

        There weren't as gullible as you though, they paid $1000. :)

  • randomusername2017 on 06/07/2025 - 16:29

    There's two scammers here if you're up for a challenge 🤔

    • Stealtho on 06/07/2025 - 17:46
      -1

      yeah saw that one

  • Moneyinthebank on 06/07/2025 - 20:51
    +1

    i don't get how you got the 800 back
    and how the other girl was cooperative just because you have pics and videos of her
    i would have probably call the bikkies

    • randomusername2017 on 06/07/2025 - 21:31

      probably call the bikkies

      Over for afternoon tea 🤔

    • Protractor on 06/07/2025 - 21:32
      -1

      conveniently photos deleted, otherwise OP would upload them

      • Moneyinthebank on 06/07/2025 - 22:05

        check recycle bin or use recuva

  • ChipsChicky on 06/07/2025 - 23:02

    So you are closing down your business of phones flipping and wana make sure that every other seller goes down in your boat? 👌

  • Smol Cat on 06/07/2025 - 23:55
    +2

    What a waste of time story, hardly even made sense, why did you drag it out for so long. Wtf

  • IcySpicyStew on 07/07/2025 - 02:01
    -1

    What a life achievement, bro.
    and you got on front page of ozb.
    Your mum would be proud!

  • Contrice on 07/07/2025 - 08:50
    +2

    This story is true. I am the Iphone 16 Pro Max, I was there.

  • TilacVIP on 07/07/2025 - 08:51
    +1

    I take it OP didn't take English in High School???

    • liongalahad on 08/07/2025 - 01:22
      +2

      He probably didn't even get as far as high school that's my bet

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