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SCAM on Craigslist - 2008 Rickenbacker 4003

mattwear

mattwear

Aug 7, 2006
219
154
Wellington, NZ
#1
Please stear well away from this listing. It's a scam!

$1400 too good to be true? YES!!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I enquired about the bass and the seller said he's out of town so left the bass, along with a load of other stuff, with The Online Outpost who would sell it all for him. He said he has to stay out of town for personal reasons and that I am to deal with The Online Outpost directly to make the sale.

I didn't do my due diligence and research enough so I went along with it. Paid US$1400 plus shipping via MoneyGram to a bogus The-OnlineOutpost (instead of the legit TheOnlineOutpost), and BAM, the money is gone.

If you google 'Craiglist online outpost moneygram scam' there is lots of info on it. It's all bogus. The dodgy website has been taken down but the scammer is still active with emails that look very professional that refer to The-OnlineOutpost with a dash.

Needless to say I'm a little peeved
 
#8
Could be... but whoever gets it at that price should still be happy though if this is all legit. Especially now that they neck inlays are full width again like the old days (I think the headstocks are all now with 'walnut wings' but being black you'd never know).
 
#10
No. I was stung by this guy.

I enquired about the bass and the seller said he's out of town so left the bass, along with a load of other stuff, with The Online Outpost who would sell it all for him. He said he has to stay out of town for personal reasons and that I am to deal with The Online Outpost directly to make the sale.

I didn't do my due diligence and research enough so I went along with it. Paid US$1400 plus shipping via MoneyGram to a bogus The-OnlineOutpost (instead of the legit TheOnlineOutpost), and BAM, the money is gone.

If you google 'Craiglist online outpost moneygram scam' there is lots of info on it. It's all bogus. The dodgy website has been taken down but the scammer is still active with emails that look very professional that refer to The-OnlineOutpost with a dash.

Needless to say I'm a little peeved
 
#13
Yeah, after the fact I checked as many ebay pictures I could find, thinking - mmmm, maybe i've seen those pics before.

I thought a scammer would be into scamming people on more generic items like computer hardware. Maybe they've been searching ebay for any hot selling items... Rics do seem to be selling well on ebay at the moment.

I'd been gasing for this bass and when the oportunity came up I went for it before anyone else did. And in all the flurry and excitement I left my brain at the door.
 
#15
On the top of every craigslist listing, including the one in this thread:

Avoid scams and fraud by dealing locally! Beware any deal involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfer, cashier check, money order, shipping, escrow, or any promise of transaction protection/certification/guarantee. More info
Click to expand...

Totally sucks that you got burned. I've always had very good deals on CL, both buying and selling. Hope there is something you can do. At the very least investigate filing fraud charges.
 
#16
mattwear said:
No. I was stung by this guy.

I enquired about the bass and the seller said he's out of town so left the bass, along with a load of other stuff, with The Online Outpost who would sell it all for him. He said he has to stay out of town for personal reasons and that I am to deal with The Online Outpost directly to make the sale.

I didn't do my due diligence and research enough so I went along with it. Paid US$1400 plus shipping via MoneyGram to a bogus The-OnlineOutpost (instead of the legit TheOnlineOutpost), and BAM, the money is gone.
Click to expand...

What is moneygram - do they do a direct transfer from your bank account, or is the money charged to your Credit Card
 
#17
Certainly looks like a scam.

I sent him this this morning after seeing this post:

Hi,
Mighty pretty bass. Do you still have it? Just saw your ad. I've always wanted to have a Ric.

Can I stop by to see it? And (stupid question, but I gotta ask) do you have an amp to play it through?

I could give you $200 down and the rest on Monday, pick it up Monday evening.
Thanks,
Rich
-----------
He replied:
Hi Rich ,

I still have the RICKENBACKER for sale. I want you to know that
the guitar is in perfect conditions.. Right now i am in Texas, but i hope
that`s not going to be a problem because i can still handle the transaction.
Before i went to Texas, i left the guitar along with several other items in
the custody of The Online Outpost because i wanted to sell them on eBay when
i return, but something came up back home and i decided to sell them before
i get back, but not on eBay, because i need to sell them faster.

So if you are still interested let me know because i can make the
transaction immediately. Just let me know and i will explain all the details
of the transaction...There will also be a return policy included.

Thanks,
Philip Madson
phi .mad 11@g a l.c m
---------------
I swizzled his return email address to "protect his privacy".
---------------
So he didn't address ANY of my proposed terms for the transaction. And he made no
mention about my inspecting the bass in person.

With only that as evidence, I'd say we are looking at a real live scam in progress. What do you think? Interstate fraud? Doesn't that make it a federal offense?

Tango
 
#18
Sorry for the loss, but the advantage to dealing with craigslist is buying it in person ONLY.

Searching "The-OnlineOutpost" brings up nothing but scams.

Cash is king with craigslist, nothing else. If you even have the slightest hunch that it is a scam it probably is. I have been lucky with my craigslists buys and sells of guitars/basses/amps and even here on talkbass. 1400 is a lot to lose. Sorry that it is long gone now. Any way to track it down?
 
#19
For god's sake, guys, it wasn't funny when it was on Something Awful fifty years ago, it wasn't funny on 4chan last year, and it sure as hell isn't funny on Talkbass now.

Actual content: Those pics look an awful lot like the Ric I bought a couple months back. The fingerboard looks very familiar. Not sure how many Rics that aren't mine have bubinga fingerboards (at least I think the one in the pics has a bubinga board, sure doens't look like rosewood).
 

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