Best Way to Stick It to Attempted Scammy Buyer?

Bargainbeth on 19/06/2019 - 09:10
Last edited 22/06/2019 - 12:20

So this is a little odd on a bargain site.

I had a dodgy gumtree user waste 2hrs on/off of my time with negotiations to buy something.

At the end of everything guy sent a fake paypal notification of payment sent. I think this isn't some normal person but someone who probably works with a network since they also have a reply text system.

Anyway, the guy gave me his physical address to send goods to, so I'm hoping I can get him evicted by his landlord or investigated (it's a unit address so I assume there's someone (him or his minion) actually living there).

Any way to quickly and effectively do this?

Would calling up real estates around the unit be helpful, or would they not really care or pass this onto the landlord?

Only reason I don't just want to report to cops is because I think they usually have more pressing matters, and won't investigate this one. I've also heard that cops aren't much help in fraudulent online transactions, even in cases where scammers have rorted several people in their scamming sprees.

Alternatively, what else can I do that makes his life a little more miserable?

Because only I waste my time, nobody else. Hahah.

TLDR: Guy wastes my time, almost takes my precious dollarydoos. Me bad want revenge now.

EDIT: Thanks for your responses guys, got a good chuckle from the salty revenge answers, and others philosophically interesting or informative.

And I'm glad there are people who actually exist that hate scammers and do something about it. Monkhood leave-it-alone mentality sure brings about better mental health for yourself, but being a monk isn't about helping society- it's about withdrawing from it completely. Which in my opinion is a bit removed from altruism.

I learned a bit from this thread, on complexity of scamming operations that changed my initial assumptions- I know the address given is probably not the scammer him/herself.

For now, going to just leave it at my reports to gumtree, acorn and paypal and hope the guy has a good few setbacks to prevent scamming for a while.

Won't be responding to new comments as lifes gotten a lot busier.

But will def keep everything in mind once I do decide to continue this side hobby!

Thanks tightarses of Australia.

Poll Options expired

  • 228
    Take this all the way.
  • 40
    Just report him to the cops and move on.
  • 8
    Leave him alone, he's a good guy.
General Discussion

Comments

  • seraphim2017 on 20/06/2019 - 10:17
    +1

    You've not lost anything, as you haven't sent the item. Just tell them you've sent it, and move on. There will always be people willing to be scammed, you can't protect them, people should do due diligence. There's very few things (major fraud/incompetence etc) that are protected by law. Sending malicious mail is an offence, why bother?

    There are 600000 seconds in a week (well, 604800). this has already cost you 7200 seconds. How much more time are you willing to spend? if it was money, you lost $7200 from your account of 604800, that leaves 597600 left. Your time is irreplaceable, spend it on stuff you love, you have to spend it anyway, so make it count.

  • aussieolfaction on 20/06/2019 - 10:32

    Forward the details of this transaction to someone like James Veitch and let him take the fellow all the way. Or send it to 419eater.

  • Spanglish on 20/06/2019 - 12:36
    +2

    You could have countered by sending them some fake shipping information with a fake article number and told them no tracking was available at the time but to call Australia Post, would wasted a bit of their time waiting on the phone.

    Or if you were really dedicated you could send it through a “local courier” and give them one of your phone numbers as a support number. Then you could leave them hanging on hold, keep asking for information they have given you already and random call drop offs. Could waste a week or so of their time if they are slow.

    • trapper on 20/06/2019 - 13:17

      I like this idea, just make sure you're not breaking any laws yourself if you do this.

    • Bargainbeth on 22/06/2019 - 12:04

      Yeah I could've hahah, but I kinda wanted to do something a little more effective in a legal sense.

      I wanted to screw em over with less chance of exposing my voice and mobile number in the process, and

  • solidussnake on 20/06/2019 - 13:06

    After countless threads on here of users being scammed you were still almost one of them,

    CASH ONLY !!!!!

    Just move on with your life is wasting more hours really worth your time ?

    • yupyup on 20/06/2019 - 18:15

      it's not really clear from the op whether the negotiations started as a cash pickup proposition then shifted to interstate delivery/paypal (which would be an excellent scammer tactic) so it's jumping the gun to assume they were almost scammed.

      also sometimes creative revenge can be a passion project, not wasted time… think of all the unpaid hobbies people find joy in but get nothing else out of, this could be one! :)

      • Bargainbeth on 22/06/2019 - 12:00

        Oh nah. Started off as paypal fnf and that's how it ended. With a fake paypal notification email. I was waiting on a PayPal SMS and checking the actual money in my account increased. I didn't even notice I received it till the next day and finding it in spam. Is there a chance I could've been effed over with this anyway? I mean if they sent it via g&s I could just refund them, less PayPal fees, as I told them would happen.

  • trapper on 20/06/2019 - 13:16

    Well you know where he lives now, so pick a spot far from there and tell him that's where the item needs to be picked up from.

  • Ronthecrypto on 20/06/2019 - 14:08
    +1

    GUMTREE———— CASH ONLY.

  • Bargain80 on 20/06/2019 - 14:16

    how about the classic one, write the address on public toilet wall and advertise it as adult service.

  • HangryCakeStore on 20/06/2019 - 14:18

    Name and shame? if possible, never used gumtree

  • compugrid on 20/06/2019 - 14:43
    +2

    I reckon the best you can do is report online. There are special units/ forces (including FBI), whose investigate cyber crimes, phishing scams and frauds. A few to mention :
    https://report.acorn.gov.au/
    https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

    • Bargainbeth on 22/06/2019 - 11:57

      Yup already done a couple days ago :)

  • Peck on 20/06/2019 - 14:55

    Do nothing, and in one year's time you will be glad that you did nothing.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/06/2019 - 16:24
      +1

      You've obviously have Carped yourself some of them Diems.

  • Joshman5k on 20/06/2019 - 16:37
    +2

    There is a good chance the person's address you have is also a victim. Scammers will typically enlist people by advertising "Personal assistance" jobs, where they'll ask them to receive packages and on send them on.

    • Bargainbeth on 22/06/2019 - 11:56

      Ah Yup, learnt this above in earlier comments. Interesting addition to other comments though.

  • [Deactivated] on 20/06/2019 - 17:11
    -1

    You do know there are laws against stalking don't you? What you are suggesting will almost certainly amount to that.

    Do you have any idea just how tight defamation laws are? Start pulling that crap and you may find out the hard way.

    But what you're proposing simply indicates you're an insipid little man with an especially toxic masculinity issue. Go take a cold shower, and next time try not to waste 2 hours of my time when i'm just trying to buy something on Gumtree.

    • smartazz104 on 20/06/2019 - 18:40

      OP is a woman, nice try.

      • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2019 - 00:43
        +1

        Don't tell anyone i got that completely wrong or i'll call your landlord.

    • RolandWaites on 21/06/2019 - 00:39

      What's defamation got to do with this? So long as what OP says to the landlord is true, she's got nothing to worry about.

      • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2019 - 00:43
        -2

        I wouldn't be relying on her account for a start, and stalking can be quite expansive.

        How would you like it if you put someone's nose out of joint and they called your landlord? That could escalate quickly. This post shouldn't even be here - the mods are asleep at the wheel.

        • RolandWaites on 21/06/2019 - 00:54

          Only she can testify to the veracity of her account. However, I'm not convinced an ol' fashioned street justice prank is going to get her done for stalking.

          A bit of poo in an envelope, say, wouldn't be too far in my book. So long as they are targeting the true culprit.

          If it were daily deliveries of poo in an envelope, then maybe I'd not support it.

          • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2019 - 00:56

            @RolandWaites: Don't mind me, i'm just locking in your comment.

            • RolandWaites on 21/06/2019 - 00:56

              @[Deactivated]: I don't know what that means.

              • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2019 - 00:57
                +1

                @RolandWaites: Once someone replies to your comment you can't edit it. It's there, forever and ever.

    • Bargainbeth on 22/06/2019 - 11:42

      Hi. Lol, yes I know what stalking is. What I'm planning on doing has nothing to do with that, but thank you for your touching concern.

      Mate, I probably have more of an idea of defamation than you do. Not that I'm even defaming him. I'm not pointing fingers where there aren't any to point. Obviously not going to call the landlord and say hey your tenant is a scammer, as there's a good change that it can be a third party using an innocent persons address. You might also want to know that truth is a defence to a def claim, not that I'll be liable to a class in m od defamation with anything I'm doing, anyway.

      But again, thanks for the concern.

      I question your application of legal principles as much as your definition of toxic masculinity.

      Anyway, last reply to this. Waste of my time.

      • [Deactivated] on 22/06/2019 - 14:30

        Thanks for your tantrum. The last line is typical with kiddies that have them as well. It also indicates that i'm getting traction with what i'm saying.

        Your post is toxic. I doubt any of it is actually true - it's just a pretext for seeking advice - however you clearly have a grudge against someone and are seeking strategies for revenge. You are seeking to do that by entering other irrelevant aspects of this individuals life, instead of engaging whatever the appropriate legal channels are, and if what you say is true there's a whole bunch of legal channels you can pursue that will likely lead to the protection of others. But you're not into that, are you? Your ego has been bruised - this is about you, not anyone else. Your conduct belies a disturbing personality.

        Your post should have been spiked from the start, and it's a failure by the mods not to recognise all the issues with what's going on here and do just that.

        You pull this crap with everyone in your life? Family members? Partners? Ex-partners? Work colleagues? Anytime your fragile ego gets a hit? Most of us learn to respond in a proportionate manner, or just to move on. But that's not you is it?

        But hey, go for it - set up a webpage specifically for them saying what bad bad people they are. Most will figure out pretty quickly where the real problem lies.

        And don't forget - you've committed not to reply to this. If you do so, one would need to ask why you made the commitment not to do so in the first place.

        The Phantom Psychological Analysis

        • Bargainbeth on 22/06/2019 - 18:02

          I'm replying, because youre ironically trying to defame me on here based on your own baseless conclusions, to defend myself from the minority who'll think that your post has any merit.

          Blotted out names, emails and even fake transaction ids, in case scammer decides to try and attack me further because I'm identifiable from this post.

          https://imgur.com/a/469XSzP

          Side note though, perhaps you should seek help for any issues you have. Seems like someone's done what you accuse me of, to you, and that's unfortunate. In that case, sorry if I triggered anything, but it still doesn't excuse your ridiculous allegations and personal attacks.

          Have a good day.

        • gimme on 22/06/2019 - 21:35

          Leave it alone. Some people are bored. They enjoy attracting unnecessary drama. Increased likelihood of becoming an unfortunate statistics in the long run.

      • helloeatty on 26/06/2019 - 18:17

        Lol, my post was also trolled by this guy and was also left with the omen “ don’t mind me, I just lock your comment” , though I don’t bother to ask what it meant till I see his reply to you.
        I’m so amazed that he dig out my old post and quote it in his reply to me. And that raise my curiosity to go thru his comments which led me here and see he is those one like to troll people

        • Bargainbeth on 28/06/2019 - 04:02

          Lol wow, and that same guy on his moral high horse told me to let my grudge against a scammer go 😂. I wonder what you did to him that so warranted a digging through your posts. Maybe he thinks he's meting out vital justice or something with those comments.

  • LFO on 20/06/2019 - 18:56
    +3

    And how do you know he is a "renter" ??????

    With a Landlord to punish him (not her?)

    A psychiatrist casebook.

  • Smarch on 20/06/2019 - 19:33

    I have not read all the replies but it might be worthwhile looking up the address online to see if it is currently up for rent.
    I worked with an online retailer and found a lot of dodgy orders were sent to addresses that were empty and up for rent, the dodgy person would just stake out the address until the delivery arrived and then just grab them as they rolled in, assuming they ordered from multiple sites with stolen credit card numbers.

    • LFO on 21/06/2019 - 19:31

      LOL

      Because a Courier or Australia Post is American-Stupid and will leave any parcel at the door …

      Nope.
      They just leave a notice …

      • Smarch on 22/06/2019 - 01:56

        Most couriers have the option to leave without signature which is what they selected.

        Aus Post even leave satchels if they fit in the mail box.

        So Yep, they will if the instructions tell them to do so.

        • LFO on 22/06/2019 - 21:56
          +1

          An "expensive" item will be posted with signature. And insurance.

          And yes, the postman leaves envelopes with valuable plastic credit cards for all to take.

  • happirt on 20/06/2019 - 23:18
    +2

    Guy wastes my time, so you're going to waste more time on him?

    your logic is flawed.

  • Piranha2004 on 21/06/2019 - 08:27

    Just be thankful you didnt fall for it and move on. Dont waste further energy on revenge. The address may not even be his as mentioned.

  • cauilfield on 21/06/2019 - 12:27

    yeah, landlord…. right…

    cops…. right….

    OP is a 17year old kid with ambitions?

  • kaleidoscope on 21/06/2019 - 12:34
    +2

    M
    O
    V
    E

    O
    N
    !
    !
    !

    it’s not worth it. if he has given u fake address, your actions would harm some innocent person. be glad u didnt fall for his scam.

  • godofpizza on 21/06/2019 - 12:53

    never know if the buyer was trying to send the OP to some random person house to be screwed over.

    not worth the effort/trouble/stress

  • kev98 on 21/06/2019 - 13:23

    Order some drugs on the dark web to be sent to his address + anon tip off cops

  • giventofly on 21/06/2019 - 13:53

    If you know his address, you'd want to make sure there isn't anyone else there that would be an innocent bystander.

    You could take all the fuses out of his electricity box?

  • hikaru78 on 21/06/2019 - 14:33

    send him a brick

  • Diminuendo on 22/06/2019 - 03:47
    +1

    Just waste their time back.

    Say you've sent it; don't. When they claim they haven't received it; state it should be in the mail. When they ask for a refund; "give" it to them (but only after putting up a bit of a "fight"). Eventually, after not getting anything from you they'll threaten to take you to court or call the cops; respond you feel you've been more than accommodating and to the best of your ability, and feel you can defend yourself in small claims.

    The trick is not to let on at any point that you've caught on, so the scammer is wracking their brain over getting the perfect wording on every email. Make them lose hours of their life over one sentence responses.

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