Scam where buyer uses another person to pick up and pretends to do bank transfer over the phone

Just wanted to share a scam experience I had in Melbourne for others.

Someone contacted me to buy high value item I was selling. When they came, the person advised they are the buyers "brother" rather than the buyer and the buyer will make the bank transfer. Already dodgy but I provided the BSB and account anyway, then the buyers brother had printscreen showing transfer complete. I requested ID and buyers brother advised he doesn't drive and took Uber, but he sent me buyers ID. Buyer was with same bank so payment should have been visible straight away (and I think even if different banks, can see straight away these days). Buyer over the phone was trying to convince me that the payment takes 24 hours to clear and was demanding the item as they were heading out of town following day. I advised cannot take item until payment received and that they have my address, so they are welcome to come back following day or I can transfer the money back when received. The following day no funds received, as expected, as it was a scam. I checked their gumtree profile and they had some negative feedback compared to previous day, so seemed they spent the day trying to do the same scam to others.

Sharing my experience as warning to others and reminder to make some clear rules upfront before buyer arrives to avoid scammers. I understand Gumtree is risky and even dangerous, so I was lucky, but seems crazy to think they have possibly a fake ID, two burner phones (as I have both the mobile numbers they used) and he do not have problem being recorded on my security cameras (or didn't notice them). Had they been successful, it is pretty much no different to stealing, except they can try to play dumb regarding transfer. While on scam topic I have had a situation in the past where someone tried to get an 'Air Tasker' to pick up an item and they gave 'Air Tasker' neighboring address, which I stopped from happening. Times are tough with covid so these scams may increase.

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Comments

  • +14

    Cash or nothing.

    • True. Cash even feels risky for counterfeit, although I do have a Blacklight so I guess I can try attempt to check the notes not fake.

      • +8

        Cash even feels risky for counterfeit

        Not likely for most low-lives and scumbag scammers on Gumtree. It's hard to realistically counterfeit AU notes.

        The average scammer on Gumtree just won't go through the hassle when they could scam much easier by hitting more unwitting targets.

        • +1

          It's not just hard … it's extremely hard to counterfeit AU notes, because of things like the transparent plastic bits in the middle.

          • +1

            @vikvance: And it's feel is unique. Scrunch it up and it will I scrunch.

          • @vikvance: Not on gumtree but I was ice cream vender 2years ago and got scammed couple of times in liverpool area. Didn't have habit of checking notes that time but learnt a hard lesson.

            • @Bilalwentwild: What did they give you that was so convincing?

              • @ihbh: They came in a car, seemed in rush, quickly bought cheapest ice cream I had in my truck and handed me unusually old looking $50 note. It was 7pm of winters so didn't/couldn't pay extra attention in dark(original note has slight shine in light). By the time I kept all $50 notes together at the end of the shift I realised that I was scammed.

          • @vikvance: Not that hard, apparently someone successfully made a money printer and printed loads of fake bills and of course got caught eventually….because they didnt cover their ass enough….

    • Cash or bank cheque.

    • Cash or the flick, rinse , repeat

  • What area was this?

    And how do you find these people…?

    • The recent Gumtree situation was in North-East suburbs and their possibly fake ID suburb was North area. The guy who came from Gumtree in person was really friendly/nice guy, but the guy over the phone was quite annoyed/angry, as faking they had done transfer when they had just done some photoshop of transfer.
      The Airtasker situation (which was over a year ago) was someone from Mill Park.

  • -4

    why did you even let them know your address? another rookie mistake

    they could come back and case your place

    always meet up in a busy area. My go to is a local maccas, always with a screwdriver in my pocket in case things get messy

    • Lol you can find trouble in your classy office Bud !

    • I have had some genuine people come in past with no issues at all. Even they come back, I have lots of security cameras/sensors and usually home. Understand public meet as an option, but could also go bad.
      Edit: I didn't neg vote you btw.

      • Cameras aint gonna do anything if they wear hoodies and cover their face.

        • I guess, I have insurance :)
          Breaking in is a lot more serious than their current scam, in terms of possible charges if caught.

          • @dontpass: They don't need to break in, could just throw a brick through your window. I would hate for my insurance policy price to go up because of something like this, something you have control over.

        • +3

          If you see hoodies you know something is up .
          Anyway perfect location is somewhere past multiple security camera's in a public spot eg a quite spot in a major shopping center deep inside.
          Correct me if I'm wrong ?
          No home transactions .

          • @popsiee:

            No home transactions .

            So, gonna move that heavy couch outside at a nearby aroma cafe to deal, yes?

    • +1

      You sound like a scary dude!

    • Next on Ozbargain.

      Someone took a screwdriver from my hand and stabbed me at the local Macca's. Please tell me a way to access ambulances without having to pay for the service.

  • +12

    🥂 you didn't give in to them. too many people feel pressured in that situation. no doubt they've been successful with others.

    • +2

      Thank you for supportive comment :) Yes, that is partially why I have posted this, so if this happens to someone then they do not feel alone.

    • +2

      Exact same scam happened to me in Paramatta Sydney couple of months ago. Guy came at nearby station for pickup and I turned my phone's aeroplane mode On :D

  • +2

    I've been using Gumtree for years, but I only use it for low-value items these days. I just jump on eBay when there's a promotion. I find that buyers on eBay tend to be better overall and just less trouble with scammers and lowlives.

    • +3

      I've had higher success with Facebook MarketPlace. Most items go quick as opposed to Gumtree where even if you have a low price, you'll still get low offers and you'll wait longer.

  • +5

    There is a load of scammer scum in Melbourne

    thanks for sharing you experience

    • Thank you :)

  • Scumtree be Scumtree. I've rarely had to wade into that cesspool, but they've all been face to face cash transaction in a bank lobby. That being said, had to sort through 10 timewasters and 'I'm serving in Afghanistan, let's wire transfer!' scams for each genuine hit.

  • So many red flags. I would have bailed out much earlier on.

    Pay by electronic means and show you the "receipt"
    Someone else picking up for their "Brother"
    not having a license
    Getting angry (it's an intimidation technique to make you change your mind)

    To be fair, there's already a lot of information on these scams out there and gumtree is known for them. It's why a lot of Ebay sellers don't allow pick ups.

    • +1

      I don't do pickups when I use ebay, because I don't want to talk to someone IRL

      • That's fair enough :)

  • Thanks for sharing. Are you able to share any of their gumtree details?

    • They have multiple accounts. Fake gumtree account details won't help

  • +1

    Have been selling on Facebook without problem so far. Seems easier to avoid scammers as you can look at their profile.

    • Profiles can be made up. Just do transactions in cash. Simple.

      • It's an additional check to avoid scam. Doesn't hurt to be extra careful.

  • Simple logic tells you it's a scam - why wouldn't they send the cash with their "brother" if they had it available.

  • +3

    I once had an interstate buyer offering to transfer money if I mailed them my laptop
    I politely declined so they arranged a more local friend to pickup and pay cash
    Completely unexpected.

    • If you mean, transfer the money, receive it and then send the item, what's the problem.

      I've done this several times. No issues. Bank Transfer only. Wait for the funds to clear & then send off.

  • +1

    Yeah samething happened to me. Some "police officer" on Gumtree (I was selling Steam Gift Cards) messaged me saying his brother would pickup the cards if I gave him a code (1 of 3) and then he pay me through bank transfer. I was like oh hell no, this doesn't even make sense, just come and collect yourself with cash 😂

    • Selling and Buying gift cards is too risky imo.

      • Yeah made a promise to myself never to do that again, though did eventually turn a profit on the cards after a while

  • +2

    Had a similar thing happen in a $6K business transaction a few years ago.
    Fake Bank Transfer (the payment was marked as pending), late afternoon pickup in winter (cold and dark), and no money in the bank the next day.
    He's back in prison now. He stung a few other businesses the same way.

  • +1

    Thanks for that… you were luck and wise enough not to be sucked in.
    The "brother" would have some form of ID, as he had to pay the so called Uber.
    What a scamming world this is!

  • +2

    i literally just had this convo with someone on a facebook sale this morning, they kept persisting to do bank transfer instead of cash and when i finally accepted and was discussing details to do the exchange, he mentioned his "brother" will be doing the transfer and won't be coming to the exchange which at that point i said no chance…sold it to someone else for cash and just read this now…probably dodged a bullet there

  • -1

    if you guys want to do bank transfer, do payID or beamit. They are instant even with other banks.

  • I know cash is the best option, but is there any possible way to get scammed through BeemIt, PayID or PayPal family and friends?
    If the money is visible in your account instantly, would you GL the sale?

    • not for pp. they can still go to their bank and issue a chargeback. other two are deposits so you're safe

    • Cash. Only.
      No exceptions. If they want it and they have the funds, there's no reason they can't pay cash.

  • +1

    Just spent the morning reading all these scam stories and wanted to share mine. I’ve been scammed last year around August 2019 by 2 men who also did this in Melbourne. Stupid me, I know. Going to name and shame him cause why not LOL, Ben Pisano.
    Long story short, got scammed, report to police, he was found to have done Gumtree scam fake bank cheques around Melbourne to several people (i think around 11 that night) and he got found and locked for a couple of months, think he still has some court cases (searched him up on magistrates court listing), I also don’t know what happened to the other guy who was involved, he literally got away with it… (when I reported this case to the police, I assumed it was another Ben Pisano (knew his name cause it was on the bank cheque, dumb to have your name on the bank cheque, but I’m dumber to fall for his scam LOL). I searched him up on fb and the area the cheque was deposited was linked to this guys area - it didn’t look like the guy that I met up with to exchange the item, but I knew two people were involved (one person who deposited the cheque (which I thought was cash) and another who met up with us) so I reported him to police and after a few weeks, a warrant issued post was posted On fb. It wasn’t the same guy that I thought it was but turns out they’re cousins with the same name (Ive seen a photo of them together). After that, the Ben I searched on fb deactivated his account (sus?). Anyways I just want to post this to raise awareness. There’s so much more to the story but yeah, good he got caught. Now I live by the saying, cash or nothing.

  • Thanks Sadgirl12 for naming Benjamin Pisano. As soon as I read that name, I felt I had to share my own experience with him. He stole my wallet and commenced an active and intense identity theft campaign against me, racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt, credit cards, buying phones, loans. I reported it to police and he is now IN PRISON and all my fake debts have been cancelled.

    I want to warn all other shoppers about this fraudster. I've obtained all the details of his crimes from the court. Between 2019 and 2021 he was convicted and sentenced for 79 fraud related crimes at the Magistrates' Court of Victoria. His most recent jailing/held in remand commenced in September 2021 and the sentence was 7 months. In the past the court ordered him to get treatment for his drug addiction problems, and I suspect he's an ice addict. Prior to going to jail I heard he lived in the western suburbs of Melbourne. He appears to operate like a professional thief. Physically he is white, early thirties, round face with a short, brown beard.

    Whenever we shop online or buy second hand goods, we need to be very careful of fraud and scammers. Scamming is an increasing problem in Australia and millions are lost every year. ScamWatch has tips on how to avoid scams

    https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/buying-or-sellin…

    For more information on serial fraudster Benjamin Pisano and his crimes, message me. Stay safe online.

    • Hello, I just saw this message! I’m glad you got your money back !

      Yes during that time, the police did advise me he was caught and that he scammed around 15-20 peolle that time.

      He actually scammed me of a LV bag which I was selling for 3400 dollars. When he got caught the police couldn’t do anything about returning our money. I was super upset and one day I decided to file a dispute under a third party which they reached out to my bank and then my bank messaged me saying that they couldn’t do anything (I did ask them for help during the time of the incident however they said they couldn’t help me and it wasn’t their fault.) but I literally begged them so anyways, long story short, they advised me since I’ve been a long time customer with the bank they kindly refunded me back the 3400!!! This was literally a year after the incident. I’ve never been more grateful for my bank!!

      Also there are two BEN PISANO’s. They are both cousins! One having a round circle face (the scammer) and his cousin.

  • Cash only for me.

  • I'm so glad that Sadgirl12 has done so much research on this guy, Benjamin Pisano. If we share information like this, it can help all of us better avoid and fight back against scammers.

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