Have I Been Scammed Buying a Graphics Card on Facebook Marketplace?

Lashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:17
Last edited 15/05/2021 - 12:52 by 1 other user

Hey everyone, I am seeking advice on how to proceed with a situation I have on hand.

Monday:
I saw a great deal on Facebook Marketplace for a graphics card. The person had non-generic photos of it from multiple angles. I told them I can come pick it up immediately. They then provided me the address. It was in Bundaberg which is a 5 hour drive so I told them I cannot drive there but if they can post it I can do COD/PayPal. They said they can post it but don't have a PayPal account and to transfer it to a bank account (BSB/Account number, the name was the same as their Facebook name). I then called ANZ about this and what happens if it is a scam. They told me I can dispute it and get the money back. To increase my sense of security, I asked them to contact me on my phone number. They texted me. I then told them of my address and transferred the money. They said that they will give me receipt and tracking number after they post it.

Tuesday:
I contact them on Facebook asking for tracking details. They then said they have posted it and it should arrive on Wednesday.

Wednesday:
The item didn't arrive. I contacted them on Facebook but their Facebook profile is either private or deleted or something (A thing to note is that this account was created 3 years ago- it wasn't a fresh account).

Friday:
I waited until Friday and the item still hadn't arrived. I then contacted ANZ but they said this isn't a transaction and we can dispute it but the other person can simply refuse to send the money. I started a dispute

Saturday (Today):
I have tried to contact them multiple times on their phone number messages/calls. No response. I tried with another number- no response.

The thing is during our chat on Facebook, they didn't completely ghost me after Monday. Our conversation happened over 2 days before I lost contact with them.

My question is, have I been scammed? I have been given full name, address, Facebook profile link, phone number. This seems like a lot of information to give for a scam. Also, their response with their home address was very quick which makes me think they wanted to get this sorted quickly and efficiently. The other thing is Auspost could have delayed parcel but it is within state and they mentioned it was shipped express.

If i have been scammed, what should I do next? Should I contact the police? Or is there a dedicated department for this?

Update:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess it takes a while to settle in once you have been scammed. I am now in contact with the police and will be pursuing legal action. Lets see how that goes. Hopefully bank can undo transaction based on police report

Poll Options expired

  • 112
    You have been scammed
  • 0
    You should wait until Monday
  • 4
    Auspost has probably delayed it, you havent been scammed
General Discussion

Comments

  • CyberMurning on 15/05/2021 - 11:28
    +6

    One more entry on the pool
    * seller 1, buyer 0

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 15/05/2021 - 13:47
      +2

      seller 1, buyer 0

      seller scammer 1, buyer 0

  • thatonethere on 15/05/2021 - 11:32
    +1

    Do you actually have tracking details?

    Unfortunately due to the GPU shortage this could be a scam as people are very keen to pay cash to buy a second hand card. A couple months ago I sold an old graphics card and had about 20 queries (even though it was cash pickup only) begging me to send it via post.

    • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:33

      No, I dont have any tracking number or anything

      • Butt Scratcher on 15/05/2021 - 11:44
        +4

        Then you have been scammed.

        All parcel postage comes with tracking nowadays, so there's no reason not to have it

        • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:56
          +1

          :(
          Thanks for letting me know about that though :)

  • SF3 on 15/05/2021 - 11:33
    +10

    FB marketplace (also) = Cash on collection…

    (Again another OzB PSA mantra…)

    Otherwise high stakes and risky.

    • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:36

      I agree, the simple stress isn't worth it :(

      • SF3 on 15/05/2021 - 11:37
        +3

        Sorry mate, I do hope you’re not scammed.

        Member Since
        20/07/2017

        Oh man…

        • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:43

          Hope so …

  • Hithere on 15/05/2021 - 11:37
    +4

    Classic scam, seen so many posts on various forums with almost exactly the same scenario each time.

    You may be a little poorer OP having lost your money but you are richer having experienced a life lesson.

    Learn from it and move on.

    • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:42

      But do the scammers usually give out an address and also contact through a mobile phone number? Thats the weird part for me

      • Butt Scratcher on 15/05/2021 - 11:50
        +1

        Nothing weird, how much was the GPU worth? 1k? 2k? 3k?

        I've seen stories of scammers put in more effort for less. About the hardest thing the scammer did was bought a $2 sim

        • TilacVIP on 16/05/2021 - 08:49

          Nowdays to buy a $2 sim you still need some form of ID. How & what the SIM sellers do with these ID checks I'm not sure, but one would assume, the address and name need to match before they send it out.

  • Hithere on 15/05/2021 - 11:44

    They give out someone's address and phone number, not necessarily their own, if the address even exists.

    • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:45

      Lets suppose the address is fake. How would the fake number thing work. We texted back and forth as well

      • Quantumcat on 15/05/2021 - 11:59
        +1

        There's nothing to lose giving you their number. Even if you have their full name and address the police won't be interested and it will only help if you want to hire bikies to go beat them up

      • DoctorCalculon on 15/05/2021 - 20:00

        Assume they have a lot of stolen IDs which they have access to.
        They have just picked one of these IDs to activate a prepaid mobile number.

  • Hithere on 15/05/2021 - 11:47

    Buy a $2 sim, get a phone number, scam someone, throw away sim, rinse and repeat.

    • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:49

      Doesn't that require ID though?

      • CyberMurning on 15/05/2021 - 12:08
        -1

        So what you want to hassle the phone provider as well ?

      • tajid on 15/05/2021 - 15:16

        It may but only police can request phone company for ID details (this is assuming they use their real ID and police wants to get involved).

        From my experience, police will just say this is civil case and can't help. Even if they do help, and the case goes to court, no guarantee to see money back as the outcome of the court is not enforced by anybody.

        I'd just leave this as a learning experience.

  • Hithere on 15/05/2021 - 11:50
    +1

    Supposed to provide ID but a lot of stores don't bother or scammer provides false ID.

    • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 11:54

      :(
      Thanks for all the replies though my friend. Is there any advice on the next actions to take?

      • Quantumcat on 15/05/2021 - 12:00

        Won't matter if it is false, phone company isn't going to tell you their name

      • xuqi on 15/05/2021 - 12:39
        +4

        Action is to learn the lesson; Cash in-person transactions for Gumtree, Facebook, etc.

        Don't accept any other forms of payment there (bank, and PayPal, etc.).

        These scammers are quite easy to detect.

        Next time you come across one, open Google pams, look for a couple of town/suburbs over the map, and respond to the scammer something along the lines of:

        "Great, I have a brother, cousin, uncle, etc. living nearby in ……, who can pickup for me. Please send me the pickup address, and a convenient time."

        9/10 will cut off communications after this. The other will make up some BS story about how pickup isn't possible due to their family, work schedule, etc. eliminating them from your thoughts.

      • Hybroid on 15/05/2021 - 12:40
        +2

        You can try threatening and telling them you're contacting the police if still no response as this is fraud. See if they react. Not much else you can do.

        Don't trust humans. Cash on collection only. Also, you said it's a great deal, so if it's too good to be true… There's a reason for it.

  • Hithere on 15/05/2021 - 11:58
    +1

    My advice is to learn from the experience and move on, there's always another deal tomorrow, pay cash on pickup only, and if it seems too good to be true it probably is.

    Works for me :)

  • FireRunner on 15/05/2021 - 12:01
    +1

    Yeah, you've been scammed unfortunately.
    A hot item for a good price in a regional area and not accepting PayPal, put it all together and points to a scam
    I hope you didn't lose too much on it

  • Master Bates on 15/05/2021 - 12:27

    I saw a great deal on Facebook Marketplace for a graphics card

    What was it and how much?

  • Yuri Lowell on 15/05/2021 - 12:37
    +2

    Never do a bank transfer unless you're willing to take the risk of losing the money, know the person personally, or you're buying from a private marketplace (FB and Gumtree are the worst). He's in no way obligated to send the item now and you can't really do much about it.

    • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 12:50
      +1

      That is the thing to know. That was why i called ANZ before doing bank transfer. If i knew it couldn't be undone, I wouldn't do it. They gave me false hope lol

      • Quantumcat on 15/05/2021 - 17:01
        +5

        I think you should press them harder to get your money back. Raise a complaint with financial ombudsman if they don't help you. They told you you could get the money back, you wouldn't have done it if they hadn't told you that. They should give you the money out of their own pockets.

        • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 17:40
          +1

          Thanks for the tip, I will try that!

          • TilacVIP on 16/05/2021 - 08:53
            +1

            @ashah1212: Besides, the call would have been recorded to verify what they said, so refer them to that piece of evidence if it is what they said, and you haven't misunderstood in your moment of excitement.

  • Ughhh on 15/05/2021 - 14:07
    +1

    This type of scam had been done like a 1000 times, scammers don't even need to get creative.

  • thatonethere on 15/05/2021 - 14:10

    Pretty much any seller who is weirdly helpful giving you their address and picture of "their" licence is dodgy I reckon…

  • MS Paint on 15/05/2021 - 14:26
    +5

    Was sellers name Christopher Strongly?

    • SF3 on 15/05/2021 - 16:22
      +1

      Strongy, I hear. Fake either way :)

      • MS Paint on 15/05/2021 - 16:32

        That was it.

        • SF3 on 15/05/2021 - 17:22

          Sounds like a “tough” guy.

  • Randxyz123 on 15/05/2021 - 15:35
    +1

    This is like the 3rd thread I've read this week where someone has been scammed. It sucks that there are people out there doing this.

    • Gumtree ALWAYS must be cash. You get the item they get cash. Job done.

    • Always meet up in a well lit place, eg a servo with cameras

    • If they refuse any of this then walk away

    I think the ANZ customer service rep must have misunderstood you. This is always the risk with BSB/acc numbers. Even when a company is paying you, if you enter the wrong details that is your issue and they can't make the other person return the money.

    • ashah1212 on 15/05/2021 - 17:42
      +1

      Thanks for the tips! I dont think they misunderstood me, they might have an incorrect understanding of the system though. I specifically mentioned the situation I was in. This was right before the payment as I was hesitant on bank transfer. The call is what lead me to actually do the transfer so I try to push on that with ANZ

      • garetz on 15/05/2021 - 18:46
        +1

        Why would a call prove to you someone you do not know can be trusted in any way shape or form ?

        Even people you know in real life might not be able to be trusted.

        These threads should be renamed from i got scammed to i was gullible and sent my money to a random stranger over the internet thinking they were going to send me something of value that was agreed upon but did not.

    • DoctorCalculon on 15/05/2021 - 20:10
      +2

      You forgot a very crucial item within the above checklist.

      Always check the item very thoroughly before parting with your hard earned cash.

      Someone here bought an Android phone (which was made to look like an iPhone) instead of an iPhone as "they were in a rush", and did not check.

    • reactor-au on 16/05/2021 - 10:43

      Are people scared of getting jumped or something? Why always a public place with CCTV like a servo?
      All my gumtree ads I say cash on pickup and give them my home address, not like I'm taking a dishwasher etc to the nearest servo.

  • pharkurnell on 15/05/2021 - 15:57

    This is like the 3rd thread I've read this week where someone has been scammed.

    I cant believe people still play this game…

  • pegaxs on 15/05/2021 - 16:50
    +1

    Oh what? Scammed on Fartbook? Well, I never. Everyone looks so friendly…

    • SF3 on 15/05/2021 - 17:04
      +1

      Oh, majority of population it only happens to others and not me. Famous last words. Next post to OzB I got… :(

      /s

      • avoidfullprice on 15/05/2021 - 17:23

        There was a period when people just post "hand over your ozb licence" to add salt to injury. Think the community grew out of that.

    • SF3 on 15/05/2021 - 17:16

      Inb4, “Don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ve bought and sold many items, not had problems with GT or FB 🤷‍♂️”.

  • TilacVIP on 16/05/2021 - 08:43

    I saw a great deal on Facebook Marketplace for a graphics card.
    - that was about the end of it!!!

  • Sbog4215 on 16/05/2021 - 16:06
    +1

    Sorry Ashah, I know your pain, this exact same thing happened to me (except it was through gumtree, and luckily I only paid half upfront instead of the full amount).

    You can file a police report, but the police won't do anything.

    You can file a bank dispute, but this won't achieve anything. All your bank can do is ask the scammer's bank to notify the scammer that you are disputing the transaction. But if the scammer disagrees or declines to respond, there is nothing either bank can do to return your money.

    The best you can hope for, if you've been a long time customer of your bank, is that they might give you some "pity credit" to offset some of the loss - in my case this was $200 so it's something.

    I found the not knowing, and constant waiting, to be really hard, because there's always a part of you that hopes it will work out. But once I finally accepted it was a scam and my money was gone, it was easier for me to move on and learn the lesson.

    Good luck.

    • ashah1212 on 17/05/2021 - 07:47

      Thanks! Will do

  • l0nglive on 26/07/2021 - 19:29

    What is the correct way to deal in this lockdown situation? Using Paypal?
    I see someone selling 3090 for $2600 and willing to deliver. Not sure how that would work.

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