This is another example of a old scam.
I recently joined an online forum for owners of John Deere Gators. Mine is actually pre-gator, a AMT622 cir. 1988. As you can imagine parts are hard to find. I posted a request for the part in the forum’s classified section, and within hours I got an email response.
I was excited for the quick response and the good news. I checked the URL and the email and it was from the legitimate site. It referred me to another email address with the promise of my needed part.
The longer I exchanged emails with the scammer, the more suspicious I became. It was little things like crazy email addresses with lots of digits behind the name (Indicating the scammer has to make many accounts to stay in business). The biggest red flag was his request to pay him via paypal with a “Friends and Family” payment. For those that don’t know that payment has less fees, and has NO fraud protection.
The scammer said he wanted a “Friends and Family” payment so he would pay less fees. A reasonable request, but failed to mention the lack of protection.
Other mistakes he made was forgetting what he told me about the condition of the parts, the number of parts available, and sending me picture of parts he clearly copied from a well know internet auction site. I recognized the copied pictures immediately because I have been searching for parts for weeks.
These missteps are probably due to the sheer number a scam they must run in order to find the weak among us. These criminals probably work in shifts. That may account for the lapses in continuity throughout the day.
Things to remember:
- Don’t immediately trust an email or message from a website you are familiar with. Scammers lay in wait everywhere.
- Scammer are predators, make no mistake. They are looking for the weak and have nothing but malice in their heart.
- Do not send a “Friends and Family” paypal payment to anyone who is not… a Friend or Family member. If you do, and you don’t receive your purchase, you have no recourse.
- You should report suspicious pay-pal account to [email protected]
I reported the two scam paypal accounts to [email protected]. I reported the scammer to the online forum, later that day the account was closed. And I’m still looking for those parts.
