mistermoose Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 After a bunch of great Gumtree experiences, today we were the target of an attempted scam. 'Dennis' phones for some equipment I'm selling, but he's 'traveling in Durban at the moment' so I should meet his friend at Canal Walk. When we get there, friend doesn't even know how to check the equipment (which is understandable if he knows nothing about the item). Anyway, this friend sends EFT (the price was higher than most people have in cash - again, understandable, if he banked with my bank, which he did) and I get a push notification in my banking app to say that a cheque was deposited at a nearby ATM. Dennis calls to check that we've received payment. When we tell him it's showing as a cheque deposit, he says "no, it's showing that because I sent the payment from a cheque account". We say "no, it shows that you deposited a cheque at XYZ ATM down the road". He asks if he can give his ID and contact details to make us feel more comfortable. We say "you're getting nothing until the money clears". End result: friend leaves, we leave, and we'll never hear from them again. And because he hasn't stolen anything, there's no point in reporting it to the police (who can't even get to the real theft cases as it is). So, here are the details of this Dennis person to warn anyone else who might be contacted by him using these same details:Dennis Bibidennisbibi1800@gmail.comAnd his friend, Adoda, has this cell number: 083 491 8197Just to add to this story, my dad and his girlfriend who live in Durban have (since 1 Jan this year) experienced:1. Having their car door ripped open while idling at a robot, told to "hand over everything, now", before a chain ripped was off my dad's neck, and an altercation ensued that ended in the other guy getting kicked between the legs and my dad managing to get out of there before any more damage could be done2. Squatters moving in to a flat that's being sold (it had only been empty a few weeks)3. Having their car stolen in Florida RoadI'm not sure where this is all coming from all of a sudden, but I don't like it one little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc4 Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 My dad was almost scammed in exactly the same way just before christmas. This is making me so nervouse as I am trying to sell all my stuff and gumtree always seemed to be the easiest option. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermoose Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 From now on, it's cash only for me. No cash, no deal! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc4 Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Amen! Im also very skeptical of giving out my address Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benp Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Gumtree is still a good place to sell stuff.Scammers will always try their luck and prey on desperate people, but if you're switched on you'll be able to spot a scam a mile away and shove it up their a@&.Only bummer is their waste your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alida Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Gumtree is still good, yes - but you HAVE to be WIDE AWAKE. We're in search of a car. NOT ONE of the inquiries we made on cars advertised, this far was above board from the sellers' point. So we're learning fast to be overly sceptical with everyone we're dealing with. At this moment, we're trying to sell of some electronic stuff, have a 'Blessing' contactin us. Don't trust it one bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toitjie Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 There was a time that I felt like a "pro" when advertising on junkmail and the like. There were so many scammers between the real buyers that I sort of got good at it. One guy wanted to look at my car, and when I showed it to him, he said he has another proposition for me. He is importing curios like little dolls and things from Africa and if I collect at OR Tambo, we can share the profit. I laughed so hard he actually acted very insulted.Once bitten twice shy. I have huge trust issues thanx to my experiences in South Africa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alida Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Yeah, South Africa leaves one streetwise ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanniewagnie Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Bid or buy is better, because the buyers and sellers are rated by each other to build up credibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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