riffin-rich
Member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2012
- Messages
- 37
Team FOG. It saddens me to share this but the VAC SYS Systems Set for sale, posted on Sep 21st by “ghun40” appears to be a scam. I almost fell victim — I’ll explain below in detail.
I just this morning found that the post is identical in every way to the eBay post: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175877411001
If you don’t want to use my link, just go to eBay and search for the terms: Festool 203149 VAC SYS Systems Set (SE 1, SE 2, and Pump) … be sure to set the “Completed Items” filter to look at old posts. You’ll observe one post comes up: If you click the link and scroll down past the couple of rows of “Similar Sponsored Items” and “Ships Fastest To You”, you’ll find the original post from Sep 2nd and the seller is located in San Diego, CA. Here’s the link to the eBay sale, which is identical to this post.
So the details of what happened: The seller responded to me via PM with his name and corporate signature block title and company (I thought that was odd). He explained he was at the hospital and his wife just gave birth to their first child just 30 minutes earlier and because he was in a good mood, he was going to cover the shipping. (I believe this is relevant because it keeps the total sale to $3,000 — ironically the max dollar amount of a money order, not that we ever got to payment terms). He asked for my name and mailing address so he could get the items in the mail to me (but we hadn’t addressed payment yet). I provided my address and phone number. Note his stated employer (from his signature block) and his LinkedIn profile were in the same town in TX. The following day, I received a call from Barnesville, Georgia. The caller claiming to be the seller clearly wasn’t the “Trent Reed” I found on LinkedIn with the same position, employer and location. The guy that called me wasn’t the “polished” Trent Reed I expected to speak with. He said he wanted to send me a “Purchase Consent Form” that he wanted me to sign (probably a .pdf form with embedded malware?). I refused and that’s when my assessment of a scam increased. I said I wanted to FaceTime video chat (Apple iPhones), he said he used an Android. So then I pressed to use Zoom to do a video conference instead. I said I wanted to see the tools in the shop, to have him plug the vac sys pump into power and show me that the items function-checked as operational. My points were two-fold: I wanted to see the items listed in the photos and in the same workshop that the items had been photographed in—to be sure he actually had them in his possession. And I also wanted to see his face because I was confident that I was not speaking with the guy whose photo was on LinkedIn. There were many long pauses between … uh … uhh … uhh … stuttering and I was absolutely confident that a scam was playing out.
What wasn’t clear to me was whether or not the seller was real. Did a scammer hack into the real Trent Reed’s email or FOG account, to masquerade as him and play out a man-in-the-middle attack? Is he even a woodworker and selling a Festool Vac Sys Set? Or did scammers create his email address and LinkedIn profile to create the illusion that he is real? Too bad because I really wanted the Vac Sys Set.
I emailed Trent Reed’s email referenced in LinkedIn and he did not respond yet. I also called his employer’s HR office and asked that they get a message to him to call me about a potential scam. If there is a real Trent, and his Vac Sys Set is still for sale, I still want it. So, is there anyone else out there with a Vac Sys Set for sale and we can try again? LOL
BOTTOM LINE: BE VIGILANT!
Thanks,
Rich
EDIT: squall_line PM’d me the following: “I looked at 'ghun40's, other classified listing, searched eBay, and found the listing with the exact same pictures as the one on the FOG. The seller on eBay is different, the shop background is different, and the picture showing the serial number is missing from the FOG listing. https://www.ebay.com/itm/126064883702
It appears that ghun40 is stealing eBay listings and posting them on the FOG, rather than cross-posting scam listings between both sites.
I have reported both listings as scams to the mods so that they can delete them and ban the user.“
————————————
So, some analysis. A good lesson here is to be sure to search eBay, FaceBook Marketplace, and even google for current/completed listings to see if the photos and classified ads arestolen and being re-used for a scam. Moreover, you might wish to have a video chat with the prospective buyer to verify that they have the equipment you wish to purchase — is the equipment in the same shop as that in the photos? Is the seller thoroughly familiar with the equipment and its operation? Are your spidey senses tingling via your interaction? Run away.
I just this morning found that the post is identical in every way to the eBay post: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175877411001
If you don’t want to use my link, just go to eBay and search for the terms: Festool 203149 VAC SYS Systems Set (SE 1, SE 2, and Pump) … be sure to set the “Completed Items” filter to look at old posts. You’ll observe one post comes up: If you click the link and scroll down past the couple of rows of “Similar Sponsored Items” and “Ships Fastest To You”, you’ll find the original post from Sep 2nd and the seller is located in San Diego, CA. Here’s the link to the eBay sale, which is identical to this post.
So the details of what happened: The seller responded to me via PM with his name and corporate signature block title and company (I thought that was odd). He explained he was at the hospital and his wife just gave birth to their first child just 30 minutes earlier and because he was in a good mood, he was going to cover the shipping. (I believe this is relevant because it keeps the total sale to $3,000 — ironically the max dollar amount of a money order, not that we ever got to payment terms). He asked for my name and mailing address so he could get the items in the mail to me (but we hadn’t addressed payment yet). I provided my address and phone number. Note his stated employer (from his signature block) and his LinkedIn profile were in the same town in TX. The following day, I received a call from Barnesville, Georgia. The caller claiming to be the seller clearly wasn’t the “Trent Reed” I found on LinkedIn with the same position, employer and location. The guy that called me wasn’t the “polished” Trent Reed I expected to speak with. He said he wanted to send me a “Purchase Consent Form” that he wanted me to sign (probably a .pdf form with embedded malware?). I refused and that’s when my assessment of a scam increased. I said I wanted to FaceTime video chat (Apple iPhones), he said he used an Android. So then I pressed to use Zoom to do a video conference instead. I said I wanted to see the tools in the shop, to have him plug the vac sys pump into power and show me that the items function-checked as operational. My points were two-fold: I wanted to see the items listed in the photos and in the same workshop that the items had been photographed in—to be sure he actually had them in his possession. And I also wanted to see his face because I was confident that I was not speaking with the guy whose photo was on LinkedIn. There were many long pauses between … uh … uhh … uhh … stuttering and I was absolutely confident that a scam was playing out.
What wasn’t clear to me was whether or not the seller was real. Did a scammer hack into the real Trent Reed’s email or FOG account, to masquerade as him and play out a man-in-the-middle attack? Is he even a woodworker and selling a Festool Vac Sys Set? Or did scammers create his email address and LinkedIn profile to create the illusion that he is real? Too bad because I really wanted the Vac Sys Set.
I emailed Trent Reed’s email referenced in LinkedIn and he did not respond yet. I also called his employer’s HR office and asked that they get a message to him to call me about a potential scam. If there is a real Trent, and his Vac Sys Set is still for sale, I still want it. So, is there anyone else out there with a Vac Sys Set for sale and we can try again? LOL
BOTTOM LINE: BE VIGILANT!
Thanks,
Rich
EDIT: squall_line PM’d me the following: “I looked at 'ghun40's, other classified listing, searched eBay, and found the listing with the exact same pictures as the one on the FOG. The seller on eBay is different, the shop background is different, and the picture showing the serial number is missing from the FOG listing. https://www.ebay.com/itm/126064883702
It appears that ghun40 is stealing eBay listings and posting them on the FOG, rather than cross-posting scam listings between both sites.
I have reported both listings as scams to the mods so that they can delete them and ban the user.“
————————————
So, some analysis. A good lesson here is to be sure to search eBay, FaceBook Marketplace, and even google for current/completed listings to see if the photos and classified ads arestolen and being re-used for a scam. Moreover, you might wish to have a video chat with the prospective buyer to verify that they have the equipment you wish to purchase — is the equipment in the same shop as that in the photos? Is the seller thoroughly familiar with the equipment and its operation? Are your spidey senses tingling via your interaction? Run away.
