Scams & Stolen Bikes Forum Guidelines and Tips

PB Forum :: Scams & Stolen Bikes
Scams & Stolen Bikes Forum Guidelines and Tips
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Mod
Posted: Feb 5, 2008 at 7:44 Quote
Due to the rapid influx of scams and potential scams, myself and my administrative compadre, Tyler/Ty/brule/Maine have decided to outline some of the more common scams in order to achieve a safer site where transactions can be completed in a safe manner.

Forum Guidelines:

1. We are suggesting that in all of your buy and sell ads, you refrain from putting an email address where someone can contact you. This is because the mods and admin do not have access to your email account so we are unable to verify scammers. However, if you deal with the private message system within Pinkbike, we are able to label a potential scammer as such so that his user ID will have “scammer” or “verified scammer” written in red letters next to their private message if they message you. Therefore, the Pinkbike crew is trying to help you by making this site safer. In addition to that, you will not receive junk email asking about cars when you are selling bike parts. There is a reason why the administration on Pinkbike implemented a private message system so why not take advantage of it?
2. If you come across a scam or a scammer, please report it immediately so that the mod and administration team can investigate these claims before it is too late. If you report it to a mod, it will be dealt with on a high priority as our goal is to make this site as safe and as friendly as possible. Mods are unable to ban these users unless you include adequate proof so please send us details outlining what was proposed as we need proof and not allegations.
3. Do not make threads in this forum asking if such and such user is a scammer unless you are ready to handle the consequences of being subpoenaed to small claims court for slander and defamation of character. This has very adverse consequences that can be handled through the courts. Furthermore, this makes people very weary of committing to a deal with a person that is not a scammer but rather just an individual trying to sell his/her items. Proof is required in all cases before labeling a scammer. If you are weary of how an individual conducts business, move on and don’t do the deal.
4. If at all possible, look for bikes in your city or in the surrounding areas so you can go and see it and look at it to verify what you are buying is indeed in the condition described in the advertisement. Local deals are by far the best and encouraged by Pinkbike as you can see the bike and meet a potential fellow riding buddy. In addition to this, you may be able to meet at a local shop and get them to look over your “new purchase” for a nominal fee to make sure that major repairs won’t be necessary.
5. Ask all of your questions about the bike and keep a detailed record of all the conversations you have to make sure you are getting exactly what you are paying for. If a seller is unable to answer these questions to your satisfaction, move on and find another seller. There is more than one bike on Pinkbike and new ads are added daily.
6. IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT NORMALLY IS! Don’t do the deal as you are more than likely purchasing a stolen bike. Also, see if they can provide the original bill of sale/receipt as this proves that the bike was bought. In addition to that, make sure none of the serial numbers are filed off, scratched, or tampered with.

If you choose to purchase a bike that is located out of province/state/country:

1. Make sure that the seller gets the bike properly boxed up to avoid damage that may occur during shipping and handling. Roads are bumpy and planes have turbulent flights. Therefore, make sure that the bike is wrapped in bubble wrap, packing peanuts, or similar packing material.
2. If the box appears to be damaged, do not accept it and find out what the procedure is for filing a report on a damaged item. This information is readily available on Canada Posts website or on UPS, Fed Ex, DHL, and Purolator or similar couriers’ websites. If all else fails, call the customer service number and a representative will be able to help you out.
3. There is no “fail-safe” way of shipping a frame or a bike or components. Often, COD is preferred or Paypal is recommended but one must be aware of the issues with both. COD items may not be picked up by the potential buyer leaving you to pay the return shipping of the item back to you. Paypal is traceable and safe however, there are some issues in regard to fraudulent accounts. Nothing is safe so take care. My recommendation is to get the potential buyer to send you a money order for the cost of shipping the item COD to them so if they don’t pick it up; you are not out any money. Essentially, this works as their deposit. If they send you the money for return shipping, take it off of the COD price so they are not paying for shipping twice.
4. Always pay the nominal fee for insurance to cover the full replacement value of the item being shipped so if anything happens, you are compensated. As well, ask for a tracking number so you know where your items are at all times.
5. If you are shipping from one country to another country, make sure that you put the actual declared value of the items otherwise; you can be fined or prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

If your bike gets stolen:

1. When you purchase a new bike regardless of buying it new from a shop or used from a private seller, write down a description of the parts, take some pictures of the bike and print them off, and most importantly, write the serial number of the frame somewhere. Take all of this information and put it in an envelope and put it somewhere safe. If you upgrade your bike throughout, update your files with a new spec list and new pictures. Make sure to keep all the receipts for your bike and parts you buy as these may be vital for an insurance company to fairly compensate you in the case of theft.
2. When your bike is stolen, file a police report immediately. If you have done step number one correctly, this will make it a lot easier to fill out a police report as it will have complete information and a picture to help the local police recover the bike.
3. Depending on where your bike was stolen from and how comprehensive your or your parent’s home insurance is, they may be able to help you out. Call your insurance adjuster or company to find out if you are covered. Only do this after you have completed a police report and have a Case ID as they will ask for a copy of that.
4. If your bike was purchased new with a credit card, some credit cards (normally the ones that have an annual fee) have theft protection on them. If a good is stolen that was purchased on that credit card, your credit card company may cover the replacement value.
5. Put up posters in and around your neighborhood with a picture of the bike, the main specs like make, model, color, etc. and post them around your local bike shops, local riding spots, and random bulletin boards wherever. The more people that know about your stolen bike the better the chances of it being found are. Also, post it in the Pinkbike Scams & Stolen Bike forum.

Things you can do to maximize the chances of your bike’s safe return:

1. Offer a reward.
2. Write your name/drivers license number with a UV marker on your frame.
3. Look out for your bike or its parts on Pinkike, Ebay, Craigslist, and other online biking related sites and auction sites. Remember, your frame may be repainted but it is normally easy to spot as it will be a poor paint job.
4. Purchase a quality lock so that your bike deters thieves and they will steal someone else’s bike that is an easier target. http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Default.aspx.

Here are some examples of scams that are preferred amongst the scamming community:

Oftentimes, these scams are produced multiple times and sent to a lot of users at once. Therefore, the chances are that the scammer doesn’t even mention what you have for sale. These generic private messages with the common diction of poor grammar and awkward language are more than likely a scam. If they ask you to send back extra funds after the transaction, this is a scam. If they ask for a lot of personal information right off the bat rather than being very informal and asking a few questions, this is also grounds for a scam.
1. Hello Mate,
I will want you to know that i am really interested in purchasing the (BIKE)at the amount stated in the advert($1,900) and i will want you to know that the payment is going to be by check because i am based in UK, and a client of mine who owes me ($4,500) who send you the check on my behalf and as soon as you cash the check from your bank or cashing store,i will want you to deduct the price of the (BIKE)from the money and transfer the rest through western union money transfer to shipping company that will come for the pick up from your location to my address.I will like you to get back to me with the following details if this is okay by you:

NAME ON CHECK:
CONTACT ADDRESS:
PHONE NUMBERS:
ZIP CODE:

I will be very glad if this transaction moves on fine and i will be hoping in doing more business with you.Hope to read from you soonest with the details.Thanks
Regards
2. Hello Seller,
I have a client interested in your ITEM for sale.The mode of payment will be via certified bank check.Don't get bothered about the shipping cos he will be doing that through his local shipping agent in the states.Also the payment that will be made out to you will inlcude the shipper fee which you will have to send to the shipper as soon as you get the check cleared or cashed.To make the deal fast you can get back to me with the informations stated below:
Ur full name:
Ur full address:
Ur contact phone number:
Final asking price:
Pls Kindly get back to me on my Email Address Jamesluchi01@yahoo.com.
As soon as these informations as stated above is provided the payment will be made out to you soonest.
Thanks
3. Thanks for the response, i am okay with everything, i want you to consider it sold to me as i will be paying you with money order.

Kindly get back to me with the following so that the payment can be send to you.
Your full name.....?
Your full address.....?
Your state........?
Your zipcode........?
Your telephone number........?

Note i will give you $50 for keeping it for me till you receive the payment because i really need it and also note that i have a reputable and capable shipper that will be coming for pick up at your base.

Thanks and God bless you.
4. Hello seller,

I'm interested in purchasing your Ad for sale! i saw the listing on
WEB and would like to ask you a few questions and would
want a response in your subsequent mail to me.
What is the condition?
Can i have some picturess of the AD?
what is your firm price?


Hope to hear from you.
5. Hello,
I'm interested in buying your Whelel which you placed your advert on pinkbike.com , i will like you to get back to me with the least price and the present condition .
6. My Dear, _______

I am Dr. David Thoma, the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department Bank Of Africa.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$14.5M (fourteen million five hundred thousand US dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his family in the 2002 in a plane crash.

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guide lines and laws but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died along side with him
at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after five years, the money will be transferred into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund.

The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Ivoirien cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

I agree that 45% of this money will be for you as respect to the provision of a foreign account, 5% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 50% be for me.

Thereafter, I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentage indicated. Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as relation or next of kin of the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location where the money will be transfer.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.

You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this mail, Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Yours faithfully,
7. Hello,
Compliment of the season to you and your family.Am Mr Christopher by name.Well am intrested in purchasing your item so i will like you to get back to me some of the details below about the Item
The last asking price..............
The current condition........
The picture of the Item.......
Well get back to me ASAP
Regards
8. Hello Seller
I would want you to know that i saw this advert{item } placed for
sale,i will ike you to know that am interested in buying it from you and get back as
soon as possible.
1.I will like you to email me back with the present condition.
2.Are you a private seller?
3.I would want to know if you accept CASHIERS CHECK or Money Order
as method of payment or bank wire transfer.
4.I would also like to know your final asking price
5.I would want you to email me back if you are okay with these terms
6.I would also like to see more pics (REASON IS THAT I WANT THIS
so you can send your reply direct to my email which is (_____________) so i will be waiting to here from you in the mail....
--------- AS SOON AS POSSIBLE) Thank you,
Regards

Posted: Mar 21, 2008 at 21:19 Quote
Some more tips is when you get you bike prit out the mdel,searl#,partslist,name,phone number,email,address and get it lamintade but make sur it is only about two inched wide. The put it in your bottom bracket around the 3 pecie spacer and put it back togather. If your bike gets stolen make sure to tell police about that. Also do they same thing but put it in you bars and put the bar end back on. Or try hammering in beer bottle caps into the bars with a screw driver and hammer.
Also when locking up your bike for long periods of time, you may want to take somthing with you, such as: front wheel(sounds silly but works!) seat/post if you have quick release,or if you have a micro co2 pump take the air out of your tires.
When it gets stolen they say not to take matters into your own hands but i would say if you at the middle of nowwhere in the woods and you happen to see your bike go tarzan on his ass and get your bike back. HOPE all goes well i did this and my bike got stolen then foiund a week later and alls i had to do to prove it was mine was tak out the cranks

Posted: Jul 18, 2008 at 14:02 Quote
Here's one collected from Craigslist recently, has "scam" written all over it:


Greetings Seller,
I saw your beautiful bike over the web and am much interested in buying it. I live here in Canada, and I will like you to know that I will personally take care of the transportation of the bike down to my location. So please mail me back with this details concerning the bike. I will also need to see some recent pictures of the bike and how much is your last price Get back to me asap. I will like you to know that am buying this as a suprise birthday gift for my daugther and I am counting on your support in concluding this transaction within the shortest possible time.I want the best for her. Thanks. I await your soonest reply via email. Sincerely,

Posted: Jul 18, 2008 at 14:16 Quote
loads of bike are getting stolen where i live recenlty mine has i gone, which i got back, my friends around 600-700 quid not got back and yesterday my other friends from his garden around 1000 quid, make your bike look bad, dont ruin it but scruff up the paint sand it so it dosent bring attwention not that its a bad bike but looks it. people will have no intrest and will go for something that looks good, ill put up a pic of mine tomorrow to show you what i mean Cop arnt very good which bikes being stolen so if you can prevent it then you should even if you have a small lock it will put people offobviously at home overnight put a bigger lock on and in your house if possibleBig Grin Smile Cool Beer

O+
Posted: Oct 18, 2008 at 7:19 Quote
I got this scam today,these people are low.Really Mad

Hello,
I'm okay with the amount of $1350 and photos...i contacted my client who is owning the amount of $4900 been a refundable payment of the order i place with there company , my client told me all refundable are made inform of a check and payed in a single transaction, i will instruct my client to issue out the payment in your name and have the bank check drawn on the U.S.A Bank sent across to you, once the check receive and cashed i will instruct my shipping company to come to your location for the pickup ......i hope you get back to me with you full details name, address and telephone for my client to issue payment and send across to you , looking forward to hear from you.
Regards
Jones

Posted: Jun 24, 2009 at 18:27 Quote
mayardmtbeames wrote:
make your bike look bad, dont ruin it but scruff up the paint sand it so it dosent bring attwention not that its a bad bike but looks it.

Doesn't work, I had a diamondback T10 frame which was chipped to hell and had rigid forks, some decent parts on it though and it still got stolen, go figure....

Posted: Jul 24, 2009 at 9:28 Quote
You know what?

This is getting completely stupid..

I read your advice..the one about not starting a thread unless you are prepaired to get sued for slander..

Do you have any idea how close to impossible it is to get a slander case even started..

Some low life scammer isn't gonna spend all that money on court fees..

Give me a break..

To me, this sounds like the admins are just trying to cover their own behinds..I really don't think that they care about any of us Pinkbike Users..

This is a website..And the goal of a website is to get hits..As many as you can get.

Knowing this is the usual goal of a website,,Tell me exactly why anyone would think that the admins are really gonna do anything that may reduce the site's traffic..

As far as My experience has been with this site..The admins defended the guy who scammed me,, because I called him names..

I don't trust any buy/sell situation unless it involves credit card or paypal..

I'm starting to think that people that use the internet to buy/sell thing are statistically dishonest and use the internet to make their crimes easier..

I think this website needs a overhaul..


Fix your site..Don't blame the public for their ignorance..

Not everybody in the world is so ingulfed by technology to know all the things that some of you users claim is common sense..

"Common sense" is a judgement and a very rude way to call someone stupid..



THIS SITE IS A JOKEFrown

Posted: Jul 24, 2009 at 9:39 Quote
It is odd that known scammers are still allowed access to the site and their accounts.Based upon my personal experiences,others may be different.

Mod
Posted: Jul 24, 2009 at 11:00 Quote
propatrol wrote:
It is odd that known scammers are still allowed access to the site and their accounts.Based upon my personal experiences,others may be different.

A lot of it is a he said this and a he said that type thing. It is very difficult to ban people as scammers when we are not provided with any additional information. People report others as scammers and for the most part, that is all that is said. Very few users PM details to the people who can actually ban IPs and make the decisions when scammers aren't using blatent techniques like posting other peoples' bikes, have IPs from Nigeria, use the typical Escrow services, etc. When it is a scam that isn't easy to deal with, the only people who really can deal with them is Brule, Karl, and Radek as they have the means to see private messages and some other stuff that mods are unable to see. If you have issues, send details to the people who can deal with them efficiently and effectively and in most cases, that is not a mod but rather an admin person. Mods deal with the "lower level" stuff. If you know of a scammer, send details (other than just saying x user is a scammer and you didn't get what you thought you were buying). Send PMs, emails, MSN conversations etc.

Posted: Nov 9, 2010 at 6:09 Quote
watch out for the user jim01, yesterday he tried to scam some users with fake payments via paypal that should be transfered to western union.
after i told him that i want do the transaction on a different way, and i am not going to do the weird stuff you can read in the mail, he never mailed me again.
before that he answered all mails within some minutes

here is one mail he send me yesterday evening

Hello Dirk,
Thanks for you response beautifully,i will transfer the money
into your PayPal account today and i will want you to send the pick up
agent fee of €950 via western union or money gram as soon as you get the payment
notification from PayPal cause the transfer will be on HOLD until they
receive the western union transfer report of the pick up agent fee and
the MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number) from you then the money can be
release and be credited into your PayPal account asap,here is the pick
up agent details below and Here is the contact #+447024068540.

AGENT INFO TO TRANSFER THE FUNDS
Name: David George,
Address:7 Dale House
Frendsbury Road,
London SE4 2HG.
United Kingdom.

Posted: Jun 15, 2011 at 22:17 Quote
1. Hello Mate,
I will want you to know that i am really interested in purchasing the (BIKE)at the amount stated in the advert($1,900) and i will want you to know that the payment is going to be by check because i am based in UK, and a client of mine who owes me ($4,500) who send you the check on my behalf and as soon as you cash the check from your bank or cashing store,i will want you to deduct the price of the (BIKE)from the money and transfer the rest through western union money transfer to shipping company that will come for the pick up from your location to my address.I will like you to get back to me with the following details if this is okay by you:

NAME ON CHECK:
CONTACT ADDRESS:
PHONE NUMBERS:
ZIP CODE:

I GOT THIS EXACT EMAIL for a baby bed I wanted to sell...

Posted: Jul 6, 2011 at 19:26 Quote
maybe we can add a buy/sell comment review. so that member can post how their transaction have gone with other users. on the users page. click on the user your going to buy or sell from. and have a link or comment box of what has happened with them. rather then search the forum.

Posted: Aug 4, 2011 at 12:03 Quote
KEVINSMOMISFAT is a part swapper off the shipping I think, I dont know why else hed flag me, watch out for him.

Posted: Aug 4, 2011 at 18:15 Quote
aralius is posting negative comments to try to eleviate the fact that he is scamming people. I bought a bike off him and he sent me a complete different bike. Was suppose to be a norco atomik...sent me a low end norco xc bike. confronted him about it, he said well i sent you a norco.

That is not acceptable. Pinkbike is suppose to be bikers looking out for other bikers and helping each other out. Watch out for this seller. his email is lukyn76@gmail.com

He has already told me that he is going to cancel his account, which means he probably is going to open another account under a different user name.

that is his paypal email address...watch out for it.

if anyone else has been scammed by him can you please contact me

thanks

Posted: Aug 4, 2011 at 18:43 Quote
I confronted this kevinsmomisfat guy and he said, you were supposed to sell me a norco stinky, i told him i never had a stinky, kona makes stinky....he doesnt even know the difference, and then comes back like he memorized bikepedia...ice sold many things on pinkbike, never a complaint.

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