Mountaineer scam. Careful.

[backtomyroots 432]

I recently found a listing for a 4x4 truck by tamiya. it had a picture of a nib mountaineer. but it also had a picture of a nib hilux. interesting, the pictures had two different floors in them as well. I sent a question to the seller asking why the item had two different truck bodies. next thing I know, the auction has ended. here's the link

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Admin, the auction has ended, I hope this is okay if not I apologize and you may delete this.

[Voltar 1]

MAN that looks like the hilux I sold about 3 years ago on ebay. Pic was taken on my kitchen floor.

[addict again 0]

yep I saw that too. I also asked him for more pics and one with his local newspaper next to it. Hmmm no response lol. STINKIN SCAMMER!!!While it was running I did see a bid on it though, that could have been bad news for the bidder. Although it makes you wonder who would post pics of different models as the same rig...what a maroon.

[twisty 8]

Oh dear,

This thread seems to of come about an hour to late for me ,i have never been ripped off before over the net and am still clinging to hope that he has the kit and will send it,i sent him a large chunk of dosh,outside of ebay and now,yes you guessed it ,now he isn`t answering his emails.

I am posting this,aware it makes me look a prat,but if it helps stop a potential scam hitting another genuine enthusiast ,here i am.

I have informed my bank and they say he has 30 days to deliver it before i try to claim any compensation.

I didn`t even spot the Hilux pic,so i guess i`m even dumber than him.

I wil let you all know the final outcome.

kind regards

simon forrest

[T.C~Tamiya 2]

In what form did you send the money ?

[twisty 8]

paypal

[T.C~Tamiya 2]

Was it a credit card funded paypal payment, because if it was you can do a chargeback.

[twisty 8]

it is actually a debit card i have registered with PP,can i do it with that?

How do i do a charge back ?

cheers for trying to help BTW

[T.C~Tamiya 2]

I'm not sure about debit cards, but I think a credit card company would reverse the payment if you told them you were the victim of online fraud.

Anyway, hope it works out for you.

[Stevenchat2000 0]

Paypal should get your money back , keep on to them , phone them also

Did you do a deal outside of ebay has it ended with no bids ?? do you mind if I ask how much you paid ??

Outs side of ebay is not good

Steven

[twisty 8]

I kind of do mind telling you how much i payed,but it was a fair amount bearing in mind, if i got charged import tax ,that could add a load more,anyway thats not the real point.

I will get some money back of that i am sure,i just wanted to own up to my stupidity if it stops someone making the same mistake.

He offered to end it early for what i could just afford to pay.

Hey ho,looks like i aint getting a Mountaineer for christmas.

[]

[twisty 8]

Status is back to mabe,i got pp to stop payment,i got an email,he said he was working,i asked for a land line number he gave one,he sounds genuine over the phone,i asked about the pic`s,he posted the hilux by mistake,he said he has never used ebay before,that might explain the poor listing.

I asked for an address so i could send him a postcard to thank him.

I have an address in ST Petersburg,he needs the money in his a/c before he will ship it,i can understand that,i asked him for a couple more pic`,he said he will send them,just waiting now,fingers crossed.

Any advice greatfully recieved

[backtomyroots 432]

hey twisty. just be careful, I am sure you know the real value of a NIB Mountaineer, I would be very hesitant of a "deal" in this case. I would have it shipped only after you recieve some detailed pictures, and remember you could have him relist it at a specified time with a buy it now price. that way you are a little more protected because the purchase is on ebay.. let us know how it turns out and remember - as tempting as a end it now is - it may be more worth it to let the bidding go on till the item ends.

[T.C~Tamiya 2]

Twisty... It's got scam written all over it, If it were genuine why would he use Voltar's photo ?

And if he's never been on eBay before why would he have a photo from three years ago ?

[DJTheo 2]

The NIB Mounty scam comes up punctually almost every winter before Xmas, try to revert payment through Paypal or credit card company.

Cheers

[twisty 8]

Well i have spoken to my bank again,they assured my i am still protected.I am going for the deal,if it is a scam at least i can afford the inconveniance.

Once again,thanks for the help and advice folks.

I will let you know what happens.

cheers

simon

[quattrokid 6]

Get a grip mate.......Dont chance sending money out of auction under any circumstances to a new/ish ebayer......Bank may not refund you if it goes *** up, due to your gross neglect. sorry to sound all doom and gloom, but thats the way of it..

cheers.

[twisty 8]

quote:your gross neglect

id="quote">id="quote">

He is verifyed by paypal,i have a land line number and his address,i have had a 10 min phone call with him,he doesn`t sound like a crack head but i guess you never know ,untill you know.

I have seen some stuff in my time and have met a lot of people,only a very very small number have been bad news,i have a very trusting nature and try to see the best in people,is this wrong?

At the end of the day if i don`t recieve it ,i strongly believe he will pay for it ,one way or another []

[T.C~Tamiya 2]

Did you ask him why he used Somebody elses photo in the auction ?

[twisty 8]

He said he took the pic`s and Voltar didn`t sound sure it WAS his.

He is sending me some more pic`s tonight.

I always fancyed a trip to Florida anyway,if he rips me,i might just take a couple of months holls over there next year,i might look him up [] seriously.

I have family over ther that i havn`t even met yet.

I can feel a plan formulating.Just have to see what happens and unless any one can Proove it to be a scam,i am going to let this run to it`s conclusion.

[T.C~Tamiya 2]

If he took the pics it means he's got a Hilux AND a Mountaineer.

Good luck anyway but if it goes *** up, don't say we didn't warn you

[twisty 8]

I had already decided to risk it anyway,even before this thread was started,i am the reason the auction ended early.

I did panic when i saw this thread but whatever the outcome of this deal ,i intend to own a Tamiya Mountaineer. []

[backtomyroots 432]

twisty - good luck. FYI, the last mountaineer sold for $1980 uS. Let us know the final outcome good or bad - it would be interesting if you got the deal of the century. Don't forget to show us a pic of you holding the truck with a big smile if this is successful. Even if it is a scam let us know - we won't laugh (much).

[mymonsterbeetleisbroken 16]

i know its your choice but its worth bearing in mind that you have been given A phone number and AN address.

there is no guarantee those are actually his contact details, they could be anything from a friends address to an old peoples home where his nan lives, or even a random office block somewhere.

the sale has got all the marks of a classic ebay scam. there is no proof that he is new to ebay, only that the user name he listed the item under is new. the pictures dont add up, the "item description" is written in clean english so there is no real reason why he couldnt write a proper detailed description of the truck.

he's even been willing to end the auction early, making you as a buyer unable to use ebay's buyer protection. i'm guessing he was also willing to sell it to you for a good bit less than what a mounty NIB normally sells for. scammers do that so they dont push there luck to far, to make the liklyhood of you sending money higher and becuase they have no intention to send anything so they are not worried about the potential value of the item.

a few weeks ago i won a new built tamiya txt-1 for £125.

the seller was "new to ebay" and had listed several other new built kits.

i was cautious but was willing to give him the benifit of the doubt.

i was given an address and a fone number in scotland, which checked out.

like you, i spoke with him on the phone, but to me he seemed very keen to recieve my money, talking to me about insuring the package for up to £1000.

from then on things went downhill, he began recieving negitives due to buyers having conflicts about the final bid price. by then he had a feedback rating of -2!

i posted a thread in this forum, and other members helped me to decide not to send my mayment.

a few days later the seller was "no longer a registered user". a scammer!

if something is to good to be true, it usually is.

call him again and ask him if one of your relitives from Saint Petersburg can pick the truck up in person []

[Voltar 1]

I can not be sure if it is my old picture. I don't have the picture anymore. That was 2 or 3 computers ago. I do know that it was of the open box on the floor of my kitchen. (My kitchen has the most lighting. I call it my "studio" when the wife is not around).

I do wish you luck in the transaction. Jim