Be careful out there
I tried to sell a watch over the most popular classified ad website where I live.
Got an offer. Received a Whatsapp message. Followed the provided legit-looking link. Not so legit. Got robbed of 840€.
Basic phishing😬. The thief did not bother to hide his identity on the bank transfer receipt. I feel so stupid. I informed my bank, the website and tomorrow I go to the police.
Any advise ?
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Marquis
A few good things are plenty enough
Vienna, Austria
Member since
Last active: 15 hrs ago
6.69” / 17.00 cm
If you do not mind, could you provide specific details to help others not to get scammed.
first of all you shouldnt share his personal information if you really wanna go to the police
i understand how frustrating it must be but if you do it, do it right 💪
If you do not mind, could you provide specific details to help others not to get scammed.
Terribly simple: I received a message on the ad website asking me to contact the scammer on whatsapp. On whatsapp, I was sent a link to a custom page looking like the official ad web site with a connection to a dozen of banks, including mine. I logged in, received a double-authentication validation on my phone that I thought would deposit the money my account when in fact, I validated a withdrawal from my account. If only I had picked up the major difference between 840 and -840… 🤦♂️
I completed the whole thing thinking it was terribly complicated compared to Chrono24 and then, a light went on in my head. I changed my bank account password but the transfer had been immediately executed. I even paid an extra 0.34€ fee for that service.
The trick was everything I learned in my company and casually ignored: do not use whatsapp for business purposes, resist to the sense of urgency the scammer creates (“can you send the watch by tomorrow?”), mind any site asking for patience (5-10min), whereas online transactions are automatic. You know it, I know it, and yet.
Damn, so frustrating…
Wow. Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry it happened to you. Maybe this will keep someone else from getting scammed.
I encountered a similar thing myself a few days ago. I've been trying to sell several watches on Facebook Marketplace and one dude made an offer. He said he would send me the money but the only way he could do it is through Remitly. He sent me a screenshot of a Remitly QR and it says the money was deposited to my account plus around 50 extra dollars to pay for a transaction fee. He was pushing for me to scan the QR code, pay the 50 dollar transaction fee so I could "get" the full amount plus the transaction fee credited to my account.
So many red flags. The guy didn't ask anything about the watch, no questions around how long it's been in my possession, service history, scratches, just normal questions you'd expect someone who is even remotely curious about an item would ask. Then he's also in a rush. He kept saying that if I don't claim the money it will sit in Remitly for a few weeks before it gets returned to him. Even if that were true, though probably not, I don't understand how that's my problem since I didn't ask him to "send" it to me through Remitly.
Finally there's his fishy story. He said he's in the US, working at a ship. His wife is in the Philippines, she's getting the watch. He's going to quickly lose internet connection so the transaction has to happen right away, etc.
Obviously I didn't send him any money or click on any links. I asked my usual vendor of vintage watches if she's ever encountered anything like this. All I asked was "Remitly?" and she responded with "Wife in the Philippines, guy in the US, sending money through Remitly that requires you to pay transaction fee in advance?" And I had to laugh. According to her it's a crime group that targets specifically watch sellers.
Everyone needs to be careful out there. It's brutal.
I encountered a similar thing myself a few days ago. I've been trying to sell several watches on Facebook Marketplace and one dude made an offer. He said he would send me the money but the only way he could do it is through Remitly. He sent me a screenshot of a Remitly QR and it says the money was deposited to my account plus around 50 extra dollars to pay for a transaction fee. He was pushing for me to scan the QR code, pay the 50 dollar transaction fee so I could "get" the full amount plus the transaction fee credited to my account.
So many red flags. The guy didn't ask anything about the watch, no questions around how long it's been in my possession, service history, scratches, just normal questions you'd expect someone who is even remotely curious about an item would ask. Then he's also in a rush. He kept saying that if I don't claim the money it will sit in Remitly for a few weeks before it gets returned to him. Even if that were true, though probably not, I don't understand how that's my problem since I didn't ask him to "send" it to me through Remitly.
Finally there's his fishy story. He said he's in the US, working at a ship. His wife is in the Philippines, she's getting the watch. He's going to quickly lose internet connection so the transaction has to happen right away, etc.
Obviously I didn't send him any money or click on any links. I asked my usual vendor of vintage watches if she's ever encountered anything like this. All I asked was "Remitly?" and she responded with "Wife in the Philippines, guy in the US, sending money through Remitly that requires you to pay transaction fee in advance?" And I had to laugh. According to her it's a crime group that targets specifically watch sellers.
Everyone needs to be careful out there. It's brutal.
Facebook Marketplace is a mess. I was helping my parents sell some things (not watches) when they were selling their house. Dozens of scammers. One wanted my phone number, and a few minutes later I got an email that someone was trying to log into my Google account.
first of all you shouldnt share his personal information if you really wanna go to the police
i understand how frustrating it must be but if you do it, do it right 💪
You are right. Word of wisdom 🤜🤛
I encountered a similar thing myself a few days ago. I've been trying to sell several watches on Facebook Marketplace and one dude made an offer. He said he would send me the money but the only way he could do it is through Remitly. He sent me a screenshot of a Remitly QR and it says the money was deposited to my account plus around 50 extra dollars to pay for a transaction fee. He was pushing for me to scan the QR code, pay the 50 dollar transaction fee so I could "get" the full amount plus the transaction fee credited to my account.
So many red flags. The guy didn't ask anything about the watch, no questions around how long it's been in my possession, service history, scratches, just normal questions you'd expect someone who is even remotely curious about an item would ask. Then he's also in a rush. He kept saying that if I don't claim the money it will sit in Remitly for a few weeks before it gets returned to him. Even if that were true, though probably not, I don't understand how that's my problem since I didn't ask him to "send" it to me through Remitly.
Finally there's his fishy story. He said he's in the US, working at a ship. His wife is in the Philippines, she's getting the watch. He's going to quickly lose internet connection so the transaction has to happen right away, etc.
Obviously I didn't send him any money or click on any links. I asked my usual vendor of vintage watches if she's ever encountered anything like this. All I asked was "Remitly?" and she responded with "Wife in the Philippines, guy in the US, sending money through Remitly that requires you to pay transaction fee in advance?" And I had to laugh. According to her it's a crime group that targets specifically watch sellers.
Everyone needs to be careful out there. It's brutal.
That’s it: repeat slowly the facts and hear how ridiculous their stories are. A pattern is how they create this sense of urgency. We are in the time business and should be immunized against this trick. Glad you dodged this bullet.