Scams on Marketplace

[Squeezebox Of Delights]

Recently I've seen a couple of dodgy listings on UK Facebook Marketplace, I don't know if anybody else has experienced them but I just thought I'd warn people about it. It's unusual, because it's always an advert for a free, unwanted accordion, so presumably they wouldn't ask for any bank transfers or anything. I don't quite see how they'd scam you unless you turn up at the address and they mug you! I do admit that the first one I saw caught me out, as (real) free accordions do pop up every now and again, but it became obvious as a scam when I reverse-image-searched the photo and found that it came from an eBay listing in Italy.
The ads generally have something like "free accordion" as the title, and say that it is in working order and no longer wanted; a generic sort of description that people use a lot when selling an instrument that belonged to a relative and they know nothing about, so the adverts do look quite real. However, they always seem to come from new accounts with made up names and no other content, which makes it obvious as a scam. I messaged one, and they said their phone was playing up and their Facebook wasn't working properly, so I should email them instead. Dodgy.
All I'm saying is watch out and don't fall for the tantalising temptation of a free Dallape!

 

[Glenn]

Probably the next step is asking for help with paying the transport costs. After all, you are getting it for free. …….

 

[JeffJetton]

I messaged one, and they said their phone was playing up and their Facebook wasn't working properly, so I should email them instead. Dodgy.

Giving away free stuff isn't always a scam, but this--making you switch to a different communication channel--is a huge red flag. If you were to fall for it, they probably would figure out a way to charge you some sort of fee, and would almost certainly be some other sketchy form of transaction like gift cards or Zelle or CashApp or something.

That said, it seems like the scams I see for things like Facebook Marketplace go the other direction, when you have something to sell. It's a common scam for someone to contact you to buy it, but they're overseas or something, so they send their brother/cousin/whatever, or they send advance payment. Only it's always for more than the amount, and you're supposed to refund the difference or give the difference to the brother/cousin. Naturally, the original payment is bogus, and now you're out money.

There's "scams" forum on Reddit that makes for fascinating reading. It not only acquaints you with all the current scams going on, it will also disabuse you of the notion that anyone (including you, if they get you on the wrong day or frame of mind) is immune from falling for them: https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/

 

[tcabot]

Saw the free Dallape yesterday.

I suspect the scam artist might get contacted with requests to post it ("Hey, I'll pay postage and give you £200 for the box & your trouble"). Best case scenario, you'll be getting a parcel with a couple bricks in it...

What upsets me the most, is seeing scammers preying on widows/kids who are selling the stuff from their dead relative and have no clue what they are selling. I saw ~£6,000 worth of workshop equipment being lifted for £500 from an old lady. The *****s reacted within about 40 minutes of the ad coming up on gumtree.

Thinking about it, I sure hope that when I die, my Mrs doesn't sell my stuff for what I told her it cost me . One of you might be getting an MIII Excelsior 920 for "just a couple hundred pounds" .

Unfortunately, with the wisdom of the internets, the mispricing works the other way too. Anyone who finds a cracked plywood ukulele in their attic thinks he's got a Stradivari violin and tries to shift it for hundreds of pounds.

 

[Tom]

I'll let you know how it went tomorrow.

 

[John Doe]

On the other hand I can say from very recent personal experience that essentially you don't even seem to be able to give the darned things away.

I'm lugging my excess accordion ranch (diminished but still enough to cause significant family friction) down to Mahler's Music Center- "Accordion Heaven", lapsed site certificates et al (persumably fixed by now- they do accordions not web sites) and they'll be out of my hair.

 

[John Doe]

Unfortunately, with the wisdom of the internets, the mispricing works the other way too. Anyone who finds a cracked plywood ukulele in their attic thinks he's got a Stradivari violin and tries to shift it for hundreds of pounds.

Well of course. The cracks in the dried out soundboard of the uke with the hand selected multi wood layered (each layer contributing its own complex resonance to the sound mix) PROVE that it's a vintage classic... "Minor work- easily done- might be needed to put it in top condition."

 

[Tom]

On the other hand I can say from very recent personal experience that essentially you don't even seem to be able to give the darned things away.

I'm lugging my excess accordion ranch (diminished but still enough to cause significant family friction) down to Mahler's Music Center- "Accordion Heaven", lapsed site certificates et al (persumably fixed by now- they do accordions not web sites) and they'll be out of my hair.

My daughter has an suv with good shocks. Easier than Mahler. Bring 'em on! All junk accepted!!!!

 

[John Doe]

The real odd balls (most of what will remain) still has too much sentimental value at this point. Who but me would really put up with the Italo American tremolo switch? (nice, or at least OK, in theory but in practice simply appalling.) The 160 bass Excelsior - probably genuine Brontosauru skin on the valves- and fine for me but of little general interest.

I'l probably eventually send them off, but I hate to imagine them as dusty parts donors and ... well, there it is. Accordion Heaven is at the end of their road at some point, and when they get there I'll be peering up through the waving pitchforks in envy.

 

[Tom]

 

[Waldo]

Best scam I've seen is the bad guy gets your credit card # and adds a One Dollar charge for a "Save the Children" scam. Who's going to go thru the 45 minute hassle to get one buck removed? ME, for one. Do this often and retire early.
I make it a habit of including various common misspellings of the item I'm after in my searches. This brings up the item that others using the correct spelling won't see. I once scored a multiple hundred dollar valued machine tool for under $20.00 by this method. The seller, not wanting to take the hit, packaged up a couple of pounds of dry ice and sent that. Needless to say, the package showed up empty (with a cavity in the packing paper where the dry ice was), but unopened/molested. When I complained to eBay, the seller was able to produce a receipt that showed several pounds (the weight of the item purchased) in the parcel. I still have his address and will pay him a visit next time I'm in Iowa (not very often). I now video the opening of all packages I receive.