How not to get scammed. If it seems too good to be true...IT IS!

Just a few tips to avoid getting scammed in the ham swap sites.


My first job out college almost 40 years ago was finding those who wished not to be found because they owed money to the bank I worked for. I was what they called a “skip tracer.” I looked for those who had skipped town on their debts. Well, although I have not earned a living skip tracing anyone in the last 35 years. Lessons learned in the late 1970’s are just as useful today. Actually, with the onset of technology it’s much easier to find someone now that it was in 1978 when you basically had to scam family members, the phone company, other banks and businesses out of information.

With all the price information available on the internet nobody gives things away anymore.


I see more and more ham complaining that they have been scammed by another ham. Yes, they have been scammed but not by a ham. Not everyone has a built in “honesty gene.” Ham to ham scams do happen but is not as prevalent as getting scammed by someone in Easter Europe or Africa.


For at least a dozen years I have been noticing that 99.9% of the hijacked calls are always those calls where the owner did not list their email address on their QRZ.COM information page. This first began with amateur calls from the UK where some ham would contact you trying to sell you a piece of equipment you had advertised that you wanted to buy. The price was always unbelievable inexpensive but the English and grammar of the message was not. They always requested a Western Union money transfer. Through the years, this scam has morphed from the UK to U.S. calls. But always, those calls with no email address listed on QRZ.COM seemed to be in question. Save yourself the embarrassment and take a couple of minutes and list your email and possibly your call might not be hijacked.


If the call does not have an email address attached to it on QRZ.COM; walk away or better yet, run away from that deal as fast as you can.


I have seen QRZ.COM records hacked where the scammer actually entered a bogus email address but I believe this is very rare. There was also an incident where the boyfriend got access to his ex-girlfriend’s QRZ.COM account, changed the email address and began listing ham equipment at garage sale prices. Obviously the prices listed got the attention of many who reported him and his listings were removed. But you would not believe the dozens and dozens of hams who tried to send him money thinking that they had found a patsy.


They key to not be fooled out of your hard earned money is:


Research, research, research...


Google the call, Google the name, Google the email, Google the telephone number, Google the XYL, Google the grandmother, Google the dog. Together with the call and name use words like scam, rip off, or problem on your Google search. See how long the seller has been a ham and how many QRZ look ups he/she has. Read his/hers QRZ profile. Leopards don't change their stripes. Once a crook and a deadbeat always a crook and a deadbeat.

Google the item image. You would be surprised how many crooks will steal a picture on the internet and try to pass the image as his/her own. Some will steal the image and the entire ad word for word. I even had a legitimate ham try to use my equipment pictures for his ads because he was too lazy to take his own pictures. This man even got highly insulted when I called him out on it.


You can go to the extreme or just stop when you feel comfortable:


· Google search the seller’s full name, ham call, telephone number (if you have one).

· Do a property search by going to their county property appraiser and entering their home address. This is public information so you should be able to find it. If they rent, no such luck.

· Google map their listed or given address to make sure is not an open field in the middle of nowhere

· Google their call and full name and include the words; problems, complaints, scam in the search.

· Always get a phone number and call them. Although this in not definitive proof of identity at least you will have a number and a way to trace it back to a specific location. You should initiate the call and don’t allow the seller to call you as he/she might be using a pay phone.

· Make sure their phone and internet IP address matches their FCC listed address. You can do this on-line but most of the swap sites already have this feature available.

· Buying from a non-ham selling ham gear should always be done very carefully as we are always proud of our call so I would be a bit hesitant as to why a person is selling ham equipment but is not a ham or does not want to disclose their call.

Lastly, does the sale make sense? Is he/she a novice or tech with no look ups selling a ton of HF equipment at garage sale prices? Close the deal on the phone not via email. Not the safest but PayPal is better than personal checks, cashier’s checks or money orders. Western Union money transfers are a “BIG” no no. Although nothing is 100% safe, I usually walk away if the seller will not accept PayPal which adds another ledger of inconvenience to a scammer or thief.

·

· Finally, used lot’s of common sense and go with your gut feeling.


Just my two cents worth….73 de WY4J

 

Sorry, I did not include an image and I guess is too late to edit one in.

 

How to not get scammed:

Step one: Buy from a reputable dealer.

Step two: There is no step two.

Step three: Assume everyone is out to get you, because after all, it is probably true.

Step four: See step one.

Step five: This page intentionally left blank. See step two.

 

This should be "stickied", good job!

 

Ed:

I'm a certified professional specializing in the detection, investigation and prevention of fraud and I agree with your statement "NOTHING IS 100% SAFE".

What we are seeing is something called "AFFINITY FRAUD". It starts out with "(S)HE IS ONE OF US SO (S)HE HAS TO BE GOOD." It ends with "HOW COULD (S)HE DO IT? (S)HE'S ONE OF US!" That just what the citizens of Dixon, Illinois said when they learned that Rita Crundwell, the town's controller, had embezzled $54,000,000 from the town!

It amazes me how many hams are looking for that one elusive "magic bullet" that will prevent online trading fraud. To your "RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH", I add "AND HOPE YOU"RE RIGHT."

In closing: If somebody wants bad enough to scam you and tries hard enough, they will."

Jerry
N9LCD

 

I have an email with this account and will not post it because I have been spammed on the account of it being posted before. If you want to get in touch with me you can send me a message through QRZ. It's that simple! There are a lot of good radios out there and there is junk too. Know your source. I have done better by selling on eBay than through QRZ. You get a lot of tire kickers here!

 

If it is offered at a severely reduced price from what you see others asking, it is either a POS or a scam. If the seller says it appears to work -- it doesn't. If the seller balks when you suggest you'll be in town and can pick it up in person, it might be a scam. If the seller falls for a trick question, like "Does it come with the dual-speed PL-259 knob"... If the seller asks for a method of payment that has no recourse (money order, green dot card, friends and family)...

 

I did not direct this post to sellers but to buyers who get taken by scammers that pass themselves as legitimate hams. Also to those unsuspecting U.S. hams that get their calls hijacked by these same bottom feeders. Selling whether on Ebay or the swap sites has its own set of problems.

 

"· Make sure their phone and internet IP address matches their FCC listed address. You can do this on-line but most of the swap sites already have this feature available."

I really Don't understand this statement because a Phone # is only associated with a billing address and that's not public info last time I checked, and an IP address cannot be associated with a street address UNLESS their ISP provides that, which usually requires a warrant or court order. An IP address will map to a geographic area like 'southwest Ohio', etc... you can trace an IP address via a 'whois' search which tells you who owns the address (it's usually part of a block of addresses owned by a large ISP like Comcast, etc.)... Most IP addresses are 'dynamic', meaning you only have that address for a while before getting a new address (they have a lease, which expires), UNLESS you have a dedicated fiber line and a 'static' address which never changes (big $$$)... it's a little more complex than most people realize. Devil is in the details LOL -

But none the less, this is all good information for those seeking to buy or sell online - be careful, cautious, and good luck. Thanks for the reminders...

 

Or QRZ can have the swap meet limited to paid subscribers only.... easy.

 

You guys are ruining my income!

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

 

On the other hand , there are deals out there , but using lots of the common sense mentioned helps to keep from loosing most of the time .
I have bought lots of stuff " too good to be true " , but I used common sense and did my part .
Not ham related , but what had to be done .
about 10 -12 yrs. ago , I was shopping for a used Airstream trailer for a couple yrs. , one is to help gage the values and also having gone to government & utility auctions with an old oaky learned how to buy cheap , and I have to , low income .
Found a Airstream on the net , I'm in MN and found a " too good to be true " in so. Jersey , it was in a Airstream park and the average value at he time was $12,000 - $16,000 , on the 1st phone call the price was $4,500 , I said I would come out & take a look .
Diesel was cheap back then , drove my 85 VW Jetta diesel there & back in 3 days , cost about $75 fuel & food , gave $500 down to hold , got home a friend likes road-trips so he went along and again back in 3 days , so the had to add about $350 to the cost , happy camper here .
A major part to getting good deals , is telling yourself you can wait for a deal .

 

I am always amused when I meet a "licensed ham radio operator" - swears up and down they have xx years experience - but, draws a blank when you ask them what their call sign is.

Good article, thanks

Larry KA2DDX

 

It's NOT having enough information. The internet is notorious for "INFORMATION OVERLOAD".

It's USE OF THE INFORMATION you have.

CASE IN POINT: A clerk with only a high school diploma who was on the job about 15 months uncovered a major fraud at an national accounting and consulting firm that led to terminations and recovery of about $4,000.000. WHY: She couldn't understand how someone could rent a car at Dallas-Fort Worth and have lunch there before his flight left O'Hare. CPA's & MBA's ... DUH!!!

N9LCD

 

Holding your cursor over the email address can give the "true" location. While many of us are sophisticated about these scams, the people (and I use that term loosely) who do them keep finding new angles. Sending a check for too much and asking for a refund of the difference is typical. Their check is taken by your bank...and bounces a few days later after the money you sent is long gone.

Actually I think the big problem is not so much us, but our parents, siblings, etc. who may not be as sophisticated. Too many older people have sent in money to pay the "taxes" on "contests" they won, or to satisfy stern demands from the "IRS" or to bail a grandchild "out of a foreign jail." A relative of mine was amazed when I explained "Microsoft" hadn't called up to "fix their computer." Personally I have fun when such moral bankrupts call me up, asking how they like being criminals, if they are proud of themselves, etc. One of them chatted for awhile and told me he made good money at it!