Purchasing Via Amazon, or not.

pat1cp

I spotted an advert on Amazon for a DSLR that I fancied. It was from a private seller. He/She had an apple desktop a few iPads and 3 or 4 cameras. The advert said "if you're interested send me an e-mail", so I did.

My initial e-mail went like this:-

Hi,
I'm interested in the Nikon D7000. Could you please confirm delivery details to *****.
Some pictures of the camera would be appreciated.
Regards
Pat

The response from the seller was as follows:-

Hello,

Nikon D7000 Digital SLR Camera Body Only (16.2MP) 3 inch LCD is new (it's an ex demo therefore it has hardly been used and is as good as new it just had to be listed as 'used' as the box has been opened - is in New condition,see photos, only exposed, not used, no scratches), original box, comes with 12 months international warranty, receipt, all manufacturer supplied accessories, the total price is £****.** + £** for delivery. if you want to buy send me your full name and address and i will contact Amazon asap to process your order. delivery will take 3 - 4 days. my return policy is full money back in 14 days.

Many thanks


I then responded with this :-

How would you want payment ??
I see the item is no longer available on Amazon, will you re-post it and allow me to order it and pay for it there??
Regards

To which I received (note the grammer has deteriorated) :-

Hello again,

I'm unable to receive payments using the usual credit card payment method available on Amazon Marketplace because i extending my account and i can't send or receive any money for a time.
This is the reason that we must use another way to make payment. I will contact amazon ASAP after your email to establish an other payment method and the shipp will also be trought Amazon ! For this please send me an email with your full name and address.



Many thanks

Anyone else smell a rat ??? What are they up to ? Identity fraud ??

pat1cp

I've had a look around and it's definately dodgy.

solsurf

Not sure, my wifes business sells stuff through amazon however we would much prefer customers bought off our website as amazon take quite a commission charge anything from 5 - 18 % so it is always worth contacting a company direct as you may be able to get it a little cheaper. The good thing about amazon is it gives you a little more protection and for us they provide the marketing and the sales mechanism.

I would check if they had their own website and look at their ratings on Amazon.

hope this helps

Cleat Eastwood

Have you complained to Amazon - a report the other week suggested that Googles biggest threat was amazon for precisely the reason that you could engage with the seller with a single click. They must be aware of nefarious dealers but it'd do no harm to let them know - you may even get a freebie Kindle.

Simmotino

Run.

Away.

Now.

cooldad

As long as payment is by Western Union to Nigeria you're safe.
I'll PM you my account details.

ben@31

Run away, remember he's not the the only person in the world selling a DSLR and you can always buy a DSLR from 100's of other genuine shops. Maybe your better spending a few % more buying a DSLR from Jessops and having the assurance you won't get ripped off by them.

"If an offer is too good to be true, it usually is".

Hoopdriver

Keep well clear.

graham.

You don't want a D700 with grip and charger do you? ;-)

pat1cp

That is exactly what I'm after Graham.

RDW

pat1cp wrote:

What are they up to ? Identity fraud ??

No, just theft. You send the money and get nothing. Here's how it works:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/WARNING-Nikon-8 ... B001BYMC5K

graham.

pat1cp wrote:

That is exactly what I'm after Graham.

PM sent.
Graham.

Cleat Eastwood

this is from the FBI website - could have been why the geezer was keen on getting your name and address.


TRIANGLE CREDIT CARD FRAUD
Triangle Credit Card Fraud is a common scam known to affect many on-line merchants. It has been called "Triangle Credit Card Fraud" because there are three primary parties involved or impacted by the scam.

The first party is the fraudster who acts as a seller on a popular auction or marketplace site. The fraudster "sells" a product to the second party, the buyer that knows nothing about the scam. The buyer pays the seller for the product or service. The seller then needs to deliver the product or service to the buyer and does so by placing an order with the manufacturer of the product or service to the buyer and does so by placing an order with the manufacturer of the product or service, the third party. That order will contain the buyer’s information for shipping and stolen credit card information for billing. When the company receives the order, the billing and shipping information is all legitimate, thus it looks like an order being placed as a gift, so the company delivers the product or service.

When the card holder finds a fraudulent charge on their card, they may file a dispute with the credit card company resulting in a chargeback for the company. This scheme is often much more complex as it is often led by overseas criminals who recruit established sellers (often referred to as mules) on auction or marketplace sites to "sell" the products. Once a sale is completed, the mule will forward the buyer information and the bulk of the money to the fraudster to place the fraudulent order. Once a mule becomes trusted, they are often allowed to recruit other mules, leading to a complex pyramid of fraudsters and mules.

Through the on-line merchant community, many companies have been made aware of this scheme and have had great successes with stopping the illegal activity using fraud prevention and detection solutions as well as successful criminal prosecutions.

giant_man

I don't buy from Amazon for anything now after TWICE having my card copied, learnt my lesson, everwhere else has been much easier and hassle free FWIW ...