[Pumukli]

Hello All,

The story in a nutshell: I tried to buy a laptop and we agreed upon the price. I sent the money (via a bank transfer, so I have the receipt), my partner sent me a confirmation email, that he received the money and wrote that he posted the laptop. Of course I have not received anything and the guy ignores my emails since his last (confirmation) email...

What would you do now? How could you get back your money? (I see no chance for getting the laptop anymore.)

Sidenote: the story is (sadly) true, but IS NOT HAPPENED on GUMTREE!!!

Any hints anyone? Should I contact the police? I'm not native british, just arrived a few weeks ago and I don't know the local (UK) ways and methods treating these sort of things. I would be really grateful if someone could help me!

Thanks in advance,

Pumukli

[k_lifter]

How much did you give him? That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. I'd be too embaressed to tell the police as they'll laugh at you.

[k_lifter]

Where are you from, another planet?

[k_lifter]

Try emailing them telling them you'll be calling the police if you don't get a refund in full. The thing is, these guys are probably african as loads of these kind of scams go down in africa. If that is the case you're fucked.

[Pumukli]

Well, he is not African as far as I can tell. He lives in Chesterton, not far from Sheffield. And I paid the money onto his account at Royal Bank of Scotland. The clercks at the bank verified his name after I told them his account number and sort code. So I asume that he is a real person and the money was not transferred to Nigeria or Ivory Coast.

Of course I will try to email him and tell him that I'll call the police unless I get my money back in a short time. But what should I do in that unimaginable case if he don't want refund anything? Should I walk in the nearest police station and tell the story to the first officer I meet? I don't know how these legal things are going here, what are my rights and what not, etc. If someone could help me in this matter it would be warmly appreciated!

On the other hand I sent a detailed email (with all of our email-correspondence) to the antifraud/abuse address of that website. I've checked and seen that this guy has several other things listed for sale there... I hope they will ask the guy about his actions.

[wf]

try and get your bank to reverse the transaction. otherwise you're stuffed.

[tussytat2]

go back to your bank get his info if he only lives a few miles away go and kick the living hell out of him then get your refund or have someone else do it for its called taking the law into your own hands.

[Applet]

[kbennett1981]

Hi

Please email me on krbennett24@hotmail.com and I should be able to give you some advice. Until recently I worked in fraud and might be able to help you lodge a complaint as I still have some good contacts.

I am sick of advance fee fraud ( or 419 fraud is what it is also known as) - teher is only so muchg you can do to warn people, but as the MET police says: if it seems too good to be IT PROBABLY IS.

Any other victims of fraud - e.g. have sent money, are welcome to contact me... can't promise anything but I know a lot about banks.

[EasyTiger]

what was the website?

[weebber]

Well, I'm kinds lost here.

So how are you supposed to buy something high priced either on eBay or anywhere else online?
I mean, the buyer is supposed to sen d the money prior to the sellr posting the goods, right? So at this point, yeah it was dumb sending the money first, but at the same time there was nothing else Pumukli could do...

[yugansh]

Did u pay through paypal, or simple back to bank account transfer??
How much did u pay? and do u stil have the man's bank account details?


Answer this and I'll tell u a way to get ur money back out of that scam

[yugansh]

I would recommend Ebay, for online shoppin as u can always bargain stuff, and there is no fraud!

U do pay online, but u get the item in 2- 5 days, if not, u can report that to the ebay help centre, and as they have al the detials of that person already, they'll give u twice the amount u pay (or a bit less)

[slain]

Ebay used to have a lot of fraudster on there..
What those idiots used to do was use Western Union or other methods where you send money to them. After that, you don't hear from them again..

Well, I'm glad Ebay has banned all those money sending rubbish.
Paypal is good. They can always catch their culprits.
Just like they did to me the other day.
I had one guy who I wanted to buy a DVD off him.
I paid the money via Paypal to him..
The bugger never sent the DVD.
In the end, I had a dispute/resolve a claim..
got my money back. But the guy did it again.
In the end, I just told him to f*ck off!
Never heard from him again..!

[fantsypants]

These scamsters dont just attack buyers, they go for the sellers too!

The ones I've seen are based in africa at the moment, they claim that they have paid for the item and give you a fake headed bank letter with all the details you'd expect.

But reading this letter you'll spot tons of silly spelling mistakes and inconsistencies that glare like a foxes eyes in the headlights.

[MKShock1]

I'm afraid that if you deposited money into his acocunt willingly, you have no leg to stand on. He did not, I'm assuming, sign a contract agreeing to sell you the laptop for a certain amout so what are the police going to say? Legally, this bloke's done nothing wrong, except for to break a verbal contract. Sorry!

[babybat]

I'd report the matter to the police - if he agreed to sell you something, and hasn't sent it, then it's theft. Alternatively, you could take him to the small claims court. You can do this online at www.moneyclaim.gov.uk. Hope this help!

[miss quark]

[tonyt]

[ocean]