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Old 21 July 2020, 03:22 AM   #1
briboxer
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WTB attempts are pretty lame

Why is it, that on such a great site as this, where we have interactions, communications, opinion sharing, and millions of dollars in legit business transactions occurring, that the a simple request in the WTB section has to invite scammers who think we just send money to random people with no posts, history, references of legitimacy, or anything remotely promising???
I occasionally respond to requests with something I actually have, and hope people find it safe and legit, but what have times come to???
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Old 21 July 2020, 04:01 AM   #2
Dan417
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Because it’s worked in the past, people are too trusting and too gullible, no repercussions for criminal actions, easier to be a savage scumbag and steal than to work hard and earn it. I can go on ? Lol


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Old 21 July 2020, 08:57 AM   #3
47Fountain
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It's almost as bad as contacting a trusted seller that is listing a watch you are interested in. No call back, no contact. Called a second & a third time, stated they just sold the watch. Told them to call if they come across another one, assured me they would. They then list one on their site, no call. I won't chase somebody to take my cash. Contacted another one who listed the same watch, no return email or call.
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Old 21 July 2020, 09:01 AM   #4
214270Explorer
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Originally Posted by Dan417 View Post
Because it’s worked in the past, people are too trusting and too gullible, no repercussions for criminal actions, easier to be a savage scumbag and steal than to work hard and earn it. I can go on ?
That is about as well said as it could be.

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Old 22 July 2020, 02:21 AM   #5
briboxer
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shame shame shame
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Old 25 July 2020, 03:04 AM   #6
CaseandMovement
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Originally Posted by briboxer View Post
shame shame shame
It is truly unfortunate. A little time consuming, but I usually respond to the scammers until they give me undeniable evidence that they are scammers and then will proceed to report. Usually happens right around authentication time haha
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Old 25 July 2020, 05:48 AM   #7
Tools
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Unfortunately, TRF is a well known and respectable site.

This brings con-men and scammers because they prey on members and lurkers, using the cover of TRF to imply that they are a part of it.

Nobody should be blindly buying from zero count, or one day old solicitations. Every transaction/vendor/buyer needs to be verified and double checked because the on-line risk is high - everywhere.
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Old 2 August 2020, 11:06 PM   #8
outdoors_guy
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I usually look for evidence of participation in a forum for a few years before i even think about the purchase. That being said, I get the impression that scammers are getting more sophisticated. It would not shock me if some start offering to buy user names (or just hack / steal them from users who are not active enough to notice in recent months) from users with an existing history and posting / planning multiple accounts in advance.
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Old 3 August 2020, 04:25 PM   #9
PRD
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The good news is, the guys who respond to WTB ads rarely know as much about watches as the real forum members (at least in my experience). I posted a WTB recently. One person contacted me, and the watch pictures he sent were of a totally different model. It wasn’t even close to what my post requested. Then another guy told me he was selling the watch “for a cousin” and knew next to nothing about details. Use your knowledge and experience to your advantage. Most scammers can’t “talk the talk” about the watches they pretend to sell when you really start asking. Not foolproof, as they are getting more sophisticated, but it is a good way to unmask some of the scammers out there. And finally I will pass on a lesson my dear father bestowed on me years ago: “never want something so badly that you can’t walk away.” Scammers rely on our eagerness and enthusiasm to get a new watch. It is that same eagerness and enthusiasm that clouds our better judgement sometimes....
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Old 4 August 2020, 04:42 AM   #10
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At first, I didn’t like the WTB. But now WTB seems a great honey pot to catch fraudsters and learn their tactics.

And a near foolproof way to flush the noob member cons out is to ask them to pay for a Pledge to confirm they’re serious sellers. Mention you only deal with a Pledge on buys. Because no legit seller will say no to a legit sale in the thousands for $35

If they say no to a Pledge, tell them you’ll add the $35 back after pledging to their watch price if they also answer a series of qualifiers to help prove they are legit.

Then if they’re made to be a con after the pledge, report them and the forum keeps their $35. And if they don’t, that’s also cause for concern and worth a message flag.

Win win.
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Old 4 August 2020, 05:06 AM   #11
Polarexplorerii
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chewbacca View Post
At first, I didn’t like the WTB. But now WTB seems a great honey pot to catch fraudsters and learn their tactics.

And a near foolproof way to flush the noob member cons out is to ask them to pay for a Pledge to confirm they’re serious sellers. Mention you only deal with a Pledge on buys. Because no legit seller will say no to a legit sale in the thousands for $35

If they say no to a Pledge, tell them you’ll add the $35 back to their watch price if they answer a series of qualifiers and are serious. Then if they’re cons, report them and the forum keeps their $35 if they Pledge. And if they don’t, that’s also cause for concern and worth a message flag.

Win win.
I agree
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Old 4 August 2020, 09:31 AM   #12
springer
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Quote:
Originally Posted by briboxer View Post
Why is it, that on such a great site as this, where we have interactions, communications, opinion sharing, and millions of dollars in legit business transactions occurring, that the a simple request in the WTB section has to invite scammers who think we just send money to random people with no posts, history, references of legitimacy, or anything remotely promising???
I occasionally respond to requests with something I actually have, and hope people find it safe and legit, but what have times come to???
Because the scammers price their item so low that the opportunistic buyers here fall hook, line and sinker for the killer deal.
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Old 4 August 2020, 01:43 PM   #13
77T
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Why?

The answer is Sutton’s Law.

A famous apocryphal story - bank robber Willie Sutton was asked by reporter Mitch Ohnstad why he robbed banks.

According to Ohnstad, he replied, "Because that's where the money is".




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