SCAMMER ALERT! - User Foobs

[skim79]

I have an unfortunate run-in with scammer whose username is "Foobs" https://www.rolexforums.com/member.php?u=239907

I have responded to his Daytona sales ad https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=804032

Everything seems to have been going ok and I have sent the fund to him and he promised to ship the watch out via FedEx overnight yesterday or today morning at latest. I have emailed him this morning again asking for the tracking number and he stopped replying. His response was pretty instant leading up to the payment.

After I wired him the fund, he sent me an email saying he got a 116509 to sell and the pictures he sent me are actually from an ad from April 2020 ad, https://watchcharts.com/listing/1718...20-bnib-unworn
which I found out from google image search. It was already too late.

He should be banned from the site to avoid scamming anyone else.

[1665fan]

Damn that sucks...at least you didn’t 50k for the Daytona...ban him!!!!

[tike71]

I'm curious... What sort of due diligence did you do prior to wiring such a large amount of money to this person?

[ericthewatchguy48]

What have you done to get your money back? Have you reported this to the necessary authorities? Have you contact your bank's fraud department?

[sleddog]

He is banned.

This is horrible!!
The fact that anyone would send that kind of money to a complete stranger, with little to no selling or forum history, is beyond me..

This is the reason there is such a minefield out there. Big money, short scam, and always someone who lets their guard down.

Sorry to hear of this.

[skim79]

Originally Posted by tike71

I'm curious... What sort of due diligence did you do prior to wiring such a large amount of money to this person?

Well I think it's more of a comfort level. I asked him how he got the watch, send me close up pictures of clasp, different angels, etc. And he did send me a ton of pictures so I began to relax.
Come to think of it, he said he was from SF and I've been to SF more than I could count. Maybe I should have asked him about some SF districts he frequents, restaurant recommendations, etc

[skim79]

Originally Posted by sleddog

He is banned.

This is horrible!!
The fact that anyone would send that kind of money to a complete stranger, with little to no selling or forum history, is beyond me..

This is the reason there is such a minefield out there. Big money, short scam, and always someone who lets their guard down.

Sorry to hear of this.

That crossed my mind but I was also thinking everyone starts somewhere and those who want to move up, they'd work harder, which seemed to be the case leading up to the payment.
A couple of (big) things that affected my judgement, I fully intended to surprise my dad with this. So even though in my mind Daytona isn't worth the gray price, I was willing to pay but wanted a bit of bargain, which led me to work with this guy.
And of course I was picturing my dad being over the moon and enjoying the watch starting this weekend, which made me say "ok let's do it" prematurely.

I still think it's unfair to only deal with the most established sellers because again I believe everyone starts somewhere. Someone with little history shouldn't be looked over but the buyer really needs to do much more due diligence, which I failed. I just wanted my case to be an example to other buyers so more people, both sellers and buyers come out win-win in the end.

[TTbluesy]

Originally Posted by skim79

I still think it's unfair to only deal with the most established sellers because again I believe everyone starts somewhere. .

Wow. Not my problem how someone gets started, I only deal w very trusted sellers.

Scammers are slimier than I’ll ever be. I don’t give them any chances. Too many other solid choices.

Sorry to hear.


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[Potawatomi]

This was supposed to be a WG daytona for 34k? That seems to fit the " too good to be true". Sorry to hear this happened to you

[Knappo 1307]

Originally Posted by skim79

That crossed my mind but I was also thinking everyone starts somewhere and those who want to move up, they'd work harder, which seemed to be the case leading up to the payment.
A couple of (big) things that affected my judgement, I fully intended to surprise my dad with this. So even though in my mind Daytona isn't worth the gray price, I was willing to pay but wanted a bit of bargain, which led me to work with this guy.
And of course I was picturing my dad being over the moon and enjoying the watch starting this weekend, which made me say "ok let's do it" prematurely.

I still think it's unfair to only deal with the most established sellers because again I believe everyone starts somewhere. Someone with little history shouldn't be looked over but the buyer really needs to do much more due diligence, which I failed. I just wanted my case to be an example to other buyers so more people, both sellers and buyers come out win-win in the end.

It's ok to deal with new sellers, after serious vetting and using Paypal. Wiring someone with no history, is playing roulette. Thread and threads on here with the same issue, no selling history+ wire = bad outcome. Sorry to hear OP.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by skim79

Well I think it's more of a comfort level. I asked him how he got the watch, send me close up pictures of clasp, different angels, etc. And he did send me a ton of pictures so I began to relax.
Come to think of it, he said he was from SF and I've been to SF more than I could count. Maybe I should have asked him about some SF districts he frequents, restaurant recommendations, etc

IP address for that listing is Chicago.

[uhren917]

Just so sad to hear about this.

Can your bank help at all? I'm guessing there is no form of protection from a wire.

[johnliley]

I don't think this is the actual Foobs guy I dealt with. I think we have an imposter here. Same thing happened to me a few years ago. Unfortunately. :(

Originally Posted by skim79

I have an unfortunate run-in with scammer whose username is "Foobs" https://www.rolexforums.com/member.php?u=239907

I have responded to his Daytona sales ad https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=804032

Everything seems to have been going ok and I have sent the fund to him and he promised to ship the watch out via FedEx overnight yesterday or today morning at latest. I have emailed him this morning again asking for the tracking number and he stopped replying. His response was pretty instant leading up to the payment.

After I wired him the fund, he sent me an email saying he got a 116509 to sell and the pictures he sent me are actually from an ad from April 2020 ad, https://watchcharts.com/listing/1718...20-bnib-unworn
which I found out from google image search. It was already too late.

He should be banned from the site to avoid scamming anyone else.

[Humble michael]

So sorry to hear- all the vetting in the world will never protect you like paying ONLY with a cc.If seller balks , offer to pay fees . Here we go now a seller will tell us he won’t sell this way - great you can sell to someone else who is willing to send you a boatload of cash in advance hoping against hope all will go well - good luck! When I am a buyer I must protect myself period! See how many sellers will change shoes and send you timepiece with no money agreeing that we will send cash AFTER we get piece - ha! Op sorry you lost your money but I hope someone on this thread can learn from your very expensive lesson .wishing you the best , james in San Antonio Tx

[RoscoPico]

damn very sorry to hear it. but if he's in SF, lets get this turkey

[swaini3]

Ahhh. Sorry to hear. Thanks for posting about it.

[crunkerman]

to OP skim79 who sent $$$$ and didn't receive a watch in return. My initial reaction is ..you don't seem really shocked, pissed-off and angered about loosing the $$... seems like small $ to you. If so, why wouldn't you pony up and pay full grey price from a trusted dealer like Bobs, or DavidDw instead of trying to get a "too good to be true low-priced deal"? Don't understand why you are NOT livid with rage that someone scammed you for big bucks...that's why I think there is more to this story than you let on.

[Humble michael]

“I still think it's unfair to only deal with the most established sellers because again I believe everyone starts somewhere. Someone with little history shouldn't be looked over but the buyer really needs to do much more due diligence, which I failed. I just wanted my case to be an example to other buyers so more people, both sellers and buyers come out win-win in the end.”

Op ,really?? Are you serious?

[skim79]

Originally Posted by crunkerman

to OP skim79 who sent $$$$ and didn't receive a watch in return. My initial reaction is ..you don't seem really shocked, pissed-off and angered about loosing the $$... seems like small $ to you. If so, why wouldn't you pony up and pay full grey price from a trusted dealer like Bobs, or DavidDw instead of trying to get a "too good to be true low-priced deal"? Don't understand why you are NOT livid with rage that someone scammed you for big bucks...that's why I think there is more to this story than you let on.

With all due respect, I don't understand posts like this. Of course I am beyond raged and I question humanity and beyond. But the point of this post was to let others know and learn from my VERY expensive mistake. Also I wanted him banned from here so he's not roaming around with jail-free card and more people falling victims. Just because someone acts different from how you would have, it doesn't mean they don't feel it right? The loss and pain are very much real. What would I/anyone gain from a post filled with profanity words, naming calling, hatred post? I am dealing with it privately. Doesn't mean I don't lose sleep over what happened and constantly think about "what if"s that could have avoid all this, or regrets. So if expressing all this makes you feel better, so be it.

I've contacted the bank and local authorities. LAPD asked me to come in for questioning so I will have some update when I do.

[rambo99]

next time, buy the seller!

[m j b]

People like @crunkerman should take a step back and consider how hurtful their comments are before posting. Does the OP feel embarrassed and foolish? Of course he does! No need to pile on. Not everyone communicates anger in the same way.

Thank you @skim79 for the warning and reminders. Best of luck to you.

Food for thought: when buying an expensive watch like this, it may be worth the time and bother to fly in and do it in person.

[sambb]

sad story.

[TTbluesy]

Originally Posted by m j b

People like @crunkerman should take a step back and consider how hurtful their comments are before posting. Does the OP feel embarrassed and foolish? Of course he does! No need to pile on. Not everyone communicates anger in the same way.

Thank you @skim79 for the warning and reminders. Best of luck to you.

Food for thought: when buying an expensive watch like this, it may be worth the time and bother to fly in and do it in person.

He really does not seem to feel foolish, in fact he said (which blows me away) that he doesn’t think people shouldn’t do business with unproven sellers.

Just mailed away $30,000 to a stranger and would consider doing it again?......Ok!


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[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by m j b

People like @crunkerman should take a step back and consider how hurtful their comments are before posting. Does the OP feel embarrassed and foolish? Of course he does! No need to pile on. Not everyone communicates anger in the same way.

Thank you @skim79 for the warning and reminders. Best of luck to you.

Food for thought: when buying an expensive watch like this, it may be worth the time and bother to fly in and do it in person.

I really think face to face is fraught with danger these days. Its fine in a local area where everyone is known or has local references. But to fly any where to points unknown on a watch sale to a total stranger, buy or sell, is dangerous.
Too easy to get robbed or scammed in too many ways to count. Sell watches to established dealers. Less money, but not that much less, with complete safety.

[77T]

I give the OP credit for sharing what appears to be a scammer who hijacked a legit member’s account. But even the hijacked account was about a year old.

This can happen when sellers don’t use 2FA so OP’s warning is good for any relatively new buyers here on TRF.

As for the philosophy of giving new sellers a chance - well the real challenge here is knowing your seller better than you know your spouse or significant other. There is a reason that trusted boutique sellers here get to their status- a long standing trustful track record. The risk rises exponentially as you stray from that path.

I like new, young airline pilots flying in first year airlines - the aviation world needs new blood in both aspects - but I have more comfort flying Delta with a Captain having 10+ years experience on the flight deck.


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[ZOOK]

Originally Posted by skim79

.......

He should be banned from the site to avoid scamming anyone else.

This username is banned, but the scammer will be back. You should post any other information you have about the scammer. Name, email address, phone number, bank account info. This would give his next victim an alert, if the victim is smart enough to search the scammers details.

[Atone]

I’m really sorry to hear this brother. I had a watch stolen at an in person “sale” about a year ago. It’s devastating to take a hit like that. Sometimes we just assume the best in people and are more trusting than we should be. I hope you get some semblance of justice here and applaud your thinking of giving folks an opportunity as a seller. I have scored some great deals with newer sellers and am myself grateful for those who have purchased my wares over the years here on TRF. At the end of the day, it just takes some time and this will be a valuable lesson. Again, very sorry. This just sucks.

[Amelee]

So sorry to hear this, thanks for sharing and warning us

[PBJ1925]

Sorry to hear about your experience, and appreciate the warning. Hopefully you'll have some luck in being able to recover your potential loss...

[BLNR Nairobi]

Originally Posted by skim79

That crossed my mind but I was also thinking everyone starts somewhere and those who want to move up, they'd work harder, which seemed to be the case leading up to the payment.
A couple of (big) things that affected my judgement, I fully intended to surprise my dad with this. So even though in my mind Daytona isn't worth the gray price, I was willing to pay but wanted a bit of bargain, which led me to work with this guy.
And of course I was picturing my dad being over the moon and enjoying the watch starting this weekend, which made me say "ok let's do it" prematurely.

I still think it's unfair to only deal with the most established sellers because again I believe everyone starts somewhere. Someone with little history shouldn't be looked over but the buyer really needs to do much more due diligence, which I failed. I just wanted my case to be an example to other buyers so more people, both sellers and buyers come out win-win in the end.

Unfortunately I would have to disagree. While I fully understand where you are coming from, the problem is that it is all too easy for someone to pay $900 for a high-quality piece of junk (starts with a ‘f’ and ends in ‘ake’ and we are not allowed to discuss it), and then sell it to you for $20,000.

That alone is why I cannot buy from a new seller, no matter how tempting, unless I can meet him/her and we can go to an AD for an actual expert (and I don’t mean the sales staff) to have a deeper look.

I have been fortunate with ADs, but if I had to use a non-AD seller it would HAVE to be one of the more established trusted sellers.

Why?

Because they have too much to lose over a measly $20,000.

This unfortunately means some genuine first-time sellers may lose potential business, but there’s unfortunately too much risk buying from them. In the 80s when crap looked like crap that would be ok, but not in 2021.