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A Few Thoughts on Scam Prevention

DD60

Eagle Eyed Moderator
Staff member
Moderator Sales
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28/4/17
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I certainly feel bad for my fellow members here getting scammed. It is very irritating and disappointing to be scammed by anyone for anything, anywhere,
ever !
Given the fact that we are participating in a hobby directly involved with the sales and purchase of illegal replica watches, our exposure to the criminal element intent on conducting various scams is rather high.

So, what can we do as individual members on this forum to prevent being scammed? And, whom exactly is responsible for preventing or at least reducing the potential of being scammed here ?
I feel as a member on this forum when it comes to scam prevention, we are provided more resources and admin/mod support than on any other forum(s).
Simply stated : It is up to each and everyone of us to conduct our own best due diligence to prevent being scammed prior to participating in any m2m sale.

Of course we know to research an item before making a purchase. The more we know, the better the experience.
Always committ yourself to finding out as much about the member posting the item for sale as possible.
The forum makes it rather simple to check out the selling members join date, along with his/her posting and sales history. Take time to read the type of comments the selling member makes in his/her post history. Look for any potential red flags, negative or derogatory comments. See if you can follow a previous sales post involving the seller whereas he/she was the actual buyer. If you find any comments that appear to be misleading in any way, dig deeper.
What kind of buyer or seller have they been ?
Is there a previous history of nuked sales, withdrawn sales?
Have they been repeatedly asked to clarify or provide documentation?
Did they fail to respond to specific questions?
Any history of hesitation or refusal to respond to a sales mod ?
Is the seller using the correct sales form and have they completed it accurately and clearly?
Are they claiming to be selling the item for a friend ?
Is the seller keeping the sales post open after claiming it is sold?
Has the seller suddenly sent you a PM offering a special lower price , if you buy now or send payment via PayPal family and friends ?
Does the seller appear to be posting several items for sale all at once ?
Are they listing items for sell at considerably lower than average pricing ?
Is the seller posting several sales in various m2m sales areas for gen items, replicas etc.,
Does the seller react adversely to questions or comments concerning authenticity of the item for sale ?
Do you get a feeling that something is off about the seller or the item for sale?
We all have an inner sense of intuition. If you have a gut feeling something is not quite right, dig deeper, ask more questions. If you are not satisfied with his/her answer - walk away. There will always be another great watch that you just have to have.
Remember, patience is a prime factor in this hobby.

Before you spend your first dollar in this hobby, ask yourself this question:
Can I afford to lose my hard earned money ? If you feel in any way that you can't afford a loss, then just don't do it.

You are responsible for you. You are the only one responsible for your actions. The forum is not responsible for your decisions or the choices you make here, nor are the admin/mods, the TD's, or anyone else, Just you. If you can't take full responsibility for your own actions, decisions, you certainly can't expect anyone else to.
The absolute most important thing after accepting responsible is to be prepared. Prepare yourself to avoid being scammed by educating yourself. Use the forum resources to educate yourself on every aspect of this hobby. Educate yourself to know the best factory, the pros and cons of each replica. Educate yourself on the genuine watch you like. Familiarize yourself with the brand. Know what the gen looks like, feels like, it's specifications, how it functions, the type of movement it has. How can you expect to find the most accurate replica if you don't know all there is to know about the gen.
​​​​​​​Finally, make your own decisions based on your own research to spend your own money.

Each of us must be prepared to take the full responsibility of our actions. It is not and I repeat it is not the responsibility of the admin/mods here to offer or accept responsibility for our decision to buy or sell here. Nor the outcome. For any of us to feel we can buy or sell any item here without owning the process, following the rules, heading the warnings and doing the research is foolish. The admin/mods are here to oversee the process, enforce the rules and provide support when purchasing from the approved TD's. And only then, when we follow the established process, adhere to the rules and take full responsibility for our own actions here. This certainly includes supporting the admin/mods when they work hard to help us identify, catch and take action against these scammers. If we are not committed to back up, support and do what is necessary to prosecute these scammers, how can we expect the admin/mods to justly resolve these issues if we don't see it to the end ? We can't and we shouldn't.
​​​​​​​
The forum has very clearly detailed the rules and suggestions for all members that participate in the M2M sales and buying. We must read, understand and follow them with each and every buying/selling transaction. Anything less makes it that much easier for scams to happen.
 

srhoque

Put Some Respect On My Name
28/11/18
3,259
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Well written Note Mate!! Good to see a fellow scuba diving enthusiast (I hope you are given your name/image) ;)
 
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mclarendude

𝙟𝙚𝙩𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙙
Staff member
Moderator Sales
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16/2/11
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Palm Beach
Beautifully written. I hope all buyers, whether veteran or new, read it.
 
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p0pperini

patr0n h0arder
Gold Patron
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29/1/19
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Very good summary of a common sense approach to buying. Should probably be stickied.
 
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Dino888

You're Saying I Can Sell?
1/3/20
88
15
8
BC Canada
Nice, Im planning to sell an omega seamaster when I develop enough reputation. I ended up buy a second seamaster that I wanted in the black colour and don't really know where else to sell the original one I purchased except here. I could use some advice on how to gain trust and rep, was thinking of trying to make my first transaction in person becuase I understand how risky I am as a first time seller online...
 

Glaude

Tech Admin
Staff member
Administrator
11/8/17
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:thumbsup:

Nicely done !
 

Lizandro

Active Member
16/4/19
373
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San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
Nice to see this post the scamming activity lately is been out control and there a lot of new accounts every day and more than half are post whoring, and the behavior of some more established members is getting out of control fighting with the Sales Mods just unacceptable behavior, a lot of people trying to make a profit on sales and spamming PM of other members and now seeing Bank transfers from members that are not established no reputation. This just has to stop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

tripdog

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Nice to see this post the scamming activity lately is been out control and there a lot of new accounts every day and more than half are post whoring, and the behavior of some more established members is getting out of control fighting with the Sales Mods just unacceptable behavior, a lot of people trying to make a profit on sales and spamming PM of other members and now seeing Bank transfers from members that are not established no reputation. This just has to stop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Out of control scamming - as opposed to controlled scamming ?

Lots of new accounts everyday, yes, it's been like that for many many years, it'll probably never stop, people just carelessly signing up to the forum without a thought for others who've already joined.

And those post whores - some guy made 21 posts in single day - all of them worthless, pointless posts - shouldn't be allowed.
 

DD60

Eagle Eyed Moderator
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I think criminals that rely on scamming people out of thier hard earned money tend to do so during times of increased consumer vulnerability. Especially during holidays and times of public turmoil. Holidays yield high volume spending, often quickly and with less attention to regular financial accounting. Disasters and widespread health events such as the current Covid virus pandemic tend to present opportunities for false cures and other to good to be true deals.
 

Tucker

Lunnyfied by Raddave
Supporter
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23/12/11
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Nice to see this post the scamming activity lately is been out control and there a lot of new accounts every day and more than half are post whoring, and the behavior of some more established members is getting out of control fighting with the Sales Mods just unacceptable behavior, a lot of people trying to make a profit on sales and spamming PM of other members and now seeing Bank transfers from members that are not established no reputation. This just has to stop.


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You tell ‘em Cap. I hate those post-whoring members.
 

C Master

General RWI Dogsbody
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I am making this a sticky here too.

In my humble experience the level of scamming goes up during a crisis and after one. So be safe out there in all respects.
 

AAH1483

Active Member
Certified
5/12/12
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Very excellent!!! I know alot of newbies here are afraid to take that 1st plunge when joining this forum and its probably the biggest reason for " who has the best sub?" The guys here ask these questions and it may sound ridiculous and silly at times but its because they are scared. That's why you read the sticky's and get up to date on what's happening here. When joining READ READ READ!!!!
 

Darryldgf

Looking Around
11/10/20
2
0
0
I bought my first replica about 7 weeks ago from noobwatch03. I found this sight after I wired the money. I felt very anxious after reading the posters on this sight. My watch is scheduled for delivery today so I will find out then if I was scammed or not. I got the video three weeks ago and it looked good. Anyway this sight is helpful for future purchases. Thank you
 

Stax802

Active Member
Certified
14/12/20
437
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Yes scamming people is awful but its even worse when someone is able to get around the rules by becoming a TD and is given a metaphorical license to scam people by selling AAA dhgate watches for $200-$240 each when in reality they are worth $75-$120 each

Yes I agree
 

watchchris

Active Member
7/7/06
252
225
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Conus
While it may be difficult to tell if someone is a scammer or not. Just counting their posts does not give much real credibility either. I have met many B.S. artists through the years.
However, someone with an established Ebay history should be able to use that as an actual basis for sales.

Just a thought .
 
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