Dodged a bullet!

[wolfehunter]

We have been looking at big screen TV's and my wife recently found a "great buy" on a Panasonic 50" plasma on Bizrate for like $700. these usually sell for $1700 so I was skeptical. It was set up through a Yahoo auction yet when we tried to bid we had problems so the seller responded to our "question for seller" email we sent him. I still have all the correspondences saved in my email but to make a long story short: He was from Romania and had already shipped the TV after I gave him my name and address. He gave us a tracking # through http://www.postaunited.com and it seemed to check out OK as the tracking info. said it was in England to be shipped to our address. He told us to transfer the $700 via Western Union but to not tell Western Union what the money was for so he wouldn't have to pay export and customs taxes. And since he was willing to pay for the shipping it was the least we could do for him. I smelled a rat and told him I'd send him $750 when the tv arrived but nothing until I saw it. He emailed me back saying his last offer was send $400 now and $300 when I got it. I emailed him back and told him my last offer was $800 when I received it!! The tracking information never changed and a few days later the website didn't even work! I noticed it showed up here on this site around April 5 which was several days after we had our issues. Weird thing is this guy actually had sold 5 items according to BizRate and had good reviews from consumers. My wife said she checked the other day and he is still advertising on Biz Rate!! Is there anything I need to do? Should I be worried this guy has my name and address?

[JaxHot]

Is there anything I need to do? Should I be worried this guy has my name and address?
...not really, you may get a few spoof emails... you know you'll be more carelful next time.
The scammers have thousands of potential victim's names and addresses.....they won't visit, they're in Romania.


...and you never even bothered to post the scammer's info....

[wolfehunter]

Well, as you can see I am brand new to the site and only stumbled onto it doing a google search of wwwpostaunited.com And I saw someone else must have already reported it as it showed up on your list. I thought by posting it here I was sharing it with others but obviously not since you mention

"and you never even bothered to post the scammers info"

As I said in my original post I still have his emails saved so please tell me what I need to do and I will post whatever you want. Should I forward the emails to you and you can post them as I am not the most computer savy person for the job. Definately want to help others.....just not sure how to make it happen. Little help please.

Thanks.

[JaxHot]

Just the scammer's emails will do nicely.
Thanks

[peg]

Well, as you can see I am brand new to the site and only stumbled onto it doing a google search of wwwpostaunited.com And I saw someone else must have already reported it as it showed up on your list. I thought by posting it here I was sharing it with others but obviously not since you mention

"and you never even bothered to post the scammers info"

As I said in my original post I still have his emails saved so please tell me what I need to do and I will post whatever you want. Should I forward the emails to you and you can post them as I am not the most computer savy person for the job. Definately want to help others.....just not sure how to make it happen. Little help please.

Thanks.

It may help to provide as much detail about the scammers as possible. Emails... Both content and addresses, IP Addresses, websites (complete URL's), phone numbers, mailing addresses, etc...

We don't care to much about protecting the identity of the scammer, however we do care about protecting YOURS (the victim). When posting information, you could (and probably should) protect things such as your email address (so it doesn't get harvested), personal address and certainly protect your financial information. If you chose to share it with someone (such as the Admins or Mods of this site), then do so only in PM or private email (sharing email addresses in PM).

Even though the site has already been "Flagged" as a scam and may (or may not) be in our database, your details are important as someone else might be falling for the same scam at a different site. They may find it by seeing the similarities.

Additionally, there are those here that go the extra step and have resources to do even more to CATCH the SOB's that are taking our money or merchandise.

Thank you for bringing your information to us. We appreciate all that everyone does to help stop the online fraud.

[wolfehunter]

How do I do just that? I PM'd you and asked for your email address so I can forward them to you. Will that work? Then you can post them. I might try to cut and paste them here. Wish me luck!

[wolfehunter]

Here is the first email:

Hello

Dear Mike

The Panasonic TH-50PX60U 50 Plasma HDTV is brand new in box warranty papers full accessories 1 year Full US Warranty Product has US full specs.
I bought the Panasonic 1 week ago from Bucharest Electronics Shop (second bigest electronics store from my country Romania which exported electronics to US) that went bankrupt and i`ve got a great deal in buying this product and a couple of other products.

What's in the BoxPlasma TV, remote control (with batteries), pedestal base, power cord, printed operating instructions Technical Details50-inch HD-ready plasma TV; measures 47.6 x 32.2 x 3.7 inches (WxHxD) Integrated NTSC, ATSC tuners; QAM tuner compatible with unscrambled HDTV cable reception 1366 x 768-pixel resolution; 10000:1 contrast ratio; motion adaptive 3D Y/C comb filter Connections: 3 composite A/V (1 front), 3 S-Video (1 front), 2 component (Y/Pb/Pr), 2 HDMI, 1 SC memory card slot Two stereo speakers, 10 watts apiece (20 watts total); BBE ViVA HD3D virtual surround sound Product DescriptionThe TH-50PX60U 50" Diagonal Plasma HDTV gives you deep blacks, bright whites and 29 billion colors -- it's an image so close to real life, you'll swear you were in your favorite programs instead of just watching them. Enjoy crisp, lifelike details with the up to 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Deep blacks provide excellent shadow detail during dark scenes, while brilliant whites render bright scenes with vivid realism. Receive and view local over-the-air broadcasts in stunning HD, using the built-in HDTV tuner. You can even share your JPEG photos taken with the built-in SD card slot. Features a width-to-height ratio similar to movie theater screens, providing a theater-like experience at home. View HDTV broadcasts and widescreen DVDs the way they were meant to be seen. Native Resolution - 1366 x 768 Contrast Ratio - Up to 10,000 - 1 Progressive Scan Video Noise Reduction Digital Comb Filter Color Purity Optimizer (3D Color Management) Two 20-watt, 8 ohm speakers -- 70Hz - 17kHz, 10% THD Surround Sound Motion Pattern Noise Reduction BBE ViVA HD3D Sound Standard NTSC tuner ATSC/QAM (SDTV and HDTV broadcasts) SD Card Slot & Photo Viewer HDMI-HDCP Interface - 2, in rear Analog Audio Input (for HDMI) - 1 rear Composite Video Input - 3 (2 rear, 1 front) S-Video Inputs - 3 (2 rear, 1 front) Audio Input (for Video) - 3 (2 rear, 1 front) Rear Inputs/Outputs - 2 Component Video (YPbPr), 2 Component Audio out, 1 Composite & Audio out On-screen display languages - English/Spanish/French Timers - Sleep/On/Off Built-in closed-caption decoder Video Input Labeling V-Chip Program Lockout Includes remote control & pedestal stand Unit Dimensions(HxWxD) - 32.2 x 47.6 x 3.7 Unit Weight - 89.5 lbs

Buy it now option :

I wanna tell you that everything is completed and ready to be shipped Check my Excellent FeedBack all of my orders were made successfully.
To complete this transaction email me your full name and address where you want me to ship the package.
5 Easy Steps :

1: Product is shipped in a Beautiful Box Well Packaged Shippment is Insured.
2: Shippment is confirmed with the tracking Number.
3: After you successfully verify that the item was shipped (Shippment Status) payment must be made i will choose a quick and easy service for the payment process.
4: Shippment will be received in 2-3 Business Days.
5: RETURN POLICY : As soon as the package arrives, you will test the product and if it does not matches 100% to your expectations, you will return it in max. 5 days sience the arrival date. In this case I will send you the full amount back and you will send me the product in the original box and you will pay the return shipping and insurance.
I will support the shippment fees and you the payment fees.
The total price for this product is : $700
You will receive along with the Tracking Info my full name and address and phone number.

If you are really interested e-mail me as soon as posible your full name and address to complete the order and also your phone number if it`s available.

Looking forword to hear from you.

Best Regards
Sincerely
Marian


Here is the second:

Hello

Dear Mike

Your package was successfully sent at :

My address was here!


To succsessfully track the package visit :

http://www.postaunited.com/track.php

Tracking Number : GW8237857238523SA

PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS : For payment, the fastest way to send money worldwide is Western Union transfer. To arrange the transfer, you must go in person to an Western Union Office please visit http://www.westernunion.com to find the nearest agent and hours of operation. From Western Union, you will receive a number (MTCN),you must send me that number as soon as you have arranged the payment so I can go to http://www.westernunion.com to see if the transaction is arranged.For the reason that you will pay some money for the Western Union wire transfer fee, I covered that by paying the shippment and insurance.
Amount to send is: $700

At the Western Union office you`ll need my full name and address which is:

First Name is : Marian Last Name is : Buruiana
Address: Cotroceni 28 Sector 3
City: Bucharest
Country: Romania
Zip Code: 7000
Phone Number: 0040724602614

NOTE : In case you`ll be asked the Payment Reason,do not mention that is for an Purchase because i`ll have to pay other taxes.Mention that is for personal reasons/friend/etc.To be thankful for this i shipped you the package as a gift for you to avoid Customs Taxes.

I was prompt and efficient in doing the shippment and i would appreciate if you`ll do the same.
Call me/mail me after the payment is done Today as soon as posible.

Best Regards
Sincerely
Marian

Here's the third after he left a message at my house on the answering machine:

Hello

Dear Mike,

This is my last Payment Request
I tried to call you yesterday and still did not obtained the Payment
I want the Payment Today
Call me/mail me after it`s done and Answer me as soon as posible i would not like any more delays

Best Regards
Sincerely
Marian

And this is the last one I got after I offered to pay him $800 when it arrived:

Final offer is $400 payment now and $300 after you receive it



This is the email address he used: buneshop@aol.com

That's pretty much all I know except that he advertised in Biz Rate and it was done through a Yahoo auction but it wouldn't allow you to bid. Had to contact the seller via email to make a transaction. I checked on BizRate and of course he is gone!

Hope this was helpful.