Fraud/scam attempt via this forum.

OregonGX

Member
Hi all,

Just sending along a fair warning that someone attempted to scam me via this forum and to stay diligent for general internet scammers lurking on our board.

I recently posted a thread seeking an LR3 front bumper here: https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/wanted-lr3-arb-bumper.209570/

Following that post I received what appeared to be a pretty helpful PM from member wend22. This is where I made my first mistake, not checking to see if the member had any history. In my mind, everyone knows that person in their club or group that doesn't do much online, so I didn't think much of it and proceed to contact the email provided.

I'm sharing the full context here so members can see how the attempted con played out and stay diligent. I've removed my personal information, and edited expletives to keep things G-rated.

Screen Shot 2019-10-09 at 9.24.50 AM.png


I reached out to the email provided:

Screen Shot 2019-10-09 at 9.59.22 AM.png


And received the following email, which set off major alarm bells. The pictured bumper wasn't for an LR3, the name used traced back to a lawyer in the Ohio area but the email address and signed name didn't match, the phone number is an Oregon number and the person is in Ohio, the spelling and grammar didn't match what I would expect from a professional lawyer, shipping via USPS... I think not.

Screen Shot 2019-10-09 at 10.03.17 AM.png


To which I replied that it wasn't an LR3 bumper and I didn't want to be scammed, and received this lovely, expletive laced, typo'd response from someone who is a clearly a scammer. Moral of the story, it is still the internet even if we think we are in a trusted community.

Screen Shot 2019-10-09 at 10.05.39 AM.png
 

jadmt

ignore button user
yes if some one reaches out be very Leary. AEV forum has been hit and I moderate on wranglerforum and same scam has caught at least one person. Scammers are everywhere.
 

GHI

Adventurer
That’s pretty slick with that helpful PM you received turning you on to that lead. I know what you mean about folks in the crowd that don’t participate much. I was that person here on the forum. I just read the threads and articles. I'll chime in here and there as of lately.. I guess that's where forum longevity comes into play somewhat. This is the reason I get suspicious of brand new forum members posting things for sale. I know they aren't all scams. I'm just a pretty skeptical dude in general. Glad they didn't get you.
 
Last edited:

OregonGX

Member
LOL, I usually use "Best Regards" for professional correspondence since its neither too formal nor too personal. Just the right amount of noncommittal. For forum business I'd probably just go with "best," though.

I'm more of a "Good day sir," type of guy. :LOL:
 

MrRay

New member
I got a helpful pm from Wend22 as well. I just ignored it as it seemed odd.
Anyone get messages from other new user names?
 

ghillin

New member
Hi all,

Just sending along a fair warning that someone attempted to scam me via this forum and to stay diligent for general internet scammers lurking on our board.

I recently posted a thread seeking an LR3 front bumper here: https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/wanted-lr3-arb-bumper.209570/

Following that post I received what appeared to be a pretty helpful PM from member wend22. This is where I made my first mistake, not checking to see if the member had any history. In my mind, everyone knows that person in their club or group that doesn't do much online, so I didn't think much of it and proceed to contact the email provided.

I'm sharing the full context here so members can see how the attempted con played out and stay diligent. I've removed my personal information, and edited expletives to keep things G-rated.

View attachment 543774

I reached out to the email provided:

View attachment 543781

And received the following email, which set off major alarm bells. The pictured bumper wasn't for an LR3, the name used traced back to a lawyer in the Ohio area but the email address and signed name didn't match, the phone number is an Oregon number and the person is in Ohio, the spelling and grammar didn't match what I would expect from a professional lawyer, shipping via USPS... I think not.

View attachment 543782

To which I replied that it wasn't an LR3 bumper and I didn't want to be scammed, and received this lovely, expletive laced, typo'd response from someone who is a clearly a scammer. Moral of the story, it is still the internet even if we think we are in a trusted community.

View attachment 543783
Any time a message has the word "Kindly" , its spam
 

hovenator

Explorer
I've been nailed twice now for an OME suspension. The first time, I actually paid via my Discover card thinking I was dealing with someone credible here. Thankfully I was able to get my money back via a fraud case. The second attempt by another scammer was ignored and I noticed he hit someone else's wanted add and warned them of the scam. Both our requests were met with verbatim responses, just with the merchandise being different. It sucks these people have to hit these sites!
 

XJINTX

Explorer
I got scammed exactly same way on the NAXJA forum :( I have to learn everything the hard way. Luckily it was not a real lot of money... be careful out there. THANKS for the post!
 

shade

Well-known member
For people unfamiliar, or professional business, I am a ”kind regards” guy. If my message is not in english, its ”mvh”.
If somebody automatically reads my message as spam, they are a wanker and I dont need to deal with them anyway.
^ Clearly a spam post. What's your angle, mvh?

Sad to say, I'm leery of selling anything through a forum, and stick with Craigslist for meets at the local police department. If someone is a flake, I figure they're less likely to see that through, and I probably won't have to deal with a snatch & run thief. I don't buy much through forums, either.
 

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