How to avoid getting ripped off on the internet

[FunkyLemz]

I don't know if this is a sin on the forum, but i was looking at the Talkbass forum and found this awesome thread. I didn't write it, but I am giving credit to the author below. This is good stuff.

Jugghaid

Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002

Location: Denver, CO, USA

Posts: 656

 

 

 

How to avoid getting ripped off on the internet

 

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Mods, feel free to move this wherever you want, but I thought the classifieds was the most appropriate place to post this.

 

 

I get about 2 or 3 requests a month from people asking me to help them track down someone who has ripped them off on a transaction on eBay, HC, Bassgear, etc. I'm more than happy to help out, but the one thing I have noticed is that a lot of people don't protect themselves as much as they could. Here's a little checklist to go through that I posted over on the Dudepit that can help you guys avoid a lot of grief when doing a deal with someone you don't know.

 

In the future, I hope everyone here checks out people before they do business with them. A lot of you guys here buy and sell a lot of gear, and if you know the person...great. But if not make sure you get a home phone# a work phone # a cell phone# home address etc. check out the info too. Call the person. If you think they gave you a cell# as a home or work # - check it out here:

www.fonefinder.net/

 

It will tell you if it's a land line or a cell and what city it goes to.

 

Reverse the phone#s and addresses they gave you to see where they go. Argali is really good for this. You can also reverse the address.

 

Just go to www.argali.com and download their program.

 

If you think the address is a mail drop you can check that out as well at http://www.finaid.com/scholarships/maildropsearch.phtml

 

If you want to find out who owns the address they give you to send payment to you can also go to

www.skipease.com/property.html

 

Select the state and county of the address. A lot of them have online databases, but you can call the tax assessor as well and find out who owns that property.

 

These are just a few of the free online resouces you can use to protect yourself and verify the information the seller gives you is accurate.

 

Ask for references from other people they have done business with. If I'm shelling out $100 for an effect pedal or $3000 for a bass, I want to know if the person is honest or not,

 

Make sure the info they give you checks out before you give up any of your hard earned cash. An honest seller won't be offended in the least when you ask them for this info.

[Eric VB]

Not a sin in my eyes, FL. Good info, and as I don't frequent that other forum it's news to me. I've seen others here quote from there as you just did. Is that easier than providing a link, like this?

 

OT scams thread from a few months ago

 

There's some pretty good war stories in that link that I enjoyed reading.

 

Sometimes you have to copy/paste the whole text, for example from news sources that pull their stories after a time (so the link becomes invalid and the text is off the net).

 

Thanks for the tip!