Zelle No!!!!

Started by ldmike, 01/20/2022 03:13AM
Posted 01/20/2022 03:13AM Opening Post
First time in my 70 years I have been scammed.....and I should have listened to my little voices.  Made the mistake of trusting a classified ad post and submitted payment through Zelle for a non-existent ZWO ASI183 PRO.....This scammer was SO good at their craft.  Seller was very concerned that I received a shipping tracking # and assured me all of the accessories in the ZWO camera package came with the camera (even named them!).  I will pretend I sent my money to a charitable cause and that they needed the cash more than I did.
Posted 01/24/2022 02:40AM #1
Originally Posted by mike tiller
First time in my 70 years I have been scammed.....and I should have listened to my little voices.  Made the mistake of trusting a classified ad post and submitted payment through Zelle for a non-existent ZWO ASI183 PRO.....This scammer was SO good at their craft.  Seller was very concerned that I received a shipping tracking # and assured me all of the accessories in the ZWO camera package came with the camera (even named them!).  I will pretend I sent my money to a charitable cause and that they needed the cash more than I did.

Hi Mike

Sorry you got scammed, it happens, particularly if you dont use sound judgement. Since you are new here I will offer some advice

1. Paying by Zelle (or any of the other instant pay services that offer no protection) as you now probably realize is tantamount to mailing cash to someone. Not a good idea unless you have a history of good transactions with them. 

2. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is, the bigger the ticket item the more cautious you should be.

3. Unless the seller has a well documented history on the site with 98% good feedback be very cautious and stick to paying with Paypal for protection. Even then I rarely use anything other than paypal unless we have history. If they refuse, I keep looking......

4. One rule I stick to is if the seller has little or no feedback I restrict myself to $100 or less without fail, anther one will come along, patience is a virtue smile

5. Be sure and report problematic sellers like this one to Herb at [email protected] with all the relevant info you have so he can insure they dont do it again.

Been here around 15 years and most of my astro gear was bought via AM......all without any significant issues 

20" MidnighTelescopes f/5
8" f/16 Muffoletto Achro
Meade 6" AR6 f/8.0 Achro
Celestron C11
Parallax PI250 10" F/5 Newt
Vixen FL102S,NA140SS,R200SS
80mm Stellarvue Nighthawk with WO APOupgrade lens, 90mm f/16.67 Parallax Achro
LXD75/LX200, Mini-tower, GP-DX, CG5 ASGT, LXD650, GM-8, G11, GM-100, GM-150EX, GM-200 and a Gemini G40
4" portable AP convertable 44" or 70" pier
Stellarvue M7 Alt-Az, TSL7 Pier/Tripod
12.5" f/5 MidnighTelescopes DOB Swayze optics
Monroe GA
Posted 01/24/2022 06:34PM #2
Gary,
Thank you so much for your reply and wise advice.  You are absolutely spot on with your guidance concerning identifying suspicious on-line transactions.  All of the red flags you mentioned were certainly present.  There were two additional red flags that should have sent me running:

1. When I initially joined Astromart and submitted my credit card information, my bank flagged the transaction warning me that the website was suspicious, and:

2. The Better Business Bureau rating for Astromart is an "F".

Again, I should have listened to my little voices.  I will be more cautious in the future.

Best regards,
Mike
Posted 01/27/2022 02:30AM #3
Originally Posted by mike tiller
Gary,
Thank you so much for your reply and wise advice.  You are absolutely spot on with your guidance concerning identifying suspicious on-line transactions.  All of the red flags you mentioned were certainly present.  There were two additional red flags that should have sent me running:

1. When I initially joined Astromart and submitted my credit card information, my bank flagged the transaction warning me that the website was suspicious, and:

2. The Better Business Bureau rating for Astromart is an "F".

Again, I should have listened to my little voices.  I will be more cautious in the future.

Best regards,
Mike

Cant imagine why your bank should have flagged it...... as for the BBB I can imagine quite a few sour grapes complaints. Herb has little patience for those who think the rules dont apply to them. If you read the TOS and abide by the rules this is a great place to buy and sell used gear and without a doubt the safest......If you ignore the rules you will get tossed out on your ear with little more than a "Bye now" if even that......seen it many times. 

20" MidnighTelescopes f/5
8" f/16 Muffoletto Achro
Meade 6" AR6 f/8.0 Achro
Celestron C11
Parallax PI250 10" F/5 Newt
Vixen FL102S,NA140SS,R200SS
80mm Stellarvue Nighthawk with WO APOupgrade lens, 90mm f/16.67 Parallax Achro
LXD75/LX200, Mini-tower, GP-DX, CG5 ASGT, LXD650, GM-8, G11, GM-100, GM-150EX, GM-200 and a Gemini G40
4" portable AP convertable 44" or 70" pier
Stellarvue M7 Alt-Az, TSL7 Pier/Tripod
12.5" f/5 MidnighTelescopes DOB Swayze optics
Monroe GA