Known scammer wants to meet to conclude a deal. Suggestions please.

[Rushdee]

So I've dealt with this seller before, on Scumtree unfortunately, and was scammed out of some cash after dropping my guard for a second. Ok, admin, so the advertised item was not bike related and the advertising platform was not BikeHub. However I have posted the incident here as the seller is a scammer nonetheless and I am merely hoping to source some tips from the infinite knowledge base of 'le Hub'. Hopefully the incident creates more general awareness too. Hope that this is okay. If not, admin, please delete/advise.

After contacting the seller via Gumtree messenger we chatted via whatsapp and I EFT'd without doing the necessary due diligence. I was rather busy at work and the brain cogs were not turning fully at the time. Men and multitasking. Go figure. As soon as the money cleared the seller stopped communicating, mobile nr was no longer active, etc. I would prefer not to get into the detail right now. Good ol' Gumtree. It happened. School fees paid/fingers burnt. Time to move on. Few weeks later I see the exact same ad on Gumtree, this time with a different mobile number. I contacted the seller from a different mobile number via whatsapp and now the seller wants to meet. Says that he is in Jeffreys Bay but I seriously doubt this because his previous ad said that he was located in Lutzville. Oh and he also wants "half of the cash upfront before meeting". Of course he does.

 

Have the following info currently:

- sellers' fake name. Robert Simonds.

- sellers' two mobile nrs that are no longer active. Probably 'burner' sim cards. 061 370 8749; 067 745 7081.

- sellers' bank account info. FNB acc nr 6279 8276 872.

- whatsapp profile pic. Most likely a random pic from the net.

- links to Gumtree ads. Ads still up/live currently. No mobile number posted. Seller responds via Gumtree messenger.

- SAPS case number. Not that I am expecting anything to come of it. Case opened merely for entertainment value..

 

 

[Shebeen]

Lutzville is tiny!

 

Tell him you've got cash, will bring it all to meeting.

 

Kangaroo court vigilante gang will come to meeting

[bikebloke]

thats not him .

 

he aint coming (to jefferies or anywhere else )

 

dont waste any more of your life on this .

 

move on .

[Odinson]

These okes are masters of their craft. It's a full-time job. If he gets a whiff that you might be up to something, he'll go AWOL. They just need that 'advance fee' to complete the scam. 

[Stretch]

thats not him .

 

he aint coming (to jefferies or anywhere else )

 

dont waste any more of your life on this .

 

move on .

Agreed.. You'll get more satisfaction telling him off on the phone than him not rocking up to a meeting point