Bargains online operating out of Bloemfontein

[Mecnic]

Ja look SCAM,

 

Trek Dealer is Cycle World

 

If the bike are that cheap we would know.

 

No Bike shop anywhere near Church Street, what is his name and number for interest sake?

[chris_w_65]

I saw an ad for a really good deal on a Trek Madone on UK Gumtree (my mate is coming to SA in a few weeks). I replied to the ad and the guy mailed me back with some story about how he had to move to Italy and I should transfer the money into an escrow account and he will post the bike to UK.

 

I also saw a scam on ebay, the scammers go on a phishing expedition and get peoples ebay log on details, they then post adverts on those stolen ebay accounts that have good ratings. They then tell you to do a Western Union transfer.

 

In both of the above cases - if it seems too good to be true then it is

[chris_w_65]

A friend of mine put up an ad in Gumtree that he was looking for a certain 1969 scooter. Some guy who said he was from Bloemfontein contacted him and emailed him a photo of a scooter and said he should transfer the money. The photo was obviously a photo of a scooter in someones garden in England (and it wasn't quite the right model). Also the seller didn't seem to be very knowlegeable.

[chris_w_65]

I saw an ad for a really good deal on a Trek Madone on UK Gumtree (my mate is coming to SA in a few weeks). I replied to the ad and the guy mailed me back with some story about how he had to move to Italy and I should transfer the money into an escrow account and he will post the bike to UK.

 

I also saw a scam on ebay, the scammers go on a phishing expedition and get peoples ebay log on details, they then post adverts on those stolen ebay accounts that have good ratings. They then tell you to do a Western Union transfer.

 

In both of the above cases - if it seems too good to be true then it is

 

Just for fun I went on Gumtree UK again. I searched for Trek Madone and mailed all the guys who are selling between 400 and 600 pounds. Will update you guys as I get replies. These scam ads give long stories about why they are selling, they are obviously copied from somewhere else. In the one Gumtree ad the guy says his bike is on auction. In another the guy says he hasn't ridden it since thanksgiving (I thought thanksgiving was in USA not UK)

[Masterlink]

Definitely a scam. Selling a Trek EX9 2010 for R10300 delivered to your door. Wanted 50% upfront. Asked to see the bike. Bloem address. The address given did not exist and the cell number was no longer available on the network when I got there. I spoke to the person 10 minutes before and she gave me directions even.

 

Scammers name (assumed) Regina Pittman cell no 078 755 3310. Advert on Junkmail. Have reported a scam to them as well.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Masterlink

[Suidwes]

Nee, daar is nie so fietswinkel in bloem nie. Ek ken al die winkels in bloem, want ek woon naby.Ek was vrydag in bloem, en geen nuwe shop het oop gemaak nie. Scammers dis al wat ek kan dink.

[Eagle_i]

Definitely no Cycle shop @ 78 Church Street. This guy can be traced. To get access to the internet you have to have a connection provided by a service provider. All Web-servers have logs of any/all activity on that server. Getting Gumtree to investigate the matter will rest upon their moral commitment to the community they provide the service. Below their terms of use and disclaimer. You have to have an AD id to report the matter for further investigation although i suspect they will only investigate if the authorities/Police/Service provider contact them with a case number etc.

 

Does Gumtree work with law enforcement?

Gumtree works with local and international law enforcement agencies to help keep the site free from scams and other illegal activities. We're committed to keeping Gumtree a safe place, and will always...

 

Just the fact that the add was removed indicates that they are aware of some irregularity, hope they do take further action.

 

http://help.kijiji.net/za/knowledgebase.php?article=119

 

If you do however come across an add placed on any online auction sites we can trace and get the culprits arrested and ultimately get the message accross to the scammers that we as a community will not tolerate their activities.

[kosmonooit]

Until they actually rip you off, you cant do a thing. We have bollox scammers every day in IT sales, often I have contacted the cops with the fraudulent transaction in the making, they say that they have to be bust actually taking the money / goods, not for trying to arrange it. So if you want to nail them, you have to set it up so they can get caught doing the dirty business.

[Shebeen]

 

Does Gumtree work with law enforcement?

Gumtree works with local and international law enforcement agencies to help keep the site free from scams and other illegal activities. We're committed to keeping Gumtree a safe place, and will always...

ja sure, they don't even have a local office. they still keep cape town as their main sa landing point, not sure if they even know that joburg is a much bigger market.

 

all based in london AFAIK

[Shift]

The name he used was "John Mathe" and his email adress: trekbikes@ymail.com

[JamesW007]

and his Cell no is:

Yours Sincerely

John Mathe

Tell:0718271921

 

I wish there was a way to get this dude, but I'm sure that the risk isn't worth the reward. oh oh seven or not..

 

I'm in live in NAM so harassing him on the phone will just cost me and likely entertain him.

[chris_w_65]

I saw an ad for a really good deal on a Trek Madone on UK Gumtree (my mate is coming to SA in a few weeks). I replied to the ad and the guy mailed me back with some story about how he had to move to Italy and I should transfer the money into an escrow account and he will post the bike to UK.

 

I also saw a scam on ebay, the scammers go on a phishing expedition and get peoples ebay log on details, they then post adverts on those stolen ebay accounts that have good ratings. They then tell you to do a Western Union transfer.

 

In both of the above cases - if it seems too good to be true then it is

 

Here is the responce I got regarding the Trek ad I responded to in Gumtree UK

 

Hi,

I received an e-mail from you regarding my bike. Are you still interested?

I put the bike on sale last week, but do not know what happened with gumtree and it appeared late on the site. I moved with my son in Italy because he went to study here and he have a locomotory problem and i can not leave him alone. I didn't tried to sell the bike here yet, because is very difficult with my language.

If you're a serious buyer, I am willing to send the bike to you, so that you can check it, but only if you agree to use an escrow company. In this way we are both protected and we have some guarantees. We pay for shipping from 50-50. It is about 10-12 pounds per person.

The bike is in excellent condition, has not been used very much, because after I bought it my son had health problems and I could not use it anymore. No scratches or other problems. I will try to find the receipt from it, but in this house is a total mess with all this lagguage.

I tried to buy a phone number for Italy, but is a very weak signal area so I prefer to use the internet for communication until i solves the problem. You can try to call me on number: 003956821579 but I do not know if it works.

Please respond if you're interested, because I really need the money in this moments.

 

Thank you