Well...it finally happened to me. I put a post up here a few days ago looking for a nice scope to accompany my new rifle. I was approached (through text) by a guy who supposedly had a Leupold scope he no longer needed. I had already purchased a new scope by the time he contacted me but was interested in what he had.

Through conversation, I agreed to buy his scope for $150 shipped. He requested a Paypal payment (using the Family and Friends method...last time that will happen! ) and I sent the money to him.

Fast forward one day and he is prepping it for shipping. He texts me saying he will ship as soon as he has enough money to do so. Confused, I responded saying he agreed to ship it for the total sent. He responded that he had already used the money to pay his "sick daughter's medical bills" and that he only had $12 left. He would be happy to ship if I would send an additional $20 (because supposedly shipping costs $32).

I respectfully declined and asked for a full refund after he went back on his word on our deal. He told me he would refund me the $150 if he could find some money. He got me.

I called my bank to put a stop payment on that and was told because it was an ACH payment, they couldn't. I contacted Paypal to file a dispute but because I "authorized it" and used F&F, they declined and denied my dispute.

I sent a request in Paypal to this person requesting the $150 and he declined it right away. I text him and he is no longer answering me back.

I CANNOT imagine doing this to ANYONE and using the awful excuse of having a sick child. There are terrible people in this world. I have had a ton of great dealings on here (and elsewhere) and haven't had an ounce of trouble sending money and buying things sight unseen. I guess it was finally my turn and realize I was a bit too trusting.

I am not sure if that person is lurking around on here or on the Texas Bowhunters. I put an ad on each site and he texted me from one of them.

Details:

Alleged Name: Lavonne Niemand
Alleged Email: vkkcomolgma@gmail.com
Alleged Phone: 786-767-9104

Any other recourse I have? Anyone know this fine individual?

I say, if your time permits, we let him know how helpful he was to one THF member.

Thanks fellas!
-Brandon

Sorry it happened to you. You are SOL, at least it wasn't even more money. Want To Buy postings are how the majority of scams take place.

Paying through the goods and services function on PayPal probably would have cost you an extra $3-4 and you could have gotten the $150 back. It's cheap insurance.

Yes sir...you are exactly right. I won't repeat that unless I personally know the person etc. Shoulda/Coulda/Woulda

Hope he enjoy spending the money.

I posted this up a few months ago about the WTB adds getting fraud activity. If you do business via PayPal, the "Friends and Family" method is not a protected purchase with no recourse on the buyers end. I had 2 separate contacts. Both said they had the item I was looking for, and it was at a price that was very attractive. Both requested payment via PayPal through Friends and Family. I requested it go through my business CC or through the traditional method on PayPal, and I will pay the additional fees. Once I requested this, I didn't here back from either contact, except for a simple No from one (after multiple texts).

The name, phone number, and info you have will most likely be fake anyway.

Previous post about this

On a side note, I have a close friend who's mom is elder, and has lost almost $200,000 to scammers, similar to this. They tell her all kinds of sob and sad stories to get her money. And sadly it works.

I don’t do business with people on here that don’t give me their handle on here if they are going straight to text or email. I’ll send them a PM on here if it’s a real account.

This, I will only do business with Forum members who have a decent post count, and are active..

I hate this. We have a wonderful network here of 99.9% good people who would never cheat you out of anything. We might aggressively negotiate price and give each other a hard time about shoot/don't shoot stray dogs, game laws, 6.5 Creedmore rifles&their obvious connection to manbuns, etc. But, you can generally count on a fellow THFer's word being good. Now outside scumbags are making us re-evaluate how we deal with each other. Sign of the times, I suppose.

I'm sorry this happened to you.

I hate this! One reason I've been trying to go back to a cash basis but trying to get spouse and kid to do that is not so easy. They are to dang trusting.

Unfortunately, you got took! May be SOL as previously stated but this is a criminal offense. The amount that you were taken for keeps it as a Misdemeanor but I suggest you contact either you local PD or SO (depending on your location). I had to work way too many of these types cases. One lady was taken for about 15,000 and she has yet to receive the Mercedes that she was told she won. Never could locate the [censored] that committed any of them. Some were over the wire and others were from spoofed phones. The Feds were helpful but told me that some were coming from Canada and some from Jamaica.
I have done several transactions with THF members but all have either been by check or money order. I just don't do Pay Pal and my bank does not recognize Venmo. Sorry that this happened to you but there are just a bunch of scumbags out there that have no sense of right and wrong.

g

It's sad that it’s come to this. I have decided not to post pictures anymore just to make any interested buyers send me a PM from their account and send me a phone number contact and log the information together for each one. Pain in the neck but it seems to weed out a certain element.

If you can't meet me FTF im not buying. I have drove as far as Austin to make a deal. I have never got stung. But there have been times sellers were only an hour or 2 away. But didn't have time to meet. That probably was because it was a scam

I don't know about that. I personally have zero interest in driving more than an hour to meet someone for a sale unless it's a firearm or something like a blind or feeder (all of which I've done as a buyer on this forum). But, if it’s something like the OP’s $150 scope, there’s absolutely no way I’m wasting that much time, gas money, and tolls when the transaction can be handled via mail. Obviously, some safeguards need to be taken to ensure the item exists, but I’ve bought and sold MANY items on this very site using UPS and PayPal/Venmo.

I bought some traps from a guy here that I didn’t know. I sent the money and got some mostly non working junk.
Sad to think that somebody needs $35 that bad.

I can only say that WTB threads are very easy for scammers to get victims no matter the amount!!

Post WTB threads at your discretion DO NOT use PayPal friends and family, Zelle, Cashapp as they don’t cover the buyer from fraud.

You’re very lucky it was $150, given the times even $50 is a stretch. I’ve read countless threads in other forums of folks losing $3,000+ for a rifle that’s non existent.

Not sure if you posted this on Spokane Gun Trader, but his phone number pops up there also in a Google search.

I'm not that literate when it comes to Paypal, Venmo, etc. I prefer FTF and cash only. I know I miss out on some good deals because it's too far to drive but it beats the alternative.

What? I guess I have been the scammer five dozen times on this forum as I'm not driving more than a few miles if I am the seller.

I am not so sure about that. PayPal explicitly prohibits using their service for anything gun related. I don’t think you could make a successful claim if the purchase was something prohibited. I do quite a bit of buying and selling and I am in Lubbock so 99% of it involves shipping and I use cash app, Venmo, or pay pal friends and family. I have never had an issue. I refuse to use the goods and services because for one I don’t believe they will cover you if it is a prohibited item and second they will 1099 you at the end of the year for the goods and services amount. Friends and family does not count towards the 1099 total.

I always look for an established and active user name.

I hate that this happened to you. I am guessing this person is not even a member on THF? You don’t make any mention of his user name. The phone number is a south Florida area code. Why would someone in Florida be on the Texas Hunting Forum?

You have a screen name, post history......In the absence of that, no deal with anybody.

The area code in this day and age has become less relevant. In the age of cell phones, when you move, you keep your old number. For example, my son still has a Southern California area code because he got his cell phone while stationed at Camp Pendleton. When he moved back after discharge from the Corps, he didn’t change his phone number. Like others, I will only transact with someone who has been a long time forum member, has a decent post count, and posts in other areas besides the classifieds trying to sell stuff.

Post Count Matters

Certainly agree on the area code but it is a red flag that warrants more investigation. It could be a legit person who kept an old number or it might not be. A thirty second google search of a name and number will show a lot.

He's on tgt as well under lavontim or lavonjim something similar to that. Tried hitting me up on a rifle and never showed but he kept on trying to get my phone #.never gave it out to him .Needless to say a scammer