Home Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum

I Just Avoided an Apparent Big $$$ Scam

I offered a graded Clemente RC for sale on eBay. Received a message from someone interested in trading for one of three 52 Topps Mantle RCs he has for my card plus some cash. I accepted the offer on one of the Mantle's he sent me scans of.

The person who I agreed to trade with lives on the west coast far away from me, so I offered to travel out to him to do the trade in person. He resisted that.

Then he asked if I would do the money part of the deal in cash. We are talking multiple 5-figures here. Like it's really a good idea to travel carrying tens of thousands of dollars in cash or agree to meet someone you don't know with that kind of money in cash.

He then goes silent for a week and when I contact him and ask how he proposes to get the deal done he suggests that I should wire the money part to him. Then he will send me the Mantle and then I can send the Clemente back to him.

I tell him it is too risky for people who have never done a deal before and that I will travel out to him as previously offered to get the deal done. He then gives me a story about the card now being with a relative of his in a different state and I can travel to his relative with my card and cashier's check and do the swap there.

Even if I was not already suspicious enough, I could not make that work so I suggested meeting at PSA (I will travel out to Newport Beach and he is close enough that he can drive within 90 minutes) where I will pay for both cards to be re-holdered (which would verify they are both ok and protect each of us). He rejected that because he didn't want to get the card shipped back to himself, and then he rejected it again when I offered to cover the shipping costs.

I would hate to see anyone become a victim of this apparent scamster, so beware if you are approached by anyone with a similar story/moduc operandi.

I am NOT going to post his details here so that I am not in violation of any of our host's usage rules, but if you PM me or read net54 his details will be available.


Dave

Comments

  • addicted2ebayaddicted2ebay Posts: 2,096 ✭✭✭✭
    I had a guy contact me threw eBay a couple weeks ago asking if I wanted to buy his "collection" . It was a scam....gotta be careful out there.
  • RyanAdmirerRyanAdmirer Posts: 632 ✭✭
    Nice call. And yes, I couldn't agree more that anytime you are talking that kind of $$$ you need to do these things in person (and not alone). There are too many crooks and crazies in this world.
    I'm a big Nolan Ryan fan OK???!!!
  • craig44craig44 Posts: 11,451 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You did the right thing. Glad you were not scammed.

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

  • KendallCatKendallCat Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Glad you snuffed him out Dave. When someone wants to do a deal and the other person offers to do it in person no reason to decline unless it is a scam. For that kind of money I am bringing a friend as a witness, and the protective firm of Smith and Wesson with me - albeit tough to do if I have to fly.
  • 70ToppsFanatic70ToppsFanatic Posts: 2,106 ✭✭✭✭
    DEFINITELY A SCAM. Check out these threads on this guy:

    scam_link1

    scam_link2


    I am looking into how to file a criminal complaint against the guy for attempted fraud. Don't know that the authorities will view it as worth their time, but we need to find ways to get people like this punished so that they think twice before doing this kind of stuff.


    Dave
  • Bosox1976Bosox1976 Posts: 8,557 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Bullet dodged. Happy for you Dave.
    Mike
    Bosox1976
Sign In or Register to comment.