This scam continues to persist.

coindeuce · April 25, 2011 9:14AM

Two separate calls today, and on average one a day for the past few weeks. A "relay operator" supposedly assisting a caller who wants to purchase gold and silver bullion. Of course they want to use a credit card for payment. I don't humor easily. I just tell the "operator" to get lost. EOR.

SoCalBigMark · April 25, 2011 9:18AM

That's going to really suck for deaf collectors.

jdimmick · April 25, 2011 9:29AM

I have been getting them as well. I just hang up and tell them its a scam

coindeuce · April 25, 2011 9:31AM

<< That's going to really suck for deaf collectors. >>

Most hearing impaired adults use email providers to correspond, or they will use cell phone texting. The relay operator scam is quite lame.

DRUNNER · April 25, 2011 9:34AM

Discussed by several of us at the Ogden (UT) show that ended yesterday. Several dealers are getting hit multiple times per day. Some have avoided the calls by some means, but others are really having a bother.

Drunner

JohnMaben · April 25, 2011 9:43AM

We get a few of these a month. As soon as we started telling them that due to a high rate of fraud they needed to send a copy of their DL and a signed order, as well as provide verified address the calls stopped. An inconvenience to legitimate orders but I am not sure we've had any legitimate and we need to protect ourselves because the credit card companies and merchant services do little or nothing to protect the vendor.

John

mingot · April 25, 2011 9:47AM

<< 

<< That's going to really suck for deaf collectors. >>

Most hearing impaired adults use email providers to correspond, or they will use cell phone texting. The relay operator scam is quite lame. >>

I have a friend who actually does this for a living (relay operator, NOT a scammer)

She is an asl "terp".

So the relay operators do exist and are utilized by the deaf community to make calls - there are lots of instances where text messages and emails just don't work. crusty old ludsite coin dealers (big grin AND present company excluded) are probably a good example of when they would use the service.

But, yeah, you're getting scam calls. I only mention this so you might be polite to the relay operator when you tell them you think that the call is fraudulent and disconnect.

stevek · April 25, 2011 10:17AM

<< We get a few of these a month. As soon as we started telling them that due to a high rate of fraud they needed to send a copy of their DL and a signed order, as well as provide verified address the calls stopped. An inconvenience to legitimate orders but I am not sure we've had any legitimate and we need to protect ourselves because the credit card companies and merchant services do little or nothing to protect the vendor.

John >>

Actually, to the best of my knowledge, it's "nothing" as far as accepting payment from a stolen credit card. Doesn't even matter if the card went thru the credit card processing machine and got approved, if it comes back later as a stolen card, then you the vendor will get charged back for the full amount.

Bottom line...if I have any doubts whatsoever about someone wanting to make a purchase with a credit card, then it's cash or check, and depending on the person, for a personal check I insist on a 3 - 4 week wait on the check to be on the safe side, before shipping the order.

Perhaps I've lost some orders over the years because those terms were unacceptable to the buyer, but it hasn't been many that I looked back on and thought maybe, just maybe, they could have been legit buyers and I was being too cautious. No regrets because it wasn't worth taking the chance.

LanLord · April 25, 2011 10:27AM

<< I have been getting them as well. I just hang up and tell them its a scam >>

I don't think they hear you if you do it in that order

PerryHall · April 25, 2011 10:38AM

<< 

<< I have been getting them as well. I just hang up and tell them its a scam >>

I don't think they hear you if you do it in that order

>>

Good catch!!!

Russ · April 25, 2011 10:43AM

<< That's going to really suck for deaf collectors. >>

This is different than TTY. It's IP relay, which is used extensively by scammers. I get these calls all the time at the shop. The TTY calls I accept, the IP relay calls I tell to pound sand.

Russ, NCNE

coindeuce · April 25, 2011 10:52AM

Thanks for the clarification Russ. The caller today specifically stated "this is an IP relay call".

Shortgapbob · April 25, 2011 11:42AM

We've been getting a ton of these as well.

mrearlygold · April 25, 2011 11:53AM

Haven't gotten one this week yet.....it's monday.

SeattleSlammer · April 25, 2011 12:02PM

"continues to persist" ...... is that like keeps on keepin' on ?

PerryHall · April 25, 2011 9:35PM

Isn't it possible to call the credit card company to verify that it's a legitimate charge and aren't credit card purchases only sent to the credit card holder's mailing address? Why use a "relay operator" when a direct call order would raise less suspicion?

TwoSides2aCoin · April 25, 2011 9:43PM

I tell them I use PAY PAL only . If that's not acceptable, I request two goats and three chickens for trade on a silver eagle via OVERNIGHT shipping. The operator then comes back to say : "The caller has terminated the call', and I go back to shuckin' corn.
Each call is similar and each response akin to farm animals.

ThePennyLady · May 4, 2011 4:14AM

Coincidentally, last week I received a call from a translator who said they were on a video conference with a hearing impaired person who was interested in a couple of my Indian cents. He also followed up with an email asking for photos. After I sent him photos, he agreed to purchase a coin, and mailed a MoneyGram.

I just received the MoneyGram and, after seeing this thread, decided to call the MoneyGram people who verified that the MoneyGram was in fact valid and "outstanding." So this particular transaction doesn't seem to be a scam, but out of an abundance of caution, I thought I'd ask to see if any of you have any intel one way or the other on this guy:

Ben Johnson
Havelock, NC

coindeuce · May 4, 2011 6:22AM

<< Coincidentally, last week I received a call from a translator who said they were on a video conference with a hearing impaired person who was interested in a couple of my Indian cents. He also followed up with an email asking for photos. After I sent him photos, he agreed to purchase a coin, and mailed a MoneyGram.

I just received the MoneyGram and, after seeing this thread, decided to call the MoneyGram people who verified that the MoneyGram was in fact valid and "outstanding." So this particular transaction doesn't seem to be a scam, but out of an abundance of caution, I thought I'd ask to see if any of you have any intel one way or the other on this guy:

Ben Johnson
Havelock, NC >>

Did the issuer of the MoneyGram offer any tips on how to qualify the document as genuine? Watermarks? Security thread? I would be wary of the instrument being a possible forgery of a genuine issue.

ThePennyLady · May 4, 2011 6:43AM

The MoneyGram itself tells you how to authenticate it, not that this can't be counterfeited too, but the MoneyGram person on the phone also asked me for the serial number, who it was paid to, etc. before she advised that the check was genuine.

Btw, I got the MoneyGram phone number off the internet so it is legit, and I still have the coin and don't plan to ship it until the MoneyGram clears, so I have no risk.

This scam continues to persist.

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