Had an experience last week that I wouldn’t like others to have to go through, getting ripped off by a FaceBook Buy, Swap, Sell site member. It seems this member (or at least his alias) likes to sell stuff that people need either urgently (car parts) or because of their relative scarcity (vintage goods) etc. Because of the urgency/scarcity, he claims he doesn’t have a paypal account, so unwary punters are encouraged to deposit funds directly into his bank account.
And BOOM, you’re blocked.
Now after much internet sleuthing we have actually managed to find out quite a bit of information about our scumbag seller and the tip of the ice-berg in terms of those he has ripped off, at least here in Australia. But he also sells on FB sites in other countries…
I know many here buy and sell on such sites, and I was wondering whether it would be kosher to put his FB name (not his real name, even though I know it) out there as a warning to others, and maybe so that his name could be reported to moderators to be alert to reports of their members being ripped off too.
C’mon, I can see that mods are active in this forum at the moment. Can someone give me a yay or nay?? Please? I can send chocolate or squid, depending on your preference.
It’s my understanding that when requesting permission from TPTB for something such as this, it’s preferable to do it by email or PM. I, for one, would be grateful to learn whether my understanding is accurate.
I know you have good intentions, but this could potentially have legal issues for the SDMB and would be one of those things that I have to notify the admins about, which isn’t a good thing.
If you want to ask permission for something like an off-board project then yes, we prefer that you contact us via PM or e-mail. On the other hand, just asking of X is permissible here is often done in an ATMB thread. This is kind of an oddball case so asking in ATMB is no biggie, given that the individual wasn’t named.
Since OP can’t name [del]and shame[/del], I still recommend posting a good précis in the appropriate forum that describes the process of the scam, highlighting the “red flag” steps. In the abbreviated description given, that seems to be the “no FB account, please directly deposit” step.
Oh well, worth a try I guess. The scammer has been reported to the police and also to a mob called ACORN, the Australian Cybercrime Online Register Network. Will just have to see if they can shut him down somehow…
Thanks all the same, I’ll save the chocolate and squid for when I need another favour.
