I have been scammed out of $7200.00

[stet]

The only time I was unable to charge a paypal purchase to a credit card was when I had a positive paypal balance -- they warn you about this "feature" in one of their FAQs but it took some digging to figure that out. Since that point I've always moved received payments immediately into my checking account so that the CC option remains for future purchases.

hm ... I didn't know that. And I did have a balance when that happened to me. Thanks.

 

[Paul T.]

I've not heard of this, nor had that difficulty. When I have a large PayPal balance I always transfer it to my bank account. When I buy something I make sure there's no PayPal balance, and the PayPal instructions always clearly indicate where the funds are coming from, ie my credit card. I started doing this a couple of years ago afterr seeing an account on p.net ffrom someone who only got his money back becasue he'd used his credit card - PayPal then had a floor limit of $500, I believe, which is now $1000.

 

[oftheherd]

Jorge, I am really sorry to hear about this. It would take more information to really give you any suggestions on the best way to handle this. Really, you have been given a lot of good advice above. You have not said how you learned of this camera, if you paid by credit card or not, or if any of this was transacted by mail. All of those things may affect who needs to be notified. Then there is the problem of will they get serious about the case. I don't mean to imply any of the possible jurisdictions are lazy or incompetent, just that they may be overwhelmed with larger lossess already.

Certainly, I would try my local jurisdictions as well as those in San Diego. and any state or federal agencies that might be faintly interested. You never know until you try. If any San Diego agencies say you must report in person, first try to get a cite of the local or state law to see if that is true or if the police there only think is is. For that amount of money, I would probably go there to do it.

A collection agency is one possibility, especially in the seller's local area. I would certainly try to find out as much about this person as possible, even if I had to pay. Knowing you can find out about him may spook him into better cooperation. I would not necessarily suggest you try to meet him in person unless you have local police with you.

Good luck on this. Hope things on the home front are going reasonably well too. If you wish, you might share more of exactely how all this transpired, and some of us might be able to give you more info on helping to resolve it.

 

[Sean Reid]

Nobody 'has it coming' to have evil done to them. I understand that in Texas, it is a legal defense to murder to argue that "he needed killing" but in most other jurisdictions, criminals cannot argue that they should be excused because their victim was stupid or made an error in judgement.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

Exactly Bill, I'm hoping that he was kidding. If not, I'm just mystified at that kind of comment. If it's a serious comment, it's ignorant. Paola, the scam victim, is no fool. She's a talented photographer and photography professor and has just won a Guggenheim grant for her work. The fact is that many honest, bright people get scammed and certainly neither Jorge, nor Paula, not thousands of others deserve to be cheated.

I've sold two motorcycles via E-Bay and both transactions went well.

Sean

 

[Sean Reid]

Sean:

Very sorry to hear about the Ducati rip-off. I am a motorcycle person (Velocette Thruxton, Triumph Trophy 500cc, Bultaco Metralla, Moto Guzzi T3, , Kawasaki Ninja, W650, among others I'v owned in my life). I would never buy a big ticket item on ebay. Period. I've bought and sold a few bikes, mostly via owners' groups on the internet, or through Cycle Trader. If I bought one I drove to the seller's place and examined the bike before I paid for it, and the title and all that stuff was easily verifiable, etc. If I sold one the buyer came to my place.

Love those Ducatis. Here in TankTown, AZ we have an amazing number of Ducati owners, including Cagivas, and several Aprilia owners. Not bad for a town of 6K residents.

Great taste in bikes. My dad had a Metralla with the very rare full race fairing straight from Senior Bulto. How'd you like the W650? Motojournalist friends of mine have spoken very highly of it. I've sold two BMW bikes on E-Bay and one was shipped sight unseen. No problems. I myself would want to see a bike in person before making anything more than a deposit. E-Bay can be iffy for anything and the feedback system doesn't work (negative feedback is underreported for fear of retaliatory feedback). Paola, I'm sure, tried to do her homework on this Ducati deal but she got burned nonetheless.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Sorry about your trouble, Jorge... I hope the advice you got helps a bit, because in this one, I'm just no good...

See if there's a way to cancel the payment. I seriously hope you used a credit card...

Good luck!

 

[tedwhite]

Sean: (OT, the W650 is a beautifully crafted retro-look bike and they managed to get the BSA/Triumph exhaust burble spot on. But you can't canyon-carve with it or run with the big boys on sport bikes. Probably why I sold it. Have regretted selling it at least once a week).

 

[Sean Reid]

Forgive the OT folks...

Why can't you canyon carve with it? Ground clearance? Suspension? I teach advanced riding and I really should try that bike some time. My friend Clement Salvadori says its more of a Triumph Bonneville than the new Bonneville itself.

Cheers,

Sean
Northeastern Motorcycle Tours
http://www.motorcycletours.com

 

[tedwhite]

Sean: Suspension, yes, and a bit of frame flex. It really is a retro bike. Ground clearance OK. Tires would help, etc., but then you get into Olins. Trying to make a purse out of an admittedly gorgeous sow's ear. You get on my Honda 599 (Hornet in Europe) and it's already all done.

 

[BAPIEMAI]

Of course I was kidding, it's that me being a Kawasaki man I hate Ducatis naturally.

But my point was that it seams to me that nowdays it is a big risk to purchase goods over the Internet, especially from classified ads. This goes double for bikes that can be damaged in a lot of places. I wouldn't feel confident if I could not check the bike first.
The same goes for expensive cameras like the MK II without any warranties.

 

[oftheherd]

Jorge, do you feel up to giving us an update? Hope all is well and/or getting better.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

A bump... Updates on this one, Jorge?

 

[MP Guy]

The local police have a case and the FBI now has the necessary info to move forward. I doubt I will ever see my money again on this deal.

 

[back alley]

may the bastard rest in peace!

 

[Socke]

I'm speachless :-(

 

[sblair]

May the bastard rest in prison.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

Sorry to hear that you don't expect to see your money back. Let's hope at least for some justice.

 

[stet]

I'm glad the authorities are on this person, and I hope he gets nailed. I'm sorry, though,about your money. Is a civil suit an option?

 

[back alley]

may the bastard rest in peace!

as in DEAD!

joe

 

[nwcanonman]

may the bastard rest in peace!

........................
Joe,
I think that's "pieces" isn't it?
I believe in Karma, he will get his in the end 😛