Question?

Chief 101

Hunter
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Feb 14, 2007
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Idaho
When I see an ad on FB for sought after items, such as generators, for a radical discount like 10 % of their original price, do you suppose these items are the items that have been looted? I see these ads often and with original photos from places like Costco but with markdowns that are ridiculous. I have been ignoring the ads, but if these items are stolen property aren't there laws against selling stolen property? I don't have any samples to show you but if I see some I will post here so you all know what I am talking about.
I have heard about yard sales where this looted stuff is sold, but mass marketing on FB could be another.
 
My first guess would be fake/scam rather than looted. Far easier to sell goods that don't exist through the internet than ones that are stolen.

The equivalent on gun forums would be a "local sale" where the seller claims to be out of state or in a remote location and wants to arrange shipping, transact via unsecured e-payment, etc.
 
Could be anything. Probably a type of money laundering.

Bought with company money, as a write off, then sold for cash.

Things get added onto jobs then given away as a type of tax free bonus etc.

Bought with a stolen credit card, then sold for cash.

All illegal in some way, but not a direct simple theft.



30 years ago I used to hear the explanation that it was extra on the truck! Lol.
 
I have seen ads claiming to be brand X outlet with huge discounts. It really looks legit. Then you look at the comments. They fall into two categories. Non delivery complaints, or no commenting allowed. In your case I’d lean towards scams.
 
Whatever it is, I wouldn't even waste my time reading it...

"You get what you pay for..!"

IMHO,

J.
 
Usually something nefarious involved. Years ago my MIL called and proudly said she bought a NIB chainsaw at a garage sale for a song. My though was she bought a box of bricks. Turned out it was as she said. I ask her about it and she said they had "a lot" of them. This is a port town. This was in the days before everything came in containers. You do the matNow of course instead of stealing a few of an item on a pallet, they just steal an entire container. Thefts at the port have actually gone up since containers (one of the selling points was it would reduce theft) became omnipresent.
 
Son and I usually team up for those ?? offered deals. We ended up in a really questionable place a few years back. Son asked how I wanted to handle it. I said "you're responsible for the vehicle and I'll handle the deal and the cash but don't lose sight of each other". The seller was totally honest and upfront so it went fine. I wouldn't get into any situation in which I didn't feel comfortable--saving a few bucks isn't worth a confrontation.
 
I have seen ads claiming to be brand X outlet with huge discounts. It really looks legit. Then you look at the comments. They fall into two categories. Non delivery complaints, or no commenting allowed. In your case I’d lean towards scams.
I always report them as being scams
 
I wouldn't consider 10% a radical discount. Now if it was 50% off or more........
I didn't say 10% discount, I said '10 % of the original cost;....for example, a $1000 generator at Costco for 99bucks, today only online only.
 
Oh! I missed that too. I thought you said 10% off.

Yes, at 90% off it’s definitely a scam. Especially online, which is so easy to do. They probably don’t have the item and just take your money.

OR, they have one in stock at 10% the original cost, then try to sell you a different model at full price. There was an electronics store in New Jersey that tried that on me once. I walked out.
 
From another post but I think some of the clues can be applied here.
By the way I fell for one of the internet scams. It was a very nice tool roll around Snap On type box for $50.00. Since they took credit cards I go my money back.

Here it is so it can be easily copied. Feel free to do so without citing me as the author. Big thanks to @Nebs for helping with wording and formatting. I've changed it slightly after Nebs did his thing. Let us know how you change it if you do so. Credit goes to @DEG for #4.

BEWARE OF SCAM WEBSITES SELLING RELOADING COMPONENTS

The current reloading component shortage has sparked a wave of bogus websites purporting to have quantities of the most popular components. But they don't. How do you know when an online seller is a fraudster? Here are some warning signs:

1. The seller requires payment using an online payment service such as Venmo, ApplePay, Zelle, Bitcoin, money orders, CashApp, pre-loaded money cards, wire transfers or PayPal Friends and Family or direct access to your bank acct. These services, while convenient for you, make recovery of any funds transferred virtually impossible. You should only use such services to transfer funds to people you know; they are not designed for paying for goods or services. Most do not allow ammo, guns, gun parts, or reloading supplies to be purchased using their services.

2. The vendor won't take credit cards. If they do and you have to call them to give them your info it's probably not legit. If the vendor accepts a credit card on line, it may be legit, but it's not guaranteed. If they require additional ID like a DL or Passport, run.

3. If, when you get to the checkout page, they don't include additional fees such as shipping, hazmat and taxes, close the screen; the site is a scam.

4. The site purports to have unlimited quantities of components no one else has at prices that seem reasonable. For instance, if the site advertises components like Winchester primers by the sleeve and Clays, Universal or Herco powder, it's likely a scam website. In the current environment, when such components become available at legitimate websites they are gone in a flash.

5. If in-stock and out-of-stock statuses aren't shown, it's likely a scam or they don't do internet orders (CAC Associates Inc - Reloading Supplies and Ammunition). CAC is legit, they just don't take credit cards.

6. If unsure about a website, check it at www.StopGunScams.com. Non-shipping scams are to be avoided which is what this site lists. If the site you're ordering from isn't listed via their search box, it's a safe site or they don't know about it yet.

7. If there is no physical address or it is not found in Google Maps or it's obviously wrong, like a person's home or a city park from street view, then it's a scam.

8. Go to WHOIS Search, Domain Name, Website, and IP Tools - Who.is to check how old the website is. If the website is younger than 3 years give it a miss. You may lose a genuine deal but there is a lot less chance of getting scammed online.

The reloading component shortage is bad and these scam websites are capitalizing on it. If something looks too good to be true, it likely is. Here's a scam website you can practice on: Reloading Supplies | Firearms | Ammo in Stock | Optics | Gun parts
 
When I see an ad on FB for sought after items, such as generators, for a radical discount like 10 % of their original price, do you suppose these items are the items that have been looted? I see these ads often and with original photos from places like Costco but with markdowns that are ridiculous. I have been ignoring the ads, but if these items are stolen property aren't there laws against selling stolen property? I don't have any samples to show you but if I see some I will post here so you all know what I am talking about.
I have heard about yard sales where this looted stuff is sold, but mass marketing on FB could be another.
They ARE scams. I checked out one for COSTCO and found that not only is the ad phony but they use a phony or hacked USPS site that gives you shipping info. The thieves really work at making the ads look legit.
 
I just got an email today from Amazon. It was about what they won’t ask customers to do, like pressure them to act now. Or download an app in order to get a refund.

Here’s a quote from part of the email:

Our customers helped us take the fight to scammers last year by reporting suspicious emails, texts, and phone calls. Each report matters. In 2022, we made significant strides to protect our customers:


We initiated takedowns of more than 20,000 phishing websites and 10,000 phone numbers that were used as part of impersonation scams.
[HR=3][/HR]
We referred 100s of bad actors across the globe to law enforcement to help them ensure these scammers are held accountable.

So at least some companies are aware of this problem. I probably get 2 or 3 text messages or emails a week that are obviously scams.
 
I'm going to bet that if they're selling stuff for ten cents on the dollar that they don't have anything to actually sell and are getting one or two things (maybe both) from you if you order. #1 - your credit card info and/or #2 - your money as they'll charge you and deliver nothing. The old saying, "if it's too good to be true it probably is" applies here.
 
Stolen stuff gets into Craigslist fairly easily. I think facebook crap is likely scams.
Lets talk about Craiglist and stolen property. Home Depot has a boat load of generators in stock. They know how many and how many get sold. Each has it's own serial number. Likely even printed on outside of box. Home Depot has no knowledge of the serial numbers in their computer. Theft takes it, puts it on Craigslist at a large discount and makes up a story as why he is selling a brand-new unit still in the box. Police can check the serial number, but it was never listed as stolen. So it's clear. But it was stolen. Home Depot can say yes it was in our store but have no way to find out if that unit was paid for or stolen.
I am only educating the honest, thieves know this and more.
Before I left the PD in 2019, one man was finally caught at the Home Depot store. The Det. working the case found he had sold over 34,000 worth of new stuff he sole from that ONE store. In about 6 months. They don't go to pawn shops anymore with new stuff in boxes over and over since police pawn details check who's selling what weekly. Well at least before defunding PDs became a thing.
 
When I was Chief of police many years ago in a small Montana town. A guy had a bunch of chipboard stacked in his yard, said it was for sale. Sold it to me for 8 bucks a sheet. Told me it's all less than 8' long so they give it to me at work free. They apply insulation to it and sell insulated panels but if they have cut off panels that are under 8' I can take them home. I buy a bunch and build a shed. Later I notice the guy moved away so I ask a guy he worked with where he went? " Oh, he got fired, he was stealing chipboard." Everyone's got a scam!
 
Post #21, I got to mention this case. Guy lives in a rental home, tells landlord he will fix and improve the house if he gets free rent.
House got a new roof, siding, windows, doors, partial remodel in kitchen and bathroom, all new cedar fencing around the property. A buddy of his calls the PD to turn this renter in for stealing the supplies. And he said there is a stolen car in the garage.
I driveby, undercover and see the car in the open garage. It has a listed stolen plate matching the vehicle. Game on, the garage is a large one and full of brand-new windows and doors stacked up along with tons of other stuff. I see a pay phone sitting on the floor and trace the number on it back to a job site where a new school is being built. They had a ton of theft. Suspect spilled his guts, he had been going to new subdivisions stealing everything he could fit into a stolen cargo trailer and tow it home in the stolen car.

We rented the largest Uhaul truck, filled it 3 times along with several trucks with stolen stuff. Seeing all the police activity, neighbors came by telling me the guy has yard sales most weekends selling new building supplies and had been for months. That day ended a 15 hour work day, the same neighbors brought pizza and soda to us, I had gathered up about 10 cops to get the stolen stuff moved.
I had media come to the PD to ask for help to locate more victims. It worked, it all went back to the builders. We had taken about 120,000 bucks of stuff away and never removed anything that was attached to the house or property.
The landlord was interviewed and not involved, as I recall he lived out of state. One builder wanted to remove the windows and siding from the house since it was his. A co-worker ended up getting the builder and landlord to agree to a deal. The stuff stayed on and in the house, the Landlord ended up paying something to the builder.
Suspect got 3 felonies, plead out and got 5 years in prison as I recall. Which means with good time 3.5 years.
 
Stolen stuff gets into Craigslist fairly easily. I think facebook crap is likely scams.
Lets talk about Craiglist and stolen property
I sell a few items on Craigslist and I see tons of what appears to be stolen stuff. I know Ebay is full of stolen goods.
 
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