BEWARE - fake leather jacket scam. Reportage

JackRabbit_2

I just got done with the same scam. Italian guy at a service station just off the M6 by birmingham. The story was the same just been to a show and didn't want to pay the excess baggage fee. He wanted £300 but i got him down to £140 for the 3 jackets. Initially thought great but then as i was travelling back and i thought hang on isn't this too good to be true! So when i got home i thought i'd do a google search and low and be hold i see hundreds of forums and the like telling me all about this scam. DOH!!!! I suppose <£50 for a jacket isn't too bad but it still makes you think GOD I STUPID!!!!!!

dangeroussports

Guys and girls,

You have all been made a complete and utter fool of.

Its not a big deal though since its a sign of greed, which is perfectly acceptable since we live in a capitalistic democracy.

Take the brokers who buy vast amounts of shares where the value drops incredibly....

Its a gamble for a quick buck / bargain and greed.

TBeckett100

anyone who shows you pictures of family should be treated as suss. there was a baggar showing me a picture of herself with the family back home. i told her she looked happier at home and should have stayed there

ist82

I just got done with the same scam. I can not believe that I was so naive I dont know what to do with these jackets!

MUSTBEFUNNY_2

My Dad fell for this one too:rolleyes: though I have to say it wasn't greed as he wanted to give them to his sons and sons in laws.....mind you he is a mug, he even got turned over in a "boiler house" scam for £3.5k worth of fake shares. The man was naive enough to send £3.5 to a SWISS Bank a/c....:mad::eek:


and yes my Dad wears all the jackets too....he looks like some dodgy Russian....

ist82

All i remember was he was driving a black 07-plate Vauxhall Corsa rented from Enterprise..I better report them

noisysaver

This scam has been going for absolutely years and involves any items you can think of that are left over stock from an exhibition.

I live near Gatick airport and have been acosted by these scammers countless times. They've had leather jackets, stereo equipment, mobile phones, Televisions etc etc. All on their way to the airport from an exhibition but not wanting to pay the 'excess tax'.

They pitch up in lay bys, petrol stations, roadside cafes and the like, ready to pounce on people. Ultimately they rely on our greed to make the sale, us thinking we've got a bargain when almost in every instance the products are cheap and often worthless.

The old adage always applies: If it seems to good to be true, then it probably is.

daveboy

As long as there are some very stupid people out there....scammers will continue to exist.

Some very brave people here on MSE....admitting that they are incredibly gullible and stupid.

Well done!

woody_the_mug

First off.. I am a mug for falling for this. I questioned myself as I withdrew my money and pressed the cancel button twice before I finally withdrew the money.

Morrisons car park (Supermarket), Welwyn Garden City 2pm

Eating a sandwich in my van, a really well dressed guy pulls up alongside and starts speaking broken english, it appears he has a small problem.

So I get out and ask him what he needs, he says he is on his way to the airport and he has been given some samples by his employer John Lewis (Department Store) as a bonus and doesn't want to take them back to Milano as he will have to pay import duty on them.

He had me speaking spanish to him as it was a common 2nd language.

He enthusiastically showed off his goods and explicitly said that I would be doing him a favour taking them off his hands, he rattled off some outrageous prices that the items retailed for and it was all mine for nothing...

The catch... Mr Armani wallet, TAG watch, identical suit to the ones I was getting, needed some money to buy souvenirs at the airport.

So the deal was I get 1 leather jacket, 2 suede jackets and 2 suits for £300 (+-$600)

Got him down to £200.

Was seeing profit and having a bad day.

He said it was alright to put the very elaborately packaged goods in my van before going to draw the money from the conveniently located ATM.

Suit bags and branded plastic bags, authentic looking to someone that knows almost nothing about fashion and is thinking about PROFIT.

In hindsight I should have walked back to work right then and collected my van later on when he gave up waiting... next time

Went to draw the money.. Hesitated twice, hit cancel.. Drew the money and decided to get some concrete data before handing over the cash.

Went back to the car where he was on the phone, I sat IN his car and waited for his conversation with an associate to end while trying to find any giveaway detail.

He had enough to satisfy my final push for answers, car rental agreement in the name of the company that was on the business card (Emporio Italian Fashion Wear), passport, e-ticket number... He even wrote the SixT rental car agreement number on the back of the business card he gave me (7450008006).

I wrote down his license number as he left the carpark.. Guess deep down I knew i was getting robbed in broad daylight with a smile on my face.

I wished him luck (in spanish!!!) and off he went.

This guy is really a pro, looks Italian, talks Italian, 6'0", dark hair, large build, supremely confident.

Business card with legit registered address (company exists) and a person who answers the phone number on the card.. (to assure potential victims that all is well i assume) +44 207700 4747

I feel strangely honoured to have met a master.

I'd prefer the cash but guess the random selection of fake goods and the laughter of my partner and friends are worth it.

Won't happen again..

Woody London
United Kingdom

maninthestreet

So what exactly did you get for your £200 - were the suede and leather jackets made from real suede and leather?