Gumtree scam - help required

Picko_3

Hoping someone could help.

Saw a Wii advertised on Gumtree for £50 - yes, I know, if something looks too good it probably is - and decided to enquire.

Item was advertised as being in "Hampshire" but the email stated that the console was actually in Manchester but could be posted via Special Delivery for an extra £6.
I was not willing to risk £56 so proposed to pay £28 up front with the balance settled when the item arrived. This was accepted so paid £28 cash into the sellers bank account two days ago. They said they would send the item Next Day Special Delivery.

Surprise, surprise - nothing has arrived. Also, emails are not being responded to.

Now, I have the sellers name and banking details. From this I know the town in which the account is held.

I also know how the user accesses the internet (was using a hotmail account but the IP address in the email header showed that they use NTL).

I also know it is definately a scam as I sent a second email to them via a friend's email address and this time the console was in Wigan!

Gumtree has been notifed so the ad can be pulled but they claim that there is nothing they can do. They simply recommend contacting the police.

What would you suggest? What action (if any) are the police likely to take? Should I contact the seller's bank (NatWest) to see if they can do anything?

Thanks

dmg24

The bank will do nothing without police intervention, and I doubt the police will do a lot unless they get several reports.

Did you honestly think you were going to get anything for £50?!

Picko_3

dmg24 wrote: »

Did you honestly think you were going to get anything for £50?!

No - that's why I only paid £28 up front, plus I was hoping that as I had the sellers bank account details then I'd have some come back... even if I simply posted them on the internet for revenge!

soolin

This is a duplicate post to the one on the ebay and other auctions board. It might be worth combining the answers on one thread rather than splitting them like this.

soolin

Picko wrote: »

No - that's why I only paid £28 up front, plus I was hoping that as I had the sellers bank account details then I'd have some come back... even if I simply posted them on the internet for revenge!

Please , you will get as much advise as any one here can offer but let's not get silly. What good is posting bank details of someone going to do?

You were conned, it is an obvious con so whilst I realise you probably feel a little foolish you really need to concentrate on anything 'real' that can be done to help.

Picko_3

The "posting bank details" bit was a joke!

Sorry I didn't realise that duplicate posts caused a problem. How do I go about merging the two, and which forum is the best home for the merged thread?

Anyway, I have also got a mobile phone number for her now as well - not that it'll do me much good by the sounds of it...

timberflake

Picko wrote: »

No - that's why I only paid £28 up front, plus I was hoping that as I had the sellers bank account details then I'd have some come back... even if I simply posted them on the internet for revenge!

If you didn't think you were going to get a wii then why did you even pay £28!!?

Picko_3

Though it was worth a gamble

(It was only £28 to get something worth £179 - I could have put £28 on a horse at odds of about 5-1 to have got the same return and would not have worried about it, it's simply the principle of the deal not the lose of £28 that's the point here).

Also, why would someone bother scamming for £28 when a Wii is worth £200+ on eBay (where lots of other scammers reside) and where they could have got a lot more (scammed) money for it?

As I've already said, I though being in possession of the sellers bank details (the account is with Nat West in Portsmouth, not an overseas bank.) and mobile phone number may have given me some added security.

To reitterate - it's the principle of the thing not the money involved that rankles.

dmg24

It is easy to get a PAYG mobile, and it is relatively easy to set up a dodgy bank account (though it shouldn't be).

Hope you get somewhere with the police x

Butlers1982

Though it was worth a gamble

it's the principle of the thing not the money involved that rankles

But you have contradicted yourself there, you stated you knew it was a gamble. Thats the thing when you "gamble", sometimes you win, more often than not you lose!

Put it down to learning and understand as you put it:

if something looks too good it probably is

timberflake

Well as far as I'm concerned you're entirely at fault for the situation you're in. You liken this to betting on a horse, yet when you bet on a horse at least theres a chance (no matter how slim) of winning. Anyone that believes there was even a 1000/1 chance of this being legit needs there head looking at. You were being greedy, plain and simple.