Has anyone bought a train via...

No. Not that great of an idea because the money is with the seller before your item is shipped. Difficult, if not impossible to get back if something goes wrong with the transaction.

I was thinking the same, Matt.

Are people contacting you about items you are looking for also?  I got two emails yesterday about items I posted in the "wanted" forum.  They sound legit, but their email address is associated with some Russian guy on Facebook.  Also, their address does not match their name. 

The reason I ask is because they asked me to send money by moneygram. This is obviously a SCAM.

Sounds like a scam to me.

Yes, I was contacted and the pics were there of the engine in a separate email.  Maybe I'm paranoid, but something doesn't feel right about it.

I was able to buy some collectibles out of Germany with Moneygrams some years ago,

with no problems.  BUT, since then, I have read that it is often used by scammers

since you can't get your money back or have a firm address.  Anything out of Russia or

Africa, and probably other locations would be HIGHLY suspect and avoided by me!

i was curious and went to the (a?) moneygram site and plugged in a few numbers.  for a US to US delivery the overhead was 11.5% on $100.  with all the e-transfer means available today, i cannot see the point in using such a costly method.

I don't get it.Anyone wants paid before they ship merchandise.Straighten me out here please??Nick

a credit card is the way to go when buying anything.  you are completely covered for fraud, most cards double the manufacturers warranty and add a host of other benefits like a percentage back etc. not even paypal comes close. don't consider the moneygram unless you just feel like giving your money away.

...Not even with a ten-foot pole.

What other credit card charging services are out there?  Didn't want to use PayPal because of a past "negative experience."

as mentioned above Visa, Mastercard etc. I wouldn't buy from this scammer with monopoly money. find what you want from a reputable seller. 

You must have put your eMail address in your ad, and that is how the scammers work. If your eMail address is NOT stated in your ad, then the scammers MUST join the OGR Forum, in oder to obtain your eMail address out of your "profile". The scammers will NOT want to join OGR, because that leaves a trail of their location, etc..

It was not in my ad.

Sorry, I will wait for the TCA show Sunday so I can pay in cash. Have bought from the Forum but that is all. Nothing out there that  I really, really want that much.

quote:

You must have put your eMail address in your ad, and that is how the scammers work. If your eMail address is NOT stated in your ad, then the scammers MUST join the OGR Forum, in oder to obtain your eMail address out of your "profile". The scammers will NOT want to join OGR, because that leaves a trail of their location, etc..

 

I suggest checking the other parties profile on the OGR forum. Have they been a member for a while? Look at some of their posts. Are they active members who know something about model railroading?

No offense meant to newer members, but if the answer to either of these questions are no, I'd pass on the deal.

It's a SCAM, don't do it.  I had the same experience about a year ago.  They had pics up from somewhere on internet, not his pics, gave a to good to be true price, wanted funds via MoneyGram.  Smelling a rat here.  Don't do it. I didn't.

I have heard nothing good about money grams!!!!

Save the money grams for sending money to people you know. If you have any doubt about the transaction don't do it otherwise use PayPal to protect yourself. Put it on your credit card through PayPal that way you can cancel or hold the charge if something is amiss.

DON'T DO IT! Your gut feeling is right and you should NEVER pay with money gram. It's a scam and you will loose your $$ Honey with N O way of getting it back!

I received a email yesterday about wtb posting I made.  Sounds like the same story.  The guy was registered on org but had a friend that was. How hard is it to register for the forum!  He want a money gram, I did get his address in Florida, and the price was great. The wording of the emails was a broken English

My email was not in my add either, so either they hacked someone account or there is a scammer in our ranks

There is a scammer out in KC that ripped off a member here. I was looking for Weaver die cast trucks and that same scammer tried to lure me in. He failed because his price was ridiculously high ( $200.00 for a  pair of wraver trucks) and he wanted a moneygram. This dude may have been in prison for all I know.

This is the email address of the guy who emailed me big.charleskeepler0915@gmail.com and he said he got my email though his friend Big Dave

Same one, Jim!

Wow.  I, for one, appreciate the occasional warnings and cautions about trying to stay safe out there.

This is surely a scam.  There are a number of other ways to pay for a purchase.  As others have said, credit card being one.

 

it is easy for those of us with experience buying and selling, computers, etc  to think something like your money gram question should be obvious to everyone that t is a scam.   But not everyone has that experience to know that.

 

So thanks for posting the question and making everyone aware of the scam.  Hopefully it prevents a member from getting taken by this scam.

 

Thanks,

Ed

Scam, for sure. Do a search as there are a number of threads on this topic (just search on 'Money Gram').

 

Same guy, in many cases, reads the Wanted To Buys and then emails saying he has the item(s) and will want payment via Money Gram. Happened to me over a year ago and it was fairly obvious quickly that the guy was a scammer.  

Follow your gut, Walk away. Has scammer written all over it. 

I received two offering k-lines for sale, one is the one I mention above and the other was someone who looks like a real member.  Now what to do, why the one that seems real.....  

Hi Jim, I'm real

Thanks John.  

 

I have brought things from Members in the past with great success, so don't let this post this discourage you from dealing with "true Members" and I am going to do it again. 

It's another case of doing due diligence. 

Anyone that wants only a Money Gram as the only option still owns the piece if I'm the prospective buyer! 

 

To date, I've never heard of a Money Gram transaction here that wasn't a scam!

 

I've used PayPal hundreds of times on eBay, internet stores and right here on the forum. Always smooth and painless to use IMO. You have some protection with PP.

 

When I post something on the For Sale or Wanted boards and I get an e-mail from someone that I'm not familiar with, I will come back to the forum and look them up before I do anything. I have been contacted a few times via e-mail by people I couldn't validate as forum members and I just deleted the e-mails and left it at that.

 

Usually a forum member will give you their screen name in the e-mail to let you know who they are, since most of us wouldn't know their real names if they use something on the forum other than their real names. That is why my screen name is my real name. There is no doubt about who I am.

Within the past two months, I've received two emails(from Robert Keepler) concerning items I had in the Want to Buy Forum.  Both were allegedly from Haines City, Florida.  Address of the

the first(2410 Weiberg) was a vacated house trailer and the second was the Wal-Mart on US27.

Each wanted a money gram, one was $200 for a Williams heavyweight baggage car

which usually sells in the 30-50 dollar range.

I did not respond to either because in the Forum money gram discussions had

made me weary.

John

 

How did they obtain your eMail address?

While I had that good experience getting some things with Moneygrams, I would not

use them now.  As many of the people into tinplate trains and on this forum are not

spring chickens, maybe "seniors", and seem to be targets for, and, too often, suckers

of, assorted scams....that you read about, such as "your nephew is in jail in Bangladesh, and you need to send bail money", or send $100 for a chance to win ten million, etc.

The news says billions are lost by seniors through scams.  Hard to believe the stuff people fall for, but don't be a victim.  Lionel and MTH want you to spend that money

on trains.

Yes, Haines City, FL.  I saw the vacant house as well.  I think the person is getting educated on the items though.  I was looking for a PRR Duplex and this guy had it for $415.  $50 less than the best price I have seen it for.  Said that if the money gram was $10 -$15, I could deduct that from the price.  Couldnt believe it!  One's gut is a valuable thing!

Bingo! That was exactly what lead me to the realization that the alleged seller was scamming. Signed his email "Bob" or "Bill" and when I replied and asked for screen name & other info he disappeared.