On this post: Amazing beauty that gives me peace , I wrote in one of the answers to a comment that I am about to receive a new Nikon D80 as an early Christmas present. What I didn’t mention further was that to be able to pay for the camera I had to sell one of my web sites. The sale went fine, and I received the money, which I immediately spent on what I thought, a reliable web site and their offer. And for as much as I could tell all seemed legit, was it not that the payment has to be done by Western Union, or by Money Gram. But since the company was in Russia - Moscow, I thought, well, probably they have problems with opening an account via Paypal, or other merchant account providers, and it should be ok.
To cut it short - I paid, and sent to these people the 10-digit MTCN number on Saturday morning, the 10th of November 2007. On Monday, the 12th of November, I received an answer that the package has been sent, and to let them know when I’ll receive it.
Some weird thought came in my mind however, that something stinks here, as they did not send to me any package number, or by whom, or which postal company did they send the package with the camera in it. So I called the number of the company,and asked to speak to this lady of their sales department, called Marina Swartz. My shock was enormous when I was told that there was no such person working for the company. And why didn’t I called earlier, you may wonder? Because on their web site was written that they only have availability of phone support for companies or people ordering in bulk - 50 pieces and more.
So what was there left for me to do? Well, I sent this lady an email, telling her about my findings, and that they will be very sorry of their scam if they do not return my money, and that I will not leave it here. I explained to her that they messed with the wrong person really, and that I will write all about their scam all over the Net, and that I will contact Adwords, because you see my friends, I came on their web site through an Adsense ad on eBay! The next thing, I know is that their web site went off line, a 404 error is there instead, and of course, no answer whatsoever.
So why did I write about it today? After all, the idiom: “a fool and his money are easily parted” is very much what happened here with me. So, I wanted to warn each and everyone of my friends and readers with it. And because this is the very 1st time that I have been scammed in all the years of buying and selling on the Net, I thought to share my misadventure with you here.
This is obviously not all of it, and I think of starting a new site about the GOOD answer to scams and scammers, and what we all could do when, and if such do happen to us.
Needless to tell you how heart broken and disillusioned I am right now. How desperate, and screwed, and angry I feel. There will be no new camera for me for quit sometime I guess, as we are short on cash, and I don’t have anything left to sale right now.
Wishing you all a splendid week ahead, and check again the photo of my friend above, while remembering how vulnerable, and fragile we are in our own universes always.
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