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Scam Artist - Beware

jslaughter

Bronze Contributor
Member For 5 Years
If anyone is contacted by https://vapingunderground.com/members/michaeleddymaples.177970/, a member on vu with 11 posts, and he says he has what your looking to buy, look up his email on google. His email is - xxxx

Edited by moderator- no personal info allowed. Have people PM you for the email address.

He sets up accounts on different sites and rips people off. I almost fell for it because he claimed to have a tank I want. I looked up the email he gave me first though since he is new to vu. I don’t want to see anyone else here get scammed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

5150sick

Under Ground Hustler
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Member For 5 Years
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Googling just the screen name tells me all I need to know:

 

jslaughter

Bronze Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I’m willing to give someone new a chance if it’s not a big investment but I do my homework first which paid off in this case. Someone gave me a chance when I was new and things worked out great. But you still gotta at least look around to make sure there is hinky stuff anywhere else going on in your past lol. Gotta love google.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
I’m willing to give someone new a chance if it’s not a big investment but I do my homework first which paid off in this case. Someone gave me a chance when I was new and things worked out great. But you still gotta at least look around to make sure there is hinky stuff anywhere else going on in your past lol. Gotta love google.

A new member who has been around a while, I can see but someone who just joined and starts selling makes me cautious.
 

BigEmptySky

Member For 5 Years
So Scammers are just so brazen they don't care~!
That’s the fucked up world we live in! No, the scammers don’t care at all.

A lady in New York just nailed a scammer.

 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
That’s the fucked up world we live in! No, the scammers don’t care at all.

A lady in New York just nailed a scammer.


Yeah~! I saw that in the paper the other day. I had I think the same guys try to do it to my Mom but I called the Cops and made a report. Had his number so I am glad they finally caught them.
 

jslaughter

Bronze Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I’m going to add to this thread for everyone to pay careful attention now. I don’t know if vu is being targeted by just one scammer or more than one but now there are suddenly new users popping up with great deals on expensive vape gear. Obviously too good to be true but one of our members already asked me who to look out for because they really wanted a mod someone is selling. Unfortunately that someone is a brand new account with an incredible deal.
I gave the advice that the only smart thing to do right now is not to give money to any new account, the risk isn’t worth it.
 

hawkwind5usa

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
The Forum Disclaimer sticky noted to the top of the Hardware section has "guidelines" for buying and selling. What it boils down to is trust in your fellow members and being responsible. Someone new to this group has to earn trust. If they haven't been here a year they're on the list. This thread should probably be moved by a moderator to avoid cluttering the hardware section. @SnapDragon NY
 

CrazyChef v2.0

Gold Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
Reddit Exile
VU Patreon
I gave the advice that the only smart thing to do right now is not to give money to any new account, the risk isn’t worth it.
I couldn't agree more. I've NEVER purchased anything here from a new member, and I've bought a LOT of gear here. As tempting as that deal may be, as well as the FOMO, it's just not worth the risk of throwing away your hard earned cash. If you do decide to make a purchase from a new member, ALWAYS insist on PP G&S - never F&F. I've even had new members send me the gear before I remit payment. But that's only because I have a well established (and spotless) buyer/seller reputation here on VU.

This thread should probably be moved by a moderator to avoid cluttering the hardware section.
Not true - this is the perfect place for this thread, and one single thread isn't "cluttering" the hardware section.
 

jslaughter

Bronze Contributor
Member For 5 Years
It appears that this scammer or scammers are using a two tiered approach on here and reddit and ecf. They are posting stuff for sale to scam money and then on every want to buy ad they are sending pm's that they have what your looking for. If you ask for pics they will send them and it's pretty easy to see that the pics are straight from google images or some website with the product.

I learned all this because i went kind of crazy posting wtb ads for some things i thought i might have an interest in and got several pm's from different names. All new accounts. I just hit ignore for all of them but i can see why there scam might work in some cases. When you really want that certain piece of gear it's very enticing to have someone say they have it.

This is the reason i really made the original post, because although many of us are cautious and we do our due diligence to get an idea of who were dealing with or if it's someone new we just dismiss it. However not everyone is that way, and some will leap at the chance to get something they really want. I'm just hoping that they read posts like this so there is a chance they won't fall prey to this kind of deception.
 

5150sick

Under Ground Hustler
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1643476638581.png


Imagine being so stupid that you think it's a good idea to try to rip off a forum full of gun collectors.:oops:
This gun forum doesn't play.
this fool got banned in one day.

then it's off to try to sell someone a pool stick he doesn't own.

1643476873057.png

here he is on the mustang forum searching for suckers.
1643477003232.png

as well as here searching..
1643477062958.png
 

zakumadness

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Reddit Exile
I couldn't agree more. I've NEVER purchased anything here from a new member, and I've bought a LOT of gear here. As tempting as that deal may be, as well as the FOMO, it's just not worth the risk of throwing away your hard earned cash. If you do decide to make a purchase from a new member, ALWAYS insist on PP G&S - never F&F. I've even had new members send me the gear before I remit payment. But that's only because I have a well established (and spotless) buyer/seller reputation here on VU.


Not true - this is the perfect place for this thread, and one single thread isn't "cluttering" the hardware section.
I agree I've always stuck to guns about goods and service. Scary part, with the way paypal is now , I don't think we are protected. All the scam seller has to say it was for vape items...and we violate our paypal ToS.

I guess good luck until they buy something....have vouches...or ship first like the old trade days...I pretty much avoid.

I found a killer deal elsewhere (not enough to be a red flag)..talked to the guy...felt like he was honest enough...but 0 rating and new account. Didn't want to risk $250 on a loss.
 

VapeOn1960

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
You want Kennedy Vindicator? I have just what you want. You buy from me, ten dollar
Freaking hilarious (been reading this thread but had to give you a thumbs up for that post)
BTW, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale... ten dollars.
 

gsmit1

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I have no tolerance for this kinda crap.
There's been a few of these guys float through here the last almost 4 years I've been around.

I got jacked up (well almost) by a guy on Reddit one time. I paid him a decent, but not dirt cheap amount for a Paranormal 250C and then like 2 weeks went by with no word.

I threatened to start a case with PayPal, and still nothing, so PP refunded me and said they'd go after him.

A couple days later the mod shows up. I figured I'd check it out before resending his money. It works, but the screen goes wonky after a day.

So I opened it up and lo and behold, somebody had been in there before me and had broken the socket that holds the ribbon cable to the board. They had stuck a tiny piece of electrical tape on the joint to get it working long enough to sell it.

I kept the money and kept the mod for parts.

Don't know how I got on all that. I guess this reminded me of it.
 

zakumadness

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Reddit Exile
I have no tolerance for this kinda crap.
There's been a few of these guys float through here the last almost 4 years I've been around.

I got jacked up (well almost) by a guy on Reddit one time. I paid him a decent, but not dirt cheap amount for a Paranormal 250C and then like 2 weeks went by with no word.

I threatened to start a case with PayPal, and still nothing, so PP refunded me and said they'd go after him.

A couple days later the mod shows up. I figured I'd check it out before resending his money. It works, but the screen goes wonky after a day.

So I opened it up and lo and behold, somebody had been in there before me and had broken the socket that holds the ribbon cable to the board. They had stuck a tiny piece of electrical tape on the joint to get it working long enough to sell it.

I kept the money and kept the mod for parts.

Don't know how I got on all that. I guess this reminded me of it.
I like reddit...to an extent because of the wider net of items/buyers. However it's buyer beware all over. I haven't been burned (*knock on wood*) ...but the amount of stupid stuff that happens that is rather annoying...."oh you didn't mention the ding".."oh hey how about you empty the juice before you ship"...."no I'm sorry...I don't want your used clapton coil" "why does the box everything was shipped in smells like a fart"

Maybe I am just spoiled from VU. I don't feel that I need to get tested after touching things from here lol
 

Lady Sarah

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I have no tolerance for this kinda crap.
There's been a few of these guys float through here the last almost 4 years I've been around.

I got jacked up (well almost) by a guy on Reddit one time. I paid him a decent, but not dirt cheap amount for a Paranormal 250C and then like 2 weeks went by with no word.

I threatened to start a case with PayPal, and still nothing, so PP refunded me and said they'd go after him.

A couple days later the mod shows up. I figured I'd check it out before resending his money. It works, but the screen goes wonky after a day.

So I opened it up and lo and behold, somebody had been in there before me and had broken the socket that holds the ribbon cable to the board. They had stuck a tiny piece of electrical tape on the joint to get it working long enough to sell it.

I kept the money and kept the mod for parts.

Don't know how I got on all that. I guess this reminded me of it.
Sometimes, it's the shipping company.

Hubby bought a tablet for me from bestbuy online. It took two weeks too long for the package to arrive. When it did, the packaging for the tablet inside the box was torn open, the tablet was gone. The box had been retaped with different tape than the original shipper used. Obviously, someone at the shipping company stole it. We got a refund from bestbuy, took the package to the store, and let them deal with it.
 

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