Fun With Fraud
The universe demanded that I buy a new camera. No, really. For months and months and months I had ignored the sexiness that is the Canon T2i. Magazine articles about it went unread. Amazon ads about it went un-clicked. Blog posts about it went ignored. The universe didn't like me being all responsible and stuff, though.
The universe started sending me money for the camera.
First, I won $100 in one blog contest. Then I won another $100 in another. I secured a tiny little contract that delivered another $100. And then I WON ANOTHER $100. That was the last straw. If the universe wants to send me money as a reward for leaving comments on blogs, then I'm going to be left with no choice but to do exactly what the universe wants me to do. BUY A NEW CAMERA!
That actually happened back before Christmas. My sexy little lady and I are still getting to know each other, but it's pretty much looooooove.
The only problem is that my first love, Mr. Canon, has now become a bit of a third wheel. I haven't fondled him since the T2i (she's still without a name) came into my life. It's not fair to just leave a really hawt camera sitting on a shelf without love, so with a little tear in my eye, I listed him on ebay.
That was on Sunday at 4:30.
At 4:37, someone had already bought it for the Buy It Now price.
Now, while the Buy It Now price was reasonable, it wasn't ZOMG! BUY IT NOW! DOOON'T WAIT! or anything. Seven minutes smelled a little fishy. I clicked around a bit to see who had bought it. I found a whole barrel of dead fish.
The so-called "buyer" was in Belgium and was using a brand-spanking new ebay account. I may be a ridiculously trusting person, but even *I* knew that it was just someone buying valuable junk in hopes that the seller would be moronic enough to send it without payment.
But, just in case, I figured I would just send an invoice and see what happened. Right after, I looked up the ebay policy for such situations and learned that I needed to give the "buyer" three days before I could cancel the transaction without any penalty. I also learned that I would be best served by making sure that I made a good faith effort to communicate with them.
So, I sent an email.
Thank you for your interest in the Canon XTi! I will get it shipped out within 24 hours of receiving payment. Please let me know if you have any questions.
I expected a whole lot of nothing to happen. But! But! I got a reply!
hope is in good condition?please you send me PayPal money request invoice from from PAYPAL not ebay invoice,PAYPAL money request from paypal so that i will make payment immediately and here is also my paypal email ID ithinkyourestupid@yahoo.com
(.advise asap
I, for one, ALWAYS buy valuable electronics without knowing what sort of condition they are in. So, I replied.
It's in fantastic condition! There was that time that my dog sat on it and got the knob thing stuck in an unfortunate place, but the smell is almost gone. I'll send a PayPal invoice right over!
I sent the PayPal invoice, fully expecting to get a spoofed PayPal email telling me I had a payment. And I did. I sent an email right away.
Thank you so much for your payment! There seems to be a problem with it, though. I can see the email saying it came, but usually when I get money in my PayPal account, the little number on my PayPal iPhone app changes (I think it's called a notification?). Maybe there is something wrong with my phone?
You already knew I was evil, so don't act surprised.
I got a reply.
i am work for company which fixes iphones.perhaps, you send to me with camera and i can fix?i need no money to do it.do as nice.
I had totally struck gold. Not only were they willing to buy my camera from me with fake money, they were willing to fix my phone for free, too! Wahooo!
That is so nice of you to offer! Do you happen to know how to fix a MacBook, too? The text on mine is too small and I have to use a magnifying glass to read emails. I don't know anyone who knows how to work on MacBooks, so I have to just deal with it.
I don't own a MacBook. Nor do I own a magnifying glass. Yet.
After sending that email, an incredibly disappointing thing happened. eBay found the fraudulent account all on their own and shut it down. No more email fun for me, which is really too bad because I bet that person in Belgium would have known how to fix the giant dead plasma TV in our basement, too. Sadcakes.
The camera is relisted on ebay (Camera body! Lens! Macro attachment! Fisheye attachment! Extra battery! You should buy it!). So far, it's not as much fun this time around, but I'll learn to be OK with that.
No dogs have actually stink-butted this camera. Promise.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Reader Comments (19)
It's too bad you didn't list this around Christmas ... I would have totally bought it!! ;)
@Emily--Shhhhhh! You're going to get me in trouble with the husband since he has been nagging me since then to get it listed.
I was totally hoping that since you had so much amazing karma to get a new camera, you were going to give away your old one to one lucky blog reader! I'm feeling a little desperate, see? In order to take pictures with my current camera, I have to hold the battery cover closed with my thumb to keep the batteries from falling out. Cause its all kinds of broken. I mean, it was cheap in the first place, so I'm not really heart broken about it, but my family is sad and pictureless. There is hope though... my birthday is in a few months.
And your fraud emails are hilarious.
Omg! Sadcakes! Love!
We had the same experience twice trying to sell electronics on eBay. Sucked all the joy out of it. We've done much better locally on CraigsList, asking cash.
dirty rat bastards!
As long as i can set a reminder for myself, i'll be keeping an eye on this. A friend of mine is looking to get back into photography and this would be a great start for her!
I already have a Canon. Oh, and I have no money! Hope you get a good price for it.
You are hysterical! Good luck with the camera...
This EXACT same thing happened when I listed those darned too-big-to-be-clown-shoes I got for Ryan for Christmas. They were going to "paypal" me the money (and made sure to note how safe and secure it would be) because they were buying size 13 mens converse for their "girlfriend in another city." Uhm. OH! And they also wanted to throw in an extra $100 for shipping. How nice of them!
That is awesome. Gotta love messing with scammers.
If I hadn't recently gotten a camera I would totally buy this from you :)
fuck. i want a big girl camera. your old one would totally would fit the bill. please tell me someone already bought it so that i don't have to.
You *are* evil... And I love it!
Like everyone else, I am eyeballing it. But I'm no danger...I've been eyeballing cameras for a year. I have to buy a car in the next 30 days and my husband keeps insisting a dining room table is more important than a camera. Funny, he didn't say that when he wanted a new Xbox for Christmas. LOL Good luck on getting a real buyer this time!
Darn you, Burgh Baby's Mom. Darn you all to heck. My point and shoot is dying, and while I *think* I want to make the leap to a DSLR, I am having a hard time jumping over the hurdle of the price. And then you go and list this. Should we make bets as to whether or not I can get my taxes done in the next 8 days to determine if I can make your little offer mine? (Please don't. C.ooper tracks off today, thus starting 3 weeks of all-3-kids-at-home. I won't have time (or the privacy) to shave my legs, let alone do my taxes.)
WANT! Sadly, there are other things on my need to buy list that take precedence. How can I convince the husband that a new camera is VERY! IMPORTANT!?
And those e-mails? PURE GENIUS!
A man from Jamaica recently called my fiance and told him he won a million dollars. All my fiance had to do was wire him $200 first. My fiance had some similar fun with fraud in that case too...
HA! You're awesome.
If only you came with it to take my pictures for me...I have a very blurry effect on pics that aren't point and shoot. (Okay, yes, I have a blurry effect on those ones, too.)
Great fun! I like to do the same thing with all of those kind folks who tell me my long lost relative in Nigeria has left me 5M and all I have to do is send them my personal info, bank info, etc. I LOVE to string these people along and have gotten them to do some of the most hilarious stunts just so that I would send my personal info. Keep up the good ole USA sense of humor!
M