Home audio scam

[Rotcod]

It seems lately that I am a scam artist magnet. Most of them I can see through and have them pass by unscathed. Today, I wasn't so lucky.

I was just leaving the parking lot in Costco, in Abbotsford, BC when two guys in a brand new explorer got my attention, quite aggresively by two young males in their mid 20's. They told me that they worked for an home audio distribution branch and that they went to get some parts from the US but the wholesaler screwed up and gave them extra inventory. They told me they phoned their boss and he said that they had one hour to get rid of the merchandise or else he would keep it. They then mentioned that this home theater system was worth at least $2800 US, and it was a quality system.

Now at this point I am skeptical, so I ask to take a look at the product, and the receipt for the purchase. Dont ask me why but I started believing him, so we haggled on a price, finally settling on 300 dollars canadian. Yeah, I still cant believe I was hooked so easily.

For some reason the guy insisted on coming with me to the bank machine, and to be honest I suspected a scam, I just wasnt sure where it was coming from. I, however was tired and that is one reason I became so gullable. During this time I am asking him questions like where the company was and all that and he started making small talk with me (most likely to get me to lower my guard. These guys were good). I checked his ID, and double checked the invoice. The guy even gave me a cell number (which later proved to be false).

Now my plan was to sell the things on EBay, and (in my mind make some decent cash in doing so). Well I got home and immediately researched the company, Theater Research. It seemed legit. I then looked up the model and in doing so I finally realized how much I got scammed. The $3000 dollar unit was worth maybe $150 on ebay. Thats IF I can sell it. Apparenty the model is also a piece of crap. I also found this website here http://forum.ecoustics.com/cgi-bin/bbs/show.pl?tpc=3&post=610153#POST610153
They fell for it the same reason I did...it seemed legit, it was well thought out, and the people running it were professional
I do not know what good will do but I am going to do what I can to take this to the media I knw a girl (she used to have a crush on me) who is a photographer for the local paper. I have also contacted the consumer reporter at the local TV news station about this scam. Yes I was greedy, yes I was impatient, and yes I was stupid. But I have learned my lesson.

Thank god they didnt take more from me. I read about guys loosing almost a grand on this scam.

 

[ScottyTwoHotty]

It seems lately that I am a scam artist magnet. Most of them I can see through and have them pass by unscathed. Today, I wasn't so lucky.

I was just leaving the parking lot in Costco, in Abbotsford, BC when two guys in a brand new explorer got my attention, quite aggresively by two young males in their mid 20's. They told me that they worked for an home audio distribution branch and that they went to get some parts from the US but the wholesaler screwed up and gave them extra inventory. They told me they phoned their boss and he said that they had one hour to get rid of the merchandise or else he would keep it. They then mentioned that this home theater system was worth at least $2800 US, and it was a quality system.

Now at this point I am skeptical, so I ask to take a look at the product, and the receipt for the purchase. Dont ask me why but I started believing him, so we haggled on a price, finally settling on 300 dollars canadian. Yeah, I still cant believe I was hooked so easily.

For some reason the guy insisted on coming with me to the bank machine, and to be honest I suspected a scam, I just wasnt sure where it was coming from. I, however was tired and that is one reason I became so gullable. During this time I am asking him questions like where the company was and all that and he started making small talk with me (most likely to get me to lower my guard. These guys were good). I checked his ID, and double checked the invoice. The guy even gave me a cell number (which later proved to be false).

Now my plan was to sell the things on EBay, and (in my mind make some decent cash in doing so). Well I got home and immediately researched the company, Theater Research. It seemed legit. I then looked up the model and in doing so I finally realized how much I got scammed. The $3000 dollar unit was worth maybe $150 on ebay. Thats IF I can sell it. Apparenty the model is also a piece of crap. I also found this website here http://forum.ecoustics.com/cgi-bin/bbs/show.pl?tpc=3&post=610153#POST610153
They fell for it the same reason I did...it seemed legit, it was well thought out, and the people running it were professional
I do not know what good will do but I am going to do what I can to take this to the media I knw a girl (she used to have a crush on me) who is a photographer for the local paper. I have also contacted the consumer reporter at the local TV news station about this scam. Yes I was greedy, yes I was impatient, and yes I was stupid. But I have learned my lesson.

Thank god they didnt take more from me. I read about guys loosing almost a grand on this scam.

This scam has been around for years. 90% of the time they drive a white minivan and sit in strip mall parking lots where banks or bank machines are. They tried to hit me with this scam about 5 years ago, but luckily I didn't fall for it. Consumer Watch has done several reports on this in past years. Unfortunately, you cna never find their offices because all documents are well made up fakes.

For $300 you could have gotten a really nice SP and tried to make her holla in Dolby Proligic Surround Sound!!!

Scotty

 

[dr.dre]

I had the same people come up to me in Abbotsford but they were in a red Mini Van. This was a big scam about 10 years ago. Don't fall for it.

 

[n2supersymmetry]

Apparently this type of scam is not localized to Vancouver.
Had a similar incident happen to me while I was going to school in California. Same setup except they were selling laptops at some ridiculous firesale prices. They tried to scam the wrong guy as I am a total computer freak ... one look and I know it's an outdated piece of crap that isn't worth henshit on a pump handle.
Sorry about your experience ... the rule of thumb is "if it looks too good to be true, it usually is"

 

[stryker]

This scam has been around as long as 17 years and is well documented,The old saying,if it's too good to be true,it isn't.My little bro was getting beer one day and called my shoe phone telling me about them, and asked if I wanted a pair,he was about to pull the plug for about 3 bills till I clued him in,,,Good thing he called me
Sorry to here ya got sucked in,the product is a piece o shit and you might be lucky to get a $ for them,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,bye the way,they advertise on E-bay all the time as well,and they don't sell

 

[ironchef]

sorry, but i don't feel too sorry for you. this scam has been going on for so many years. i think you're just greedy. to me, you are just like the other people that send money when told that they have won a lottery. don't bother with the media, everyone's seen it before. it's hard to feel sorry for someone when it's their greed that got them in trouble in the first place.

 

[maverick73]

Wow, they have upgraded to HT's now... back when I was in college, some guys in a white minivan used to sell speakers for $40... I wonder if it's the same guys.

 

[Rotcod]

Flame me, ban me, whatever, but seriously how can one be so FUCKING stupid to buy anything from some guys in a car, van, suv, etc. pushing it in the parking lot of Costco? I've been approached in Oakridge, Richmond Centre, and Metrotown over the last few years by (probably not the same guys) the exact sales pitch. Come on...wake the FUCK up!!!

Did you read my entire post or did you need your mommy's help to decipher the big words?

Look, I already said I made a fucking mistake. I have had scam artists try to do their thing to me in the past and they have failed. For some reason, maybe I had an off day, maybe I wasnt thinking straight, maybe I was tired. Either way, they have my money and I have a piece of shit home theater system.

BTW, the name of the company was Theater Research. they have a website, but when I tried to contact the phone number, the recording said that this number does not exist. Trust me, I have learned my lesson

 

[visioneast]

I would just walk away.

Next time, just walk away, friend.

 

[hitrack]

you should post a pic of the stereo, I'd be interested to see what 300 bones buys for home theater equipment out of the back of a van in Costco parking lot now-a-days.

 

[gravitas]

hang out at the same costco and wait for the fuckers......chances are they'll try the same con in the same place

if you see them pulling the shit call the popo

 

[Randy Whorewald]

I would go back to the Costco parking lot tomorrow and run the same scam on someone else and get my $300.00 back.

That would make Rotcod just as bad as they are. I do not believe he would (or could) do that.

 

[tmarabu]

These guys suck, but can be beat.

I just wanted to throw in my 10 cents worth.

I too fell for this scam about 3 years, but fortunately for me the cell phone number was real. I used this number to skip trace the company (the net is awesome), which lead me to the biz.. it was a very generic looking place.
It took me a week of casing out the joint, but I fucking got those guys!
Very little amount of trace evidence left by their criminal biz.
These guys are pros! and the speaker makers are in on it.

I went so far as to apply for the job, get all the inside shit, then went for the neck vein and F'd them right up.

I got my money back , as the slimey owner was tripped out by how much I knew about him (just did my homework), and that I seemed willing to get all gangster on his ass.

These guys got me while on the road driving.. in an Ford Explorer..but it is know as the white van speaker scam. Very aggressive and seem to appeal to us 18-35 year olds that think we can get something for cheap..

Just a life lesson we all gotta learn.. sucks, but happens

 

[visiting]

Apparently this type of scam is not localized to Vancouver.

... the rule of thumb is "if it looks too good to be true, it usually is"

I have been approached in both Toronto, and Montreal, a few times actually, in shopping parking lots, and a few times while waiting for a red light. The offerings are either Video/Audio equipment or jewelry... I just figured the stuff was stolen, so I normally look at the guy straight in the eye, and don't say a word for 5-10 seconds, and if he doesn't leave, I tell them to take a hike, and then if they still sticks around, I get out of the car and dial 911. I hate thieves, I had things stolen a few times, and I just hate it, so I wound not encourage thieves, but I would gladly help them get arrested if the cops would show up faster.. (well did a few times) Having said that I have nothing against buying stuff from the police auctions!

 

[westwoody]

I was in the parking lot of Southcentre Mall in Calgary a couple of years ago and two black dudes in a white Cadillac (they were so conspicuous it was almost funny-no way I would have bought ANYTHING from them) tried to sell me a diamond ring. I called the cops and the cop said they had already spoken to the guys and the diamonds they were selling were legit. How can selling diamonds out of a car in a parking lot be legit? No business license, no GST registration, no papers to prove the jewellery was not stolen-it just didn't seem right to me, but the Calgary police couldn't be bothered.

 

[wannaliquorbox]

for those who may run into similar situations in the future...

say you have your digi camera on you, because you were going to a birthday party. tell them as part of the transaction, you need a photo of them and the car licence plate - see what they have to say.

 

[hitrack]

OOO LA-LA...that nice looking shit. The big rip off is all the little extras ya need.

 

[sirlickheralot]

I was in the parking lot of Southcentre Mall in Calgary a couple of years ago and two black dudes in a white Cadillac (they were so conspicuous it was almost funny-no way I would have bought ANYTHING from them) tried to sell me a diamond ring. I called the cops and the cop said they had already spoken to the guys and the diamonds they were selling were legit. How can selling diamonds out of a car in a parking lot be legit? No business license, no GST registration, no papers to prove the jewellery was not stolen-it just didn't seem right to me, but the Calgary police couldn't be bothered.

Like the police said these guys probably weren't breaking the law, they may very well have been selling actual diamond rings. Not all diamonds are equal a diamond with poor clarity or other imperfections is going to be worth a small fraction of what a good quality diamond is worth. Put one of these poor quality diamonds in a cheap setting and sell it for a fraction of what a diamond ring would normally retail for. The buyer is getting an actual diamond ring so they haven't actually been defrauded it just isn't worth what they thought it was. You could ask to see a GCAL certificate of autheticity and if they show you one that provides inaccurate information about the quality of the stone then they would indeed be committing fraud and they police would have to respond.

The same goes for this speaker scam, from what I've read the speakers actually work, they just aren't worth what the scammers are saying they are worth, (legitimate retailers would never do that ). The customer is getting an actual working product for their money so it isn't really up to the police or the courts to determine is the customer is getting a good deal. Unless there is information in the paperwork they give their customers which is false they can't really be charged with fraud. They may be unethical but they aren't really criminal. This operation seems pretty widespread and sophisticated so I'm sure they've dotted all their I's and crossed all their T's.