Online scams

Smidge

I was looking at a very popular Irish website recently(no need to mention the name, I think everyone has viewed it, also not sure if allowed to mention the name!)

Anyhoo, I was not just browsing but looking for a particular thing.
Found a seller offering the product(not a private individual) I was looking for a reasonable price, so phoned him for more info.
On the site he had given a link to their own site which appeared to be Irish(.ie)
Gave him the measurements over the phone and about 3 days later he got back to me with a very decent price.

So here, AH'ers is where the input is needed.
He said he would come out to measure up(which has to be done by whoever gets the job)but said he would bring samples. When I asked if he had a shop he said no, that this was how he worked he would measure and then need FIFTY% of the amount up front. This got me slightly sus so I asked for his web address again, this time it was a Polish(.pl) site and the contact address was an apartment in Dublin city centre. No landline either only moblie.

So, what do you reckon?
Is this a scam or just a guy working small(probably garage, lockup etc)?

christmas2012

no landline and only a mobile can be dodgy,and if the mobile is not registered either,is it an established company or someone working out of a room with nothing?

it sounds risky,ive heard of a lot of scams asking for 50% etc,and getting nothing,can you physically visit the place at the dublin address?

is their a clue in the adddress that would suggest a garage or shop?do you live in dublin could you have a look see?

dejopadu

if any doubts = AVOID !!

Smidge

They actually have 2 addresses on their site, one a company registration that has a vat no but appears to be a housing estate in Dublin(hence me thinking maybe the guy is working from a garage) but the address for correspondence is an apartment in Dublin city centre.

Hate to lose a good deal but would hate to give a scammer my money even more so;)

mathepac

mishkalucy wrote: »

... and the contact address was an apartment in Dublin city centre. No landline either only moblie. ...

If it's an apartment then the guy is operating illegally, running a commercial operation without permission out of a residential property, no commercial rates paid to the council, no proper insurance and probably not registered with any trade association or for VAT, tax, etc.

The Snipe

To register a .ie domain name, you need to go through the IEDR (.IE Domain Registery) And, if you register a name in something other then your own name (ie a company) Then you need to provide proof that it is required for the company for what they are doing. Otherwise they won't be granted the name.

Smidge

The Snipe wrote: »

To register a .ie domain name, you need to go through the IEDR (.IE Domain Registery) And, if you register a name in something other then your own name (ie a company) Then you need to provide proof that it is required for the company for what they are doing. Otherwise they won't be granted the name.

On the actual site he put his "business" site details and it was a ".ie" site but when I asked him on the pohine about emailing him he said use the name and then instead of the ".ie" bit put ".pl".

There is a vat number quoted on the site. Does this help?

mathepac

mishkalucy wrote: »

...

There is a vat number quoted on the site. Does this help?

Check it.


http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/

Smidge

BTW
If this is a scam, are these common?
Have people heard of a scam like this before(or something similar)?

The Snipe

Hmm, thats odd alright, because if you look at IEDR their Policy for registeration of domain names is here: http://iedr.ie/index.php/mnudomregs/mnuregpolicy


A Whois search on: http://iedr.ie/index.php/mnudomregs/mnudnssearch should help you, to see if he is genuine or not too.

The Snipe

Hmm, thats odd alright, because if you look at IEDR their Policy for registeration of domain names is here: http://iedr.ie/index.php/mnudomregs/mnuregpolicy


A Whois search on: http://iedr.ie/index.php/mnudomregs/mnudnssearch should help you, to see if he is genuine or not too.

Smidge

mathepac wrote: »

Check it.


http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/

Thanks for that!

Have just run it through and it comes back with the guys name and the apartment address on the site.
Does this make it more legit or can anyone get a vat number?

phasers

samples of what? What are you looking to buy? This thread is very frustrating.

Smidge

The Snipe wrote: »

Hmm, thats odd alright, because if you look at IEDR their Policy for registeration of domain names is here: http://iedr.ie/index.php/mnudomregs/mnuregpolicy


A Whois search on: http://iedr.ie/index.php/mnudomregs/mnudnssearch should help you, to see if he is genuine or not too.

Cheers for that.
Have put the Irish web address through and it has come back with his name and the apt. address on it.

What is odd is on the ad site it has the name "odsiet.ie"(not real address:D)
but when you enter this addres the website comes up but shows the address as "odsiet.pl"

Does it make it any better that he has an Irish domain?

Smidge

phasers wrote: »

samples of what? What are you looking to buy? This thread is very frustrating.

Lets just say it is flooring:D










It's not flooring:)

B.A._Baracus

You would be suprised how much money you can make from scams.

Remember watching a BBC documentary a few years back and they talked about the "nigerian price" scam. They stated it takes in a few million dollars each year! :eek:

I am skeptical about that. But then again, 7 billion people in this world. Internet access is big in most countries. Its probably right.

Giselle

mishkalucy wrote: »

Hate to lose a good deal but would hate to give a scammer my money even more so;)

If in any doubt don't give him the 50%

Any reputable tradesperson won't be looking to buy the materials upfront. I suspect he has no line of credit or credit rating to keep himself afloat until he's paid at the end of the job. Thats not a good sign.

Smidge

Giselle wrote: »

If in any doubt don't give him the 50%

Any reputable tradesperson won't be looking to buy the materials upfront. I suspect he has no line of credit or credit rating to keep himself afloat until he's paid at the end of the job. Thats not a good sign.

To be fair had zero intention of handing 50% over but this was the initial "alarm".
I guess why I started the thread was because I do know a few trades people who have, due to the current economic climate, are working from their own properties etc.
Thought this might be the case here.

Giselle

mishkalucy wrote: »

To be fair had zero intention of handing 50% over but this was the initial "alarm".
I guess why I started the thread was because I do know a few trades people who have, due to the current economic climate, are working from their own properties etc.
Thought this might be the case here.

If it was someone I'd heard of through a personal recommendation I'd probably risk it. If you know anyone who's had something similar done you might be able to get a good deal, and at least you know they'll do it well.

DEFTLEFTHAND

There was a fella on here not long ago talking about an Irish attorney offering him a secretarial position. Surely the word "Attorney" in an Irish context would raise ones suspicions.

Smidge

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

There was a fella on here not long ago talking about an Irish attorney offering him a secretarial position. Surely the word "Attorney" in an Irish context would raise ones suspicions.

Read that!!