DoneDeal Scam

Killarney2988

Hi there, before you all year strips off me, hear me out. I paid someone 600 euro for an iPhone X off of donedeal. The person looked legitimate as they had two other ads posted and were based in Kerry with good photos of the products. I should have seen the red flags of the account being made only in 2019. I had a long period of conversation with them and we decided that they would post me the phone after I paid half the amount before and the balance after receiving the package. I paid 275 euro via AIB bank transfer, and the seller said that they would post the package the next day. The next day a donedeal message from the seller arriv3d stating that at the post office they had asked her the value of the item and she said it was an iPhone 600 euro. They apparently convinced her that she could be scammed and shouldn't send phones through the post. She insisted I send her the balance or she was too scared to send the phone. I felt bad for her, as she seemed foreign so I agreed and sent over the balance. She told me that the parcel was posted and to let her know if it didn't arrive. Well, having just been thinking over the whole story and writing it down now, I feel that this is almost definitely a scam. Its only been three working days since she supposedly sent the phone, but I don't think it will ever arrive. She gave me a phone number and address, but the address is for a holiday village and the number is not hers. Anybody any ideas for recourse, where I should go. I know I'm a dope who fell for a classic con. I'm over that fact now. Any help would be appreciated.

enricoh

Buy off adverts or gumtree in future, done deal is full of scammers.
After u get stung the next time, try going to a shop.

Killarney2988

Good advice, but not exactly helpful at this current juncture. I was more thinking in line of chargeback on AIB or reporting the seller

whiterebel

You’re in the Apple Devices forum, its not really where you’d expect to get advice on getting scammed by Donedealm even if it was an iPhone.

368100

Killarney2988 wrote: »

Good advice, but not exactly helpful at this current juncture. I was more thinking in line of chargeback on AIB or reporting the seller

AIB wont be interested if you did it as a bank transfer rather than a credit card payment. No obligation on them to get money back and you've no rights to claim it either.

Killarney2988

368100 wrote: »

AIB wont be interested if you did it as a bank transfer rather than a credit card payment. No obligation on them to get money back and you've no rights to claim it either.

As I had feared, an expensive lesson then. I'll take it on the chin. Thanks very much for your assistance.

Doctors room ghost

I hope the money fattens her. I fcukin hate scammers.may she not have an ounce of luck until her dying day.
Sorry to hear you got scammed

368100

Killarney2988 wrote: »

As I had feared, an expensive lesson then. I'll take it on the chin. Thanks very much for your assistance.

Sorry it wasn't better news for you. Out of interest was it an AIB account the money went to? They might report it for money laundering if it was, especially if this is a frequent scam...I wouldnt hold out any hope on getting money back though

Killarney2988

368100 wrote: »

Sorry it wasn't better news for you. Out of interest was it an AIB account the money went to? They might report it for money laundering if it was, especially if this is a frequent scam...I wouldnt hold out any hope on getting money back though

It was an AIB Account as a matter of fact. As a result there's maybe a possibility they have an address and phone number for the seller. Who knows?

Killarney2988

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

I hope the money fattens her. I fcukin hate scammers.may she not have an ounce of luck until her dying day.
Sorry to hear you got scammed

This. Honestly like, I know that a fool deserves what he gets and all that, but I think with the prevalence of crimes like this we need to deal more harshly with perpetrators.

368100

Killarney2988 wrote: »

It was an AIB Account as a matter of fact. As a result there's maybe a possibility they have an address and phone number for the seller. Who knows?

They probably won't give details to you though....unless you call into a branch and get someone friendly...

Doctors room ghost

Killarney2988 wrote: »

This. Honestly like, I know that a fool deserves what he gets and all that, but I think with the prevalence of crimes like this we need to deal more harshly with perpetrators.

And knowing the joke shop of a country we have she probably spends the rest of her time collecting entitlements in the post office.
More prisons wanted badly

Killarney2988

368100 wrote: »

They probably won't give details to you though....unless you call into a branch and get someone friendly...

Yes with GDPR everyone is ****ting themselves for fear of being sued.

368100

Killarney2988 wrote: »

Yes with GDPR everyone is ****ting themselves for fear of being sued.

No harm in asking though, just on off change...you've nothing to lose

Hoboo

What's wrong with contacting the gardai?

Sleeper12

enricoh wrote:

Buy off adverts or gumtree in future, done deal is full of scammers. After u get stung the next time, try going to a shop.

Same amount of scammers on all of the sites to be fair.

OP here's the hindsight advice. Not much use to you but someone reading might find it useful. You should pay by PayPal for almost total protection. There are two ways to send money through PayPal. Family & friends means that the person receives the money pays no fees but you have zero protection. Sales & services means receiver pays commission but the sender has protection. In this case you open a PayPal dispute, win & get your money back.

Seller should have sent the phone registered mail. She would have gotten a tracking number that she should text to you so you can track delivery. If she has no tracking number I think its safe to say that it was never posted. You get free tracking on parcels from 8 euros postage

Nonoperational

Unfortunately it's likely a lesson hard learned. Horrible thing to happen but you can be sure you'll never fall for anything like this again. New accounts on those sale sites with prices extremely good are unfortunately almost always scams. I'd probably mention it to the guards anyway.

Killarney2988

Hoboo wrote: »

What's wrong with contacting the gardai?

A long drawn out process providing loads of ev8dence only to be told "Sorry we don't think that you have overwhelming evidence". I can think if better ways to spend my time

Killarney2988

Nonoperational wrote: »

Unfortunately it's likely a lesson hard learned. Horrible thing to happen but you can be sure you'll never fall for anything like this again. New accounts on those sale sites with prices extremely good are unfortunately almost always scams. I'd probably mention it to the guards anyway.

Yes but as we know, the Irish justice system doesn't have much regard for consumers. Usually they just say take it up with eBay, Donedeal, Paypal. Anyone but themselves

Killarney2988

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Same amount of scammers on all of the sites to be fair.

OP here's the hindsight advice. Not much use to you but someone reading might find it useful. You should pay by PayPal for almost total protection. There are two ways to send money through PayPal. Family & friends means that the person receives the money pays no fees but you have zero protection. Sales & services means receiver pays commission but the sender has protection. In this case you open a PayPal dispute, win & get your money back.

Seller should have sent the phone registered mail. She would have gotten a tracking number that she should text to you so you can track delivery. If she has no tracking number I think its safe to say that it was never posted. You get free tracking on parcels from 8 euros postage

As they say, hindsight is 20/20. I knew as soon as I sent the second payment that I was ****ed. I shouldn't have thrown good money after bad, and to be fair, at least I won't be caught again. I'd really feel for someone who was in a bad financial spot though who got caught like this.

Charlie-Bravo

From the AIB account number, does the sort code match the location they're living? If they're miles away from each other then pretty much scammed.

Or, An Post might be very slow and it'll turn up tomorrow!

Killarney2988

astrofluff wrote: »

From the AIB account number, does the sort code match the location they're living? If they're miles away from each other then pretty much scammed.

Or, An Post might be very slow and it'll turn up tomorrow!

Nope the sort code puts them in Clare and not Waterville. But people move, so maybe there's still hope hahahahaha. For real though if by some divine miracle it arrives it'll be the deal of the year.

rgodard80a

If the scammer used an Irish bank account then they would've had to use decent photo Id to create their account.

It's definitely worth telling AIB that you suspect they're a scammer and they might just put a note on the account or flag that account for fraud and possibly block future transfers.

punisher5112

You need to report this to the Gardai.

You also need to contact your bank.

Don't ever part money unless you have the item or its from a genuine business sale or eBay, Amazon etc.

Shefwedfan

Go to Garda, they can trace the account you transferred to and figure out where it is

Killarney2988

I'll contact the bank anyway and see where I get with them, if all else fails I'll fill out a report to hopefully stop others getting caught.

i71jskz5xu42pb

For €600, I wouldn't be "ho, hum, lesson learned" given that this is AIB to AIB.

Definitely report to the Gardai and then write to your branch manager (registered post) with your Garda report number and what happened.

Worst case you are down €600 + time in the station and the price of a registered letter.

After that only good things can happen:

• bank may have to get off their hole and look into it
• bank may flag her account if this is not the first issue reported
• Gardai may actually do something
• you might get your money back.

Killarney2988

Angelo Nice Coroner wrote: »

For €600, I wouldn't be "ho, hum, lesson learned" given that this is AIB to AIB.

Definitely report to the Gardai and then write to your branch manager (registered post) with your Garda report number and what happened.

Worst case you are down €600 + time in the station and the price of a registered letter.

After that only good things can happen:

• bank may have to get off their hole and look into it
• bank may flag her account if this is not the first issue reported
• Gardai may actually do something
• you might get your money back.

As stated I am going to contact the Gardai and file a report, as well as c9ntact AIB. It's just that I'm not hopeful for a positive outcome for me personally. My main concern is other people getting caught in the scam. I just want this person held accountable.

tedpan

Do you have a link to the ad or the other ads?

drunkmonkey

Take that link down straight away before you blow your chance of sorting this out.
How far are you away from said location if you were to arrange to go down and buy it again with cash.

Killarney2988

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Take that link down straight away before you blow your chance of sorting this out.
How far are you away from said location if you were to arrange to go down and buy it again with cash.

I'm fully convinced that the phone doesnt even exist though. The address given was for a holiday village and the number was ripped off another random donedeal ad.