A coworker's son went after a pickpocketer that stole his wallet in Barcelona. The end result was him getting stabbed and the pickpocket getting away. Good on Ms. Mazzobel for trying to track down the person and get her money back. First rule of eBay, never ever contact a person outside of the eBay platform and never pay with anything other than a credit card. That way, at least it's the credit card company or eBay that's eating the loss.
4
I don't know who I would fear meeting more, the crook or the victim.
1
Oh my, Romania is full of criminals, who would have thought of THAT!? LOL
Tortillas and beer? Something lost in translation here. Er, this all unfolded in Madrid (which, you know, is in Spain), not Chihuaha (which, you know, is in Mexico).
Also, food is typically eaten before and not after a siesta and it would surprise me if an on-the-beat-officer would actually 'call for one' (unless she was trying to make a joke).
Spaniards eat tortilla, not tortillas. Spanish tortilla is a substantial affair: basically eggs, potato, and onions. It is flat. It is the size of a small pizza. Most types of tortilla (in the singular, with a variety of ingredients folded into the egg mixture) in Spain is a similar size, unless it's a tortilla a la francesa. Its size, depth and consistency make it impossible to bend in half, let alone stuff with other ingredients.
Of course, the author and Laura Bauerlein could have been at a Mexican restaurant, in which case I will eat my tortilla or tortillas, or both.
Also, food is typically eaten before and not after a siesta and it would surprise me if an on-the-beat-officer would actually 'call for one' (unless she was trying to make a joke).
Spaniards eat tortilla, not tortillas. Spanish tortilla is a substantial affair: basically eggs, potato, and onions. It is flat. It is the size of a small pizza. Most types of tortilla (in the singular, with a variety of ingredients folded into the egg mixture) in Spain is a similar size, unless it's a tortilla a la francesa. Its size, depth and consistency make it impossible to bend in half, let alone stuff with other ingredients.
Of course, the author and Laura Bauerlein could have been at a Mexican restaurant, in which case I will eat my tortilla or tortillas, or both.
1
If the item was originally listed on eBay, they should have information on the seller. Whether they would share it is another question.
4
Spain is a buzz in fake Craigslist web ads, mostly for these amazing apts. that don't exist, at astronomically low prices. When you ask to actually see them, pooff, the poster disappears. However, I'm sure there are suckers who send the 'deposit' money,
as did the writer.Chalk it up to learning.
as did the writer.Chalk it up to learning.
3
Did you bother to finish the article? The scammer who sent her the emails was not located in Spain but in Romania....
1
If it looks too good to be true, it's a scam. Especially on unregulated sites like Craigslist where scammers have perfected the art of delivering pristine certified checks and money orders that are completely bogus. Stick with reputable sites like EBay and PyPal. Sorry about your loss, but commend your efforts as Sherlocka Holmes.
5
True or not, this was a superbly entertaining story. Muchas gracias, I mean, molte grazie.
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I love knowing I'm not the only one daring the odds in muscling through to, if not justice, at least some clearer understanding of the grift.
I don't know if it's better described as wooing or badgering the police but, whatever it is, it does seem to make a difference. As recent target of a crime that, according to the police, both "never" happens and is rarely solved, I've ridden it hard enough to see one arrest made and another warrant issued...and I'm not done yet.
Bravo for staking out Madrid (even if not Romania). There's a lot to be said for taking action, any action!
I don't know if it's better described as wooing or badgering the police but, whatever it is, it does seem to make a difference. As recent target of a crime that, according to the police, both "never" happens and is rarely solved, I've ridden it hard enough to see one arrest made and another warrant issued...and I'm not done yet.
Bravo for staking out Madrid (even if not Romania). There's a lot to be said for taking action, any action!
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I'm a lot more suspicious than that. The 1/5 retail price and no bids would have raised my hackles.
1
I'm old enough to know better but I too covet expensive cameras. Been bitten a couple of times on eBay but have got my money back through their and Paypals safety net. I look carefully at the sellers feedback, how many transactions and so on, but the scammers are very clever at hiding their trail.
1
It's really sad that there are people so naive as this person. And physically going from Rome to Madrid to track this guy down; how very dangerous! Hopefully she's not going to try to trace him in Romania.
If the writer did buy the camera on Ebay,did she contact them?
Ebay's policy states:
"Didn’t get what you ordered?Get the item you ordered or get your money back with the eBay Money Back Guarantee".
Or, is the writer scamming us?
If the writer did buy the camera on Ebay,did she contact them?
Ebay's policy states:
"Didn’t get what you ordered?Get the item you ordered or get your money back with the eBay Money Back Guarantee".
Or, is the writer scamming us?
5
Read. It wasn't bought thru eBay.
11
The writer did not go through ebay, but contacted the seller independently. If you are familiar with ebay, you'll certainly understand the patterns used by both professional sellers and scammers. The opening bids are unrealistically low and virtually never secure the item.
1
The writer says that she "decided to write the auctioneer." Then wired him/her money. It doesn't look like eBay was involved in the transaction at all, except to host the unsuccessful auction.
No happy ending, but lesson learned.
It must be a generational thing. My generation (too young to be a gen-xer, too old to be a millenial - that "lost 5 years" of us in our late 30s) is very cynical when it comes to "really good deals". I guess its because although we didn't grow up with the internet, we did grow up with telemarketers bombarding our family's land lines at all hours of the day and night.
Once he wanted a wire, the conversation is over. Period. It always has to be that way, theres way too much that can go wrong and most likely will.
Once he wanted a wire, the conversation is over. Period. It always has to be that way, theres way too much that can go wrong and most likely will.
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@raix: "A generational thing"??? What are you talking about??? Anyone anytime at any age can be seduced by what seems to be too good to be true, yet one just wants to believe it...this writer, Anna Mazzobel, wrote an authentic coming of age short story, yet you only deign to criticize her and put her down...shame on you...
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