I had an identical exchange about some wheels. Seemed fishy so I opted not to buy.

I thought it important to share this with members in case this fellow attempts his sales scam again. I also reached out to the admin’s on both boards but have not heard back.

August 30th and September 4th I posted a “Wanted” notice on the Alfa BB and Alfa Owner respectively. I was seeking a “GTV AC Evaporator Module” (Control Unit).

On September 2nd, I received what I thought was a legit positive ‘referral’ on the Alfa BB from a registered member called “Barrycas” (“Steve has a GTV AC Evaporator Module for sale. You can shoot him a mail on stevehillman02@gmail.com Goodluck!” Those were his words verbatim.

I reached out to “Steve Hillman” and had several email exchanges over several days. He sent me detailed photos. (see below) and quoted a price of $90 dollars which included shipping. That low ball price should have been my first ‘red flag’ and that something was fishy. He sent me a PayPal money request from this account “Delibina Kagige”. The item was paid for September 11th via PayPal.

Subsequently, I followed up sending numerous emails requesting shipping information and have not received any response. The person “Barrycas” shows no profile info on the forum boards and the admin’s have not responded with any information on his account.

I don’t know if this is a common forum experience, if others have been scammed perhaps by these same two individuals: Barrycas/Steve Hillman but I did wanted to post this as a cautionary tale and to provide information on the perpetrators. Please share this elsewhere on the forum so the word gets out.

 

Hi,
Did it involve the same two characters?
Geoff

 

I've brought this thread to the Admin's attention. It seems Barrycas has been outlawed, but too late to protect you.

If you made a PayPal purchase, they will eventually refund you after following the procedure. It involves waiting a number of days before you can file the complaint. They will then try to contact the seller, and issue a refund if he doesn't reply within 48 hours.

There are a number of scammers who operate like this, telling you to contact a third party. They come back under various identities. A Google search on the email address often points to other unrelated forums where similar complaints have been lodged. This stevehillman02@gmail.com is no exception.

 

I've brought this thread to the Admin's attention. It seems Barrycas has been outlawed, but too late to protect you.

If you made a PayPal purchase, they will eventually refund you after following the procedure. It involves waiting a number of days before you can file the complaint. They will then try to contact the seller, and issue a refund if he doesn't reply within 48 hours.

There are a number of scammers who operate like this, telling you to contact a third party. They come back under various identities. A Google search on the email address often points to other unrelated forums where similar complaints have been lodged. This stevehillman02@gmail.com is no exception.

Thanks Yves for you reply and for bringing it to the attention of the Admin's!

 

I don't know who the member was, can't find the original post or conversation, but the email i was told was charlesjames772@outlook.com, a dozen messages back and forth with him. the fishiest thing that finally set me off (apart from how easy he was to negotiate a screaming deal) was that the pictures he sent looked like screen captures from the forum.

 

I don't know who the member was, can't find the original post or conversation, but the email i was told was charlesjames772@outlook.com, a dozen messages back and forth with him. the fishiest thing that finally set me off (apart from how easy he was to negotiate a screaming deal) was that the pictures he sent looked like screen captures from the forum.

Yes, it seems they really offer a great deal and that's usually enough to make the deal appealing. As Yves points out above, the guy 'barrycas' profile has been taken down so perhaps the admin's are working behind the scenes.

 

This "my friend has it" setup is a common one. I got tripped up this way on a BMW forum last year. Lesson learned, fortunately not too much money.
Andrew

 

Agreed. This was 90 bucks and could have been worse! I think they pick a rather small amount that trips people up. But as cars have appreciated, it also helps to know the 'relative' value of parts these days.

 

Lesson learned. If it is too good to be true then it isn’t. Those units sell for much more than $90 including shipping.

 

I had this "sort of" happen via text on another forum. They messed it up from the jump, but we can relive the fun here:

Send the Snek - IG Story

 

Yes, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

 

This type of response to a WANTED advert is often/always from a "member" with just that single post. Do not not buy from brand new members until they have a track record of real posts.

Ken

 

Ken's warning above is wise. With most BB posters, over time, moderators get to know long term members. You are pretty safe there, or look for members with several hundred posts. Yes, it seems like a lot of effort, but we like members SAFE from fraud. Also, if you have an offer you question, contact one of the moderators who may be able to use computer forensics (I'm not that computer savvy) to verify the member is who and where they claim.

 

Always if in doubt, have them take a photo of the item, with the current day's newspaper with visible headlines in the frame. This technique is useful in many situations

 

Fortunately Bernhard banned 'Barrycas' before he really got started. I dug into this guy after another member got scammed. I have access to a few behind the scenes screens and can confirm that this particular muppet was going by the alias of Barry Castro. Unfortunately the record logs show he accessed the BB from 7 different locations, 26 times from Tuttlingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, 4 times from Lagos in Nigeria and once from LA / California. Problem is he accessed the BB from LA & Nigeria on the same day & then from Germany & Nigeria also on the same day... so either this is a well travelled muppet which is highly unlikely in this time of the Chinese pestilence or he's a scammer.... alas his email address time zone shows West Central Africa, unfortunately I have to conclude that he's Nigerian & learned how to scam the system by piggybacking on IP providers

Sadly there's no fool proof method of identifying these scammers, the XenForo software checks for known spammers via Akismet software, but this tests spammers and trolls that are listed & logged via their email addresses from multiple other sites. VerticalScope the BB owners have in excess of 250 BB type setups, so pull data from all of them via their central database.

Unfortunately the weasels who scam people for money change their email addresses all the time so are near impossible to catch via software parameters - We the Mods team have taken to physically checking out every new member by hand so to speak, unfortunately some do slip through the cracks as we all have to sleep sometime and this isn't a paid job, we are all volunteers. Quite often these scammer guys run multiple personas and they are all 'sleeping' while looking for opportunities to scam people. We've had members spring to life after being dormant for 3 months and start to populate their first few threads with links to various outside sites

The 3 day member thing should have been a warning sign, often they will want to use a third person or a Western Union account or similar. In scamming another BB member Barrycas & Steve Hillam (Ocompojaa79@gmail.com and Stevehillman02@gmail.com) used a Wells Fargo account.

Alas about all I can offer is that if anyone is confronted with a similar situation, please get one of us Mods or Admins to dig a little into the members details. We have an extremely limited toolbox compared to the old BB format of several years ago, but we do the best with what we have.

Sorry that this has happened to you

Aye
Greig

 

Hi Greig,
Thanks for your reply, valuable information and your kind words of consolation. As you mention, these guys are cagey and most likely using multiple VPN's to hide their location(s). Interestingly, my exchange of emails seemed to reveal they were surprisingly knowledgeable, in general, about Alfa Parts and had instant supply of precise pics to support their assertions. However, their price quote was low (90bucks)...(something I should have picked up on immediately instead of thinking I was getting a good deal) which might have been intentional for their business model, I don't know. It would seem they're a group of individuals that wanna make a quick buck. Get in get out before they're discovered. Yes, I most certainly should have checked their membership duratiion. The guys emails were laced with anxious remarks on when the money would arrive. (another red flag) Also, I found the PayPal address name to be rather bizarre...perhaps the Nigerian connection. Finally, I remember he had the audacity to ask me to let him know if I needed any other Alfa parts! Appreciate you and your teams voluntary efforts to keep the board running safe and smoothly. Geoffz

 

It’s hard to bed because I’m usually very careful about such things. But this guy got me two for 50 bucks. We figured it out in time to make him go to a lot of work on a proposed second transaction for parts my son needed. He probably searched for pictures for hours and corresponded for days before he realized he wasn’t getting any more of our money. I’m guessing he made about ten dollars an hour for his trouble. Not that hard to find a real job paying more than that!

 

Seems this muppet got away with $200 of members money in a few days....

Usual warning signs: -

1. Only a few days membership
2. Part price is very low (seems a big bargain)
3. Anxiety over payment / getting the money
4. Third party payment
5. Odd bank transaction - Western Union or Wells Fargo or similar

If anyone spots a suspicious looking character, send a message to your Mods team - remembering that Pete, Bernhard & myself are all outside the USA - so there are time line constraints to what we are able to effect in a hurry.

Grazie mille
Greig

Sunny South Africa.... Same continent, but a long way from Nigeria

 

Seems this muppet got away with $200 of members money in a few days....

Usual warning signs: -

1. Only a few days membership
2. Part price is very low (seems a big bargain)
3. Anxiety over payment / getting the money
4. Third party payment
5. Odd bank transaction - Western Union or Wells Fargo or similar

If anyone spots a suspicious looking character, send a message to your Mods team - remembering that Pete, Bernhard & myself are all outside the USA - so there are time line constraints to what we are able to effect in a hurry.

Grazie mille
Greig

Sunny South Africa.... Same continent, but a long way from Nigeria

Thanks for the update Greig!

 

OK, I made it a sticky on the Parts For Sale section

 

Thanks

Thanks for the update..I’m actually new to the forum and getting this just so helpful…i will be careful not to fall prey to their traps

 

I was nearly burnt a few years ago when approached my a low number member. I was wanting a steal bumper for my gt. I was basically about to pay after a few emails etc...
The cat was out of the bag when i checked the images he had sent me .......
Deep searching on Google found them, he had taken someones image to sell me something he did not have !!!.
So another must is confirm the pictures someones send are the real deal.

 

I was nearly burnt a few years ago when approached my a low number member. I was wanting a steal bumper for my gt. I was basically about to pay after a few emails etc...
The cat was out of the bag when i checked the images he had sent me .......
Deep searching on Google found them, he had taken someones image to sell me something he did not have !!!.
So another must is confirm the pictures someones send are the real deal.

Yes, I just bought something...1. From a long time member...2. He included a photo of the item along with today's local newspaper in the background. Looks like this is legit. Good to do a lot of research on the seller before clicking 'send money'.

 

There are various reverse image search engines and software, the easiest is probably Google image search

How do I use Google reverse image search ?



Google's reverse image search is a breeze on a desktop computer. Go to images.google.com, click the camera icon, and either paste in the URL for an image you've seen online, upload an image from your hard drive, or drag an image from another window.

It's handy for checking out pictures of parts etc if you have a feeling you are being scammed.

A few years ago some muppet offered a rare Veloce engine to a BB Member, who fortunately asked about the values etc on this Forum and the actual owner of the engine recognized the pictures as being in his own garage & no the engine was not for sale.

Ciao
Greig

 

There are various reverse image search engines and software, the easiest is probably Google image search

How do I use Google reverse image search ?


Google's reverse image search is a breeze on a desktop computer. Go to images.google.com, click the camera icon, and either paste in the URL for an image you've seen online, upload an image from your hard drive, or drag an image from another window.

It's handy for checking out pictures of parts etc if you have a feeling you are being scammed.

A few years ago some muppet offered a rare Veloce engine to a BB Member, who fortunately asked about the values etc on this Forum and the actual owner of the engine recognized the pictures as being in his own garage & no the engine was not for sale.

Ciao
Greig

Hi Greig,
Are you an 'admin' over at the sister board 'AR Owner'?
If so, I might have another 'muppet' to check out!
Received a 'new member' response to my Advert today on this thread.

https://www.alfaowner.com/conversations/72-74-gtv-ac-control-panel.1541126/#convMessage-1553740

I played along and requested pics to be sent to me.
Haven't heard back yet.
Check it out...they included and email as well.
Geoff

 

These scams are going on everywhere. We're in the market for a new (new to us) motorhome. Whenever I see a deal that seems too good to be true and request more info, I get the same reply: "My husband died and I need to sell the motorhome ASAP. Send me the money (many thousands of dollars) and I will have the motorhome shipped to you. You have five days to check it over and if it does not meet your approval send it back at my expense."

Sure are a lot of dead husbands out there...

 

Sorry if I missed something in this thread, but , I thought Paypal has a buyer protection policy ? You can file a claim through them if you never received the item ?

 

Got this scam email this morning in answer to WANTED advert. But no message in my PM box, View conversation button lead to the Engine Conversions forum and do not find john433 in a member search.

FYI

Ciao

Ken

 

Wow! You were lucky to find someone that specializes in “end plates“🤣

 

Not just any end plate, but "end plate for Weber Carb Euro Air Box." Wow, what are the odds?

 

Member john433 has been banned...

 

That phone number is linked to other scams if you google it

Dan

 

I thought it important to share this with members in case this fellow attempts his sales scam again. I also reached out to the admin’s on both boards but have not heard back.

August 30th and September 4th I posted a “Wanted” notice on the Alfa BB and Alfa Owner respectively. I was seeking a “GTV AC Evaporator Module” (Control Unit).

On September 2nd, I received what I thought was a legit positive ‘referral’ on the Alfa BB from a registered member called “Barrycas” (“Steve has a GTV AC Evaporator Module for sale. You can shoot him a mail on stevehillman02@gmail.com Goodluck!” Those were his words verbatim.

I reached out to “Steve Hillman” and had several email exchanges over several days. He sent me detailed photos. (see below) and quoted a price of $90 dollars which included shipping. That low ball price should have been my first ‘red flag’ and that something was fishy. He sent me a PayPal money request from this account “Delibina Kagige”. The item was paid for September 11th via PayPal.

Subsequently, I followed up sending numerous emails requesting shipping information and have not received any response. The person “Barrycas” shows no profile info on the forum boards and the admin’s have not responded with any information on his account.

I don’t know if this is a common forum experience, if others have been scammed perhaps by these same two individuals: Barrycas/Steve Hillman but I did wanted to post this as a cautionary tale and to provide information on the perpetrators. Please share this elsewhere on the forum so the word gets out.

You had 3 red flags there:
1st: someone says that he has a friend and sends you an email so you can have a chat with him (that way, he wants to take the conversation out of the forum)
2nd:NEVER-EVER pay someone whose PayPal name isn't the same as the name of the person you are talking to. It was so obvious {Steve Hillman - - and you paid someone named Deli something}
3rd:as you said the price was soooo low.
I hope you do get your money back and be careful on your next time buying.

 

I wanted to add an additional alert. Not a specific user, but a warning to avoid sending a bank wire as payment for a part. It leaves you absolutely no recourse if things go wrong. I recently purchased something and something went wrong in the shipping process. Now I have zero leverage and had to rely on the idea of "doing the right thing," which leaves a lot to interpretation. Do NOT send a bank wire for parts. If the seller insists on a bank wire as in my case, you should move on and wait to find the part elsewhere. - Matt

 

I like using my credit card through PayPal. This gives you a belt and suspenders.

One AlfaBB poster got hooked when he was shopping for an Alfa part; he found exactly the part he was looking for on an obscure website but the description was right and so was the price. He placed the order and on the next day, found that the transaction had been done from China, which was unexpected as the shop was supposed to be somewhere in Europe. He eventually received a worthless trinket. Master Card allowed a refund.

My wife had a very similar experience purchasing some jewelry from a shop in Austria - or so she tought. Minutes after she placed the order, I started suspecting something. The Austrian address given on the page didn't exist on Google map. On the next day, I also found out that the transaction had been done in China. The seller's web page had also disappeared. I tried submitting a complaint to PayPal, they would not process it until the delivery delay was reached. I never received anything. After the delay I resumed my complaint; PayPal gave the seller 48 hours to reply. He didn't and we were refunded.

 

Another scammer: scottpaterson095@gmail.com

"Thank for the mail , I will get you paid by cashier's check so if you are ok
with mode of my payment kindly get back to me with information below

Name to be on cashier's check.....
Address where cashier's check will be received by you:.......
Phone Number's such as Mobile, Land line and Office number:....
Asking Price.........
Hope to read from you soon

He had written to me before under another alias, forget his name now.

Regards, Alberto