Apple iPhone scammers in the Philippines
September 5, 2008
Those turned off by Globe’s expensive pricing of the Apple iPhone might be tempted to get one from black markets or online stores selling jailbroken versions of this newly-released (and may we add, hyped) phone.
But beware, because scammers who prey on people looking for cheap iPhones also abound.
Art Vasquez in a comment on the article Where to buy cheap Apple iPhones in the Philippines narrated how he got scammed by a scammer seller in a popular Filipino auction site.
I browsed several sites regarding iPhone 3G and came across this site which led me to Auction.ph where an iphone 3g is selling for Php29,000 for the 16GB.
I texted the seller and arranged to buy one. I had all the hesitation to buy when I was told I will need to send the payment first before the item is shipped to me. I asked several questions regarding the safetly of my money from the seller. I was told I can deposit my payment with BPI bank and that they couldn’t be a fly-by-night operation or a scam because having a bank account means that legal documents must be presented to open a bank account. With this in mind, I made the payment deposit. I was told I would get my iphone 3g the next day before 11am.
I guess you know the conclusion to this story. The next day came and went and no iphone. I called the same cell number but it’s turned off but if you text it or call it with a different number it responds to your inquiry to buy.
There you go. I hope you wont make the same mistake as I do.
If the BPI account where the payment was deposited was indeed the scammer’s account, Art can still go after the scammer if he can secure a court order instructing BPI to divulge the details of the account holder. Banks normally won’t release any information about an account because they are bound by the Bank Secrecy Law. But if there is a court order, BPI has no choice but to make public the account holder’s information.
Scammers assume that victims usually won’t take the time to run after them that’s why these scammers have the gall to commit such wrongdoings. If you were a victim, insist on going after them so that they eventually are put to jail.
If you have not encountered these scums yet, make sure you won’t become a victim just because you were lured by the iPhone.
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September 7th, 2008 at 12:43 am
yan ang dahilan kung bakit ayaw ko bumili online
September 7th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
This is why customers are afraid of buying online. Isn’t it that auction.ph has its own escrow system?
September 8th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Yes Dyimz, we do have our own escrow system. That’s why we advise all our members to use the system for them to be protected. The idea of our escrow system is simple, the seller won’t receive the payout if the buyer haven’t receive the item. “The Serrano Boy” maybe you want to give a try buying online and use our escrow system for security.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
People shouldn’t be afraid to buy online. Just make sure you buy from websites that are legit and trustworthy like eBay. I’ve bought items from ebay without any problems. This is bad publicity for auction.ph and they should have a fraud investigation / helpdesk of some sort. eBay has a whole building dedicated to detecting online fraud. Anyways, hindi ba pwede i-track un seller via other means than a court order for bpi to divulge the account holder? yan problem sa pinas, kulang sa laws to protect pinoys online.
By the way, try Web of Trust to protect yourself online from phishing and risky websites. Read more at http://doomet.com/2008/09/09/internet-security-with-web-of-trust/ :)
October 9th, 2008 at 2:24 am
when buying online, be sure to read the seller’s comments/ratings/testimonials. also check the profiles.
don’t settle with blank profiles or claims that look too good to be true, this is a tell-tale sign of scam.
if it is an online shop or store, check for addresses, contact details and reviews from bloggers, forums, etc.
if you have time to spare, by all means go to a reputable store kahit mas mahal at least its safer.