SCAMMER ALERT!! Have you ever been scammed by someone in the hobby?

Has anyone ever SCAMMED you in the hobby?

  • Yes

    Votes: 178 30.5%
  • No

    Votes: 394 67.5%
  • Other (please explain in the thread)

    Votes: 12 2.1%

  • Total voters
    584

tdlawdo

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Yes I once ordered an acrylic lid for my tank. It took months and months after giving this “company” my money. For them to finally start the process. I sent draft quality drawings and talked to a few that had his lids. The report was the owner was a bit odd but the lids were good. The lid finally came with the wrong size cutouts (industry standard tank and lights) the also the wrong size cutout for the overflow (again a standard major manufacturers tank) and the netting came off within a month. I emailed the day it arrived and he told me it was my fault for wrong measurements. He offered no solutions and then started name calling and telling me how I was more stupid than most of his clients bc even the dumb ones could measure correctly (I sent the same drawing to a different company later and got a perfect lid). He also told me he had taken a few law classes and I should sue him. Knowing that 380 dollars in small claims in a different state wouldn’t be worth it. Very unpleasant experience as well as unprofessional.
 

IndianaReefer

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I was actually scammed by a local brick and mortar store. I ordered $600 worth of equipment. They delayed and delayed for weeks. Finally, I let them know that I was posting all of our messages and details on a local hobby group and they got me most of the gear. They continued to delay on one piece, saying it was backordered. I reached out to the manufacturer and found out it wasn’t. When I approached them, they said they had it finally and I could pick it up. When I went to get it, they gave me a used one in a baggie and told me that the packaging had gotten soaked and they had to throw it away. When I questioned why it looked used and had salt creep on it, they said they had rinsed it in saltwater. I called them out and they basically told me to go away. It wasn’t worth the effort to fight with them, so I just bought another ATO and have the used one on standby.

A friend in the hobby had a similar experience with the same vendor on livestock. Purchased a torch on an auction and they gave him a different torch altogether. They would not communicate with him on it afterwards either.
 

Reef_Obsessed

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I had a guy try to scam me on Craigslist. I was selling a complete tank setup for $200. This guy contacted me through email, said he wants to buy, and he’ll send a check and a company to pick it up because he lived out of state. I was suspicious right away, so I waited. I actually got a check in the mail with a company name on the check...for $2000. He sends an email saying the bank made a mistake, to cash the check out of my bank, send him $1700 and keep and extra $100 for my troubles . Located the company name on the check...it was a legit company but told me the checks were fake and this guy had been trying to pass them as his own company. Brought the check to the police and ended any communication with the guy. He actually called me a few times trying to fool me...nice try scumbag!
 

me & my baby

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I have been scammed buy selling an item and having the person send me one that was not mine back saying it was broken . Since then I put a discrete mark in the item take a picture before I shop it . And if there is a problem I tell them to send it back and if my mark is there I would refund . Let just say since then haven’t had an issue . I just recently got scammed on here over an mp40 . The guy that bought claimed it was making a noise which I not it wasn’t because my wife would not have that She likes it quite. Buyer filed a PayPal claim sent item back to me , when it arrived the controller was soaking wet with water missing parts and PayPal made me refund him . So I was out my pump and out the money I sold it for .
 

champyeti

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I videoed opening a box. When you pay 1K for one frag it seems reasonable to me. Zero intentions in scamming.
I've thought about videoing a box opening especially if the box shows up in rough condition. Just to show the honest contents or condition of what came. Also no intent to scam anyone.

I haven't been scammed in this hobby. I have received some very dubiously photographed corals at times but that's the risk I know I take when buying something from someone else's camera, lights, Photoshop skill level, and tank conditions.

Well no that's not true, I guess I wouldn't call it a scam but I did place an online order to a coral shop about 2-4 hours south (depending on traffic). They offered to bring my order up if it worked out when they drove up to the big hub airport to pick stuff up but wound up shipping. That was months after I ordered my corals. I had to keep initiating contact to find out where the heck my order was. Guess they had an alk spike that made everything look ugly.

Well stuff finally shows up and most of it RTNs overnight. All came in looking brown. The most expensive coral I had bought up to that moment, which on their site was a gorgeous magenta burgundy acro, was brown, and when it finally colored up it was pink and green. Looked NOTHING like their pics. Wound up being the hardiest and one of the only survivors of that shipment.

Needless to say I've never been back.
 

champyeti

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Oh forgot another.

Bought a gold torch off a vendor in the city I used to live in, to be shipped. Arrived with brown jelly disease. WYSIWYG my foot.

They offered partial credit to another if I paid shipping again and the difference.

Second torch arrived and got brown jelly disease within a couple days.

Should've just done a chargeback on the first one for not being the item I purchased.

The orange hammer I foolishly ordered with the second torch is actually doing great, though, funnily enough.
 

Mical

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I have been scammed buy selling an item and having the person send me one that was not mine back saying it was broken . Since then I put a discrete mark in the item take a picture before I shop it . And if there is a problem I tell them to send it back and if my mark is there I would refund . Let just say since then haven’t had an issue . I just recently got scammed on here over an mp40 . The guy that bought claimed it was making a noise which I not it wasn’t because my wife would not have that She likes it quite. Buyer filed a PayPal claim sent item back to me , when it arrived the controller was soaking wet with water missing parts and PayPal made me refund him . So I was out my pump and out the money I sold it for .

I had the same issue with a piece of audio gear but I engraved my own serial# on it. "Clown" returned another in it's place but PayPal sided w/me when I produced pics.
 

DHill6

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I avoided being scammed compliments of Amazon. I bought a sump - great quality, but bulkhead fitting for external pump leaked. I wrote to them 3 times just asking for a new bulkhead fitting & I'ld change it out - no replies. Contacted Amazon, they sent me a new sump & told me to keep the original one. Went to HomeDepot bought new bulkhead fitting and currently BOTH sumps
I have been scammed buy selling an item and having the person send me one that was not mine back saying it was broken . Since then I put a discrete mark in the item take a picture before I shop it . And if there is a problem I tell them to send it back and if my mark is there I would refund . Let just say since then haven’t had an issue . I just recently got scammed on here over an mp40 . The guy that bought claimed it was making a noise which I not it wasn’t because my wife would not have that She likes it quite. Buyer filed a PayPal claim sent item back to me , when it arrived the controller was soaking wet with water missing parts and PayPal made me refund him . So I was out my pump and out the money I sold it for .
appeal the decision
 

Dragon52

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1. Has anyone ever scammed you in the hobby and did you get the issue resolved.No, not yet

2. What are some proactive steps you take to help protect yourself when buying online? I try to be very careful & research if possible. I only use PP for payment & never friends & family.
 

Omar Marambio

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Yes I have been scammed when I started the hobby, someone at R2R sold me an ATO and I never got it, I made the mistake to pay friend and family. I reported to R2R.

Also, there was a guy in Florida that was selling stuff in a web page I got stuff from him and never got a refund or the package I reported to the police and I found out that he had many reports and the police was already looking for him, he had scammed a number of other people
 

MrSkumfrog

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There’s a well known Reefer on YouTube that is a scammer. A few years ago he made a video that he was getting out of the hobby due to his son’s medical expenses. He sold all of his gear and created a GoFundMe page.

Not long after; he purchased a larger system with top of the line equipment; Radions, Gold Torches, bounce mushrooms and others. His GoFundMe video has disappeared from his site. Be carefull who you donate to.
 
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Acroalan

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I try to be a smart shopper, but have taken risks now and then buying from someone I don't know and couldn't verify online. So far I've been more lucky that smart I expect.
 

Naturalreef

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I will never use PayPal again. They side with scammers even after providing proof of delivery signed by the individual. The scammer made a chargeback with his credit card company saying he never received the item even though it was digitally signed and accepted by HIM. PayPal tells me they will side with the CC company because they bring in more revenue. I’m fighting this right now. Been with PayPal for 19 years without a glitch. Foreign customer service is horrible as well.
Also every now and then selling a high ticket item on here, I get a brand new member one day old saying he will buy it and PayPal immediately. when I ask for a cell number or other information the buyer gets confrontational. All warning flags.....Goodbye PayPal and eBay, you won’t be missed.
 

Silverfish

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Yes. No matter how much information I hv on what I buy I am amazed at how minuscule frags are when I receive them!
The pictures are completely misleading in both size and colors. I no longer buy fm large online vendors!
 

Zan's Aquatica

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I had a reefer "friend" and i fronted him a bunch of high end equipment and told him i'd accept a few payment installments, we agreed on $1K for the whole set up and i only ever received 250 before he Houdini'd himself lol
 

bsr2430

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I had a guy try to scam me on Craigslist. I was selling a complete tank setup for $200. This guy contacted me through email, said he wants to buy, and he’ll send a check and a company to pick it up because he lived out of state. I was suspicious right away, so I waited. I actually got a check in the mail with a company name on the check...for $2000. He sends an email saying the bank made a mistake, to cash the check out of my bank, send him $1700 and keep and extra $100 for my troubles . Located the company name on the check...it was a legit company but told me the checks were fake and this guy had been trying to pass them as his own company. Brought the check to the police and ended any communication with the guy. He actually called me a few times trying to fool me...nice try scumbag!
I would say this is the oldest scam that scammers still use. I don’t delete my text messages and I bet I can show ten of these from Craigslist. Wonder why they try and use this one this much?
 

BobbyCline

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There’s a well known Reefer on YouTube that is a scammer. A few years ago he made a video that he was getting out of the hobby due to his son’s medical expenses. He sold all of his gear and created a GoFundMe page.

Not long after; he purchased a larger system with top of the line equipment; Radions, Gold Torches, bounce mushrooms and others. His GoFundMe video has disappeared from his site. Be carefull who you donate to.

Scammer and 2 TIME SEX OFFENDER....you should have left his information visible. What a dirtbag.
 

Zan's Aquatica

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Yes I have been scammed by a member of R2R unfortunately. Something told me initially not to deal with this person because of his lowball offer on some mushrooms that I was selling. Anyway, long story short I sent him more than 10 pictures of the frag and he convinced me to ship for the first time. Sadly he ended up claiming with paypal that it wasn't what i had represented in pics and got his $1000 back and sent me back a bare frag plug in brown nasty dirty water. I just recently found out from a few other members that this guys has multiple screen names and accounts here on R2R and he has scammed multiple people not only here but in his local community as well. I believe in karma so I just told him that when it comes back to bite him in the you know what, to remember me ; )

Since he's the reason that was my first and LAST time shipping, the only thing I can think of doing different if I were to ever consider shipping again, would be to record the entire process as I place the coral in the bag and put it in the box and drop it off for shipping. Sad that there are dirtbags like this "person" but luckily that for that one horrible experience, I have had thousands of good experiences with reefers on this forum when buying and having corals and equipment shipped to me, as well as great experiences with reefers when buying/selling locally.

its so sad when we are forced to change how we interact with the world because of people with a certain condition who find success in taking others.
 

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