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 Posted - August 02 2013 : 5:45:56 PM
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Hi all...
As you may know, there are other sites dedicated to buying and selling model trains, besides that of the "xbay"...
I am subscribed to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HOInterchange/
Not only are there are dealers and buyers in sales, there are also, unfortunately, swindlers, undesireables, and jokers...
I thought I would post this in the best interest that goes beyond "Buyer Beware!"
"Problem Seller Warning: Al Trumbo
Thu Aug 1, 2013 7:39 pm (PDT) . Posted by: As much as I loathe to discuss bad news, I have no recourse. A former
member (now banned) has taken money from at least 3 people without
sending their items. He has taken at least $500 (in total) from three
members. He also failed to respond to follow-ups from the members who
bought as well as my inquiries, hence his dismissal. His name is Al
Trumbo, and this is the contact information I could find for him.
Feel free to express to him what you think of him taking money from
fellow HOIers.
Allen H Trumbo
708 Hiawatha Dr
Minooka, IL 60447 (815) 467-7378 (727) 593-1977
altrumbo81@yahoo. com www.linkedin. com/pub/al- trumbo/33/ 800/742
Instrument Associates Inc4839 W. 128Th Place
Alsip, Illinois 60803
(708) 597-9880 If you are contacted by this person, please let me
know.Big picture:He asked to be paid using the PayPal 'friends and
family' option. This option does not provide the protection that a
regular PP payment does, but if it becomes clear that a fraud was
perpetrated, PP may allow recovery.I do not advise for or against the
use of that payment option. I do, however, caution that before you as a
buyer agree to it, be certain about the person with whom you are
dealing. If you are not confident, you do not have to pay using that
method. It's better to walk away from a deal if you are not comfortable
with it.I wish everyone a wonderful evening.Best, Patrick Harris HOI
Moderator "
This is a "Head's Up" and FYI note.
John
I don't have a one track mind. It depends on the turn-out.
"I love your catenary!"
Is that a power-trip or just another pick-up line?
Edited by - zebrails on August 09 2013 7:39:52 PM
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 Posted - August 04 2013 : 08:35:38 AM
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Thanks for the heads up.
He asked to be paid using the PayPal 'friends and
family' option. This option does not provide the protection that a
regular PP payment does,
There's a flag for future transactions.
I wonder if he is on Ebay?
Unspoken expectations are premeditated failures.
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Posted - August 09 2013 : 5:17:34 PM
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HEAD'S UP...
AN UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS WARNING...
"Hi all---I received an email today from a highly trusted HOI member.
It appears that Steve Thurston (from the January scam), James McCulley, and Al Trumbo are either all the same person (most likely) or are working together to cheat model railroaders.
The email:
Patrick, advising that Trumbo is also operating under the alias email address and name: mcculleyjames49@yahoo.com - James McCulley of Scranton, PA. He asked me to send a PayPal "friends/family" transfer payment to his "son-in-law" Stephen J. Thurston in Indianapolis. I asked for a phone number and spoke to "Jim" who was supposedly visiting "Stephen" at 317-238-9843. I was at least alert enough not to use the "friend" mode, so I hope that I can recover my money. This guy will probably try other aliases.
Unless you know and trust the the seller from or have verified their identity, do not use the Friends and Family option on PayPal.
I do what I can to protect members, but ultimately you have to be your own best advocate. The best tool I have for protecting each of you is access to you through membership in HOI. If people don't behave according to the group ethos, they are expelled.
People who don't care about being members and join only to rip you off have no fear of being removed. They will just move on to the next forum or try to sneak back in under a fake ID. That means that I can protect you from members who don't treat you right, but I can do nothing to stop people who walk in the door to scam. That's true of any Yahoo group or auction site.
The best you or I can do is be cautious about who we deal with and how we deal with them. People of good will surround us, but those with ill intent will still try to hurt us. Don't hesitate to report cheaters, thieves and evil-doers to me, but be your own best advocate.
Best,
Patrick Harris
Canton, Ga."
I don't have a one track mind. It depends on the turn-out.
"I love your catenary!"
Is that a power-trip or just another pick-up line?
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Posted - August 10 2013 : 05:09:05 AM
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| Zeb's, if you sent the money via paypal and he did not send the merchandise then it is the same as eBay, you can do a claim to paypal and get your money back.
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Posted - August 10 2013 : 10:47:00 AM
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not if you use the friends & family on paypal. it's not meant to be used for merchandise. they wont do anything.
jerry
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Posted - August 12 2013 : 04:25:34 AM
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I posted this from the HOI emails I get.
I'm not the one who's had the loss.
I figure it's need to be published is apparent and any input you publish is helpful to most any reader.
As I said at first, this is a Head's Up for all to be aware, whether or not you use the service in transferring money.
You may join the special interest group, the links are there.
Thanks for all your input!
John
I don't have a one track mind. It depends on the turn-out.
"I love your catenary!"
Is that a power-trip or just another pick-up line?
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Posted - February 07 2014 : 10:04:06 AM
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Hello, all,
Unfortunately, I need to report to you that another Yahoo Group, NScaleYardSale, has also been hit by what appears to be the same scammers, in Dec 2013 and Jan 2014.
Four members of our NScaleYardSale Yahoo group have sent USPS money orders to a "Brandy Thurston". Internet searching appears to indicate "Steve Thurston" and "Brandy Thurston" have common addresses and phone numbers. Brandy Thurston gave us her address in Indianapolis and exactly the same telephone number, 317-238-9843, that is in this post above.
None of us have received the promised locomotives, after repeated efforts to contact.
With the assistance of retired law enforcement officers, we are preparing our statements and proofs, for submission to the proper authorities.
If anyone has knowledge of additional victims from these particular scammers (Stephen J. Thurston or individuals that appear to be working with him), would you please contact me off-list.
We would be very interested in documenting your case and coordinating that into our collective statements to law enforcement. The collective amount of dollars fraudulently obtained by these individuals, as well as their ongoing activity, has clearly become significant enough to warrant heightened police priority on their actions.
It is truly unfortunate that individuals like this cause the damage they do. Thank you in advance for your assistance if appropriate.
John Sing
"ATSF_Arizona" on the model railroading forums
http://home.comcast.net/~j.sing
singj@us.ibm.com
Edited by - ATSF_Arizona on February 07 2014 10:05:33 AM
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Posted - February 07 2014 : 10:46:57 AM
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I am not overly distrustful but I would never use the "family" option in Paypal. If a vender even suggested it I would run away from the transaction. The guys who used USPS money orders may be able to claim mail fraud and get the Postal Service involved. Thanks for the heads up.
rich p
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Posted - February 07 2014 : 10:47:29 AM
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| People love to bash & blame eBay but there's thieves in everything we do. Swindlers are not limited to EBay. It's been in every aspect of our lives for years and will continue to spread like cancer as new "tools" come along...
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Posted - February 07 2014 : 12:53:02 PM
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There are a few Facebook pages where I buy stuff from. Some folks ask for the friends and family option so that they don't get dinged with the transaction fee. Now that I am aware of what it is being used for, I will be more cautious.
Thieves suck. Some folks are in budgets and I hate seeing folks being taken advantage of.
If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right.
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Posted - February 07 2014 : 6:24:57 PM
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I buy sell & trade from YOU guys & ain't had a problem  
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