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Scammers using the BMW MOA Flea Market

For me, I'm in contact via email, etc, with the people who matter to me...I couldn't give a rip about someone trying to get in contact with me that I'm not already in contact with now... That's just me, tho

I feel the same way. This summer my younger cousins were trying to get me to join Facebook so we would be in better contact; I can see their pictures and know what their children are doing..... blah blah blah. So I asked why not just copy and paste your information and send it to my email ? I still did not join nor recieved any family updates from them. So in keeping with the holiday spirit I made a form letter and sent them a Christmas Card. :p As far as I am concerned I'll just wait to get updated at the next funeral or wedding.
 
Of those hit by spam, how many of you had your contact information in your ad's text?

e.g. "Want to buy K75 rocket engine. Please contact me at scotty@k75superbike.com."

If someone wasn't logged in, the first X characters of the description were shown as a teaser. To see contact and user information, you have to be logged in. But if your contact info was in the first lines of your ad's text, it would have been displayed. I have made some changes that hide any email addresses, and most phone numbers (barring peculiar formatting).

I'm very hopeful that this will be the end of these spam issues. This seems the far more likely source of the problem than an orchestrated hijacking of a member's login changed via a hacked email account.

It hadn't occurred to me that people would put their email addresses in the descriptions when there were form fields for entering that information. :bluduh
 
They are getting in I think by joining the MOA. Either that or they force-guessed a password and are logging in late at night here in the US (lunch in Lagos) so the member whose account is being borrowed has no idea that this has been happening for weeks, perhaps months, perhaps years. Remember when someone gained illegal access to several accounts by simply using a c. 1993 haxxors trick, using the login name from the member list as the password? That was what, 5 or so years ago? We dug through the logs and identified him, wasn't hard. I think the site was then modded so that the login could not be the password?
 
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I concur with TED - the issue I have called out a couple times in the last 3 weeks is NON-members placing ad's. That isn't supposed to be happening. There needs to be authentication taking place before the ad is up on the site that it came from a MEMBER.
 
I concur with TED - the issue I have called out a couple times in the last 3 weeks is NON-members placing ad's. That isn't supposed to be happening. There needs to be authentication taking place before the ad is up on the site that it came from a MEMBER.

You have to be a member (or have a members login) to post an ad but not necessarily to respond to an ad.

People are trying to find out what is going on and fix it but as in any buying or selling over the web, look out for anything that looks remotely hinky and if you have a problem, try to let someone know.
 
I thought hiding my email address when placing an add would be a good thing to protect me, but it has not worked the best.
I had three members contact me using the contact seller button, that I was not able to contact. When I would reply, it would bounce back. I'm guessing they have a old email in their profile.
I think on my next adds, I'll show my email address.
With each person that contacted me, I asked for a screen name and location, so I could check they were a MOA member. This seemed to work.
 
still at it

Placed a wtb ad last week. Today got the second e-mail attempt by the +44 phone number in reply. Because of the warning ,and experience, know right away what was up. Thank you for the heads up.
Yes whoever they are they are still trying, hoping someone will slip up.
 
Me too

Placed the ad, received a reply from "Graham Morrison". Same spiel about "good and excellent condition". I asked to pay via PayPal, which he said " his account was dormant" and he "was having difficulty uploading pictures of the seat" (Looking for a One Piece seat from a Factory Low RT).

I then asked for his MOA number. He gave me one that I then mailed to the MOA and asked if it was valid. If it is, I bet he either snagged it off of someone or made it up.

So I'm replying again, now knowing that it's a scam. It's kind of fun. I think I'll tell him that I have a associate near him and he'll come get the seat for me.

Thank you all for this thread. And for posting it on the Flea Market site. Ti needs to be mandatory reading for anyone who posts and ad.

Casey
 
I'm beginning to feel so left out here that I'm thinking of placing this ad: "WTB--anything so long as it's REALLY expensive and preferably from Nigeria."
 
Life is risk. The avoidance of risk keeps YOUR money in YOUR pocket. Go to any thrift store and get a paper shredder for $5 or $10. Shread every piece of junkmail that has your name and address on it. People will go through your garbage and collect bit by bit info about you. How many people cruising the landfill are looking for bank statements?????


If you don't keep it filed in hand and have no need of it further, shread that crap, shread it or burn it. Especially make sure you don't let register receipts get away if you used an account for payment. Even if the # doesn't show, it might be encoded on there. You just cut your risk from this charletans venue.

No need to be paranoid, just prudent.

Consider as well, it is illegal for anyone to require your SSN except an employee of the SSA authorized to use it. If you volunteer it, your kicking the door open to risk. If they say then need it for this purpose, tell them it is illegal for them to use it for ANY PURPOSE even if you volunteer it. Understand that the person asking can be perfectly honest. What about the other 10,000 employees of the business that now have access to your info. ALL of them honest??
 
Do people "cruise" landfills in the USA? In my area , unless your dumping it is verbotten to be in there. I took our 2nd(as in only other one) to the computer guy in our tiny county seat and was one of 3 with a "virus shutdown" in that one short visit in a town of a couple hundred people. There is no shortage of bad guys out there and the BMW "Richie rich kid" image goes a long ways with a thief, so our website is prime territory for them to try & plunder. On Ebay it is a constant battle to keep ones identity safe.
 
Face it. We're a fear based society.
The boogey man went from under our beds as kids and out into our daily lives.
Now he's looking for my SSN# in a landfill? Pfft. PuhLeeze.

Two things I do for :type transactions:

1. PayPal when available.

2. Initiate the contact/transaction.

Know what the real problem is?
The lazy person who works at one of the three credit reporting agencies.
One missed keystroke and you are in hell and can spend days/weeks fixing it.

That is one of the weakest links.
Worried? Check your credit report(s) often.
Beyond that? Ride and stop worrying.
 
Just recently I changed Motorcycle Insurance Companys. I was asked for my SS#. I politely declined to give it, stating a SS# should never be given over the phone to anyone you don't know. They said no problem and wrote the policy. FWIW I saved $500.00 a year for switching from Geico to Dairyland. :dance
 
Just recently I changed Motorcycle Insurance Companys. I was asked for my SS#. I politely declined to give it, stating a SS# should never be given over the phone to anyone you don't know. They said no problem and wrote the policy. FWIW I saved $500.00 a year for switching from Geico to Dairyland. :dance

+1 on all accounts! I had that question at Cabela's. And declined as well.
:thumb

I just can't get Dairyland out here.
 
I went to tractor supply near here a while back.At check out the girl asks for my phone number.I say i spent 68 cents on two bushings,why do you need my phone number? Just give me my 32 cents change so i can go.She looked like i had thrown a bucket of ice water on her.After a little fumbling i had my change.As i was leaving i heard the guy behind me say-no you don't need my phone number.I smiled.Ed
 
I went to tractor supply near here a while back.At check out the girl asks for my phone number.I say i spent 68 cents on two bushings,why do you need my phone number? Just give me my 32 cents change so i can go.She looked like i had thrown a bucket of ice water on her.After a little fumbling i had my change.As i was leaving i heard the guy behind me say-no you don't need my phone number.I smiled.Ed

I work at a farm/industrial/shop retailer where we ask you for a phone number as well. A few customers refuse but most give it or already have it in our system. We use it to be able to find your purchase if you return something without a receipt, and can then refund you in the media of your original purchase. No receipt and no record?- sorry Charlie, no refund, maybe a store courtesy card IF we can find a sale. It's your choice to give it or not, but it's to your benefit if supplied.
 
My numbers in the book anyway, so what the heck? To me its the same deal as the people that hide their license plate in a vehicle , for sale ad .
 
I went to tractor supply near here a while back.At check out the girl asks for my phone number.I say i spent 68 cents on two bushings,why do you need my phone number? Just give me my 32 cents change so i can go.She looked like i had thrown a bucket of ice water on her.After a little fumbling i had my change.As i was leaving i heard the guy behind me say-no you don't need my phone number.I smiled.Ed
My experience on this is for travel distance to the store. It helps the marketing geniuses plot where the next store would should/be. If you want to have a little fun, the next time give the store phone number :whistle
 
My experience on this is for travel distance to the store. It helps the marketing geniuses plot where the next store would should/be. If you want to have a little fun, the next time give the store phone number :whistle
I can assure you that the many who ask for my phone number, will be seriously disappointed when/if they locate a store near me!Hard to sell to people that aren't there and the few that are have not much, so go figure.
 
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