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Beware Craigs List Scammer in Cupertino (SF Bay Area)

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Well, sonofabitch! He is the asswipe on e$ay that posts Macs, Levinson, etc. with starts at 0.99 cents and demands a pre-approved bidders list. Before the auction ends the listing changes to a Mac RCA jack, brochure etc.. Didn't put it together until I saw "hotacobell," that is his seller i.d.. Scamming bastard.
 
I think there might be more than one scammer in Cupertino and or surrounding area maybe its the same guy. I keep seeing SX-1980, SX-1250, and a bunch of Marantz listed, working and for parts. Something just ain't right. I think this guy also had a brand new SX-1980 in a box last year. Preapproved crap on eBay. I asked about it then it disappeared.

A lot of strange stuff going around here, yeah I live in Cupertino too. We should bust this SoB. Giving my neighborhood a band name.
 
I did a reverse phone lookup. That number is listed as "Ng's Hi-Fi" in Sunnyvale, right in my parent's neighborhood. It's a single-family home right off a very main street. What would you tell the cops? That the guy is a potential scammer?
 

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A variant of the "white van" tactic? The "pink Toyota" deal?

If any of this is suspected stolen property, then the police would definitely be interested. He is acting suspecious so his inventory is suspecious.

Even an allegation of improper behavior might merit a visit from detectives that would either give him pause or teach him that the law can't touch him.
 
That's the same guy. I've come across him a couple of times. He had some Polk RTA 11 speakers. He is selling the same Pioneer SX stuff out of Sunnyvale too. But also lists his stuff in Cupertino. I have his email and phone number. He was all ready to drop off the speakers at my home or at the Apple parking lot.

I not sure how to report this guy unless he gets caught ripping someone off. The best we can do is flag the guy for now and make sure he doesn't screw someone over.
 
More....

Well, more info on this guy.

http://www.craigslist.org/eby/ele/156313717.html

I am wondering now if I have crossed paths with this guy...
About 10 years ago, I answered an ad in the SJ Mercury News classifieds for a pair of Klipsch corner horns in walnut for $800. I met the guy at an Arco station off of Hwy 280 in Cupertino and we drove a short distance to a self storage facility. His storage room was jammed with all sorts of stereo gear. He asked me for the 8 bills as soon as he openned the door. I could see the K-Horns buried in the back, but there was so much stuff in the way, I couldn't inspect them and it was going to be a chore to move them out into the open, or for me to navigate my way in.
I asked if there were any scratches on the cabs, if the drivers were original, etc. He had no desire to answer any of my questions. He said, it's a good price, just buy them! He wasn't willing to pull the K-horns out or to let me in to inspect them unless I paid him up front, and I certaintly wasn't going to pay $800 for a possible pair of empty cabinets. I just didn't trust the guy. We had reached a stalemate, so I just walked.
I am wondering now if this is the same guy? :scratch2:
 
I am friends with a lot of folks in LE. Has he broken any laws yet that we know of? Did the equipment look and or appear stolen, or is he just a cheap and sketchy collector?
 
mike175gr said:
I am friends with a lot of folks in LE. Has he broken any laws yet that we know of? Did the equipment look and or appear stolen, or is he just a cheap and sketchy collector?
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From what I understand people now avoid him like the plague. Bookmark just one of his items and follow it to the end.
 
I checked his feedback rating and its 99.8. How does a guy like this get this kind of rating? He also has some other pretty hi-end $$$ stuff for sell starting at 99 cents. Hope no naive newbie gets taken. Last year when I first ran across this guy. He had a Pioneer SX-1980 brand new in a box, listed several times. I had to get pre-approved and asked if I could pick it up locally. Never heard back and the SX-1980 disappeared. Another time the same reciever half way through the auction it changed to something else.

This guy, I think lives in Sunnyvale but posts his stuff from Cupertino.



Now for something completely different....there are some handsome people in this thread. At least their avatars look good!

Cheers
 
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Yup, that's him. I spoke to him on the phone about a SX-1980. I told him it I would do it cash and carry but he refused. He wanted a direct deposit to his bank account. (Heck no, I am smarter than I look!!) Then he would deliver it to me as he was on his way to Las Vegas.

A reverse scam on this guy would be justice. Hey cops in San Jose: this guy would be an easy collar!!
 
I've run into him on eBay as well, using the "comppaqq" handle, as well as at least 2 other eBay I.D.'s. I was thinking of buying a CD-4 test record from him, and I even called him about it. When I went back to the listing the next day, he had changed the entire thing around, with a different item.

Even if someone were on the up-and-up, it's a pretty interesting idea. Put up a 10 day auction, with a "pre-approved" list of bidders. Someone needs to call/email you to get pre-approved. Sell the item to them on the spot. Make your arrangements with them, and then swap out the listing description for your next item. Because there is no bidding, your free to make any "changes".

You could potentially sell several items at once with the same listing. :scratch2:

I suppose you can do this with a fixed-price "best offer" auction as well.
 
This guy does the list switch all the time. One listing I've seen of his is the: Apogee Fullrange with Phantom Shadow!!! He's been listing the speakers for over a year. One person actually saw them and they are trashed. It's all b.s. guys, he is a scammer. Stay away, stay FAR away!


edit: How does he get away with it? He has people call to keep the "deal" off E-bay. A real P.O.S. :thumbsdn:
 
What he lists are components and speakers potentially worth thousands of dollars. Case in point: he supposedly has a Berning TF-10 preamp, and a set of NYAL Futterman OTL-1 amps.

If you look at what he actually sells on eBay, it's things like 99¢ RCA jacks.

I never thought about him doing the side deals thing. I always assumed he tries to pull a bait and switch on people using things like auction sniper software, where one would set the sniper days in advance for something good for perhaps $500, but end up buying an old banana plug or resistor, which is what the auction ends up being at the end.

Any way you cut it, it's :mad: :boxing:

P.S. There's no Taco Bell for at least a few miles from his house.
 
This is strange. I've wanted to bid on his stuff before, but the items just looked too fishy for me. I don't think that you can change a description after a bid has been placed.
 
I have not looked at his ebay listing, but why couldn't you embed your description as part of a photo and link to it in the ebay description field. Host the photo yourself and you could change anything you want whenever you want.

Just and thought....
 
Don C said:
This is strange. I've wanted to bid on his stuff before, but the items just looked too fishy for me. I don't think that you can change a description after a bid has been placed.
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Because of the pre-approval thing, you never see a bid on the stuff he's scamming with...
 
I think I'm going to get pre-approved, and bid $1 on every single one of his items. That way he can't change them mid-auction.

Maybe I'll get a Cello Audio Palette or whatever that thing is for a buck. :scratch2:
 
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