• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Mcintosh scam

As a member from 2001, the early years under Meg Whitman were fantastic. When Meg left and John Donahoe took over was the turning point. I remember a video of him saying corporate stuff like maximizing shareholder value. Then came the push to out-Amazon Amazon. My enjoyment of buying and selling has gone way down. Only reason I use them is they are a monopoly of sorts with no direct competition....unless they want to become Amazon which is beyond stupid.

Ha! I just posted this same sentiment almost verbatim in another D&S thread. I actually took a college accounting class back in the early 2000s, we had to divide into groups and choose a company that had impressive investment/ profitability numbers and look up SEC reports on it. My group chose ebay, in the early days of Meg Whitman. Unfortunately I believe that her later years with ebay were the actual start of the downturn, but I agree 1000% that once Donahoe took over was when it turned into a disaster.
 
You gotta wonder, is this scam limited to audio? Because if the amount of activity in just this one thread is multiplied by every category on ebay, what must the scam volume be on a daily basis?

And THAT is newsworthy. Potentially as big as the Facebook Russian campaign ads - which DID get some coverage and did result in changes at FB.
 
You gotta wonder, is this scam limited to audio? Because if the amount of activity in just this one thread is multiplied by every category on ebay, what must the scam volume be on a daily basis?

And THAT is newsworthy. Potentially as big as the Facebook Russian campaign ads - which DID get some coverage and did result in changes at FB.

I talk to audio people who never visit forums or AK for that matter. They are hardcore tube guys and American speaker collectors. They tell me stories of rampant parts swapping. They tell me they know people who do this on a regular basis. What's reported here at good ole AK is just the tip of the ice berg.
 
Scammer was back last, reported a BUNCH of ads and they were gone within about 90 minutes.
Must have pissed him off as he was back in force this morning having listed about 10,000 items instead of the usual 3-4000.
I mentioned before about seeing USA and Canadian (dollar listings) listings, today I see Euro pricing as well.
Guess that's why the multi-colored scam price sheet has all those different prices for different regions.
Scammer is still "hiding" the multi-colored scam page behind the "see full description" link.
 
Ebay really needs to do something to stop this scammer-bot. For now I've taken Mcintosh off my search list until they figure it out. Maybe when it starts hitting them in the pocketbook they'll find a way to stop this non-sense.
 
You gotta wonder, is this scam limited to audio? Because if the amount of activity in just this one thread is multiplied by every category on ebay, what must the scam volume be on a daily basis?

And THAT is newsworthy. Potentially as big as the Facebook Russian campaign ads - which DID get some coverage and did result in changes at FB.

Bikes, cameras,musical instruments, sewing machines, and audio are some of the scammers preferred items
 
Ebay really needs to do something to stop this scammer-bot. For now I've taken Mcintosh off my search list until they figure it out. Maybe when it starts hitting them in the pocketbook they'll find a way to stop this non-sense.

Actually, having certain audio items in my several times daily searches (in addition to having alerts set for a few select items he always lists after hijacking an account, problem with those alerts is they only send out notifications once a day and it's at 3:00 a.m when mine are sent to me) is how I am able to spot the scammer so often.
The only time his listings go without me seeing them for more than a few hours is overnight or when I don't come home for lunch.
If you check McIntosh listings several times per day you already know the image the scammer uses, it doesn't change. When you see it, report it. And if you want, click on sellers other items and report a few of them. It *may* help get that days current hijack deleted faster.

In another part of AK I've been in a "discussion" about the Do Not Call list and it's failures and weaknesses.
Gave up long ago reporting DNC list violators. I've now turned my efforts towards this particular scam as with this one I see actual, tangible, and quick results when I file reports.
 
Last edited:
And back again....3000+ items
Noticed the three hijacked accounts last night and two today, all have the same town in FL as the item "location"
Fake location? Concentrating on one town at a time (unlikely I'd think but have noticed duplicate towns in previous hijackings), or some legit seller has more than one account and scammer is hijacking them all?
OH---and scammer is now running 24 hour listings, probably hoping to get some suckers before anyone notices and they get shut down again.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/bestkorea11/m.html?item=352272204705&hash=item52050f43a1:g:4vAAAOSwSKtadhgO&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
 
You want to track this guy down, here is how to do it:

Here's his URL:

http://v29nv-d29dj3-jm8f39.top10-thanks-bill.win/1109.html

Now, let's take a look:

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: v29nv-d29dj3-jm8f39.top10-thanks-bill.win
Address: 46.101.87.193

Now , if you look up this IP, you will find that it is owned by DigitalOcean and is located in London.

Of course, the scammer may or may not be located in the UK. However, complaining to DigitalOcean about the scammer using this IP might produce results - they do have a "report abuse" button.

https://www.digitalocean.com/company/contact/
 
Something tells me if he/she/they are smart enough to hack ebay, they are probably also smart enough to not be ‘found’ on the Internet. I’m far from a computer wiz, but people have told me there are all sorts of ways to hide your tracks out there. Even so, I will try my hand at reporting the address and see what comes if it.
 
You want to track this guy down, here is how to do it:

Here's his URL:

http://v29nv-d29dj3-jm8f39.top10-thanks-bill.win/1109.html

Now, let's take a look:

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: v29nv-d29dj3-jm8f39.top10-thanks-bill.win
Address: 46.101.87.193

Now , if you look up this IP, you will find that it is owned by DigitalOcean and is located in London.

Of course, the scammer may or may not be located in the UK. However, complaining to DigitalOcean about the scammer using this IP might produce results - they do have a "report abuse" button.

https://www.digitalocean.com/company/contact/

Cool, you have way more computer smarts than me. Thanks.
The URL you posted first (thanks-bill), that's the link when you hover the mouse over the scam BIN link?
I've noticed that changes from time to time as well.

Your second post to the Tannoy is gone now, if it didn't sell or time out then it was a scammer listing. Did it have the multi-colored price list?
 
Cool, you have way more computer smarts than me. Thanks.
The URL you posted first (thanks-bill), that's the link when you hover the mouse over the scam BIN link?
I've noticed that changes from time to time as well.

Your second post to the Tannoy is gone now, if it didn't sell or time out then it was a scammer listing. Did it have the multi-colored price list?

Yes, that is correct. I would not be surprised if a few hosting providers have kicked him out already, forcing him to set up a new messaging server from time to time.
 
A couple of us have already wondered, why can't ebay have some sort of in house alert anytime that multi-colored scam page is used in listings.
That image (which also has prices changes occasionally) can be found in Google images.
For the longest time the scammer had a (" they must not be from here" ie...foreigner, which is a red flag in itself) "Hit button down" and arrows pointing to the scam link.
But a few weeks ago that was changed to something that more closely resembles proper English.
 
Last edited:
A couple of us have already wondered, why can't ebay have some sort of in house alert anytime that multi-colored scam page is used in listings.
That image (which also has prices changes occasionally) can be found in Google images.
For the longest time the scammer had a (" they must not be from here" ie...foreigner, which is a red flag in itself) "Hit button down" and arrows pointing to the scam link.
But a few weeks ago that was changed that to something that more closely resembles proper English.

Maybe he's reading this thread and getting tips....
 
I've considered that...

Every so often an AK'er will mention "a strange ebay listing" and it's one of the scammers.
If possible, when one is sighted, report it.
Evidently the users play a big part in policing ebay.
 
Ebay really needs to do something to stop this scammer-bot. For now I've taken Mcintosh off my search list until they figure it out. Maybe when it starts hitting them in the pocketbook they'll find a way to stop this non-sense.

Back again, currently 23 McIntosh scam listings.
For you members who haven't seen what this thread is about, here's one, click on "see full description" to see the multi-colored scam payment page but DO NOT CLICK on buy it now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/McIntosh-M...851782?hash=item23992f0886:g:MxMAAOSwhdZadxRX
 
Back
Top Bottom