(Topic ID: 263873)

SCAM ALERT - Fohunter

By CyberNinja24

4 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 100 posts
  • 58 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 4 years ago by FYMF
  • Topic is favorited by 4 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

Topic Gallery

View topic image gallery

8C446FA0-33AE-4B4A-A72F-F23A636868A2 (resized).jpeg

There are 100 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
52
#1 4 years ago

Greetings pinside community.
Please be advised that FOHUNTER member here on pinside just tried to scam me out of $14,000 for the Big Lebowski pin he had for sale. Everything was a lie.
A big Thank You to Melissa at Cointaker for helping me identify the rat this guy is and avoid making a huge mistake.
I hope no one else has been taken by this scammer.

#2 4 years ago

Could we have Robin or someone kick this guy out of here?
He damn near had $14,000 of my money.
I’m embarrassed and got very lucky as this rat is very good at what he does.

15
#3 4 years ago

Thanks for calling them out right away in the very first post and NOT starting a 20 page thread of OPs being vague and games of 'guess who' like we typically see.

#4 4 years ago

What happened? Thx for posting

11
#5 4 years ago

He posted a TBL for sale for $14K on Monday night. I said I’d take it. He responded via pinside PM and also was texting me so I sent him $2K as a PayPal gift on Monday night.
Today, he says game is here and wants a wire of $12K. A few red flags were going off in my head so I called Melissa with cointaker and she let me know that this guy was not legit.
The guy was texting and calling me and was very good at what he did.
For the moment, I’m out $2K but my bank thinks they might be able to get it back for me.
I’m embarrassed and a little surprised that I fell for this.
OP has now closed the FS thread.

#6 4 years ago

Damn. Sorry to hear that, Jimmy. Definitely not your fault at all.

Hopefully you can get in on the cointaker deposit, get NIB, and save some money.

Best of luck, my friend!

#7 4 years ago

Damn sorry to hear man. Great pinsider too. 2k hopefully you can get it back.

#8 4 years ago

Sorry to hear. That sucks. I had reached out to him and asked whether he would want my Safecracker or MB as partial trade and he simply said Alien was the only trade he would consider. Never mentioned cash. Thanks for the heads up.

#9 4 years ago

I will say though that his being on Pinside only two months gave me pause. But again, sorry that happened.

#10 4 years ago
Quoted from Jack8765:

I will say though that his being on Pinside only two months gave me pause. But again, sorry that happened.

Yeah it might end up being a $2,000 lesson but it’s all good.
Just don’t want it happening to anyone else.

#11 4 years ago

He definitely interacted with the community....harder to spot...glad red flags went off.

#12 4 years ago

How did Cointaker know it was bogus? What did he say when you asked for a refund?

#13 4 years ago

I also messaged him i could be to Miami in 3 hours with cash in hand and pickup of the machine. He never responded. Now i see why. Sorry that happened to you.

#14 4 years ago
Quoted from herbertbsharp:

How did Cointaker know it was bogus? What did he say when you asked for a refund?

This scammer claimed to have the one from Bloomington that was delivered today. Once I asked him for information specific to the box and the shipping information that you’d only know by standing by the machine, he went dark.
This was from Melissa’s guidance to let me know that there was no way a TBL was in Florida. He also claimed that he just spoke with Melissa and she said the warranty would transfer over. But, when I called Melissa, she was not speaking with this rat and that information was also incorrect.

#15 4 years ago
Quoted from CyberNinja24:

This scammer claimed to have the one from Bloomington that was delivered today. Once I asked him for information specific to the box and the shipping information that you’d only know by standing by the machine, he went dark.
This was from Melissa’s guidance to let me know that there was no way a TBL was in Florida. He also claimed that he just spoke with Melissa and she said the warranty would transfer over. But, when I called Melissa, she was not speaking with this rat and that information was also incorrect.

Wow! I'm sorry man, that's evil! I think he would have anyone on the hook, way to do your due diligence. He probably would have got the whole $15k from me.

#16 4 years ago

Thx for sharing.
See a JPLE pending before this one as well.
Hope that buyer wasn’t rooked.

Get him outta here!

#17 4 years ago
Quoted from CyberNinja24:

I sent him $2K as a PayPal gift

Why send it as a gift?

#18 4 years ago
Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:

Why send it as a gift?

because some people request it, because if you want to pay with paypal, they don't want %'s taken out. I request it all the time. Never had a problem.

19
#19 4 years ago

Sorry to hear about this.

The account has been banned.

Be careful out there, folks. There's a few scammers out there who are getting very sophisticated and learning pinball lingo and about some of the key individuals in the hobby.

13
#20 4 years ago
Quoted from CaptainNeo:

if you want to pay with paypal, they don't want %'s taken out. I request it all the time.

I’m surprised people don’t consider it a red flag when their trading partner asks to cheat the payment processor.

#21 4 years ago
Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:

I’m surprised people don’t consider it a red flag when their trading partner asks to cheat the payment processor.

I’ve used it many times with zero issues but that all changes now.

#22 4 years ago

I have used PayPal friends and family before but never gift. Most I’ve sent though was a couple hundred dollars as a deposit until I get there so not even on the same level. I’ve had someone pay me for a machine that way because they didn’t have the full cash amount and that turned out to be a good Pinsider and I wasn’t screwed. Sorry this happened to you.

#23 4 years ago
Quoted from CaptainNeo:

because some people request it, because if you want to pay with paypal, they don't want %'s taken out. I request it all the time. Never had a problem.

Is there any recourse for the buyer if money is sent pay pal gift/FF?

#24 4 years ago

That sucks dude! Not getting that grail pin. A Damn double tap in the nuts! Well at you had the balls to post and warn people.

#25 4 years ago
Quoted from Concretehardt:

Is there any recourse for the buyer if money is sent pay pal gift/FF?

None.
You send money to someone friends and family gift and it’s gone.
My bank thought they could stop it for me. I’ll find out in the morning.
I called PayPal and they said there was nothing they could do for me.

#26 4 years ago

One of the days Fohunter is gunna find out what happens when you......

#27 4 years ago
Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:

I’m surprised people don’t consider it a red flag when their trading partner asks to cheat the payment processor.

Indeed.

No one wants to get ripped off, but it seems ripping off a payment service because they’re a large company is generally considered OK!

#28 4 years ago
Quoted from Concretehardt:

Is there any recourse for the buyer if money is sent pay pal gift/FF?

Only if the money came from a credit card. You can dispute the payment with the CC company. If it is from your balance then I don’t think there is any recourse.

Mike V

#30 4 years ago

Was this the same guy from Miami that just listed a NIB Jurrasic Park LE for sale for $9500 and someone bought it? Not sure if this was the same guy.

I was looking at that ad and hate to say it but when I saw Miami it made I thought it was weird "IF" this was the same guy that I think a few days later listed a Big Lebowski. I tried looking for archive ads quick before work and can't find it.

I hope you get your money back.

#31 4 years ago

I see he had market ad items marked as sold, who bought these items on pinside and did they do this in person?????

#32 4 years ago
Quoted from RWH:

I see he had market ad items marked as sold, who bought these items on pinside and did they do this in person?????

He marked it sold because the jig was up.
He got $2,000 from me that I’m out and was very close to getting $14,000 total.
No clue on all the other stuff he had on his profile, including a JPLE with a pending sale. He was a very good scammer.
Hope one of us runs into him some day.

#33 4 years ago
Quoted from RWH:

I see he had market ad items marked as sold, who bought these items on pinside and did they do this in person?????

Those sales probably never actually happened. It’s also possible this person has another handle and is still lurking or even a viable member of the community. The Fohunter handle was only active a couple of months, but was pretty active and built some level of credibility in that time. Seems he is familiar with the hobby.

#34 4 years ago

Big credit to OP for flagging this. And also Pinside. I had interacted with Fohunter on this ad and as a result received a scammer warning from Pinside in both Pinside mail and my linked email. All thanks to the OP.

12
#35 4 years ago

If it is someone I don't know on pinside or some other site then I don't use friends and family. I let them know I will pay them for goods and services and I will add the 3% to the price of the game (or whatever the PayPal fee is at that time). That way I am protected. It adds some money to the game but I feel better about sending that kind of money.

#36 4 years ago

If you sent him money via PayPal then you know his real name . Why put him on blast here and Facebook with his rw name ?

#37 4 years ago
Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:

I’m surprised people don’t consider it a red flag when their trading partner asks to cheat the payment processor.

Quoted from Gorgonzola:

No one wants to get ripped off, but it seems ripping off a payment service because they’re a large company is generally considered OK!

Using friends and family is not "ripping off" PayPal. It's a legitimate option that they offer for sending funds. They just don't provide any sort of protection if you choose to send money this way, which is precisely why it is called "friends and family". You're only supposed to use it to send money to someone that you absolutely trust.

#38 4 years ago
Quoted from gweempose:

Using friends and family is not "ripping off" PayPal. It's a legitimate option that they offer for sending funds. They just don't provide any sort of protection if you choose to send money this way, which is precisely why it is called "friends and family". You're only supposed to use it to send money to someone that you absolutely trust.

Well, I believe the intention of friends and family is to give money to people you know for non-business transactions. They wave the transaction fees as a courtesy and probably to expand their customer base. If you are buying something from someone, especially from someone you don't know, it is a business transaction and should be subject to fees. It costs them money to process your transaction. If you are deceptively using their service in a way to avoid fees you are ripping them off. It's essentially theft of services. I actually really dislike using friends and family for purchases because if enough people abuse it they will take it away.

#39 4 years ago

It sucks that you had to lose 2k. Good job figuring it all out and putting it out there. I've had a few machines shipped across the country and luckily I've always dealt with decent stand up guys.

#40 4 years ago

My brother works for one of the largest payment processors in the world ie they handle most porn site transactions so they get a lot of business lol. It costs virtually nothing for a large payment processor to process an electronic draft out of an account which is why PayPal can offer it for free (as do many other sites you need to make your monthly bill payments too). The catch is you're authorizing money to essentially just vanish from your account. Unless you we're not the person that clicked the keystrokes to move the money, there's no recourse for any type if fraud. That lack of liability is one of the major factors of the very minimal fees associated with the transaction and why PayPal and other places can offer it free of charge.

It's not "ripping off a processor", it's just a choice you're making whether to buy scam insurance on your transaction or not. Even with that "insurance", PayPal has in many cases said (to me), sorry you're right but there is no money to recover, have a nice day.

I still use PayPal when I have to but I'm very carefull about with whom.

#41 4 years ago
Quoted from Jack8765:

Sorry to hear. That sucks. I had reached out to him and asked whether he would want my Safecracker or MB as partial trade and he simply said Alien was the only trade he would consider. Never mentioned cash. Thanks for the heads up.

As a follow up, my bank was 99% sure that I wouldn’t lose money on the deal, but it looks like I’m out $2,000 on the scam.
This individual was part of the pinside community. He had other games for sale, pins wanted, was responding to other PMs, and was actively posting on other threads.
I don’t know if it was a scam that was laid out for months or if this person just wanted to grab some cash and go.
Either way, tread extremely cautiously and only deal with people you know and trust.

#42 4 years ago
Quoted from marksf123:

If it is someone I don't know on pinside or some other site then I don't use friends and family. I let them know I will pay them for goods and services and I will add the 3% to the price of the game (or whatever the PayPal fee is at that time). That way I am protected. It adds some money to the game but I feel better about sending that kind of money.

I do the same thing. I purchased light boards for my WoZ, contacted the seller and made sure it was alright if I added the PayPal fees and paid for it as goods and services. If they had said no, then I would have politely declined to move forward with the transaction.

Quoted from CyberNinja24:

As a follow up, my bank was 99% sure that I wouldn’t lose money on the deal, but it looks like I’m out $2,000 on the scam.
This individual was part of the pinside community. He had other games for sale, pins wanted, was responding to other PMs, and was actively posting on other threads.
I don’t know if it was a scam that was laid out for months or if this person just wanted to grab some cash and go.
Either way, tread extremely cautiously and only deal with people you know and trust.

Thanks for posting. It's tough to swallow getting scammed, but it's good that you were able to warn others. I think Melissa posted something about them being able to authenticate the machines if you contact them first. The thread is around here somewhere.

13
#43 4 years ago
Quoted from CyberNinja24:

None.
You send money to someone friends and family gift and it’s gone.
My bank thought they could stop it for me. I’ll find out in the morning.
I called PayPal and they said there was nothing they could do for me.

This is incorrect. If you used a credit card to pay as a gift you can issue a chargeback. Then Paypal is out the money, and they will get it back from the seller.

Always use a credit card with Paypal. Never pay from a bank account.

#44 4 years ago

That blows. I've started avoiding using PayPal F&F and just add the PayPal fee into the payment. At least that way PayPal sees it as a 'business' transaction and you do have some tools available to file a dispute should the seller turn out to be a nefarious baboon.

#45 4 years ago
Quoted from snakesnsparklers:

This is incorrect. If you used a credit card to pay as a gift you can issue a chargeback. Then Paypal is out the money, and they will get it back from the seller.
Always use a credit card with Paypal. Never pay from a bank account.

As for credit cards American Express is your best bet for buyer protection.

#46 4 years ago

Using PP Friends and Family with someone you've never met or done business with is obviously not smart.

#47 4 years ago
Quoted from snakesnsparklers:

This is incorrect. If you used a credit card to pay as a gift you can issue a chargeback. Then Paypal is out the money, and they will get it back from the seller.
Always use a credit card with Paypal. Never pay from a bank account.

What about the seller's protection though?

What if I sell a game to someone and they pay me via Credit card through paypal. They get the game, then issue a chargeback? I'm asking because I am actually going through this right now with a buyer and I am nervous about him paying with CC through paypal then issuing a chargeback.

#48 4 years ago
Quoted from CyberNinja24:

Hope one of us runs into him some day.

I have to believe he probably doesn't hang out at Pinburgh or Chicago Expo. Unfortunately.

Good on you, for taking the $2k loss like a gentleman, and realizing that life is full of expensive lessons. those are the most valuable lessons, so they pay for themselves over time.

#49 4 years ago
Quoted from bigehrl:

I have to believe he probably doesn't hang out at Pinburgh or Chicago Expo. Unfortunately.
Good on you, for taking the $2k loss like a gentleman, and realizing that life is full of expensive lessons. those are the most valuable lessons, so they pay for themselves over time.

It still sucks and if anyone knows this assclown scammer, please out him.

#50 4 years ago
Quoted from pinlink:

What about the seller's protection though?
What if I sell a game to someone and they pay me via Credit card through paypal. They get the game, then issue a chargeback? I'm asking because I am actually going through this right now with a buyer and I am nervous about him paying with CC through paypal then issuing a chargeback.

Paypal is slanted for buyer protection. They believe whatever baloney the buyer makes up. This is why cash on the glass is king.... unless you know the person. It's one of the reasons Ebay went downhill IMO as well, whatever lies the buyer makes up, ebay and paypal believe, and the seller is left with no merch or money.

It even happens to businesses, John's Jukes in Canada was brokering sales for the "time travel warehouse" (see story on rec.games.pinball) and someone bought a robotron, issued a chargeback and got to keep the machine and their money. John got nothing, even with him paying the CC fees. Expensive lesson for sure.

Another seller had a picture of the buyers loading the machine into their vehicle, with the license plate clearly shown, they were supposed to pay cash but had some cockamamie story about the ATM being out of cash, over the daily limits, etc. so they did the transaction right there on their phone, seller took pics and everything.... yup, chargeback. He sent the pictures in and PP didn't care a whit who was loading what when.

Cash isn't always king either, sometimes there's counterfeit bills in there! Ugh.

Promoted items from the Pinside Marketplace
$ 28.50
Playfield - Toys/Add-ons
The MOD Couple
Toys/Add-ons
$ 649.95
Lighting - Led
Pin Stadium Pinball Mods
Led
From: $ 399.95
Lighting - Led
Pin Stadium Pinball Mods
Led
There are 100 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

Reply

Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/scam-alert-fohunter/page/1 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.