Scams

pacific chelonians

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2021
Messages
495
Location (City and/or State)
SanDiego California
Today I almost purchased a large leopard tortoise from my craigslist ad when I first started the conversation I knew it was a scam four sentences in so I asked for a photo of the plastron and this is what they gave me not much more I can say I hope this case some of you a good laugh
 

Attachments

  • 5683829A-516D-4792-B3BC-E746E3ED2AEE.jpeg
    5683829A-516D-4792-B3BC-E746E3ED2AEE.jpeg
    76.4 KB · Views: 131
  • A2696989-77ED-455D-BE2E-769CC546AC28.jpeg
    A2696989-77ED-455D-BE2E-769CC546AC28.jpeg
    68.2 KB · Views: 127
  • 9C76F2B7-F945-4EE8-92C1-5B522778AE21.jpeg
    9C76F2B7-F945-4EE8-92C1-5B522778AE21.jpeg
    98.6 KB · Views: 125

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Soooooo, you were born during the day? Just not yesterday? :D


Never reply to ads that want "text or phone only"...the email exchange gives you a "paper trail" and dishonest people won't use it.
I did not know this. I don't use email because I just don't use my email and seldom check it. I tell people to text or call because I always have my phone on me and get their message immediately. I go days without looking at my email. Weeks at times. I wonder if I've lost sales because of this...
 

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
Soooooo, you were born during the day? Just not yesterday? :D



I did not know this. I don't use email because I just don't use my email and seldom check it. I tell people to text or call because I always have my phone on me and get their message immediately. I go days without looking at my email. Weeks at times. I wonder if I've lost sales because of this...
Some of the scams are about getting your phone number so they can sell it and other scammers spam the life out of you. There are other messes spoofers and scammers can get you into with your phone #. craigslist has become the base of op for phone # collectors since smartphones became widely used vs laptops.

These scams have made it impossible to trust any phone/text only people.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
To be honest I think they are the same size just different tortoise but to be completely honest I can’t see just feeling the photo
I don't think they are the same size. That leopard is way overly pyramided and the size of the pyramids are too big to be as small as the Russian. For sure not the same tortoise.
I used to have fun stringing the scammers along for a while, letting them think I wanted to buy multiple expensive torts.
This one though isn't good at it at all lol
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
There's this gal I used to work with at the phone company who emails jokes and funny stories to a whole bunch of us retirees. For the whole length of my career with the phone company she called me Miss Y. A couple days ago I got an email from her asking if I would buy a Google Play card for her for her niece's birthday as she's travelling and is unable to do it herself. Number one, she didn't call me Miss Y. Number two, we're not close friends and we don't email or phone each other. Number three, she's very outgoing and has a ton of friends and I really doubt I would be her first choice to ask a favor.

The email came from her email address.

At the risk of hurting her feelings, I didn't respond.
 

Jan A

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
1,808
Location (City and/or State)
Boulder, CO
There's this gal I used to work with at the phone company who emails jokes and funny stories to a whole bunch of us retirees. For the whole length of my career with the phone company she called me Miss Y. A couple days ago I got an email from her asking if I would buy a Google Play card for her for her niece's birthday as she's travelling and is unable to do it herself. Number one, she didn't call me Miss Y. Number two, we're not close friends and we don't email or phone each other. Number three, she's very outgoing and has a ton of friends and I really doubt I would be her first choice to ask a favor.

The email came from her email address.

At the risk of hurting her feelings, I didn't respond.
It sees like i'm getting strange things daily besides the aggravating robot calls, text & emails & some voice mails. I delete a lot without opening it.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
It sees like i'm getting strange things daily besides the aggravating robot calls, text & emails & some voice mails. I delete a lot without opening it.
On the phone ones, never say anything that could be used as a "Yes" or permission.
Its disgusting that we have to put up with all the scam calls, text and emails. We pay to have those services, we shouldn't have to put up with someone trying to scam us on them
 

TeamZissou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1,048
Location (City and/or State)
Albuquerque, NM
Today I almost purchased a large leopard tortoise from my craigslist ad when I first started the conversation I knew it was a scam four sentences in so I asked for a photo of the plastron and this is what they gave me not much more I can say I hope this case some of you a good laugh

Is the second photo a Forsten's?
 

KarenSoCal

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,749
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
Three times I have received messages through Messenger that appeared to come from friend's accounts, but were actually scammers.

The first time it happened I was slow to realize what was going on. The 2nd and 3rd times I was quick, told off the imposters, and they left me alone.

They always work into the typed conversation "oh, BTW, have you tried product X? Have you even heard about it?"
 

J Phillips

New Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Union City CA
Today I almost purchased a large leopard tortoise from my craigslist ad when I first started the conversation I knew it was a scam four sentences in so I asked for a photo of the plastron and this is what they gave me not much more I can say I hope this case some of you a good laugh
I don't think anyone on here was laughing at this, at all. Poor babies, how would these "breeders" feel if they're backs started pyramiding? Shameful.
 
Top