The rise in deposit scams

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Equi

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I’m on the dodgy sites so I’m seeing these nearly every day now. Dream horses for sale and many people falling for the “send a deposit to secure viewing”

I can understand how easily an excited buyer can send a small sum to hopefully secure a horse but just a warning to anyone not to do this!
 
We experienced the same when trying to buy a campervan last year. Ad on ebay with detailed video of the van, good condition, good mileage, good price, on the other side of the country. When we eventually got a response he was away and told us to contact him again in a week's time. Then when we did get hold if him he said come next weekend contact me nearer the time. The next time we spoke he said he had someone else interested and wanted a refundable £200 deposit to guarantee first viewing. At this point we started to smell a rat and refused. We then started to question everything. For example, the video had no sound and the guy we spoke to had a very strong irish accent. Had he stolen the video from another advert? Did he own this van? We refused to pay £200 so he reduced it to £100 and when we refused he said ok forget the deposit but I'm not around next weekend now so call me the week after. He never answered his phone to our number again. In hindsight, having looked at other vans, this one was far too cheap.
 
Ah yes, the good old 'deposit prior to viewing' scam. It's been knocking around for years mainly for motor vehicles but now horses are commanding such rediculous prices, the scammers have moved into the horse world too.

I remember my sister getting scammed this way over a car. When she said they'd sent a deposit to the vendor to hold the car until they went to view, I told her the car probably didn't exist (or at least wasn't the guy's car) and she'd never see her money again. She didn't believe me, but sure enough when they went to the supposed meet up, the guy never showed. When they tried to call him the call never connected, basically he'd blocked their number.

The advice is never ever send money prior to viewing, no matter what the vendor tells you. Also remember the old adage ... if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
 
Someone I know did it but put down a £1200 deposit. 😳 I assume she was going to buy unseen but there was no horse and they used her desperation for a particular breed and her naivety to get the money out of her.

Good for you OP for posting the warning. If it stops one person from being scammed then that’s a win.
 
Its happening with boats too. Someone just lost 4k on the same scam. If it looks too good to be true, then give it a hard pass.
 
The one on dodgy dealers today is unbelievable. Yesterday, person wants to buy horse and asks for info about the seller. Multiple people tell her that it is a fake profile from an overseas scammer. She sends money anyway and no horse turns up. Today, she posts on dodgy dealers that it was a scam and how sad it is that someone scammed her autistic daughter. Multiple people tell her to go and physically view a horse to make sure it exists and is suitable before buying but instead she posts a horse wanted ad on a well know dodgy fb page. She doesn't want to view, only wants one where the seller can deliver one to her sight unseen. There's only so much warning people you can do. In some ways she's better off with no horse and no money than to have something show up which is lame, has multiple health conditions and is dangerous to ride/handle which could put her or her daughter in hospital.
 
If it's the same woman, she repeatedly buys unseen horses for her autistic daughter, then spins a woe is me story about their unsuitability all over FB. I've seen screen shots from sellers showing 2-3 weeks of 'horse is everything we ever dreamed of' rapidly turning into abusive 'you've missold and we demand a refund etc' . Maybe she keeps getting free horses for a month at a time? People are weird.
 
Ambers Echo said:
If it's the same woman, she repeatedly buys unseen horses for her autistic daughter, then spins a woe is me story about their unsuitability all over FB. I've seen screen shots from sellers showing 2-3 weeks of 'horse is everything we ever dreamed of' rapidly turning into abusive 'you've missold and we demand a refund etc' . Maybe she keeps getting free horses for a month at a time? People are weird.
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I think that one is different, a different profile in any case, and that ladies autistic daughter is a child, but again she is getting random horses turn up and it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

The recent one, the daughter is claimed to be aged 20.
 
Have seen one recently, someone I know is selling a nice connie mare and a known scammer has cloned the ad and is asking for a deposit to view (I know as I enquired about viewing but am now blocked as I called them out!). FB will do nothing about it and the scammer just deletes and blocks anyone who comments that it is a scam.
Buying unseen can be done but it is such a risk. But a deposit to view, big red flag IMO.
 
Ambers Echo said:
If it's the same woman, she repeatedly buys unseen horses for her autistic daughter, then spins a woe is me story about their unsuitability all over FB. I've seen screen shots from sellers showing 2-3 weeks of 'horse is everything we ever dreamed of' rapidly turning into abusive 'you've missold and we demand a refund etc' . Maybe she keeps getting free horses for a month at a time? People are weird.
Click to expand...
This.
 
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