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It pains me to see a resurgence of Chinese scammers on Facebook, WeChat and Instagram, as business must be good. I've been scammed by them, and so have several people I know. The fossils they advertise are incredible to the point where many of us are tempted. Here, take a look at pics taken from the walls of several confirmed-scammers.

 

Scam_1.JPG.7e8f86dcf552a953608ab6dd0aa3ec3a.JPGScam_2.JPG.a3c4e56a0f45a914b454148ee4a9df13.JPGScam_3.JPG.603c0083d5cb7ee20919de3c99df4f17.JPGScam_4.JPG.91ffba17ba3279f408810e1bd7278c08.JPGScam_5.jpg.9045087e4a90042158c6c595681557ca.jpgScam_6.JPG.31786ffcad0c1ff957c9db4a4a0c18be.JPG

 

Looks amazing, doesn't it? Their price are pretty awesome too, so off you go, transferring $1000 USD to their Western Union, and.... nothing. Your money is gone forever. Here are some warning signs of the Chinese scammers.

 

I will say it again: If these Chinese sellers refuse to use Paypal, be on guard.

 

It doesn't matter how many likes and mutual friends they share with you, scammers can make attractive accounts and add a thousand friends just to look trustworthy. Right now, there's a scammer Facebook account that shares over 100 mutual friends with me. Someone posted on his wall complaining of a scam, and the seller removed it within a day.

 

Check the seller's track records. Ask friends and trusted collectors if any of them have ever made successful dealings with the seller. Keichousaurus does not count! I know a case where a friend bought a single cheap Keich from someone on Instagram, and the same seller then went out to scam others with far more expensive fossils after getting the seal of approval from the first guy.

 

Also, take note not all of them admit to being from China. I know a scammer who claims to be from USA. His fossil pictures are similar to other Chinese scammers. When my friend pretended to make a purchase, this seller gave a Chinese address for Western Union, and an Alipay account pointing to a Chinese name too.

 

For more info, please refer to this previous thread > 

 

Remember, if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. If you have any doubts or questions, please feel free to ask others on TFF. There are many experts here who can offer you advise. If you require more info on these scammers, feel free to PM me.

Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday!

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This is so sad. I hate how people take advantage of something so beautiful and use it to cheat people. :( Although I've never tried to buy from sellers like these, and doubt I ever will, this is a very good warning. In my opinion, this should be pinned. 

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Excellent post  Andy.  I way I see it is that if you decide to use non traditional methods for purchasing fossils and especially from non established suppliers you are increasing the risk of having problem.   With all of social media avenues around today CAUTION cannot be highlighted enough.  

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3 minutes ago, Troodon said:

Excellent post  Andy.  I way I see it is that if you decide to use non traditional methods for purchasing fossils and especially from non established suppliers you are increasing the risk of having problem.   With all of social media avenues around today CAUTION cannot be highlighted enough.  

 

I've started messaging mutual friends on Instagram who added the scammers. Two person thanked me, and said they were on the verge of dealing with the scammers.

 

It's a small victory, I guess. Hopefully my mistake can help prevent more collectors from falling prey to these criminals.

Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday!

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