It’s sad to see what our society has cone too. Modern technology, although it’s a great convenience, brings on a new stream of cyber criminals. We even have to guard against foul play in our recreational pursuits.
I personally haven’t become a victim to a scammer yet. I have witnessed an intended snare a few times. If a person is careful, doing their research, they should come out safely unscathed.
I am old enough to remember when Craigslist was a very popular outlet for buying and selling. Those days came to a close when the odds of a scam out numbered the chances of a legitimate trade. Many have gravitated to Facebook Marketplace, but sadly the scams grow more everyday.
Early this year, an uncommon Gibson tractor became available on Marketplace. The Model D was under priced. The tractor was immaculately restored and worth far more than the asking price. With that potential, response to the listing should have been fast. My suspension was raised, noting the advertisement was over a week old.
I personally looked closer at the pictures. Clues can be discovered in the background as tells of legitimacy. There were other uncommon tractors in the background. This caused me to question why the tractor was priced so low. What was wrong with it?
Best offer was included in his ask. I made a lower reasonable offer, which the seller ignored. Either the seller was valuing the tractor from others, there was something wrong, or the sale was a scam. At any rate, it was the latter.
The inspiration for this article happened recently. Shaw Du-all tractors are not very common. Nice restorations are even rarer. I belong to a Facebook group of fans, and I dare say we have a good idea of where the nice ones are located and who owns them.
The scammer should have done more research before making a foolish attempt. Of course, the scammer must have felt more intelligent and thought very little of the public’s thinking. Probably the proper mindset of a scammer.
Supposedly, he was located in Western Illinois and was finally tired of the care and maintenance. He only took the tractor to parades and fairs and he was ready to part with it. The little old lady driving to church on Sunday mentality.
The tractor was priced too low for what it was. The rareness and condition could command a much higher price. The pictures weren’t totally clear. The problem for the scammer was that the pictures were also familiar. I wasn’t the only one to recognize that.
There are several Shaw enthusiasts in Illinois. I don’t have the good fortune to know all of them, but I do have an idea where the tractors are. This particular pictured Du-all was not even in Illinois
Long story short, the scammer was instantly discovered and outed. The moral of the story…Scammers aren’t that good at thievery, but they still try.. As consumers, we all need to beware and extremely careful. What seems too good to be true generally isn’t!
Antique Iron Media 