Beware of scams @ your local plazas

[doughboyr6]

This just happened minutes ago...

I went to Starbucks at a local strip plaza and some kid (20s) with an older man (40s) pulled up in a Nissan Xterra (black).

They claimed to work for a Home Electronics store in Scarborough called Boss Home Theater Systems or something like that.

They claimed that they are delivering an order in the area and by accident the store had loaded 3 units instead of the purchased two.

The item they were selling was called Davinci DV-505 home theatre surround.

He showed me the bill of sale with the store address and so on. They even had on store branded clothing with the store name embossed on the hat and sweater. It really did look legit. He then pulled out a magazine showing how much the system lists for ($3799 or something like that). He asked me what i would offer. He said that he just wants some $ to split with his co-worker and the store would not even know its missing.

Never having heard of the brand, i was hesitant but interested. WHen i finally declined, they even made me this offer to pay me $50 to hold the system till tonight and they will come back to pick it up because they cannot bring it back to work.

I declined that offer also.

After i got home, i did some googling and apparantly this is a scam country wide. The system is supposedly garbage. My parents advised that they have been approached about this also recently.

[Garu]

Every year, scams become more creative.

[S.F.W.]

I got approached by this scam a few times. It's pretty funny.

[CanadaGTO]

Shit, I remember people running this back in the 80's...

[saintjames7]

The stereo scam has been going around for years. And these guys still manage to trick people.

[WLS ZMZM]

I've had this happen to me a few times.. but not as far as having the gear to go with it or the bill for it.. usually when I ask they get upset and are like nevermind.

[Walrus]

Usually its guys in a white van selling speakers

[Malcolm991]

That scam has been around for years and the stuff they will sell you
is nothing but junk.

[Chuckie]

I've had to break the news to about 5 different people on the job.. most of the time i feel very sympathetic towards them.

There was one exception...

This old guy and his son (son claiming to have worked for best buy) came in a negotiated a deal with me. Honestly it was what I called a really dirty deal.

A few days later I find the father at the returns counter. I stroll over to see what he wants. He says he wants to return the TV because he had found a better deal with the same TV at a different retailer.

At this point I know that this old guy just wants to scam some money off his deal because his TV cannot be found in another retailer.

The conversation when like this

Me: Sir, you couldn't have found this tv anywhere else cheaper because its exclusive to us

OG: its the same or maybe very similar, if you don't do something i'll return it. (He probably thinks he has me by the balls by his threats of returning everything)

Me: (noticing he already returned the sound system a few days ago) Oh you returned the sound system already, what are you using for sound.

OG: I found another system that MUCH better

Me: Oh? what brand is it?

OG: DaVinci, its very good

Me: (Laughing inside already) how much did you pay for it?

OG: A LLLOOT

Me: Where did you get it

OG: My son bought it in the U.S. in a store (this is a lie because there are no stores that stock this piece of shit)

So I figure, if you're going to return all my shit and waste 2 hours of my time, I should atleast use this to the fullest extent and ridicule the shit out of you.

I let him have it. I respectfully informed him that his system is GARBAGE and that if he paid more than $50 dollars for it, he got scammed. I then wrote out "white van scam" on a piece of paper in big lettering and told him to get his son to google that.
I then told him in a voice that everyone could hear (theres about 6 other people at the returns line) that I wished he wouldn't have returned his sound system because its 100% better than the garbage system you got SCAMMED into buying.
He looked so stupid standing there...

Lastly I told him that he couldn't have found a better deal on this tv, and whatever similar models doesnt' have the features his has. Sure, if you want return it.

I left him there dumbfounded from his arrogance for a minute or two and it was great. I loved it.

He just left afterwards.

Best experience ever.

[iconicrocket]

Yeah, two white guy in a van tried the same thing on me in the Walmart parking lot too. Funny how he kept lowering his prices, even thou I was looking for my parked car. Had their story down too, about how it was overstocked and its from their boss, even had a nice brochure about the higher end speaker.

[ShortBus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_van_speakers

[Chuckie]

you know what.. where did you find these guys? For $50 bucks it might be fun to buy it to hear what it sounds like and do some comparos

[nicker]

My buddy bought some of speakers off some guys in a truck once outside the bank. He paid like $500.00 for them he was told there were somthing like $2000.00. This was a while ago. The speakers did work, sounded shitty but didn't last long.

[Perma]

It's not that they're shitty speakers, it's that they're not speakers. They're empty. Just the casings.

[dentinger]

i had some guys offer me a system once in a mcdonald's parking lot once.
i somehow knew it was a scam, and again, they're boss gave them too many home stereo systems to deliver, and they just wanted to sell the last one off so that they could go to a "titty bar" after work.
they kept pushing me to buy it too.

[Wild Weasel]

That Wiki article was a fun read. Gotta love the websites set up to make the speakers and stuff look legit. I can see how people could be fooled.

Really though... as the saying goes... if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is!

[-RJ3-]

It happened to me at Mavis/Britannia at Canadian tire... I saw this van pull up and they asked, "Hey man what where you buying there?" I said looking around for car parts.. He then asked If I wanted subs for my car? " I said no thanks, and silently whispered, Got better ones than that!!!" Funny part was He didnt even show me subs, and I noticed the box was a Compaq cpu box .. Now that was funny!

[Xerox]

Did the plaza have a bank or ATM? I think they usually fish there so that you can go get cash.
I was picked for this scam about 10 years ago. I declined thinking if it's too good to be true it probably is. I was picked again about 5 years later. By now knowing full well that it's a scam, I told the guy that I already know about this scam and to get a real job. The guys come-back was "It's not a scam, it's a scheme!" and drove off.

[doughboyr6]

i had some guys offer me a system once in a mcdonald's parking lot once.
i somehow knew it was a scam, and again, they're boss gave them too many home stereo systems to deliver, and they just wanted to sell the last one off so that they could go to a "titty bar" after work.
they kept pushing me to buy it too.

that's exactly what they said too...."titty bar after work".


Did the plaza have a bank or ATM? I think they usually fish there so that you can go get cash.
I was picked for this scam about 10 years ago. I declined thinking if it's too good to be true it probably is. I was picked again about 5 years later. By now knowing full well that it's a scam, I told the guy that I already know about this scam and to get a real job. The guys come-back was "It's not a scam, it's a scheme!" and drove off.

yes there was a bank there.

[RallyPlaya]

Hahahahah U Have To be kidding I Swear i saw the same guy @ Sq 1 i know he was driving a black SUV, maybe it a different guy, he comes up to me and my dad " You guys Want a home theater system of 4000$ value for 800. I Replied we have a bose home system in my house and i dont want it and then he tells me bose is shit WTF....!!!! i told him he was a joke and walked away lol

[bunchi]

I was approached by these guys in the white van too, in that plaza near Kennedy and Finch area where there's a medical bldg. I just pretended I didn't understand them... ooooh I doooont speaka englishi! Me and my son were almost late for a docs appt and it was raining and I was carrying my son and they approach me for a piece of crap?? doont speaka englishi!!!:chuckle

[dentinger]

there was 2 banks in the plaza when i was approached.
and yea, i thought it was too good to be true.

and ive seen then approach other guys too. and i just drive off and laugh at the scammers

[Jeff-TheBiz]

I hate these kind of scams that prey on the weak..

Here's another one...


Pick a number between 1 - 10.
















Wrong, you owe me $5.

Paypal will be fine..

[Garu]

I was approached by these guys in the white van too, in that plaza near Kennedy and Finch area where there's a medical bldg. I just pretended I didn't understand them... ooooh I doooont speaka englishi! Me and my son were almost late for a docs appt and it was raining and I was carrying my son and they approach me for a piece of crap?? doont speaka englishi!!!:chuckle

Rofl!!
I think that is the best defense for these kinda scams!

[blue3]

I was approached by the same two guys in a van , on different occasions . trying to sell speakers same mo

[Nova 3 GT]

I've googled the word DaVinci DV-505. Google corrected the brand: DiVinci

:loco

[Wild Weasel]

Just as mentioned on the Wiki page, if you look at their products, and especially the inputs on the back of the receivers... they're complete garbage. :chuckle

[ds2chan]

happened to me (well, kind of) once back in 2001.. was walking with a bunch of co-ops for lunch to University plaza in Waterloo.. we were in the parking lot when a white van pulled up to one of the guys and asked him if he wanted some awesome stereo equipment.. he looked at it for a couple of minutes and responded with something like your stuff is all garbage.. I've got better s$$t then that and laughed in the guys face.. then they just shut the door and drove off.. the one co-op said that his face looked like it was getting red..

[ShortBus]

best thing to do with scammers is to waste their time, haggle with them then offer them $25 and see how pissed off they get.

[Thunder 3]

I was approached by the same two guys in a van , on different occasions . trying to sell speakers same mo

Same here! I was in Whitby at a Timmies and they pulled up in a van. I told them that I'm a broke student which they didn't seem to understand and kept telling me to make them an offer. I offered $20 and they finally gave up, haha. I don't trust anybody....nor do I really care about speakers.

[eguiyab]

LOL... This happened to me at the Eglinton / Laird Canadian Tire. I was there returning a steam Vacuum. Dude, comes up to me... textbook example. I tell him Im running 3 sets of bose and 2 sets of polk's. Says they are crap... even shows me a listing saying that they run on as low as 15watts of power.... WTF??? never heard of anything like that.. LOL
laugh in his face and he insist that even just a few hundred will work.
I tell him ill trade my steam Vacuum for it... He gets pissed and leaves. Then the cops just happen to trail in a few secs after... they look at me funny, cuz he sees the van.
I pass by causally, and I mention that the guy is trying to sell speakers outta the back of the van... they follow him.... LOL

I never did see what happened... I was more interested in my vacuum being returned... LOL

[MAZDA Kitten]

WTF happened to me to in a CIBC parking lot
I was so scared LOL I was the only person there and two dudes and one girl I was terrified :(

[Thunder 3]

Wow...I had no idea this was so common! I would suggest they must think we have lots of money because of our awesome cars...but I was still driving my old one when this happened to me, haha ;)

[Skarbro]

That's hilarious that there is a Wiki for this! I first got approached by a white van YEARS ago. And most recently I got a approached a couple of months ago. Hilarious.