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on Jun 12, 2020 16:20:01 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 12, 2020 18:39:28 GMT by xkaes
I've sold a lot of things on EBAY, and only occasionally has someone emailed me to say "You've provided too much detail in your description. Anyone interested in this item already knows all about it."
Here's a seller that takes the opposite approach.
So what is it?
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on Jun 12, 2020 20:19:49 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 12, 2020 20:26:28 GMT by lumiworx
This is.......... a scam! I've notified several sellers already, where I previously knew an item's origin, from having the original item in my watch list, my BIN cart, or the saved searches that I check daily. I've easily found hundreds of different bogus listings in the last few days. Case in point: 4 different sellers selling the exact same product, with the exact same photos, and with the exact same title? Every one of them has the same 'no description' nonsense as details, with the same block of 3 'seller terms' as the only content. I did an 'add to cart' on all 4 to get the following, and take note of the price differences and the shipping delays so they can try to get away with the scam. BTW, none of them are auctions, so you're probably sunk the minute you buy it. The bottom listing was what I think was the original item, by the original seller. When I say, I think, I should qualify that to say that I saw the original in a saved search and dismissed it - but I did remember seeing it. When I saw this same listing in a new serach again, and it showed up from several sellers at the same time, I went back to find the first one. When I did, it too had been changed to the '3 terms' block of nonsense as a description , just like the others. My guess? Someone is hijacking ebay accounts and scraping other listings - and then copying them into these hacked accounts. They seem to be mostly from sellers in Japan, and some look to be on vacation until August 1st (really?). All it took was a drill down on one of these supposed sellers to find even more listings with obviously stolen photos for me to make note and back off from buying. Search ebay for " black yashica YE" and you'll notice 2 identical listings, with the same serial number - one of which was remarked on in these forums not to long ago, so it's obvious who the original seller is.
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on Jun 12, 2020 20:29:24 GMT
Posted: Jun 12, 2020 20:29:24 GMT
... and to answer the original question beyond the 'scam' stuff... It's a Contax ST body, that appears to be in dire need of repair.
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on Jun 12, 2020 23:22:27 GMT
Posted: Jun 12, 2020 23:22:27 GMT
Formidable job, my dear Watson!
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on Jun 13, 2020 3:09:57 GMT
Posted: Jun 13, 2020 3:09:57 GMT
Formidable job, my dear Watson! 8-) The curse of being in IT and learning how to debug almost anything online -or- how to save your clients from online scammers. I am SO glad I am retired! :)
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on Jun 13, 2020 17:31:34 GMT
Posted: Jun 13, 2020 17:31:34 GMT
I see. Still, to an IT dummy like me it's sheer magic what you guys can do.
In the case on hand, you happened to know the original offer. But is there any advice to laymen how to smell such a rat before they fall prey to it?
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on Jun 13, 2020 19:10:39 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 13, 2020 20:01:55 GMT by xkaes
OK.
Just answer an idiot's question. How do I know it's an "ST" -- whatever that is?
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Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Jun 13, 2020 20:27:07 GMT
Posted: Jun 13, 2020 20:27:07 GMT
OK. Just answer an idiot's question. How do I know it's an "ST" -- whatever that is? Hi - the last couple of piccies show the back of the camera which clearly shows the model to be the Contax ST (a true photographer's camera) for those not familiar with the general appearance of the model.
The ST is one of my favourite cameras and received that rare distinction of a 100% rating when Amateur Photographer reviewed it.
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on Jun 13, 2020 21:20:13 GMT
Posted: Jun 13, 2020 21:20:13 GMT
OK, so this camera is an "ST" -- whatever that is. So how do I know it is an "ST" -- whatever that is. It is not marked "ST". As I said before, I'm asking "an idiot's question".
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on Jun 14, 2020 2:33:02 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2020 14:18:28 GMT by lumiworx
I see. Still, to an IT dummy like me it's sheer magic what you guys can do.
In the case on hand, you happened to know the original offer. But is there any advice to laymen how to smell such a rat before they fall prey to it?
Since ebay has it's buyer protection plan in place, at least there's one remedy to use after the fact, but that still means you have to go through all the extra steps and waste a bunch of time with your cash in limbo until they get your claim resolved. Not that I've been scammed outright, but I have had to deal with seller issues (and buyer issues too) and have been out the whole amount while a refund was on it's way. I've never failed to get a refund in 15+ years of using ebay. Anywhere else and even on ebay, I try to remember to be as throrogh as I can to stay clear of anything that gives even a hint that there's something not quite right. Some things I'll do in particular, are to search for the same item and compare both current listings and sold items. If an item has been listed a few times, then sold, then returned to be listed again... I'm less inclined to believe the claims of "Mint minus" in the title and description. If an item is not on ebay, but on a reputable site, I research the seller by a simple search on their user name, and check places like trustpilot.com for both the selller and/or the site. I could fill a book on what to check for, but the best bottom line I could offer is to trust your gut's very first reaction. It will rarely be wrong, as long as you stick to it and do what it tells you. Never second guess yourself or assume it's "not that risky at that price". Otherwise, always assume it 'could' be a scam first, and then find reasonable proof that it isn't, before you consider paying any amount of money for something. Ultimately it will boil down to trust and warranties/guarantees offered by the listing site, your payment provider (i.e., PayPal or MoneyBookers), and your financial institution that links to your pay provider. The pay provider and your bank and/or credit union will have remedies in case everything else fails, but again, it will be a royal pain and take time.
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on Jun 14, 2020 3:04:19 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2020 4:13:53 GMT by lumiworx
OK, so this camera is an "ST" -- whatever that is. So how do I know it is an "ST" -- whatever that is. It is not marked "ST". As I said before, I'm asking "an idiot's question". As biggles3 mentioned a couple of posts up... the last 2 photos show the back side, and the "Contax ST" imprint is marked on the back edge of the top plate at the upper-right.
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on Jun 14, 2020 9:50:11 GMT
Posted: Jun 14, 2020 9:50:11 GMT
My guess? Someone is hijacking ebay accounts and scraping other listings - and then copying them into these hacked accounts. They seem to be mostly from sellers in Japan, and some look to be on vacation until August 1st (really?). All it took was a drill down on one of these supposed sellers to find even more listings with obviously stolen photos for me to make note and back off from buying. Yep, ebay seems to have a problem with hijacked accounts at the time being. So, if you find out, that no credit card or paypal-payment is accepted and the bank account is in a country which does not fit tot the ebay account, be careful! (My daughter had this issue. Luckily, the money came back, because the bank account was already blocked by the local police.)
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on Jun 14, 2020 13:20:48 GMT
Posted: Jun 14, 2020 13:20:48 GMT
Thanks, lumiworx, for your hints--and for not being above answering "an idiot's questions"...
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on Jun 14, 2020 14:43:01 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2020 14:44:05 GMT by lenslover
Since it was already before being answered - the Bodyshape clearly indentifies it as Contax ST, which is by itself, similar to the Contax RX.
As Lumiworx pointed out, it's a eBay Scam, so don't feed the Trolls, means those Freaks on Ebay, posting FUD. I wouldn't bother with this.
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on Jun 14, 2020 15:28:41 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2020 15:56:41 GMT by lumiworx
Speaking of hijacked accounts - a few suggestions... One of the usual means of acquiring your user credentials, is to retrieve them from data dumps posted or sold online. You may or may not be notified by a site you use when they've had a breach and had user data stolen, and you may never hear about it from some other source, so it's a good idea to be proactive and check for yourself on a regular basis. Brute force scripts to keep guessing passwords aren't used on websites too much anymore, when data dumps are less work for a scammer, and cheap to buy. a. If you don't have Firefox loaded as a browser, it's worth downloading to use it for one specific feature - even if you don't want to use it as your regular browser. It can help to keep you updated on data breaches, and will constantly update you with the latest breaches that already affect you personally. If you load it, or already use it; check the user menu for an item named "Protections Dashboard" -or- enter into it's address box (w/o the quotes) "about:protections". Essentially, to set it up you'll have to enter any email address you actively use, or have ever used to sign up for any site or service, and you'll find out if your email has ever been leaked and/or hacked - past or future. How it Worksb. You can do all of this manually - one address at a time, over multiple visits to recheck - if you use the same service that Firefox uses on your behalf... haveibeenpwned.com/c. Use 2 Factor Authorization (2FA) on any important accounts when you need extra protection. Your bank, your retirement account, PayPal, etcetera. d. If you use your Google account as an email source to create other online accounts elsewhere, or as a "Log in with Google" on other sites, use Google's security dashboard to see how you're protected, and what activity you've had that may not be from you. myaccount.google.com/securitye. Use a password manager to keep track of your important account credentials. Same as the above - for your bank, your retirement account, PayPal, etcetera. I use KeyPass which is 100% free and loaded locally and Firefox Lockwise, and there are more, like LastPass, 1Password, DashLane, and many others. These may take some setup, but will work with your browser to keep/use stronger passwords for you automatically. f. Never use the same password more than once. If someone knows your email address and your XYZ-ABC site's password - they'll use the same set of credentials you've provided to them (when your one set has already been leaked) to compromise any other possible account of yours they want to hijack. Password Managers, or even your browser's 'remember password' feature, will make it easy to use multiple passwords that aren't duplicated. As of today, the haveibeenpwned website shows that 9.7+ Billion accounts have been compromised. You should not assume it doesn't include one of yours. BTW, that's not the total number, that's just those that are known by one site that's keeping track. [ standing down from soap box ]
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