Scam Tip Report #13810 - Responding to an WANTED Ad posted in an Astronomical Gear website


Scam ReporterScam Tips Received
Anonymous
Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2013-11-11 21:31:09
Classified Ads Scam
Other Classifieds Site
Responding to an WANTED Ad posted in an Astronomical Gear website 
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Stig Olsen
Email Address:
oamateur45@gmail.com
Scam Website:
Fax:
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
BEWARE OF STIG OLSEN

My name is Paulo Alonso and I live in Brazil, South America. I am 61 years old, an electronic engineer working in Brazil Oil and Gas Industry. My hobby is amateur astronomy and astrophotography. Before joining the industry I worked as a professional astronomer at the National Observatory of Rio de Janeiro, then the passion for Astronomy.
Since last July I thought it was time to have a Premium refractor for my astrophotography sessions and I began looking for an AP 130 refractor. Considering that I would be in Europe in the period October 4 up to 26, I posted an ad AD in the Astrobuysell site, a very famous site os astronomical stuff operated in Canada and UK. (Ad number 74670 of 22 October 2013, still active in the site).
I was fortunate to get three responses: one from Scotland, other from Italy and the last from UK (I suppose) from a man that responds for the name STIG OLSEN. He says he is Norwegian but I wonder. I was almost closing my deal with the Italian astronomer when this Stig Olsen offered me his instrument plus the flatenner and some additional AP plates and dovetails everything for 2300 pounds. Upon my request he sent photos of the telescope and accessories.
Everybody knows that in Europe the average price for this instrument in good conditions is about 5000 euros. Thus he was offering me the refractor at a Premium price. I consulted my colleagues in Europe and most of them advised me that it was a trick and that tricks are common in those sites. I read the instructions in the site regarding to frauds and I proceeded accordingly. I asked for a telephone number and he gave me two numbers and I was able to talk to him on both. He argued that he was selling the scope for that price because he needed money urgently because of the illness of his daughter that was between life and death. My second email to him was exactly pointing out that the price asked was unreal and I suspected of a bad deal. He responded aggressively to me and then he sent the front page of his passport together with a number of ID cards of him (see files enclosed).
Considering that I had talked three times on the phone with him and considering the documents that he sent I considered the deal safe and I proceeded with the negotiations. Then came the first strange fact: he asked me to send half of the payment through Paypal to a different email address and I did. Just some minutes later he refunded the money for me and asked me to send instead a Bank Transfer because he was not familiar with the Paypal processes. At this point began my mistakes. I must have suspected then because Paypal is quite simple and nobody feels any difficulties to operate with Paypal. Then, the next day I paid the integral balance of 2500 pounds to a Bank in Sweden. The account number he provided me is real and the beneficiary name is really Stig Olsen otherwise my bank in Brazil would not have closed the transfer. I added 200 pounds more because I told him that I would pay the shipping costs to Portugal.
The account number he provided me is below with all the data needed to make an international transfer.
His account data is:

Beneficiary - Stig Olsen

Bank name - ICA BANKEN AB

IBAN and Account Number: SE4392700000092718482516

SWIFT Code: IBCASES1xxx

Address: Landsvagen 45 SE-345 29 Solna Sweden


His telephone numbers:

+447927318729, or +44 7024030260

The refunded money at the Paypal never entered my account. On the third day of negotiations he wrote to me saying that his daughter had died. He had been at UPS and the shipping company asked him of an exportation license, otherwise they would not be able to ship the scope to Portugal. This Export Declaration would cost 600 pounds and he asked me to send the money promptly so that he could ship the scope to Portugal. Taking into account that this is not really true (I know that people buy and sell everything through the web without any special requirements in Europe), I told him that I was not going to send any money before the Paypal refund entered my account. At this point I was certain I had been caught in a fraud and that this man had deceived me.
At this time I was myself convinced that this deal was a trick. But it was too late. In the astrobuysell site (www.astrobuysell.com) this man is already mentioned in the site as an example of fraudulent email and criminal behavior. He is so dangerous and professional criminal that he managed to block my personal computer in Brazil and I was unable to access any site. I am getting access to the WEB through my Iphone.
This was the last approach he used just for me not to see the post of November 2 nd warning members against this man. I think that the real Stig Olsen must have had his passport stolen and someone cloned it for the purpose of getting money from ingenuous people like me.
Upon request I can send the complete sequence of emails exchanged between myself and this man. I consider urgent to advise the Astronomical Amateur Communitty against this man. I have taken some steps in this direction warning colleagues througouth the globe.

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