ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Possible scam alert

Had three Indian fellows(East Indian not Native American Indian) call me and ask if I had any electrical equipment or wire to sell. I told him I had a little wire and alot of used equipment, so he wanted to look at it.

When he got to the shop he quickly looked at the equipment, consisting of a mix of condulets, contactors, fuse holders, disconnect switches, etc. He made an offer on the equipment then proceded to talk about the wire, we struck a deal on the wire, he asked to pay me half now, take the wire and pay the balance when he returned to get the rest. I told him he could pay half, and load half, this is not what he wanted, he paid the entire ammount for the wire, loaded up, left and I havent heard from him yet.

These guys also had a nice looking rig F-350 crew cab, powerstroke diesel, triple axle trailer. The truck and trailer had a Florida tag. Before he left I asked him how he got my phone number, he showed me a 4 page print out from Google where he had searched for electricians and plumbers.

I feel sure he was ready to make off with whatever he could, while two of the guys were loading the wire out of my shop one guy kept trying to get me and my partner out of the shop, we did not fall for that either. He liked to use distraction, first he wanted to talk politics, then talk about fishing, or anything else he could come up with. I told him I wanted to talk about lost labor money while I was waiting on him, he got the point.
I guess with times being so tough people will do anything they can to get over on you.

We had a guy show up late last year asking about the same type of scrap. He was using the story that he took it all back to the American Indians in Colorado, and they used it to make and sell trinkets.

Same scenario, he talked a big game about buying the reels, pallets and scrap. He showed a lot of interest in a large quantity of batteries (these are used for emergency power in cellular applications) that I was storing for a customer. I told him that they were slated for jobs, and were not for sale, but he kept on and on about them.

He picked out a bunch of the higher ticket items, Copper and Aluminum, and promised to come back the next day when he had more time to get the pallets and reels.

In the end, he only paid a fraction of what he offered for the whole lot, and he never showed back up.

About 4 days later, our compound was broken into and about $30,000.00 worth of Batteries were stolen. We gave all the information we had on him to the Police, which wasn't much, and he was never found.

Today, the same guy shows back up!!!! Since we can't prove that he stole the batteries, we took down his license plate number, and talked him into giving us his phone number (his number is how I found this post). I had one of my guys taking pics of his truck and trailer, when he saw that, he got pretty upset and left in a hurry.

If I were you, I would take measures to make sure you protect you materials. I don't know if this guy ripped us off or not, but it sure seemed coincidental. He was the only one that I can think of that had knowledge of those batteries in our yard. You couldn't see them from the street.

We are turning over all his info to the Police, and we'll see where it goes from there.

These days video is getting so cheap that I would have cameras running 24/7 looking at anything worth stealing.
Spend the extra money to get good cameras. Look at your pictures and be sure they are good enough to be used in court. (read tag numbers etc)

Based upon experiences...

I just don't allow outsiders to view my assets -- tools or materials.

Such episodes invariably carry the risk that you're dealing with a 'shopper.'

As for the police, crimes against business property are dead last in their priority stack -- regardless of how obvious the criminals have been and how much evidence you have.

BTW, the cops, themselves, mightly resent the fact that they have to fill out even more paperwork because you permitted a property crime to be committed against you. These are normally filled out in pencil or pen -- and go on and on. Only one in a thousand will ever be useful in court.

The courts do not permit cops to delegate report writing. This is established case law, FYI. It's why no police department ever sends over a steno to take your facts down.

The number one reason that cops retire early: they cant' stand to write up another crime report.(!)

The paperwork is scarcely shown in crime dramas -- TV or film.

The only film to touch it realistically was "The Other Guys." (Which is pretty funny, BTW.)

I've been following electrical forums for maybe 15 years now - how time flies! - and this scam comes up fairly regularly.

What amazes me is how similar the pitches are- it's like these guys all went to the same scam college.

Tesla's right, of course. No sense letting just anyone see everything. I usually arrange things so there is an entry area, a foyer, that allows someone in, but contains them to a small, bland area. Here is where first contact is made. Every now and again, I get someone visiting on some pretext or other that practically gives themselves whiplash trying to see further into the business.

Ever known for my tact, I've asked at that point if they're looking for something to steal - and send them packing.

Once I had such a person enter, and it taught me all I needed to know. The gent came in 'looking for work,' then asked to use the restroom. Soon after, he was found in the shop, wheeling a trash can full of our tools out the rear. Lesson learned: See them off, and make sure they leave!

It's also why reception gets pretty frosty, pretty quick, the moment the story starts changing. Are you looking for work, a bathroom - or your next victim?

The second thing that rings my "crook alarm" is when I find myself considering a complete stranger my best friend, within minutes of meeting them h first time. I learned this from meth-heads; their social skills are phenomenal. Lower your guard and lose- fast!