SCAMMED FOR $1300!

[@GemMintCollectibles]

Post video update…besides getting the refund from PayPal, the tracking number provided shows delivered to another statue and weighs 1lb.

[@figuredrawing4912]

Damn. SMH

[@ActionJacksonForever]

You didn’t ask for photos on that statue brother?

[@obijuank6044]

Good to hear got refund, the title lead me to believe you lost it.

[@hardcorecollectibles]

Damn dude. He really tried it.

[@thecurmudgeon7350]

Jeez...Good you got the refund though.

[@WobblezGB]

Just based on the wording he was using, I 100% believe the dudes account was hacked and overtaken by a scammer. Groups keep getting flooded with scams of people randomly having exactly what an ISO post is looking for.

[@Rocket_Punch_]

Language used is almost word-for-word the same used by overseas scammers on eBay

[@guccimane3731]

Definitely some India call center scammers that pretend to be PayPal/amazon/eBay

[@imbatman505]

Sounded like Charlie Kelly from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

[@JimmyJaxJellyStax]

When it gets this complicated in communication, it's a scam.

[@Framer_Mike]

100%

[@davecironelibrarykid]

I’ve run into these types of guys a few times. The standard tactics repeat each time - repeating your name to build rapport, stringing the conversation along to get the payment cleared, and changing the story re: shipping delays. Good job laying all this out for the community.

[@DConstructiveCritic]

Textbook Indian scammer

[@TechnoGhosty]

scammers always hit with the "i trust deep in you, you should trust in me" and the whole "you are like family to me" whatever else sweet talk they can think off to try win you over for whatever reason, as if that will ever make being bull shitted around losing $1300 better.

[@wylier]

I think those tactics are designed to lure in the 'sucker', by making him feel more at ease with the scammer.

[@dormeil96]

This was an insane story the whole conversation sounds like you were talking to an AI trying to be human

[@GemMintCollectibles]

Trust me. Every thing will arrive in tact.

[@shadowplague]

Killing me with this post LOL man brutal ridiculous scammers these days.

[@Tom-gp6oy]

It was Google's LaMDA. After it became sentient, it started scamming people on paypal, thus passing the true modern Turing Test.

[@VonUnaussprechlichenKulten]

Yup, whether I'm buying or selling, whenever someone hits me up like that nonstop I'm like "oh boy" because 9/10x it's gonna be some bullllshit. And if anyone ever told me to sleep well or some shit - I'm out.

[@stevemessengerart]

i am forlorned for your dispositions Steven. For one to think that by happenstance this might be a thief swindler or scamming artist is beyond the heavens. please scan a copy of all of your legal documents in case the tracking number is failure to me I am not Raymond but a friend who knows about the priority mail he was to send via parcel :D LOL

[@GemMintCollectibles]

Lmao

[@thecurmudgeon7350]

😂😂😂😂

[@billmcclintock1350]

That's funny right there 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@hey_keith]

Yo, you got that scammer lingo down 100! LOL! This is exactly how they be speaking!

[@mrkevinhaughey]

This is fucking amazing. So funny.

[@deananthony5248]

I work at the post office and If it was truly intercepted the tracking would say intercepted. This dude was a straight up scammer. Way too many red flags to give the benefit of the doubt. I give you props for being so professional.

[@godsendtsen829]

Perfect example for a scammer, asking a lot of fake excuses and it’s so obvious

[@RageReq0]

I really like how professional and respectful you were through the whole thing, even when it was obvious you were getting pretty pissed.

[@GemMintCollectibles]

I try man

[@ashihtaka]

Gem i feel rage just hearing you go through this.

[@henryyful]

Scammer for sure. Thank you for this video. It helps the community big time.

[@AlphaProto]

From the way those text messages are worded. It seems like someone using a language translator like Google Translate.

[@predsdreads3179]

You were right to be skeptical, 100% a scammer. Sucks you went through that during an already stressful time.

[@joshuatosado7819]

I’m glad you didn’t do business with this scammer. People need to honor good business and warn of bad business. Kudos to you brother.

[@AllEliteFunkos]

Thanks for sharing these experiences to help the community 🙏🏽

[@danielmitchel31310]

Awesome video again Gem!

[@GSPRKY]

Outlook emails are always sketchy in the fraud/scam world.

[@morgant5160]

He was definitely trying to scam you! Great job not falling for it and I’m glad you put his info out there so no one else gets scammed.

[@nikchesh8758]

"Thank you for.... .your forbearance"..... it was at this point Stephen finally knew he'd been scammed. (All jokes aside, sorry to see this happened to you! Thanks for sharing with/warning the community. Hope you find your knightfall).

[@xXCigarXx]

Yeah,hit him with the forbearance......what the hell....

[@shanevonlichtenstein4820]

What a scamming pos. So many red flags. It's good you tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but even better that you've been in this game long enough to protect yourself. Im glad it worked out for you and good luck with the move dude.

[@reclaimer2851]

Funny how he tried to take your money, instead he provides you with content to make even more.

[@GemMintCollectibles]

Exactly! Got me back in the algo lol

[@jackdettmer179]

Glad you got it figured out!! these scammers suck... I was JUST scammed $300 by a custom figure maker... took my money and ran, blocking me on socials... tried to dispute it through Paypal like you did but sadly they said theres nothing that can be done since it was a "friends and family" transfer and not a business one :( dont even know what to do...

[@LegionofComics]

Glad you were able to get your money back and a good story to share with us.

[@THectOrtiz]

Sorry to hear about this scammer. You had way more patience with this person than I think I would’ve had.

[@user-uu5mu1fs6d]

Great video Stephen. It entertaining watching my dude.

[@DJLINX]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@gregwait3553]

Thanks for sharing this! I appreciate you making a video!! Never will do business with this scammer!

[@paintedpages]

Gem, first off, sorry you had to deal with some bull shit before you had the move. You most definitely did the right thing cuz he was totally trying to scam you. I have a personal grudge against scammers. Some lowlives pretty much took my grandfather's entire wealth when he was going through his dementia, at least you were smart enough to figure it out. I feel sorry for all those that they actually have taken advantage of. Hope the move went well. Will you be doing a live this Sunday? Or are you still trying to settle in?

[@wesdan360]

My brother is starting to get heavily into selling MMA collectibles online. I watched your vid and forwarded it to him. It was very helpful. Thank you for doing what you do!

[@oggy350]

This the sort of story that terrifys me about buying statues from other sellers outwith actual companies. Glad to hear you got ur money back dude 👍🏻

[@benfuller3413]

Yeah I'd never buy from anywhere outside off sideshow or something, if it was someone like gem I would but outside of that you just never can be 100% it isn't a scam

[@bronzevillecomics2581]

I’m surprised this guy had the time to try to sell you a statue between making calls for your car’s warranty.

[@howlettcorps5996]

Wow you’re super patient! I would of noped put of that right away with that shipping nonsense. He totally sounds like them scammers from India.

[@robd1329]

...dank u...com agin!

[@rc75905]

It's like a car wreak, I can't look away.

[@Just_Pele]

Two months ago the same sh-t happened to me with a CBCS 9.2, ASM #9, for $10k. The guy used the same tactics and a very similar weird choice of words, only I got to talk with my scammer, as he was pressuring me to send the money via F&F (yeah, right) and confirm that I'd received the item, but the package wasn't even showing up as received by USPS yet. He had a strange Slavic accent and said he was originally from Croatia. But I told him, no comic in-hand, no confirmation, no matter what he says. So of course the item was never shipped, because he never had the book. His number doesn't work anymore either. I saved copies of the images he'd messaged to me, and after some sleuthing I discovered they were swiped from a post on the CGC forums, and then he'd altered them to try and keep them from showing up in image searches.

[@toeknee1505]

WOW!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!! The things people do AND try to get away with. I feel bad that this has happened to you. It should never happen to anyone, and I hope that individual (the hacker/scammer texting you, who possibly COULD be different from the family photo) doesn't do this to anyone else. Thanks for the video Gem! And I am sorry that this has happened to you.

[@johnnieriot13]

You can’t intercept a package. I’ve never heard or seen that before. Definitely a scam

[@steveg1700]

Another F'n Scammer, Sorry you had to deal with this shit in an already stressed environment, you handled it like a Pro. Moving always Sucks, glad you're finally in and enjoying Texas!

[@NicaVadeR]

Nice editing, getting better and better Gem

[@GemMintCollectibles]

DJ Linx edited

[@jasonsmith6795]

The moment he says "send a pic of the transaction", you know it's a scam! There is no reason that is needed in ANY online transaction.

[@Goose_Willis]

For me, USPS tracking is really hit and miss. I sent out a package on a Monday. The guy on the receiving end saw no tracking updates all week and was getting upset. I decided if there was no tracking updates by the following Monday(1 week after shipping) I would go ahead and refund him. Suddenly, late Friday, the 1st tracking update happened as being received in his city(I'm in Denver, he's in San Francisco). USPS is always like that,

[@xXCigarXx]

What that means is it didn't get scanned correctly for acceptance it only got scanned upon arrival at a sorting location apparently in your case there aren't any stops between you and that sorting location where it would get scanned a second time while in transit.

[@lukeoreilly5209]

This was quality viewing, great story haha Glad to hear it all worked out for you in the end. It’s good to provide these kinds of stories with the community so we know what to be on the look out for. Cheers Gem 👍🏻

[@darkhorse7248]

Well played. That guy was definitely a scammer. We'll never know who he or she really is though. Sounds like the scammer is offshore.

[@alexpaar2708]

Oh men , scary shit , be careful. There is a lot of people doing this type of scams . I Hope you get you money back. Thanks for Sharing you story .

[@badprotocol1105]

This is exactly why I haven't tried to sell or buy any statues (unless they're in hand) on the after market. I literally have EVERYTHING I've ever bought 😂. I don't need the money....just more space.

[@genefactor007]

I totally get this comment. I've only ever sold to my best friends. Way less hassle.

[@twocansams6335]

If your going to sell anything ether do it in person where you can see it or do it on ebay, just send them a link to your post or they send you one and ebay will take care of the sale, if they don't send it to you ebay will refund your money and sue the seller.

[@badprotocol1105]

@@twocansams6335 Thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind because I know eventually I'll want to sell some of these things! I like them but I can't keep everything forever.

[@stitchgrrr5973]

Nice take on the whole situation. You continuously gave him/it honest chances just trying to make a deal. Next time someone your doing business with asks how’s your sleep and they’re not selling you a mattress ABORT!

[@SgtSlauterbach]

Haha definitely a very sketchy transaction. I don’t recall a time where USPS (or Canada Post in my case) ever provided me with a much larger shipping box (for free no less) to ship away any of my statues. I’ve always had to either find or provide my own box for shipping. Scammers seem to be popping up more & more these days. I’d say next time definitely ask the buyer for some photos or short recording of the actual statue along with their name & date somewhere in the recording. If they’re not willing to do that, then I tell them to have a nice day!

[@fandomcomics4815]

Good you stuck to your gut feeling. Bleep that & every scammer. 👍

[@WalkerJoe23]

Damn Brother! I can't stand shit like this. Makes me blood boil🤣 Thanks for putting this out there. Helps seeing and hearing about stuff like this so that smaller collectors don't get scammed. Don't have that GemMint $$ to throw around. Hope you find that statue somewhere else 🤘

[@danieljoe3000]

Scammers are out there tough right now... Tried to get me last week but hit the brakes on em... Good looking out and giving heads up to the don't knows.

[@hammbone8184]

The thing is bro if you were watching someone else go through this you would have recognized early on that this was a scam but you had those collector goggles on and had tunnel vision. Most of us all go through that or have they gone through that once or twice in our collecting career

[@tommiethomas433]

Listening to your story, i was originally concerned that he would send you a box of BS and use the tracking history to try and claim with Paypal that you received the statue if you disputed the charge. Glad it worked out in your favor. Trust your gut on these online purchases from unknowns. Happy Collecting.

[@michaelsicilia]

And this effin’ guy has a working PayPal account but you don’t…ok 🧐 Sorry for the redonkulousness, Gem. Handled like a true champ and gave that joker every opportunity to prove he wasn’t a total scamming scumbag. So glad you got refunded for this mess. 💎

[@spideyspowderdtumblers707]

Dam glad you got the refund. I had one guy pull a scam after he won a giveaway. Gave me a sad story and needed to sell some things for his vet bill. Sent him some cash never got the items. People need to be careful thank you for sharing

[@MudPig6110]

Man I've had multiple people ask me to pay friends and family over the last several months, normally that's a huge red flag but with Paypal sending the IRS tax info people are pissed. Makes the whole hobby more expensive. Thankfully on the larger purchase I did the person was within driving distance, so made it a lot easier to pay when I had the piece sitting right there.

[@ramenshaman5734]

I know this irrelevent to the video, but congrats on the weight loss! It's inspirational to see you put in the work and discipline to drop the weight.

[@GemMintCollectibles]

🙌

[@sonicpulse535]

Personally, when this guy constantly demanded your action to click the recipe button I would have cut him off. The most obvious sign of a hacker/ scammer. Surprised you didn't report him with the evidence you have.

[@thepewbroswreeo5126]

Thanks for sharing. Just started collecting/selling again and you have helped immensely in your videos. Love a Clean Box! Much Love and Thanks.

[@flankster117]

Wow crazy all that bad English grammar is as such red flags. Also showing the old video of you then back to you. My man the weight loss is unreal. Totally different person. You handled this situation appropriate. Zero chance this guy isn't a scammer.

[@NicksKixComics]

Scammers are the F'N worst- Glad you got some way to get your $$ back-- I like the replay of the messages you got on screen, that was dope..

[@richardzaric2524]

That was a total scam. Good on your for not falling for it. I hope you got your money back.

[@richardbond2793]

I had someone do this to me recently, seemed super fishy. I felt uncomfortable with the transaction and then we got on fb messenger and went along with him calling me. Gave me a super sketchy email and kept trying to send money through cash app. I don't use cash app. I only use paypal for security reasons. When I realized it started to be too suspicious I canceled the transaction and blocked him from all of the social media accounts. Sorry you had to deal with this and glad you took care of it.

[@barranness]

Thanks for sharing. Lots of red flags there. Great job pointing out those red flags. Good eye.

[@Deephouse_Gent66]

"How did I try to scam you, Stephen? Never tarnish my name." LOLOLOLOLLLLLLOLOLOLOLOLLLLL!!!!!! Simply hilarious! Sorry you went thru all that, but glad you ultimately did not lose money.

[@edcadavid310]

Now i know why you couldnt explain that shit on FB and had to make a video. Fn scammers im glad you knew better my man. Keep the good content up and ill still be watching. Peace!

[@briancollects]

Unbelievable. Dealing with these fools is one of the worst things about the collectibles world. It’s a reason why more vaults/exchanges w/guarantees and platforms like shortboxed need to come in an compete to bring us lower prices and quality services. I also wish law enforcement would go after these thieves more often, but I’m guessing most go unreported and get investigated even though the money is often in the thousands and it’s a nightmare for those impacted, but most of those agencies are strapped for resources too. Sorry you had to deal with this. 😏 thank for sharing✌️

[@wrabbit3]

Congradulation on being careful gem mint collectibles and glad u got your refund. This is a good experience and learning for u and thank u for sharing this content for us to learn to be careful

[@richardbehrle1496]

I absolutely HATE PayPal! I’ve been scammed once and those jerks never responded to my claim and I lost $95, the worst part was that I thought they had my back.

[@markarthcityguardTM]

Fuuuck man so sorry to hear this, people who do this really need to have a self evaluation and take a long hard think man

[@CptSauce]

As someone who bought their first statue recently, this seems like a nightmare to me. Glad you got your money back.

[@Joehatrix]

Same! I just got my first one a month ago. Hopefully it wont turn into an addiction 😂

[@SphericalChild]

Man, watching this video was crazy!!! I'm glad you got your money back. Thank you for sharing, I learned a lot from this video.

[@xellosmetallium8519]

Scammers, ugh, the worst thing about them is the time they waste. sad.

[@nolakazi]

This video was funny as hell. I know when I’m talking to a hacker/fake person. They text way to nice and try to be way to polite while saying the same dumb shit. I love leading them on lmao

[@DocSmizzle]

Oh yeah olde boy definitely try to pull a scam. Red flags started popping up with those first few messages. Definitely seems like a hacked or a phished account. Definitely a scammer. Glad you were vigilant with this process and sorry this had to happen during your move.

[@Hazard2005]

Thanks for sharing this story and I'm also a fellow El Pasoan 👍

[@Bottna]

Damm, I would never buy so expensive stuff on second hand market with shipping. Only face to face.

[@best9642]

Bro, that story you told got me lmao, good god, dammmmmmm, you killing the game with that story. Man, look it here, that dude is a professional scammer for sure without a doubt, and then he kept trying to butter you up with phrases like, "My dude", and yes, you are correct, he was using pressure like hell. On the real tho, that was one comical ass story. If you ever wright a comic book, add this true life time story in there. I am laughing so hard that I got tears in my eyes, I am glad everything worked out for you in the end though.

[@best9642]

@UCpWYoHcsQR4nc4mMyJ9Q06Q why are you a scammer?

[@gameofyou1]

Way too many red flags, to consider this transaction legit. You were a lot more patient with him, than I would have been, lol.

[@israelnieves7785]

Good thing you followed your senses, that dude was totally trying to scam you… he’s a piece of shit, glad you were able to check this guy

[@joegijoe2431]

Great episode Gem Thank you

[@splugereport]

Cool vid and man you looking healthy. Love the "professor" chat with scammers... so polite lol

[@richardgulczynski4508]

Same thing happened to me once. Email chats etc. Seller said shipped, tracking number provides, but to a random address in my town but not my address or physicall address. Post office was little help but it was PayPal goods and services who saved the day. Still a stressful situation. Hate for anyone to go through this and ruin what is a fun hobby.

[@ccicecold8388]

Your a real one man. Even gonna give the dude 250 after it was all said and done, that's what's up. Even though he was a prick and gave you the runaround. Enjoy your content man, keep it up!

[@ninjanigel]

He’s 150% a Scammer Stephen so good you showed us this vid

[@HalfmoonsPicks]

If you have to have more than 1 conversation, then it's a scam.

[@comicsrgreat]

Dude, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that in the middle of a move. Unfortunately there are people in this world that are underhanded and try to steal people's hard-earned money by either scamming or getting over on them. While I've never had that, I've had a couple of people "purchase" an item from me on eBay but never paid for them. I guess they try to see if anyone would send the item without checking to see if they've gotten the money yet. In any case, I hope your move went well & good luck to you & Phie in Wisconsin! - Sincerely, ComicsRGreat!

[@louisbernardy2219]

Wow, what a time suck this must have been for you. Thanks for posting.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

So glad you got it back! Thumbnail had me like, oh nooo!!!

[@codyemery7534]

Red flag when someone says my name multiple times. I almost want to a "Stephen count" lmao

[@codyemery7534]

It's Henry Stewart coming back in disguise for the spawn statue lol

[@CaptHomeGardens]

Thanks for the info. F scammers

[@raptorrancher]

Better than a Netflix show. Great with my morning coffee, yo.

[@LowellLucasJr.]

Ugh...sounds like Ultron's malfunctioning Bots are at it again... But in all seriousness, sorry about this headache you had to deal with. Appreciate the heads up so we can avoid these scammers. Thanks as always and hang in there bro...one day Azrael Batman will be yours!

[@shaheedali651]

Hate to see so many scammers out there. It’s getting out of hand

[@jjval406]

"Did you sleep well? You need to rest bc tomorrow you have to click on confirm receipt and share the screenshot" -Raymond Collins, the caring scammer 😆

[@bobbyleeacn]

You're a good dude Steven, for still giving him the benefit of the doubt that long. When he kept pushing you to click confirm receipt that would've been it for me

[@munchcleveland]

Sorry you had to go through this crap, can't trust anyone nowadays. It's probably best just to stick with the known legitimate studios themselves.

[@DaDaLFG]

I sent my modern books to get pressed by a business that claimed they send out books for grading too.. never seen them since smh

[@brianph9656]

Need to go back and watch this to see if the scammer at least ONE time used a properly formed sentence. Damn! WOW!

[@animegeek6118]

Yah this person clearly doesn’t speak English as a main language. I’m actually surprised you even moved forward with a payment. This shit sounds super shady.

[@markv3065]

I know im late to this conversation but something like this happened to me on Etsy. What a lot of people dont know is that anyone can create a shipping label at any time. A shipping label does not mean it's been shipped or that the item actually exist.