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| Home Theatre Parking Lot Scam http://www.hawthornevillager.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11110 |
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| Author: | BuildingHomes.ca [ Wed May 07, 2008 8:30 am ] |
| Post subject: | Home Theatre Parking Lot Scam |
Hi folks; I was at the Canadian Tire parking lot eating my lunch when some guy in a black SUV drives up and says, 'Hey! Wanna buy a home theatre system?' Since I design and install home theatre systems, naturally I was interested.. but also because I know about 'these guys'. I asked him his name, he said Steve. He said he got an extra home theatre system from his boss that normally sells for $2000 and willing to let it go for only $600! What a deal! He even had an invoice in his hand showing the pricing that he 'paid'. I told him it wasn't worth $600 and he insisted that this was quality equipment. I took a quick look at it.. It was the same garbage you can buy at XS Cargo for a few hundred bucks. I offered him $50. He got somewhat agitated saying "I paid a lot more than that for it!" I responded, "Ah so the guy you bought it from made money too." I told him that I know what this stuff is, I know what this scam is, and that what he was doing was taking advantage of people. He said that this was all just marketing and that there was nothing wrong with it. I told him that's nice, I have your license plate number, enjoy your day and walked off. This is a well documented scam. They buy cheap systems from someone else higher up the chain, get sent out to drive around parking lots and sell them to unsuspecting buyers for cash. It's garbage. Avoid them. You will be ripped off. |
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| Author: | Wyl [ Wed May 07, 2008 9:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
My Brother got ripped off with these guys a few years ago... They got him at a gas station in Mississauga. He basically bought cheap ass speakers from a back of a cargo van. He paid $150 for the pair, which was WAAYY to much. They were suppose to be 100 watts, three way speakers, fluid cooled, and have a built in passive crossover. The speakers were 100 watts combined (high 15, mid 30 low 55), no fluid anywhere in the speaker, and not over way there no crossover, there were 3 cold solder joints i had to re-solder. All and all he got ripped off. |
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| Author: | kgbrunn [ Wed May 07, 2008 9:45 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I see these types of guys all the time in the parking lot around Hurontario and Eglington (sp). I also got them at heartland by the Costco. They are vultures, and they really are selling crap. |
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| Author: | 2009Miltonite [ Wed May 07, 2008 11:22 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I've seen them everywhere .... even Barrie. |
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| Author: | cov-canuck [ Wed May 07, 2008 11:25 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
What I don't understand is why anyone in their right mind would buy merchandise from the back of a van from someone they don't know regardless of the price. Saying that, my dad did buy half a dozen "leather" (later confirmed to be pleather) coats from a little Italian guy in a motorway service station in England 
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| Author: | veritas [ Wed May 07, 2008 12:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
and a friend of mine bought a dvd player about 8 yrs ago (when they were a little pricy), he never opened the box at the site. When he reached home he found old books in it . Similarly, a colleague at work bought a sealed computer system from a guy who had a web hosting shop. the box was all sealed, whenhe brought it home to open it, it had chinese books in it. Always open and inspect the box befoer you buy it. Best is dont buy it from these fakers |
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| Author: | tfco [ Wed May 07, 2008 1:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I got the same line at Costco a few weeks ago, and it appears to be the same scammer. Black SUV, the same line about "my boss...." and the part about him having the invoice. No thanks |
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| Author: | Matt [ Wed May 07, 2008 1:56 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
They were in the beer store parking lot in Bolton last summer. They were selling an all in one home theatre system with speakers. OPP was there and after an hour they were released. i guess someone called the cops on them Matt |
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| Author: | ppst99 [ Wed May 07, 2008 2:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I was approached by this guy last year at Square One mall's parking lot. he was in a Black Cadillac Escalade (older model). DONT BUY ANYTHING!! ITS GARBAGE!! |
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| Author: | kf095 [ Wed May 07, 2008 3:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Is it new to Canada? I have seen things like this in Europe many years ago. Most common was guys with “Swiss watches”. |
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| Author: | Wyl [ Wed May 07, 2008 5:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I have heard of these guys for many many years.... 10 years at least. here is a list i found of the web to watch out for.... Watch carefully for the similarities in some of the names! Acoustic 3312 Studio Monitor Acoustic Lab Technology Acoustic Monitor Acoustic Response Acoustic Response Series 707 Acoustic Image 3311 / 3312 The above are not to be confused with real companies such as: Acoustic Research, Acoustic Image, Acoustic Lab Technology Advanced Sound Technologies AST X2 1055 Audiofile Audiofile 583LR Audiofile 835LR Audio Tech Dahlton KV 1500 Dahlton KV 2500 TI Speakers Dahlton AV5.1 THX DiVinci - NO CONNECTION TO BOSE LABS AT ALL! DiVinci D6 and ALL other models Denmark Denmark Loud Speaker E830LR The above should not be confused with the real company Denon Digital Audio SL-3810 Digital Audio DA 2000SL / 2000CS Digital Audio 2000 Digital Audio Professional Speaker Systems SL-3810 Digital Audio Skyline 900-SL Digital Audio SL-3910 Speakers Digital Audio 2003 DA 5.1 Pro-Series III Digital Dogg Audio Digital Pro Audio Digital Pro Audio SL-T 2.8 Digital Research 5.1 Pro Series Digital Research DA 5.1 Pro Series III Dogg Digital Dynalab The above should not be confused with the real company Dynamat Epiphany Audio speakers Elite Audio (not to be confused with Yorkville's Elite line of speakers) The above should not be confused with the real company Yorkville Elite Fleetwood Audio Genesis Genesis 508 and all other models Genesis Media Labs Grafdale The above should not be confused with the real company Wharfdale Hauffman Innovative Sound Digital Pro Audio Kirsch X3 The above should not be confused with the real company Klipsch Linear Phase Linear Phase studio monitors The above should not be confused with the real company Phase Linear Matrix Matrix Audio Concepts Matrix MX-505T & all other models Millenium Millenium MTS 2208 Omni Audio PSD PSD (2. 
The above should not be confused with the real company PSB PTS (Precision Transducer Systems) Palermo Palermo VA 6.1 Paradyme The above should not be confused with the real company Paradigm Pro Audio Pro Dynamics Proline Acoustic Protecsound PT-5000 digital surround sound system speakers Samurai 518 Skyline AD-900SL Skyline Digital Denmark 800 or 900 "series" Studio Tech Studio Tech (Pro Poly Series) Theater Innovations (Ti 5100) Theater Logic Theater Research TR-900 Theater Research TR-1120 Theater Research TR-1410 Digital Sound Speakers Theater Research 2380 Theater Research TR-2810 Theater Research TR-5210 Professional Home Theater Theater Research TR5160 Theater Research TR6000 Theater Research TR-6100 Digital Sound/5.1 Home Cinema Theater Research 8810 Theater Research Pro Series III Professional Home Ultra Digital Labs Manufacturers of these garbage speakers: • Audio Wood Products • Century Distributors PTY LTD • PTS (precision Transducer Systems - Dynalab • Global Audio Network • JAM Entertainment/JAM Enterprises, now known as Kelfi Distributors • Millennium Speakers • Omni Audio or Omni Audio Products • Orca Distributors • Republic Distributors, Inc. (parent of Omni and Dynalab) or Republic Distributors Of Canada or Republic Distribution GmbH • Sound Illusion Production |
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| Author: | H&R [ Wed May 07, 2008 7:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
TechMonkey wrote: MiltonNew2007 wrote: I have a list of my own that is shorter and slightly easier to remember. 1) Guy selling you anything in a parking lot? Don't buy 2) Guy selling you something at your door? Don't buy 3) Guy selling you something over the phone? Don't buy There we go, just like that we've resolved 99% of the problems people face in terms of getting scammed. The sad thing is that if everyone followed the above rules, these guys would disappear because there would be nothing in it for them. In a way they are a product of the gullibility of the public at large... sad but true. I LOVE MiltonNew 2007's list of 3 things to look out for!! |
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| Author: | Rizwan [ Thu May 08, 2008 7:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
About 10 years ago I got approached in a Zellers parking lot....same situation. These guys told me that they "loaded" an extra set of Samurai speakers and they were willing to sell them off at something like 500 bucks. I chuckled a bit, then offerred the 35 dollars I had in my pocket and a broken disc man (remember those ???). 10 years later, the speakers are still kicking in my garage. Laptops are another scam. Someone I know got took - in the shrunk wrapped package they got a brand new, deluxe........phone book. And a free interent CD (AOL). That was one expensive phone book !!!! |
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| Author: | gcpeart [ Fri May 09, 2008 7:20 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I had always assumed that guys in the trucks had real goods, but they were stolen. I guess for those to lazy to steal something of legitimate value to fence in a parking lot, they are just pretending with some cheap garbage. |
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| Author: | miltonLeo [ Fri May 09, 2008 4:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
gcpeart wrote: I had always assumed that guys in the trucks had real goods, but they were stolen.
That's what makes it such a clever scam, because everyone does assume that. Makes it unlikely that they'll get caught, as long as they don't hang around in one place too long, since not too many marks would actually call the cops afterward. Would be a great conversation to eavesdrop on though ... "Yeah, so I was trying to buy some stolen goods in the Canadian Tire parking lot but I mistakenly bought a phonebook instead. Now I want to press charges!!" It's also why there's not much sympathy for the marks -- probably more like snickering behind their backs. Kind of poetic justice.
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