Scamming at the Speed of Light

I've noticed an increasing influx of reports from fellow amateurs regarding the Internet scams they've encountered in the past few weeks and months. While such illicit solicitation is deplorable, it is nigh unto unstoppable over the Internet. If there appears to be little we can do to stop, I believe there are steps we can take to avoid being duped by these Internet highway bandits.

1. Deal only with other amateurs. This is, after all, a site dedicated to amateur radio operators. I am personally suspicious of anyone who does not post their call sign without an explanation; i.e., selling ham gear from an estate of a SK. If you are a ham, and refuse to post a call sign with your ad, or reply with yours in response to mine, don't be surprised if I don't want to do business with you. I have to wonder what you have to hide, that you wouldn't identify yourself by your call.

I have been "hamming" for a number of years, and have met very, very few amateurs who aren't proud of their gear, and equally proud of their reputation. This said, I have read a few accounts on eHam.net that cite licensed amateurs for less-than-honorable behavior, misrepresentations, and outright fraud. I suppose that there will always be those few in any organization that lack the integrity of their peers. Shame on them! We police our ranks, and quickly identify those who don't measure up. Because we do, we enjoy a very favorable standing in the community for our integrity, even if our towers sometimes attract too much attention.

2. Take the time to communicate before you transact. It never hurts to spend the extra time to write to and/or talk with the party with whom you plan to do business. I've made some lifelong friends as a result of chatting about a potential purchase or sale. If, after communicating with the other party, you have reservations, withdraw from the deal. Some of the scams reported recently were never consummated because the potential victim "read through" the QRM to realize that the deal was not straight. It doesn't matter if that rig offered was exactly what you wanted, especially if you sent the money and never received it anyway. Lastly, a timeworn corollary: if a deal appears to be too good to be true, it most likely is!

3. Use a protected means of payment. Many credit card suppliers protect their users in event of fraudulent transactions, stolen cards, etc. Postal and bank money orders provide the space on the document to specify the purpose for which the money order was drawn. Take advantage of these provisions, and never, never pay in cash or negotiables that are not traceable. I always include copies of the correspondence with my means of payment, as well as a simple "bill of sale" summarizing our understanding and the transaction. While this may seems to be frivolous paper, you may be comforted with the knowledge that such documentation supports the concept of a "contract" between you and the other party that is likely enforceable, should you be required to press matters in order to complete the transaction as agreed. The less-than-scrupulous will recognize your paper trail, and may be persuaded to fulfill their end of the bargain as agreed.

I have never been scammed in a deal yet, but I suppose it may happen someday. If it does, I will at least be satisfied that I did everything I could to avoid problems. If I were to pretend that my approach is foolproof, I'm sure that I will be soon surprised. That said, all of us can and should take certain steps to protect ourselves in any way we can. I'm hoping that this posting will encourage other hams to join in with responses that may help us all in this regard.

Thomas C. Steidel

WD5BCL