Speaker Scam

Stereo Speaker Scam Sold from Van Fraud

01/08 - (Michigan) — An owner of a local custom sound business says he can’t believe how many calls he has received about a potential stereo equipment scam occurring in the area.

Since last July, Rod Carter, owner of Carters Custom Sound, estimated he’s been called 75 to 100 times regarding a scam in which people buy merchandise from someone with a van full of bad stereo equipment. Within the last few weeks, he said, he’s had five calls from people who fell victim to the scheme.

The people selling this equipment try to catch others coming out of banks or places where electronics are sold, Carter said. Their selling pitch usually involves a claim about unloading extra new stereos they have.

In addition, they tend to present only one or two pieces of equipment at a time even though they might have a van full of equipment. The merchandise is then sold at a fraction of what they say it’s normally sold for, and typically the sellers take cash payments.

Since Carter’s business provides electronic equipment services, he said those who fall victim to the scheme often come to him wanting help with the faulty equipment.

Carter said he remembers watching a news program about five or six years ago about a similar scam and noticed it had picked up again about a year ago.

“There’s a lot more of this going on than people know,” he said.

Carter has heard of people paying from $300 to as much as $1,500 for the equipment, which he said doesn’t even work 80 percent of the time.

To add to their credibility, Carter said, the people selling the equipment make up fake invoices.

“These guys are smooth. And are so good at what they do,” he said.

Lt. Cletus Smith of the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department said the department has received a few tips about the scam.

Smith said he has seen this scheme before and believes it’s coming from Toledo.

“It’s an ongoing thing,” he said. “Last year, we had two or three complaints.”

He said the department doesn’t have any open complaints.

“Right now, we’re seeing an increase in fraudulent crimes,” he said.

Adrian Police Department Detective Sgt. Lynn Courington said, “We get calls on those all the time.”

When the APD receives those calls, he said, often the sellers have purchased vendors’ permits to sell their equipment legally.

He suggested that people buy electronic equipment from a reputable store and not from the back of someone’s van or pickup truck.

As for the people selling the equipment, Courington said they may buy the equipment and put stickers on it. They can also make the equipment look good while it could really be a “piece of junk.”

“The quality isn’t there,” he said.

If anyone does see something that looks “wrong” or illegal, he said, they should contact the Adrian Police Department.

(The Daily Telegraph)

Scammers Sell Crappy Stereo Speakers in White Van Scam

11/08 - (MI) - Buyers on a budget, beware.

Elkhart County Police say some scammers are hitting local shopping plaza lots, hoping to make a few bucks.

Several calls have come in from customers claiming to be scammed by sales people in white vans.

The sales pitch to buy a home-theater system repeatedly sounded too good to be true.

There's a website, genesismedialabs.com, showcasing the must-have home theater system. Part of this pitch is the so-called "over-stocked merchandise" needs to go at cut-rate prices.

There's been no mention of prices, but police say they're being sold by scammers in parking lots all over northern Indiana and southern Michigan. Specifically, Lowe's in Goshen on US 33, a plaza in Three Rivers, and the Ligonier-Kendallville area.

Buyers are handed a brochure making it believable, Genesis Media Labs has "superior audio products" as their website states.

We showed, Roger Rosenberg a copy of the website home page and asked if approached, would he buy? He said, "Probably, so yeah you can't blame the normal person for at least considering it."

Rosenberg said he had already heard about this scam last week from friends.

The merchandise has turned out to be of poor quality despite what buyers are told when sellers quote the manufacturer's suggested retail price.

Police say the scammers are driving around in white vans.

Dominic and Lynn Mattea say, "It's really sad especially with the economy and our local economy as bad as it is, people have been laid off and really don't have money to waste on something like that."

Rosenberg says, "I think you have to stay some place where the name is reputable and trust that it's going to be a good product."

The website says Genesis Media Labs is based out of Los Angeles. There is no phone number to call, so we sent an e-mail. We'll let you know if we get a response.

(wndu.com)

Craigslist Speaker Scam

The old "White Van Speaker Scam" has moved onto craigslist - The same brands of suspicious speakers are being talked up with great new sale lines. They are accompanied by extensive technical jargon that actually means very little or is flat out false. The guy varies his name and phone numbers, but the formatting of the listing is quite obviously done by the same person, insisting that he be contacted by phone (for whatever reason).

Here are some quotes:

"I am selling a pair of very nice, Acoustic Response A/V Monitor floor speakers, Series 707. These sound very good! But I've purchased a larger set of Vandersteen speakers."

"Sensitivity: 97 dB / (2.83V @ 1 meter) That is a very high rating. Measures conversion of power to sound."

Kirsch Speaker Scam

Di Vinci

Palermo

Van Speaker Scam

White Van Scam Speakers

Infinity Scam

Divinci Speakers Scam

Audio Sound Scam Complaints

Digital Research Scam

Street Scams

White Van Speaker Scams