IKnowALittle
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2014
- Messages
- 783
when i browse around looking at guitars, i often see portions of the serial numbers intentionally covered up. is this a new "thing", scam or something more sinister than all that?
Serial #
- Thread starter IKnowALittle
- Start date
Bill SAS 513
Just another old guy in a T-shirt
I think that's been going on for as long as I can remember...for more than a few reasons...(questionable ownership being one of them, or not allowing someone to falsely claim ownership) (NOT insinuating anything...just from what I'd imagine)...I'm sure there are better answers out there...just my first thoughts….
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markd21
New Member
I do it when I post pics/sell online because I got accused of having a stolen guitar once. Somebody saw the serial, copied it, went to the cops - in a different state - and reported the guitar stolen. Then a couple weeks later I got a visit from my local police questioning me for having the "stolen property". I got charged with taking stolen goods across state lines and selling stolen property.
Innocent until proven guilty? Nope. It was VERY expensive and time consuming to PROVE the guitar was mine all along - especially since I didn't have the original receipt of sale. Everything eventually got cleared up and I got my guitar back - forgot to mention it was confiscated as evidence - but it was not treated kindly in the evidence room. It came back bruised and battered, and law enforcement's response was "Oh well". Truthfully, looking back, it cost me more to get the guitar BACK than it did to buy it in the first place. The hassle and stress was brutal. Ugh.
So, from then forward I have always covered serial numbers in pics and when selling because I just don't want to be accused of theft by somebody that is just trying to score a nice guitar for free.
Innocent until proven guilty? Nope. It was VERY expensive and time consuming to PROVE the guitar was mine all along - especially since I didn't have the original receipt of sale. Everything eventually got cleared up and I got my guitar back - forgot to mention it was confiscated as evidence - but it was not treated kindly in the evidence room. It came back bruised and battered, and law enforcement's response was "Oh well". Truthfully, looking back, it cost me more to get the guitar BACK than it did to buy it in the first place. The hassle and stress was brutal. Ugh.
So, from then forward I have always covered serial numbers in pics and when selling because I just don't want to be accused of theft by somebody that is just trying to score a nice guitar for free.
Bill SAS 513
Just another old guy in a T-shirt
Yup...^^^^^ This...Sorry you went through that...but the world is full of idiots and a$$holes.
bodia
Authorities said.....best leave it.....unsolved
Mark, that's brutal. I would have wanted to hunt that bastid down and do terrible things to him......slowly.
markd21
New Member
I agree. This person was meticulous in their plan, though. I am wondering how often this person tried this scam and got away with it.
Yeah....to say the least!!
CandidPicker
Tone Matters. Use It Well.
It's just unscrupulous business practice. Better to exercise caution and not reveal an S/N on a sale guitar than suffer the potential consequences.
merciful-evans
Portsmouth uk
That is a cautionary tale that deserves publicity.
I thought the practice of obscuring S/Ns was to prevent them being used on fake builds. Just an guess/assumption on my part.
I thought the practice of obscuring S/Ns was to prevent them being used on fake builds. Just an guess/assumption on my part.
CandidPicker
Tone Matters. Use It Well.
This. And we should be cautious about revealing proprietary information that could cause unnecessary worry, harm, or danger to ourselves or our property.
There are things we should IMITATE when they are good examples. Bad examples we should avoid. I think that something with a good design is wise to imitate. Something that is poorly designed fails more often than not. Eg. Children's story of house of straw vs. house of bricks.
The practice of obscuring S/Ns IIRC is so potential bidders or buyers cannot falsely accuse you of owning alleged stolen goods. And FTR, supplying false testimony (as either a seller of buyer) in legal cases is punishable by law. Because scamming has increased in recent years, hackers and scammers are using whatever illegal means they can that separates you from your money or goods.
Caveat emptor. Proceed with caution whenever you purchase or sell goods, yours originally, or 2nd hand.
Just like a recent cooking show that said "Bullseye BBQ Sauce" was the preferred sauce chosen by panel experts. Who do they think they're fooling?
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Black Plaid
Other Alan!
Seems kinda crazy they knew your name and address.
markd21
New Member
Oh, this was back in the early 2000s. I was selling on Ebay, and honestly internet/IP security was not the highest priority for me. I had been communicating with several different people on the sale, answering questions about shipping, giving details on the guitar, etc. A lot of what happened was my own cavalier attitude about personal security. Every person I was talking with had my name. A couple of them had my ZIP so they could double check the accuracy of my shipping charges.
When the charges were dropped, I was told that one of the people I was sharing info with was the person that filed the theft report. Ebay had cooperated with law enforcement, giving details on my account - which was subsequently closed. Somewhere along the way they had traced my IP address which is how I was able to be directly located.
Thank you for that explanation! I have always wondered what could go wrong.
Parralax view
New Member
I had always assumed it was to avoid what Mark experienced. Even in guitar world,there are lowlife scums...
