Hi all; thought I should post this info; I did a bit yesterday in another post as well. If you post pics of your bike, ( and we all like to share them, I know, I do too) make sure your license plate is covered or removed. I found a pic of my Drifter online yesterday, being used in an ad by someone in the SFBay area. If the license plate is visible in a pic, anyone viewing the pic can find out where you live from that and the risk of your bike being stolen increases dramatically. Just a heads up. :)
Regards and such,
49Reo
Did you get a hold of him and have it taken down?
I think all the members of this forum should start to call the dude and show an interest and see what we can get the bike for.
Good info. The only problem for me is I live in a town of 10,000 people and own the one and only '99 1500 Drifter I have seen in three years. Most people know me and where I live. Now they know my bike. I guess it's the problem when you own a rare bike. But not to worry. Here's a picture of my guard dog Rex just in case anyone stops by to take a spin on my bike. "Here Rex old pal." "Good boy, now bring me that man's leg."
Yes, I did email him yesterday am; he emailed back, stating "it is taken care of" But it is still up there. I was emailed CONSTANTLY by this same person a couple of months ago, he was wanting to buy a set of pipes I have for sale. I told him I was keeping them for spares, in case of an accident, and did not want to part with them any more. He kept sending "weird" for lack of a better word, emails, suggesting I sell to him. Finally after several days he quit. This is the same guy. All I can say is, it is no laughing matter; this is serious. He is advertising with false pretense; I have emailed the advertising host and informed them as well; so will see what happens.
49,very good info for those who are unaware of the many scams that are out there.There's various scams that involve motorcycle sales etc.What they do is take photos of an item that doesn't belong to them and post it for sale and come up with different scenarios,such as "They work on a cruise ship as a casino dealer" and so on.As buyers be very aware of this!Never send money Western Union especially.I had friend that found this out the hard way,set him back $3500 on a web site called OODLE.It's like Craigslist.Who ever made up the post was good,too because they even had the EBAY buyer protection web page and all.He showed me everything he had from this seller and it all looked legit.Long story short this fella went to the authorities and they wouldn't even help him out because it was out of state.My personal opinion they didn't want to do any leg work being it wasn't their dime......This scam is real big especially in big college towns!49 if I were you I would contact both the local law officers as well as the State Troopers....who knows maybe this is one crook they can stop before someone innocent falls victim........
He hasn't actually listed my bike for sale; he states: (the following is copied from his ad)
Kawasaki VN1500 Vulcan Drifter Parts,Solo Seat,Exhausts,MORE!
2000 Kawasaki VN1500 Vulcan Drifter Indian Look Parts
Factory Kawasaki black optional solo seat with fringe professionally added,
Includes RARE UNOBTAINABLE mounting brackets and all needed hardware.
$400 F I R M.
Cobra Classic 2-1, and a complete 49 State Factory Kawasaki OEM exhaust system.
Cobra Performance 2 into 1 Classic chrome exhaust.
Looks exactly like an original 1948 Indian Chief exhaust,no longer made or available.
Absolutely the best performing,deep mellow sounding and "looking the part" pipe for the Drifter.
NOTE,The pipe is NOT blued as it appears in the pics, it's the reflection off the rubber mat it's on.
IT'S PERFECT
$400 F I R M !
Kawasaki factory 49 State NO catalytic converter,perfect condition complete exhaust,$350
More PICTURES ARE ON THE NET if no knowledge of what these parts are.
The picture of the bike is to show what the Cobra system looks like on a Drifter.,IT IS NOT THE PIPE FOR SALE.
Again all parts in perfect condition and NONE are available new any longer.
The line in yellow is the line about my bike, and the pic is on there as well. I just want to let people know it is not wise to show their license plate in their pics.
Regards,
49Reo
I still think it is fraud..if he has the parts for sale why not post photo's of what he has..
You could save several people from losing a lot of money...after all if you are selling something you don't have you can sell it to as many people as you want to.
John.
I contacted our local branch of the RCMP today and did not get anywhere. I am going to get hold of the "Fraud Squad" tomorrow and see how far I get. I am also going to try to get in touch with the California authorities as well. Will definitely keep everyone in the loop on what I find out.
Regards,
49Reo
I talked to my cousin today concerning this; he thinks what the guy is doing, is advertising to sell these parts after finding the parts for sale cheaper than what he can get for them. Then, when he has a buyer, he contacts the seller, sends payment, and has the parts shipped to the buyer after getting paid for them. He never handles the parts, never has parts sitting around tying up his money. Unethical, underhanded too; kind of like being an unlicensed parts broker. No matter what or how he is doing it, I am quite pi$$ed at being caught in the middle of it am going to do what I can to stop it.
Regards,
49Reo
I know a Sgt in the RCMP fraud unit here, he deals mostly with telephone fraud, but I'll ask him about this and see what he can tell me.......I think we should all ride to SF and beat him up ...lol......school yard tactics.......lol....or send PC after him.
Quote from: CDNRatMan on February 13, 2013, 18:32:47 PM
I think we should all ride to SF and beat him up ...lol......school yard tactics.......lol....or send PC after him.
Good idea, I'll just have to build a ramp and get a really good run up to get over the wet bit between us..
John.
Yeah, you don't want to get it too wet; it might shrink down to an 800 like Ratman's ride :o...... that wouldn't do!! ;D
Joking aside, let me know what your Fraud Squad friend thinks, Ratman.
Regards,
Fred
The ad is still up but now it says "More PICTURES ARE ON THE NET if no knowledge of what these parts are." Doesn't look like he was trying to sell your bike but it looks like he was just too damn lazy to get one of the million Kawasaki Drifter promo photos off the net. (Not that he had the right to use them either) The ad looks legit for what he is selling but he had no right to use a photo of your bike. There are a lot of scam ads on craig's list. Next time you see a possible scam like this just keep flagging it every time it comes up. Eventually the dumb ass will get the idea he's doing something wrong or they will pull his account.
As a side note I bought my 1500 off Craig's list. It was across the lake in Michigan. Fortunately I had relative who lived close to the guy. I asked them to pop over and look at the bike. My nephew said he knew nothing about bikes. I said no problem. I just want to know if it is real and not a scam. Fortunately it was real and now it's mine.
Quote from: jmbo on February 13, 2013, 18:54:57 PM
The ad is still up but now it says "More PICTURES ARE ON THE NET if no knowledge of what these parts are." Doesn't look like he was trying to sell your bike but it looks like he was just too damn lazy to get one of the million Kawasaki Drifter promo photos off the net. (Not that he had the right to use them either) The ad looks legit for what he is selling but he had no right to use a photo of your bike. There are a lot of scam ads on craig's list. Next time you see a possible scam like this just keep flagging it every time it comes up. Eventually the dumb ass will get the idea he's doing something wrong or they will pull his account.
As a side note I bought my 1500 off Craig's list. It was across the lake in Michigan. Fortunately I had relative who lived close to the guy. I asked them to pop over and look at the bike. My nephew said he knew nothing about bikes. I said no problem. I just want to know if it is real and not a scam. Fortunately it was real and now it's mine.
Yeah, I agree; I never accused him of trying to sell my bike; sorry if I misled anyone on that. He IS using my pic to sell his parts; which is wrong. I too bought my 1500 through a Craigslist listing as well; it was in Calgary Alberta. My brother-in-law lives there so he did an inspection of it for me, and long story short it has been mine for 5 years now. back to the numbskull on Craigslist; I do want to get him pulled, am at working towards that.
Regards,
49Reo
Quoteit might shrink down to an 800 like Ratman's ride
oh again with the hurtful hammering.....and here I am willing to go and take care of this guy for you.........oh my feeling is getting a real hammering this week from you......
49 I would contact the seller and see how he's accepting payment for what ever item you choose to buy,let's say.If it's legit simpley ask him if he would mind taking your pic off his advertisemant because your simpley uncomfortable with his post.If you feel it's fraudulent on the other hand at least you'll have a # to provide authorities to try to track this seller down to an address or name.Also like jmbo said flag this post and report back so we can also flag it before som poor fellow falls into this trap.Honestly if it is scam the authorities simply don't get to involved because it's just to much leg and paper work,as my friend found out the hard way.Being his scam happened out of state the locals directed him to the state police and they just sat on it.They wouldn't even call him back after leaving numerous messages.Finally he just gave up and accepted his lossesI'm sure PC will have a better handle on this subject being he deals with selling and buying goods.I'm with Ratman on his idea.Being I'll have to ride bobber style with no rear fender at the moment so I'll lose a whole whopping 10 pounds on my drifter maybe I can keep up with the 1500"s....Excuse my language but,"LET"S GO KICK SOME ASS"
I'm reading this thread and just I'm just freaking out!
Well I hate to sling mud at what might be a legit thing; (however if it WAS legit, why is my pic involved?) but I found fiour other ads by this person, wanting to buy and sell these parts, as well one other ad states he sold his bike on the same day he is looking to buy parts for same bike.
Somethin' fishy in Denmark, by golly! :o
Regards,
49Reo
ok now as PC would tell you calm down take a deep breath and think nice thoughts.....
think about it .....perhaps...
this person does not have a cmaera to take the pictures to post....
this person may have the parts to sell and is learning about selling on line
this person means well and he wants to help others by buying thier old parts and sell them to people who can not afford to spend a lot
this person might be running multiple ads to ge tthe word out there.....
see a good reason for using a picture of a rightous ride......ok...calm now?
I shouldn't even dignify that with a response; but I guess I just did.
;D ok go and shake your head again.........
oh still buddies?
How does showing your tag increase theft potential.????.. you show it to hundreds in the area you ride/live everytime you ride.. and some folks are really proud of their tags... :P. Seriously, educate me on that.
Every pic on the web is stealable..if it shows up on the screen I can copy it. If you are really concerned about it, don't post it. Otherwise, you can add text or watermark to in the image area and make it hard for viewers and slow down pic thieves.
I've locked the gallery so only registered members can see the pics. Guests can read posts here, but not attachments, so they won't see pics unless they are embedded in the post.
Quote from: chief on February 14, 2013, 00:12:05 AM
How does showing your tag increase theft potential.????.. you show it to hundreds in the area you ride/live everytime you ride.. and some folks are really proud of their tags... :P. Seriously, educate me on that.
Every pic on the web is stealable..if it shows up on the screen I can copy it. If you are really concerned about it, don't post it. Otherwise, you can add text or watermark to in the image area and make it hard for viewers and slow down pic thieves.
I've locked the gallery so only registered members can see the pics. Guests can read posts here, but not attachments, so they won't see pics unless they are embedded in the post.
You are right; your tag is visible wherever you go. There is the potential for a thief to take your # down just seeing you riding around. However, if your bike (or vehicle for that matter) is posted on the 'net, people who make their living stealing vehicles, bikes, atv's etc, those people can and do use the 'net to find marks. They can hack in to DMV or insurance company(here in B.C. you HAVE to buy your plate from the provincial government-run insurance company, ICBC) databases to find your address. I'm not saying that posting your pic with the tag showing is going to get your ride stolen, but it does increas the risk.
I understand when you say "some people are proud of their tags; I have had tags that I was proud to display as well. But due to what I have been finding concerning this person I think it goes beyond being careful about showing your tags. This is starting to look fraudulent; I am not going to post all I have found until I do some more digging and talk to our gov't fraud unit and possibly Californias as well.
My apologies if some of the members take offence to what I am doing, but I refuse to sit idly by and do nothing when I suspect I am being used.
Regards,
49Reo
I can understand why a guy would be pissed if he saw his bike in a online ad. I would be pissed too. I also agree posting a photo of your bike with or without plates shouldn't pose that big of a risk. (unless its a traffic cam showing me doing 90 in a 25 zone) As for bike theft, someone seeing me pull your bike into my driveway or seeing it parked in my garage or parked anywhere on the street for that matter is a bigger deal for me. If someone wants your bike bad enough he doesn't have to run your plates to know where it is. Just watch out for Rex!
Quote from: jmbo on February 14, 2013, 09:01:24 AM
Just watch out for Rex!
If I ever get down your way I'll bring him a big ham bone as a peace offering! :D
:( really upset right now that my ex is no longer around I could have chained her to the bike and that would have kept everyone away......
Quote from: CDNRatMan on February 14, 2013, 09:40:52 AM
:( really upset right now that my ex is no longer around I could have chained her to the bike and that would have kept everyone away......
:o
Yup Mr. 49 my ex makes you like like a wuss....she was one mean person...never happy.....
Well, my pic is finally off the Craigslist ad; just got off the phone with RCMP Fraud Center; hopefully this will be resolved
Regards,
49Reo
Quote from: 49Reo on February 13, 2013, 20:45:17 PM
Well I hate to sling mud at what might be a legit thing; (however if it WAS legit, why is my pic involved?) but I found fiour other ads by this person, wanting to buy and sell these parts, as well one other ad states he sold his bike on the same day he is looking to buy parts for same bike.
Somethin' fishy in Denmark, by golly! :o
Regards,
49Reo
I agree, at the very least the seller is pretending the parts are those on view in the photo of your bike and as I said before, if he is advertising parts that he doesn't actually have he can sell the same part to 100 buyers and just not send it..
Now what is to stop those buyers who have been ripped off from coming round to your house and smashing your bike in retalliation.
John.
Gee, thanks for that warm and fuzzy thought, John! :D Seriously, though, I hear ya. The internet is a wonderful tool that allows unbelievable opportunities; unfortunately, for both good and bad. And too many people out there are eager to take advantage of others. It sucks, but that is how it is.
Regards,
49Reo
49 glad at least the post is down now.......that's a start,but I'd definately further my search just to see what this guy is all about...
.....and that, my friend, is what is happening. His ad is still up, but my bike is no longer part of it. Like you say, it is a start.
Regards,
49Reo
49....definately keep us posted so others if nothing else,have some knowledge of how,and what steps need to be taken if they find their selves,falling into a similar situation.
I'm working behind the scenes on this. I will keep 49Reo posted via PM's.
Glad to hear PC.......I kinda figured this would be up your alley being that you deal with buying and selling merchandise.I wish all the best in your findings,my man.
Let's not get paranoid over this. The chances of one of your pics being misused is very,very slim. Just be sure you only post what you want the world to see. If you are concerned about misuse... the best and easiest solution is not to post.
The user in question has been banned from the forum and additional measures have been taken to ensure he doesn't return. I'll PM you and chief the details.
Just a note, if you end up suspended or banned or downgraded, or preferably upgraded... don't blame PC. I am the only one who makes those decisions. We banned this user not solely because of this situation. There were other considerations and he has been on my watch list for a while. You are free to communicate with PC on these issues, if they are outside his authority, he will forward your comments and concerns to me. Or, you can direct them to me personally.
Once again, the chances of your bike pic being used in a scam is extremely unlikely. I hosted BBS systems in the late 80's and early 90's, was on the internet when there was no web, and was one of the first thousand web sites online. I have posted a million graphics and have never had a problem with misuse. Additionally, we are a small group - Drifter Riders - which makes it harder for scammers to get away with their scams undetected.
I locked down the gallery to registered members only, but I'm not sure I will keep it that way. I am adding a poll to a different post on this.
In posts if you put your graphics inline by adding a url leading to that picture, guests will be able to see them. If you actually upload the picture using the attachments button they cannot see them.
Bottom-line - Don't be afraid to post your pictures. Ensure the pictures you post are ones you want to share with the world.
Thank you for the info,Chief.My hat goes off to you for keeping a close eye on this forum.I myself,know It's a difficult job that requires both knowledge as well as countless hours,keeping things up to snuff.Personally I feel safe here,wether it be posting pics or just to chat to fellow Drifters.Like you said,were a small part of the motorcycle world,and to me it makes every part of this forum that more enjoyable.Once again thank you,Chief.
Chief: have to really agree with this statment
QuoteDon't be afraid to post your pictures. Ensure the pictures you post are ones you want to share with the world.
amazing how many people post reallt personal info on face book and then wonder how people know all about them and their families and what they are doing. I know some one on another forum who had posted his kids pictures on the forum, and then went ballistic when someone made a comment that they were very nice looking children......and it became a huge issue and both members quit the forum over it
I to will echo D1's sentiments in thanking you for all your hard work on the forum.....
Chief's the man!
Quote from: pcarrell on February 16, 2013, 20:36:12 PM
Chief's the man!
And your his eye in the sky (moderator) together you men make a great team!....like Starsky & Hutch,,,,lol.........on a serious note "GREAT" job guy's.Thank you
I have been away from home for the last couple of days with only sporadic service with the wifes iphone, so haven't been able to follow what has been happening. Many thanks to Chief and Phil for looking out for the best interests of everybody here. Hopefully this issue is resolved.
Again, thanks to those who worked to resolved this.
Regards,
49Reo
My goal is to see that everyone's experience here is a positive one.