Stolen: Santa Cruz Tall Boy 2015 (Piketberg)

[JEM DH]

Stolen: Santa Cruz Tall Boy 2015
When: 6 September 2019
Where: Piketberg, Western Cape

WARNING!!!!! Update to my post re stolen Santa and Giant some weeks ago.
Just had a call from a well-spoken and seemingly concerned guy - 'Francois' - who said he has a Pawn Shop in Tableview and that a guy has just walked in wanting to sell my bike.
Said he gets these frequently and always checks the Hub before buying. He said he would offer the guy some cash just to get him to leave the bike at his 'shop' and then come back later. Suggested R1500 - I said I could only raise R1000 (as I was suspicious since we'd already recovered the bikes). He said he could put in the other R500 but I must send the R1000 as eWallet quickly as the guy was nervous and might duck with the bike.
I then asked him to take a pic of the bike and WA to me, just so I could confirm but he used the excuse that the 'thief' might get suspicious. I replied it was reasonable as he could just say that he had a buyer who wanted to see the bike before paying the cash - he got quite abrupt... said 'OK let me try', and dropped the call.
He said his shop is Francois Pawn - 6 Coral Street Tableview, which doesn't list on Google and looks like a townhouse complex on satellite! Said his name is Francois Gerber - phone number is 076 2853848 and it isn't on WA (strange for someone running a pawn business!!)
Needless to say - he hasn't sent any pic and hasn't called back... sadly seem like a scam so just be aware - he obviously preys on people who've had bikes stolen!!
SCreenshot shows the address he gave me for his 'shop'

Get further details about the incident in the Stolen Bikes section

Edited November 28, 2019 by JEM DH

[Matt]

Thanks for reporting.

This seems to match the tactics used by the guy targetting wanted ads. 

[Mamil]

Good catch!!

 

Stolen: Santa Cruz Tall Boy 2015
When: 6 September 2019
Where: Piketberg, Western Cape
 

WARNING!!!!! Update to my post re stolen Santa and Giant some weeks ago.
Just had a call from a well-spoken and seemingly concerned guy - 'Francois' - who said he has a Pawn Shop in Tableview and that a guy has just walked in wanting to sell my bike.
Said he gets these frequently and always checks the Hub before buying. He said he would offer the guy some cash just to get him to leave the bike at his 'shop' and then come back later. Suggested R1500 - I said I could only raise R1000 (as I was a little suspicious). He said he could put in the other R500 but I must send the R1000 as eWallet quickly as the guy was nervous and might duck with the bike.
I then asked him to take a pic of the bike and WA to me, just so I could confirm but he used the excuse that the 'thief' might get suspicious. I replied it was reasonable as he could just say that he had a buyer who wanted to see the bike before paying the cash - he got quite abrupt... said 'OK let me try', and dropped the call.
He said his shop is Francois Pawn - 6 Coral Street Tableview, which doesn't list on Google and looks like a townhouse complex on satellite! Said his name is Francois Gerber - phone number is 076 2853848 and it isn't on WA (strange for someone running a pawn business!!)
Needless to say - he hasn't sent any pic and hasn't called back... sadly seem like a scam so just be aware - he obviously preys on people who've had bikes stolen!!
SCreenshot shows the address he gave me for his 'shop'

Get further details about the incident in the Stolen Bikes section

 

[Skylark]

That's a new low, pretty clever but so scaly. The poor op is already man down and this scammer knows it yet goes in for another gouge. Good on the op for being sharp!!

[Chingy182]

Flip. I would probably have been so deliriously happy that I wouldn't even have smelt the scam.

[Renier82]

Shucks man, I hope you get your bike back and the crooks spend their days in prison

[gemmerbal]

tell him your friend is on his way with the cash. i feel like getting my hands dirty...

[Pure Savage]

Stolen: Santa Cruz Tall Boy 2015

When: 6 September 2019

Where: Piketberg, Western Cape

 

WARNING!!!!! Update to my post re stolen Santa and Giant some weeks ago.

Just had a call from a well-spoken and seemingly concerned guy - 'Francois' - who said he has a Pawn Shop in Tableview and that a guy has just walked in wanting to sell my bike.

Said he gets these frequently and always checks the Hub before buying. He said he would offer the guy some cash just to get him to leave the bike at his 'shop' and then come back later. Suggested R1500 - I said I could only raise R1000 (as I was a little suspicious). He said he could put in the other R500 but I must send the R1000 as eWallet quickly as the guy was nervous and might duck with the bike.

I then asked him to take a pic of the bike and WA to me, just so I could confirm but he used the excuse that the 'thief' might get suspicious. I replied it was reasonable as he could just say that he had a buyer who wanted to see the bike before paying the cash - he got quite abrupt... said 'OK let me try', and dropped the call.

He said his shop is Francois Pawn - 6 Coral Street Tableview, which doesn't list on Google and looks like a townhouse complex on satellite! Said his name is Francois Gerber - phone number is 076 2853848 and it isn't on WA (strange for someone running a pawn business!!)

Needless to say - he hasn't sent any pic and hasn't called back... sadly seem like a scam so just be aware - he obviously preys on people who've had bikes stolen!!

SCreenshot shows the address he gave me for his 'shop'

 

Get further details about the incident in the Stolen Bikes section

 

Wow, a new scam.

 

Thanks for alerting us. 

 

That would suck big time, throwing more money after a stolen item.

[JEM DH]

The irony is that we actually recovered the bikes fairly soon after - guys musta been spooked by our local farm watch and dumped them over a fence into a field!

I tried to string 'Francois' along to get some hard evidence to catch him but too clever!

[dirtypot]

As soon as I hear "e-wallet" my mind says "scam".