Patek Philippe 5712/1A Scam Warning — WatchProSite Forum Digest

Alkiro2 · 2016-05-13T03:24:37Z

Alkiro2 shares a cautionary tale of being scammed on the Collectors Market for a Patek Philippe 5712/1A, highlighting sophisticated scam tactics and community debate on buyer vigilance and platform responsibility.

Alkiro2

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

58 replies11933 views1 photos

Alkiro2's post serves as a critical warning to the WatchProSite community, detailing a sophisticated scam encountered on the Collectors Market. His experience highlights the persistent risks in online luxury watch transactions, even for seasoned buyers. This thread underscores the importance of extreme vigilance and robust verification processes when dealing with high-value items.

58 collectors discussing this on the WatchProSite forumJoin the Conversation →

Hello everyone (sorry for my bad English),

I was recently scammed by a seller on the "Collectors Market" whose name (certainly not the true one) is YURY LAHUN (you will find a picture of its ID card below).

I bought him a Patek 5712/1A for 21000€.

Be careful with this guy because he is a really smart scammer. I already bought dozens of watches everywhere in the world and this is the first time I met a so smart scammer. I know I am stupid even if I tried to take several measures.

Just some examples:

- I asked him for specific hours and he provided me without problem (so I suppose that he owns the watch),
- I checked reference numbers with Patek and everythink was ok,
- It was really hard to negociate and it takes time (several weeks) which is not normal with a scammer (they always want money as quick as possible so they accept huge decrease in their price)
- I asked him several pictures (not a problem for him)
- He replied to my emails several days after my payment which is not normal with a scammer

I sent an email to Purists moderators in order to know if they had doubts about this guy... without answer (thank you guys!!!).

The PP was supposed to be sent two weeks ago from the UK by DHL. I asked him many times for the tracking number and I have no more answer since last Monday.

So now it is too late for me but if I can help other Purists to avoid this guy

ALKIRO

Key Points from the Discussion

Even experienced buyers can fall victim to sophisticated scams, emphasizing the need for thorough due diligence beyond typical checks.
Buyers must conduct extensive research, including validating identities, addresses, and phone numbers, and speaking to previous credible buyers, as no online platform is entirely foolproof.
Scammers often create elaborate backstories and provide seemingly legitimate information, making them difficult to detect. A reverse image search or cross-referencing details can reveal inconsistencies.
The community debated the role of forum moderators in preventing scams, with some arguing for proactive vetting of listings and others highlighting the impracticality of such a task given limited resources.
A key red flag for buyers is a desirable watch offered significantly below market price by an unknown seller, especially when combined with a demand for wire transfers or reluctance to provide proof of ownership.
The identity documents provided by scammers are often faked or stolen, making it crucial not to rely solely on them for verification.
Some members suggested that platforms could learn from other watch trading sites, like Chronomania's 'Coin Des Affaires,' which employs strict moderation and vetting of all advertisements.

The Discussion

MTF

May 13, 2016

That could be a stolen photo of an unrelated person

trader007, My sympathy for your loss. As all of your previous posts on PuristSpro were only for trading watches in Collectors Market, I assume you are an "experienced trader". The scammer satisfied all your authentication requests but you concluded that the scammer is very smart. Thus, it is possible that the photo identity scan you showed to the world may be faked or stolen from an innocent person. it is most unlikely that a smart scammer would provide real facial photograph. What will you do i

Alkiro1

May 13, 2016

Hi MTF

My "real" nickname is Alkiro (check my posts with this name), Trader007 is an old one and I cannot change it (I do not know why). Regarding the ID, I prefer to show it to everyone even if it has been stolen. If the real Yury Lahun contact me, I will certainly apologies but for the moment I prefer to help people with everything I have. I think you can understand. Kind regards Alkiro

Alkiro1

May 13, 2016

Or use Alkiro1 to see all my posts [nt]

crown comfort

May 13, 2016

One thing puzzles me, so we can all learn

how was payment done? Did the scammer have a matching bank account in the UK under that name? Did he provide some proof of residence? If so, you may be able to get your money back. CC

Alkiro1

May 13, 2016

I did a bank wire in Poland on a company account which was supposed to match with his name when I checked on Google. But you are right I was stupid on that deal [nt]

crown comfort

May 13, 2016

Phew

Russian national, watch in UK, bank account in Poland under some company name...that would have been too much for me, no matter how many good photos can be provided. Especially at that price level. I have done stupid deals with sending money to Mexico via Western Union and then hoped (watch did arrive!) but always then at a price level I can book under goodwill write off.

Continue the conversation

This thread is active on the Horological Meandering forum with 58 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.

Join the Discussion →