I believe I've given sufficient time and effort to call this a scam. I was messaged by a user (who is no longer an active account) in response to a classified ad I posted. They asked me to email them at the above address wayatlas@yahoo.com . They had pictures of the part I needed, a price was agreed upon, and I paid via zelle. They then disappeared. I googled the email address and found another message board complaining of the same behavior. It appears they are prolific scammers.
the name on zelle is James Michel Bartram of Columbus GA.

Beware! Do not send any money to this person

 

That sucks their now targeting tgo. Facebook pages are now mostly scammers.
paying with a secure method like PayPal goods and services is a good way to be protected.

 

Honestly, lesson learned. I typically use PayPal, but they said they only had zelle. The pictures and communication seemed legitimate, so I let my guard down.

 

Hi ratfink6923,

I'm sorry to read that you got scammed by some dirtbag, and I'm here to share a little tip that may help you weed out such scumbags in the future. When presented with pics of the (supposedly) for sale item, right click on each picture, and then in the menu bar that comes up click on "Search Image with Google". What happens is that these lowlifes read your want ad, search on line for pics of whatever it is your looking to buy, and then they use those (other people's) pics to make you believe they actually have the item. Well, if Google finds the very same pictures, and they come from a different source than the seller (scammer), you know they are full of crap, and don't send them a dime

 

Since the subject has been brought up.....
I just got on FB to use Marketplace.
I googled a phone number for FB (they don't have any way of contacting a human) and dialed the number.
After a long delay, "Kevin" answers.
He wanted me to install Ultraviewer on my computer. I told him
that that is how people get scammed and I don't want to do this.
And that I won't be driving to any stores to buy gift cards.
He hung up.

Because I was already aware of this, I suspected that I was connected to the SCAM call center in India.
Also watch out for fake Norton and Geek Squad protection plan refund scams.

If you want to watch a video on this, go on youtube and search
for SCAMMER PAYBACK and Pierogi.

 

Love Pierogi

 

Had some fun with a random spam text today...

 

That really sucks. That is why I HATE buying from private sellers over the internet and prefer face to face whenever possible. I've been lucky so far, but man I sweat it whenever I do until the package actually shows up.

 

Good advice! I use google images all the time if I suspect a scammer. I also request them to take a picture of the item from a different angle holding a piece of paper in the picture with their user name and today's date on it. I did this to one scammer on Facebook and surprise, surprise, nothing but dead air after that.