SERIOUS WARNING!!!

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SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Buggs » Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:32 pm

Hey everybody

If you are contacted by or get hold of someone by the name of DAVID GROBBELAAR/JOHAN LUUS, who apparently has Leopard Gecko's and African Fat Tailed Gecko's for sale, do not respond! They will claim to be Ornithologists who are also breeding Leopards and AFT's in Cameroon, and then proceed to ask for your personal details. DO NOT GIVE THEM ANYTHING!!! It's just another one of those dodgey Central/Eastern African scams, and they do not actually have any gecko's.

Hope this message helps somebody somewhere.

Regards
Buggs
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"For just one moment in the night
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And I am once again undone.
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby AneryCobra » Tue Mar 19, 2013 6:22 am

If that's true then thanks Buggs. I wonder if the accuseds would,care to respond?
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby wadekilian » Tue Mar 19, 2013 7:09 am

There are a few things that give them away. E.g the use of internet pictures instead of pictures of the actual animals. There's a guy on Gumtree who posts the same ads trying to sell an Egyptian Cobra, a Black Spitter, a "non-venomous" False Water Cobra and he had an ad selling an adult pair of Albino Burms (not sure whether he still uses it though). I messaged him about it and it turns out he's sold the same snake(s) to people with "money, but no brains" over 80 times.

Another one is pricing. Most of the ads I've seen are posted in Cape Town, but if you messge them and ask where they're from, they'll often say somewhere else, and they need to sell it urgently as they're leaving the country, which is why the prices are so low. If you see someone advertising a Piebald Ball Python for 350 ZAR, a Spider for 400 ZAR and a Bumbleebee for 500 ZAR I'd rather steer clear. Chances are, you won't see the snake or your money again.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Shannon » Tue Mar 19, 2013 8:18 am

Its not only snakes and reptiles,I was caught with ferrets and capuchins...yesterday there was an ad on junkmail French bulldogs for R500...there are plenty scammers some people do get caught
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby scally » Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:38 am

Hi Guys

the scam kings are around again, there is also a guy on Gumtree calling himself Mr. Senekal is offering a wide variety of balls at cheap prices and the pictures he sends are ones off popular sites such as constrictors.com etc he claims to be RSA citizen who relocated and has recently returned and is residing in polokwane
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Bushviper » Tue Mar 19, 2013 10:54 am

This person nearly caught another of our members with some Rhino iguanas that he had "too many of". If they are not active on the forums then rather ignore them. We have enough people here who post pics of their animals and help others out. If they dont do that then they really do not care about you. Dont give them your business. If nobody on the forums have done business with them then you should not either.

I get contacted from time to time and asked if this person or that person is reliable. I dont mind being a buffer.
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Katie » Thu Apr 04, 2013 1:38 pm

Thanks for this. I got an email from the same David Grobelaar regarding marmosets and capuchins. Googled the name and what do you know. I found this warning.
Be warned, he is well spoken and is almost believable.

I was looking for a companion monkey for one of our marmosets whose companion died recently and he claimed his son is allergic to the monkeys and he needs a good home for them but of course it's going to cost some money to relocate them.

I guess I will just have to purchase a companion for her from a breeder. I hate doing that - I would rather give a monkey who needs a chance and a good life somewhere to live with another monkey and big open cages in the trees but seems people would rather keep them in small cages, living their life out alone than rehome them for free.

Thanks again for the warning.
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Buggs » Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:24 pm

Welcome to the forum Katie. Glad it helped :) Its quite annoying to see that the same guy is still in operation...

It's sad that people think they can extort others with this kind of thing. And you're right, he was quite believable and very well spoken...

Hope you manage to find a companion monkey soon, and thanx for the feedback :)
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"For just one moment in the night
I am complete, my soul takes flight.
For just one moment, then it's gone,
And I am once again undone.
Never complete. Never whole.
White skin, and an African soul."
- Michelle Frost
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby ColinWa » Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:01 pm

Saw this add on Junkmail, http://www.junkmail.co.za/pets-for-sale/other-pets/gauteng/johannesburg/adult-female-egyptian-cobra-&-more-25558889 and recalled what Wade said above. Has anyone confronted this guy before?

EDIT* http://www.junkmail.co.za/pets-for-sale/other-pets/gauteng/johannesburg/black-neck-spitting-cobra-&-more-25557551 Another add seemingly from the same person, one hour apart.
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Bushviper » Wed Apr 10, 2013 2:31 pm

R4000 each? Is this guy cooked?
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Buggs » Wed Apr 10, 2013 2:54 pm

There seems to be a lot of ads from the same guy. Look at the title, it's always "something cool & more", and the whole ad is always written with CapsLock...
Email me: buggsbalmer@gmail.com
BBM me: 21A48E8B

"For just one moment in the night
I am complete, my soul takes flight.
For just one moment, then it's gone,
And I am once again undone.
Never complete. Never whole.
White skin, and an African soul."
- Michelle Frost
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby ColinWa » Wed Apr 10, 2013 3:57 pm

Indeed, I've also seen the same ad running for a long time now on different websites.
"I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man"
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Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Buggs » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:18 pm

Maybe someone should confront him?? I tried when he was talking to me, but he kept assuring me that the fact I was suspicious was good because it shows him how serious I am. Eventually I told him to get stuffed, but if it's so obviously a scam, surely we should try to do something about it??
Email me: buggsbalmer@gmail.com
BBM me: 21A48E8B

"For just one moment in the night
I am complete, my soul takes flight.
For just one moment, then it's gone,
And I am once again undone.
Never complete. Never whole.
White skin, and an African soul."
- Michelle Frost
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Buggs
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Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:55 am
Location: Pretoria, South Africa

Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby ColinWa » Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:20 am

I'm not sure anything can really be done about it, he doesn't seem to really care what we do and all of that. I'm not sure what me one can actually do than warn people about what he does, and just plain annoying him. I'll come into contact wiht Junkmail and see if I can get these adds removed. I just need to prove to them that this is a definite scam.
"I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man"
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Posts: 204
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Location: Benoni

Re: SERIOUS WARNING!!!

Postby Buggs » Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:56 am

Well if it helps, I might still have the emails from my conversation with him. I'd be happy to share the ones with any amount of proof that things aren't kosher
Email me: buggsbalmer@gmail.com
BBM me: 21A48E8B

"For just one moment in the night
I am complete, my soul takes flight.
For just one moment, then it's gone,
And I am once again undone.
Never complete. Never whole.
White skin, and an African soul."
- Michelle Frost
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Buggs
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Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:55 am
Location: Pretoria, South Africa

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