The Classic \u201cWhite Van Scam\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In the classic version of the white van scam<\/a>, dating back to the 80s, strangers would pull up to you in the parking lot \u2014 usually in a rented commercial van, hence the name \u2014 and ask if you\u2019re interested in getting a seriously great deal on some top-quality speakers.\u00a0 The pitch usually was that they worked for an electronics retailer that had found itself with excess inventory through some kind of mistake, and that they had to blow out the product at a downright sacrificial price.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The product will have a name that\u2019s carefully chosen to sound like a legitimately prestigious brand.\u00a0 It might mimic the look and packaging of Harman Kardon speakers, for example, but be branded as \u201cKarmon Hardan\u201d (that\u2019s a hypothetical example, but you can find a real-world list at the link in the previous paragraph).\u00a0 It sounds like a great deal, especially as the salesman reels off huge \u201csuggested retail prices\u201d and then tells you what he\u2019s asking today.\u00a0 Usually, it\u2019s just pennies on the dollar.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This scam\u2019s been going on for centuries, in one form or another.\u00a0 In London after the French Revolution, doubtless it would have been a \u201crefugee nobleman selling the family jewels\u201d for a pittance.\u00a0 The jewelry would quickly turn out to be glass and brass, rather than gold and gemstones, and it\u2019s the same with the \u201chigh-end speakers\u201d sold from the van.\u00a0 They may look right and feel solid (some buyers have found cement or bricks inside, to add weight), but they\u2019re of very poor quality and may not work at all.\u00a0 Tip: If you want to see what these look like in the real world, you can just search \u201cwhite van scam\u201d on YouTube to find examples.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The surprising thing about the white van scam, as it\u2019s usually played, is that it\u2019s more or less legal. The company behind the scam usually has a legal existence, and a business license. As long as the fast talker who sold you those \u201cKirsch\u201d speakers let your eyes and ears be fooled, and didn\u2019t outright tell you<\/em> they were the Klipsch speakers they accidentally-on-purpose resemble, they\u2019re in the clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a couple of extra layers of deniability involved, which make it even harder to get any kind of restitution. The salespeople are usually independent contractors, rather than outright employees, so the company can simply disclaim any responsibility for any \u201cmisstatements\u201d that may have taken place. The van (or other vehicle) is also leased, so it can\u2019t easily be traced back to the parent company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The end result is usually that your money\u2019s gone and you have no recourse, since the only person with any legal responsibility for what you were told is the contractor. They can be hard to track down, and even if you do successfully bring them to small-claims court you have the problems that a) it\u2019s your word against theirs; and b) even if you win they may not be able to pay you or may simply skip out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing the classic white van scam counts on is that most people aren\u2019t hardcore audio enthusiasts. \u00a0 They don\u2019t know the brand they\u2019re being offered, but it sounds impressive, and so does the discount. \u00a0 Back in the 80s you just had to take the seller\u2019s word for all of that, but now we have phones and Google.\u00a0 So it\u2019s harder to make this scam work, right?\u00a0 Well\u2026no.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The great thing about a classic scam (from the scammer\u2019s perspective, of course) is that it\u2019s evergreen, and you can always find a way to give it a contemporary twist. So, instead of the internet killing the white van scam forever, scammers now leverage it to their advantage. They\u2019re real companies, you\u2019ll recall, in the narrow sense that they\u2019re registered somewhere<\/em> and have a license to do business. So of course, they do what real companies do: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The really enterprising ones will take this a step further, finding ways to lend a veneer of authenticity and quality to their low-quality products. For example, they might: <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, when the \u201cmarks\u201d (victims) whip out their phones and do a quick search on the product\u2019s brand name or model number, the top handful of results will appear to confirm the salesperson\u2019s story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the classic version of the scam sells speakers, there\u2019s no rule to say they won\u2019t offer something else.\u00a0 Versions of the scam may offer anything from 4K televisions to AV projectors<\/a> to mattresses<\/a> or trampolines.\u00a0 If you want it, and the normal price is high, a scammer somewhere will probably try to sell it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever the product, it will probably look good at a casual glance.\u00a0 The same manufacturers that flood dollar stores, Amazon, and Temu<\/a> with low-cost products will cheerfully do customized packaging for these shady operators as well.\u00a0 This may extend to conveniently printing an inflated \u201cMSRP\u201d (selling price) right on the box.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The seller might not always claim to represent a retailer.\u00a0 Current versions of the scam<\/a> leveraging legitimate resale sites like Facebook Marketplace<\/a> or Craigslist<\/a>, or Offerup<\/a>, may pose as private sellers.\u00a0 Like the traditional scam\u2019s retailer-in-distress scenario, they\u2019ll have a plausible story (\u201cwe\u2019re downsizing,\u201d \u201cit didn\u2019t fit our space,\u201d \u201cthe landlord wouldn\u2019t let us wall\/ceiling mount it\u201d).\u00a0 Some may even be previous victims of the scam, now trying to recoup their money by passing the pain along to someone else.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of us would probably feel at least a little<\/em> uneasy about buying something out of a random stranger\u2019s vehicle, and for good reason.\u00a0 Legitimate retailers generally don\u2019t operate from a vehicle, at least the ones that deal in high-end products.\u00a0 Instead, they take a cold, sober look at their liquidation options, and pick one that\u2019s suited to their situation.\u00a0 For a genuine retailer of prestige products, discounting can undercut their entire brand identity, so they tend to avoid it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the fundamental key to avoiding the \u201cwhite van scam\u201d \u2014 either the online or traditional version \u2014 is an attitude of wary skepticism.\u00a0 Instead of being satisfied with a quick Google search, or checking the link or QR code<\/a> on the seller\u2019s business card (on a really bad day, that might turn out to be a phishing attack), you should probably dig a little deeper.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you might: <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also, of course, turn to Spokeo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether the seller gave you their name<\/a>, phone number<\/a>, or email address<\/a>, or if you found it on their website or by googling around, it pays to run it through a reverse people search tool like Spokeo.<\/a>\u00a0 So what can you uncover with this kind of Spokeo search? Well, there are several possibilities:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, this added digging will help you avoid falling for the scam.\u00a0 On the other hand, if you\u2019ve already fallen for the scam and have lost your money, it might yield information that you could pass along to law enforcement in an effort to retrieve your money (or at the very least, make it harder for the scammers to continue).\u00a0 However tempted you may be, it\u2019s usually best not to confront the scammer in person.\u00a0 That kind of confrontation can be unpredictable and even dangerous.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n There may be an occasional exception to this rule, where the owner of the offending company or website is concerned.\u00a0 Those people distance themselves from the actual transactions for a reason, and may be reluctant to have their involvement known.\u00a0 A quiet approach (preferably with the assistance of a lawyer), and the threat of public exposure, may sometimes be enough to get you your money back.\u00a0 Just make sure you don\u2019t cross the line into making any public statements that might be defamatory, which is why you might want to have your lawyer involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scammers in general appeal to a few well-known psychological quirks in the human makeup, and greed \u2014 specifically the desire to get something for nothing, or very little \u2014 is one of those.\u00a0 It\u2019s what\u2019s behind most investment scams<\/a>, for example, or the \u201cyou\u2019re a winner!\u201d emails you get that claim to come from Publishers Clearing House<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You absolutely should<\/em> take the precautions we\u2019ve outlined here before giving some random stranger your money.\u00a0 But even without taking those steps, you can probably rule out most of these scams just by remembering the adage that \u201cif it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The \u201cwhite van scam\u201d has been around for decades, but it\u2019s gained new life in the internet era. Learn how to spot it, and how to avoid it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":28999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[614],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"fake](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/pexels-rosen-genov-2697253-4295360.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe White Van Scam is Actually (Mostly) Legal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why The White Van Scam is Enjoying an Online Comeback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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But Wait, There\u2019s More!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"man](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/pexels-shvets-production-9052781.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAvoiding the Online White Van Scam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Uncovering a White Van Scam with Spokeo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Keep Your Eyes Open, and Your Guard Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n