Coin collector Ian was scammed while trying to sell two rare pieces from his collection. Photo: RYAN ANDERSON / STUFF
An elaborate TradeMe scam has left an Auckland collector $10,000 out of pocket.
Now in his 50s, Ian* has been collecting rare coins and antique jewellery since he was a child.
From pirate treasure, to UK sovereigns and old Mexican pesos, Ian estimates he has around 200 coins that together are worth more than $100,000.
While his coins are usually kept under lock and key in a safe, Ian listed two of his rarest gold coins on TradeMe in an attempt to give his eight-year-old daughter an insight into the world of business.
"I had imagined one day I'd give my daughter these coins as a pirate-style pile of treasure but my little girl loves the US reality show Pawn Stars, so I said we could have a go at selling two of my coins," Ian told Stuff.
Three weeks after being listed, a TradeMe user bid $1900 for the 1820 UK sovereign and $7500 for the 1881 Mexican pesos - but the buyer asked to meet in person before sending any money.
"With coins, their condition is really important, so when the buyer asked to see them in person, that didn't raise any red flags," Ian said.
But the buyer then "chopped and changed" the plan for meeting, until Ian was called into work.
Ian's wife and daughter said they could still go and meet the prospective buyer at Westhaven Marina, where the buyer said they had their yacht moored.
"I've since wondered if the confusion around meeting was part of their strategy so that we lowered our guard."
Once at the marina, Ian said his wife and daughter met a woman who they described as in her mid-20s, of European descent and wearing a hijab.
The woman showed Ian's wife what appeared to be proof of a bank transaction and left with the coins, he said.
But by the following day, no money had appeared in Ian's account. To start with, he thought it was an innocent mistake.
"I emailed the TradeMe account, and they came back with what they said was a receipt of the transaction. But when they'd done was enter the wrong suffix - they'd put 90 instead of 00."
Ian went back again, asking the buyer to send the money to the correct account.
The buyer said that once the money was returned to their account, they would send it again. They never did.
"I even asked them to send a copy of their ID, but they sent through a photo of a driver's licence that looked nothing like the woman my wife had met."
Ian reported the TradeMe user to the police, who he says confirmed the ID was stolen and part of an identity fraud investigation.
"The first few days were fairly stressful. I was more angry at myself, and didn't want my wife and daughter to feel bad.
"I'm usually more switched on, but they got our guard down with messing us around."
Not relying on the police alone, Ian has since taken the investigation into his own hands.
"I know the police are busy, so I just thought whatever I can do to help would be good."
Ian reported the TradeMe user to the police, who he says confirmed the ID was stolen and part of an identity fraud investigation. Photo: RYAN ANDERSON / STUFF
The first step of Ian's investigation was to see what CCTV was available in the area - and luckily, there was a lot.
CCTV footage taken by the marina shows the woman arriving half an hour before meeting Ian's wife and daughter. She then deliberately positions herself underneath a pohutukawa tree, so as to hide her face from cameras, he said.
Crucially, after taking the coins, the woman walks along the marina so as to look like she's going back to a boat - before jumping into a grey 4x4 and speeding away.
Ian has also contacted all second-hand dealerships and pawn shops to see if they've been approached with the coins.
"The coin collecting world is small, so they won't be able to sell the coins. They could melt the coins down but the real gold value of the coins is a fraction of what they're worth. Their value is as collectors coins."
Ian had even tried asking the scammers to drop the coins at a neutral space like a dairy, where he could give them the real cash value of about $800 in exchange for them back.
"I know times are tough, but this really isn't the way to go."
Ian also contacted TradeMe to have the scammer's account shut down, but only got through on his third attempt.
"By that point I could see a comment on the TradeMe user's profile saying they'd scammed someone else out of a gold bangle."
While in an ideal world Ian said he hoped the scammers would be caught and their income stream cut off, he also hoped his story served to make the public aware of scammers like this.
"Prevention is key. Not getting scammed in the first place is the best case scenario, but there's also things you can do to help yourself follow up once you have been scammed."
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton confirmed the Financial Crime Unit were investigating Ian's case.
Police were "actively making enquiries into a report of fraud in Auckland that relates to the offender using fake ID and a fake bank transfer to purchase valuable items," Bolton said.
As part of their investigation, police were reviewing CCTV in the area, he said.
Bolton added that police had noticed an increase in fraudulent screenshots being used to scam victims.
"Anecdotally, these fake images have become more and more convincing, which means unfortunately more people have fallen victim to their trap.
"We strongly encourage those engaging with buying and selling platforms to be vigilant with their funds. Please do not hand over property without the funds clearing in your account."
* Stuff agreed not to use Ian's surname to protect him from being the victim of further crimes given the value of his coin collection.
- Stuff