Stolen boat on Gumtree advice needed

[230K]

Hi

A friend of mine got a little speedboat stolen from home about a year ago and has spotted what looks like it on Gumtree.

The thing is the gumtree ad only has email facility no phone numbers listed on ad. There is a little Google map showing where the seller is located.

Question is will the seller have anyway of knowing where we are emailing from by sending a question through gumtree and giving a reply email address?? Have emailed but no reply and wary in case he has smelt a rat. We just said we were interested in boat nothing else....

Is there anyway Gumtree can disclose contact info etc???

Advice please?????

Frustrating seeing the pic of your stolen boat on gumtree but not being able to do anything about it.

Police said just go and view it and if ur sure its yours walk away and phone them.

Help

230K

 

[nick mercedes]

Hi

A friend of mine got a little speedboat stolen from home about a year ago and has spotted what looks like it on Gumtree.

The thing is the gumtree ad only has email facility no phone numbers listed on ad. There is a little Google map showing where the seller is located.

Question is will the seller have anyway of knowing where we are emailing from by sending a question through gumtree and giving a reply email address?? Have emailed but no reply and wary in case he has smelt a rat. We just said we were interested in boat nothing else....

Is there anyway Gumtree can disclose contact info etc???

Advice please?????

Frustrating seeing the pic of your stolen boat on gumtree but not being able to do anything about it.

Police said just go and view it and if ur sure its yours walk away and phone them.

Help

230K

Just use a hotmail/yahoo or similar webmail to ask seller for his phone number because your keen to view and buy.

 

[230K]

Hi

Have done that but no reply and wondered had he anyway of knowing where question was sent from? Through IP's or anything like that???
There is no email to send to, you just ask a question through gumtree and give an email addy for your reply to be sent to.

I would post a link but dont want too many views to arouse suspicion etc.

Thanks,

230K

 

[d w124]

There is a lot of fraud going on gumtree.The ones without phone nr especialy.As nick said,ask for the phone nr.

 

[jonnyboy]

why not harass the Police a bit more if you get no reply with a phone number. I know nothing about Gumtree but surely they can get the details from Gumtree themselves? Is the boat pretty distinctive, ie enough that it can be narrowed down to highly likely?

If there is a map, and it's not too far why not have a drive around on the off-chance?

 

[KNU7S]

give me the details and i will ask a question? try and get some details

 

[230K]

give me the details and i will ask a question? try and get some details

Hi

I would rather keep it to myself not to arouse any more suspicion. Already has 100 views in 6 days so want to keep it low key. Trust you understand and thanks for the offer.

230K

 

[KNU7S]

not a problem

 

[stevieb15]

why not harass the Police a bit more if you get no reply with a phone number. I know nothing about Gumtree but surely they can get the details from Gumtree themselves? Is the boat pretty distinctive, ie enough that it can be narrowed down to highly likely?

If there is a map, and it's not too far why not have a drive around on the off-chance?

I harrassed the police when my product started appearing on ebay. We instal everything that leaves the factory so they had to be stolen.
For all the good it did me I may as well have nailed my head to station door as they weren't interested in the slightest!

 

[jonnyboy]

I harrassed the police when my product started appearing on ebay. We instal everything that leaves the factory so they had to be stolen.
For all the good it did me I may as well have nailed my head to station door as they weren't interested in the slightest!

Oh, I hear you, believe me.......

how did you deal with it in the end?

 

[Topkat]

Gumtree must have the IP of the computer that posted the ad, but they could have posted it from an Internet cafe or spood their IP address.

If you email the seller, they will have no way of knowing who you are or where it's coming from unless your email is [email protected], then they will at least have a guess that your name is John Terry!

If I was you, I would make up a new email address just to email them...

 

[Sp!ke]

Dont forget, its entirely possible for the seller to be an innocent party and have no idea the boat is stolen.

 

[Topkat]

Also don't send them a second email with the same email address as you may scare them. If you want to message them again, create another email address and do it with the new one...

They will probably reply, give them time...

Contact Gumtree too...

What did you say in the email? "I want to look at it?"

I would say "what's the lowest you will go on it" <-- something like that leaves them less suspicious...

 

[stevieb15]

Oh, I hear you, believe me.......

how did you deal with it in the end?

Told people in the business what we had discovered and the police were involved, started physically stock checking most expensive bought in components, nothings appeared on ebay since.
I think we all have to expect some "shrinkage" but not organised theft and marketing!

 

[Frank O' Phile]

Why not take a casual drive by the area in the google map (if it's near enough). There may be a 'for sale' board up allowing you to make a personal enquiry.

If you get any resonse from emails, using the advice already given, buy a cheap PAYG sim card and use that number for them to contact you.

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Ted]

They won't be able to get your IP address unless you send the e-mail from your corporate mail server.
If you send the mail from google/hotmail, the address will be the google/hotmail server - to test this send yourself an e-mail and view the headers.

Even if they CAN get your IP address, they are so vague for the average user, that the closest they could trace you would be your town/city - you would need to go to the ISP who dish out the address, and have your account details.

 

[Stratman]

Tell the police you have seen an untaxed car in the area. They'll mobilise the whole force.

 

[Baron_Samedi]

I'm gonna move to where you live....

Here no ones interested in untaxed vehicles!

 

[WLeg]

Has there been an insurance claim on the original theft ? - the insurance firm might be interested, but I would go with the Police advice, arrange a viewing, maybe take some of your own pics, tell the vendor nothing, other than you will get back to them, and let the proper authorities know the score.

 

[GordonTarling]

I was close to being scammed on Gumtree a couple of years ago, the very most that Gumtree will do on your complaint is to close that seller's account. They quoted the data protection act when I asked for seller's details. I think the only way you'll get any further is to get the police involved.