# SCAM-Stolen Watches, Require your help!



## AlleywayLullaby

I responded to a trade ad here regarding a trade for a rolex submariner posted by member wnave. We agreed that I would trade two of my omegas for his submariner. I shipped him my omegas overnight and he also overnighted me a package.. to my surprise it was not a rolex but instead a magazine. I got totalled ripped off. I am going to file a police report, but could use your help.

My watches were:

1.) Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean SN: 330615600

2.) Omega Seamaster Americas Cup Limited edition # 4758/9999

Here is his Infomation:

member name: wnave

William Nave
7347 Parks Trail
Fairburn,GA,30213
678-489-4315

I have all emails from his and the receipt for one of my watches still. At this point he has deleted his email address and I cant reach anyone at the phone # he provided. Can anyone help me?


----------



## xbeatles4x

wow very sorry to hear that. I would probably file a report or attempt to but that is me. Do you have any proof that this were was suppose to happen? I find it odd that he would put his address with intentions to rip you off.


----------



## katiedaddy

Sorry to hear about what happened to you..
Looking up the address you noted, it's a brand new home that the original builder has in the market for sale so I guess nobody lives at that address. 
Maybe contact the builder and see if that person is by any way affiliated since he must have access to the community to have picked up your watch, if you shipped them to that address.

The Parks At Cedar Grove | New Homes in Fairburn, GA


----------



## tinknocker

Doesn't look like he's a member here anymore.


----------



## dnslater

How many posts did he have? Did he have references? Good luck.


----------



## Monocrom

Sorry to hear you got conned. When it comes to expensive watches, the only trades or purchases I'll do over the internet with a private individual is face-to-face. With something inexpensive, I don't take such measures. Luxury watches? . . . Face-to-face only. If the other party isn't willing, it doesn't mean he's a con-man necessarily. Just means he's not willing. Fair enough. I'll just wait for another deal with a different individual.


----------



## Flightpath

Yes, sorry to hear that, seems to be more cons every day.

That dirtbag may not have any connection with the house or builder, if you both agreed to send overnight he may have just parked his car over the road from the house and waited for the postman! (Did you and he have to sign for the packages?).

If he has given you a fake name the only way to trace him may be via his internet provider and old email address.

Hope it turns out o/k in the end!

cheers,

-John


----------



## Kringkily

maybe check with a mod and see if they can see the IP where he logged in from. Might be able to give it to the police and see if they can find anything. Also check the phone though it could be a prepaid... gluck


----------



## AlleywayLullaby

I messaged the mods here who banned his acct and provided me with his ip address. Ive filed a FBI report and also found someone else here who got ripped off by the same guy. I found him on another forum going by the same name trading the same watches. Just sucks you spend your hard earned money on things and the douchey people take advantage. Here's hoping for karma. All I can say is if you do any deals make sure to do your research.



Kringkily said:


> maybe check with a mod and see if they can see the IP where he logged in from. Might be able to give it to the police and see if they can find anything. Also check the phone though it could be a prepaid... gluck


----------



## j stuff

I hope you get something back but man this is why i wont ever trade a watch. Much better to just sell it and get what you want. good luck


----------



## Johnnybonkel

AlleywayLullaby said:


> I responded to a trade ad here regarding a trade for a rolex submariner posted by member wnave. We agreed that I would trade two of my omegas for his submariner. I shipped him my omegas overnight and he also overnighted me a package.. to my surprise it was not a rolex but instead a magazine. I got totalled ripped off. I am going to file a police report, but could use your help.
> 
> My watches were:
> 
> 1.) Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean SN: 330615600
> 
> 2.) Omega Seamaster Americas Cup Limited edition # 4758/9999
> 
> Here is his Infomation:
> 
> member name: wnave
> 
> William Nave
> 7347 Parks Trail
> Fairburn,GA,30213
> 678-489-4315
> 
> I have all emails from his and the receipt for one of my watches still. At this point he has deleted his email address and I cant reach anyone at the phone # he provided. Can anyone help me?


So sorry to hear this but here is encouragement. In Feb I got scammed and lost my Panerai worth $6k. 3 weeks ago I saw it for sale on eBay. It was being sold by legit dealer who had bought it from somone else who had bought it from my thief.
i called my local Sherrie and they didn't help.I called the police in California where this dealer was and a detective went that very day and got my watch back!...theolice still have it and are tracking the thief but I am hopeful eventually I will get the watch back that I thought I would never see again.
keep searching for it...you may find them. Remember the title for stolen property can never be transferred.shame for others who buy in good faith but good for us -the original owner and victim. Good luck and you never knw!


----------



## AlleywayLullaby

So I followed your lead and actually found one of my omegas for sale on the bay, and at a store located near where it was stolen from. I contacted the police in Atlanta and am awaiting a call back. I really want to call the store directly and tell them their selling stolen merchandise but I'm not sure thats the best choice. What do you guys recommend?


----------



## Drop of a Hat

AlleywayLullaby said:


> So I followed your lead and actually found one of my omegas for sale on the bay, and at a store located near where it was stolen from. I contacted the police in Atlanta and am awaiting a call back. I really want to call the store directly and tell them their selling stolen merchandise but I'm not sure thats the best choice. What do you guys recommend?


Leave it to the police for now. Wait a bit for a call back. I understand you're upset. And you're 100% entitled to it. But, its a miracle u found one of them. I'd hate to see you miss out because you made a wrong move. Plus, cops hate vigilantes (trust me).

Good luck.

Sent via Tapatalk


----------



## kaenmorte

Luxury watches - Face-to-face ONLY !!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## wmlaw32

update?


----------



## AlleywayLullaby

I've contacted the police a few times , get the standard give us your name and number and we'll call you back. I ended up contacting the shop directly who was surprised that were carrying stolen merchandise. They took it off their website and are holding it. They were gonna send it back to me but decided they want to hold onto it until the police show up to take the report. Which I can't blame them for. They have a copy of the scammers drivers license and the check they paid him with. Turns out he sold the watch the same day he received it/I filed a police report about the whole incident. I'm sure as soon as I can get them over there, the guy who likes to steal watches will have a nice chat as he's involved in grand theft and being other of state a federal offense as well.


----------



## wmlaw32

AlleywayLullaby said:


> I've contacted the police a few times , get the standard give us your name and number and we'll call you back. I ended up contacting the shop directly who was surprised that were carrying stolen merchandise. They took it off their website and are holding it. They were gonna send it back to me but decided they want to hold onto it until the police show up to take the report. Which I can't blame them for. They have a copy of the scammers drivers license and the check they paid him with. Turns out he sold the watch the same day he received it/I filed a police report about the whole incident. I'm sure as soon as I can get them over there, the guy who likes to steal watches will have a nice chat as he's involved in grand theft and being other of state a federal offense as well.


This post made my day. Did you get both back? Nail the bastard. No one deserves to have their items stolen.

Cheers to you for taking initiative and getting it done!


----------



## DrOctagon

AlleywayLullaby said:


> I've contacted the police a few times , get the standard give us your name and number and we'll call you back. I ended up contacting the shop directly who was surprised that were carrying stolen merchandise. They took it off their website and are holding it. They were gonna send it back to me but decided they want to hold onto it until the police show up to take the report. Which I can't blame them for. They have a copy of the scammers drivers license and the check they paid him with. Turns out he sold the watch the same day he received it/I filed a police report about the whole incident. I'm sure as soon as I can get them over there, the guy who likes to steal watches will have a nice chat as he's involved in grand theft and being other of state a federal offense as well.


Shouldn't there be an official registry for stolen watches? It would definitely help the shop owners(they essentially lose the merchandise and the money they paid for the items) as well as the owner of the watches.

I am new to this world of watches, does anything like that exist?


----------



## Drop of a Hat

DrOctagon said:


> Shouldn't there be an official registry for stolen watches? It would definitely help the shop owners(they essentially lose the merchandise and the money they paid for the items) as well as the owner of the watches.
> 
> I am new to this world of watches, does anything like that exist?


Individual companies sometimes have something like that.

A system like that would be difficult to maintain and would cost a lot of time, manpower, and money. It doesn't make sense for any single entity to start it up.

Sent via Tapatalk


----------



## Ecksdee

AlleywayLullaby said:


> I've contacted the police a few times , get the standard give us your name and number and we'll call you back. I ended up contacting the shop directly who was surprised that were carrying stolen merchandise. They took it off their website and are holding it. They were gonna send it back to me but decided they want to hold onto it until the police show up to take the report. Which I can't blame them for. They have a copy of the scammers drivers license and the check they paid him with. Turns out he sold the watch the same day he received it/I filed a police report about the whole incident. I'm sure as soon as I can get them over there, the guy who likes to steal watches will have a nice chat as he's involved in grand theft and being other of state a federal offense as well.


HELL YES! Too bad you only recovered one watch, but I'm glad this scumbag will be facing serious criminal charges.


----------



## Blues52

So did they catch the dirtbag yet?

B52


----------



## di_costanzo

any news?


----------



## Flightpath

So what's the latest Alleyway? There's a few of us who would like to know how it's going...... I hope the creep has the book thrown at him.......... there must be other's who have filed against him (I hope).

cheers,

-John


----------



## MichaelB_Can

Guys like this make it hard for honest people to do deals ! I hope he gets the max time in jail and everyone gets there watches returned ! I wonder how many user names & sites this scumbag uses !?!


Mike B , Canada ⌚


----------



## Will3020

Sorry to hear the loss. Thanks for posting and this is mainly the reason why I *would not* trade unless face to face like others have suggested.


----------



## Kringkily

Any update to the scammer? I hope that guy gets some serious punishment for what he pulled...


----------



## Brucegbombara

any update??


----------



## MichaelB_Can

Keep an eye on ebay for your watches & let us know !


Mike B , Canada ⌚


----------



## AlleywayLullaby

Sorry all for the absence. I never got either of them back. Found one at a store, contacted them told them they had a stolen watch. They had the guys real name, etc. they briefly worked with me then stopped all communication.. Assuming its definitely gone now. As far as the police they finally called me back 7 MONTHS later, even though I called multiple times they did nothing as "it was already too long." Best thing I can recommend to all the people doing trades,etc online is do heavy research before agreeing to anything. Google, Facebook, etc. could even think about using an escrow service to make the exchange. For me it was a hard loss that I still haven't recovered from (did get a new planet ocean) but its the principle of it all. Faith in humanity NOT restored at this point . Hope everyone is well

cheers

pat


----------



## Monocrom

AlleywayLullaby said:


> Sorry all for the absence. I never got either of them back. Found one at a store, contacted them told them they had a stolen watch. They had the guys real name, etc. they briefly worked with me then stopped all communication.. Assuming its definitely gone now. As far as the police they finally called me back 7 MONTHS later, even though I called multiple times they did nothing as "it was already too long." Best thing I can recommend to all the people doing trades,etc online is do heavy research before agreeing to anything. Google, Facebook, etc. could even think about using an escrow service to make the exchange. For me it was a hard loss that I still haven't recovered from (did get a new planet ocean) but its the principle of it all. Faith in humanity NOT restored at this point . Hope everyone is well
> 
> cheers
> 
> pat


If the shop that stopped communication with you is not too far, consider going there on the weekend and standing just outside the door with the following sign mounted on a 2x4 . . . "This shop sells stolen goods."

A few hours a day, every weekend, for a few weekends; I guarantee that they will regret having dealt in stolen property. Just stand off to the side. Say nothing to anyone who goes in. Don't block access to the store. If anyone asks you about your sign, just tell them the truth without insulting the store itself. It's not slander or libel if it's true. Report them to the Better Business Bureau. Leave a review on yelp. Let them know that dealing in stolen goods is going to cost them a lot more than running an honest business.


----------



## Robert1964

Perfect way to deal with the store. Good advice!

Robert



Monocrom said:


> If the shop that stopped communication with you is not too far, consider going there on the weekend and standing just outside the door with the following sign mounted on a 2x4 . . . "This shop sells stolen goods."
> 
> A few hours a day, every weekend, for a few weekends; I guarantee that they will regret having dealt in stolen property. Just stand off to the side. Say nothing to anyone who goes in. Don't block access to the store. If anyone asks you about your sign, just tell them the truth without insulting the store itself. It's not slander or libel if it's true. Report them to the Better Business Bureau. Leave a review on yelp. Let them know that dealing in stolen goods is going to cost them a lot more than running an honest business.


----------



## exoticwatches

AlleywayLullaby said:


> Sorry all for the absence. I never got either of them back. Found one at a store, contacted them told them they had a stolen watch. They had the guys real name, etc. they briefly worked with me then stopped all communication.. Assuming its definitely gone now. As far as the police they finally called me back 7 MONTHS later, even though I called multiple times they did nothing as "it was already too long." Best thing I can recommend to all the people doing trades,etc online is do heavy research before agreeing to anything. Google, Facebook, etc. could even think about using an escrow service to make the exchange. For me it was a hard loss that I still haven't recovered from (did get a new planet ocean) but its the principle of it all. Faith in humanity NOT restored at this point . Hope everyone is well
> 
> cheers
> 
> pat


So what is the "guy's" real name and his address n details ? Let us all be aware of such cheats .......


----------



## AlleywayLullaby

I tried my best to get his real info, but the shop wouldn't provide it to me. Maybe they thought I would take matters into my own hands who knows. I'm sure they just went ahead and sold my watch to someone by now. But there are plenty of omegas out there, can always get more. Lesson learned, just do your research. If a deal seems to good to be true, when it comes to high end watches, it probably is. Be safe, ask alot of questions and consider using 3rd parties if making trades. Most of us here are legit but there are plenty of trolls looking to take advantage.

best,

Pat


----------



## Watermark

AlleywayLullaby said:


> I tried my best to get his real info, but the shop wouldn't provide it to me. Maybe they thought I would take matters into my own hands who knows. I'm sure they just went ahead and sold my watch to someone by now. But there are plenty of omegas out there, can always get more. Lesson learned, just do your research. If a deal seems to good to be true, when it comes to high end watches, it probably is. Be safe, ask alot of questions and consider using 3rd parties if making trades. Most of us here are legit but there are plenty of trolls looking to take advantage.
> 
> best,
> 
> Pat


Maybe the store was in on it.

Sorryfor your loss.


----------



## ROGERWILCO357

maybe the store was in on it . The police have the information and date you filed . And you said you told the store who should have pulled it off the floor knowing it is stolen merchandise and still selling it could make them liable . Get a lawyer have them contact the owner of the store ...good luck


----------



## AlleywayLullaby

Watermark said:


> Maybe the store was in on it.
> 
> Sorryfor your loss.


Quite possible. They were very helpful "at first" and were even going to send the omega back to me no questions asked since I provided them with proof of ownership. Then it all stopped, I couldn't/cant get anyone to respond to me. The really annoying part was not being able to get any help from the police, like even a phone call back. I did finally receive a call from the police but it was around 8 months later. Very helpful indeed.. It is a shame, though I have moved on from it, I can't deny it still stings a bit, and I occasionally find myself trolling the forum sales/ebay/craigslist when I see these specific omegas up for sale. You never know, but I'm not holding my breath.


----------



## KTMracer

If you have documentation from back when you started sleuthing, maybe small claims court? I'm sure the last thing the store wants is to be dragged into court, likely with attorney fees on their part, and have their named dragged thru the mud with the resulting bad PR. SCC just might be the way to go.


----------



## Llex

It sounds to me like the store - to avoid being caught red handed with the stolen watch - has cut off communication with you and sold it already.
if you have proof of ownership and you know the stores name then I don't understand why you wouldn't just constantly contact the local police until they investigate it finally. As far as I know you can't get in trouble for insisting the lazy police force actually do what they are supposed to do. Especially considering the value of the watch.


----------



## Luxurlife

That's why I'm very wary when it comes to trades because your never sure if that guy actually sent you the watch. Be cautious of that and who your dealing with

Sent from my SCH-R970C using Tapatalk


----------



## MattHofstadt

@AlleywayLullaby - Please don't just let this go. Don't let the store or the police push you around with their complete and utter complacency towards your stolen property. You have the power to make things very difficult for the store. Post your experience on every review site you can find. Give them a 1 star rating on Yelp. Post on other forums about your experience with the store. File a complaint with the BBB. Have your lawyer send a strongly worded letter to the store. Tell the police that you will get your lawyer involved. Write down the names of the officers you speak with and forward their names up the chain of command explaining their disregard for the law if they don't do anything. Be persistent, be ruthless, and make them regret blowing you off. Remember, they are harming you and just want to get away with it, this is why they are ignoring you.


----------



## mrchan

I feel sorry for your loss m8. Throw a brick at their storefront or something perhaps in an act of vengeance? *just joking! don't do it*.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## tomek123er

I can not believe the behavior of the police. In my country, after receiving formal notification police must react. The papers must be in order, and there is no way to close such a case without doing something. At least it should be like this


----------



## Cymruambyth

I second this motion. Any shop knowingly handling stolen goods is not only morally wrong but also illegal.

Very sorry you have had no luck getting your watches back. Just remember they're only material things which can be replaced, although i would imagine the principle hurts more than the loss.

All the best.



Monocrom said:


> If the shop that stopped communication with you is not too far, consider going there on the weekend and standing just outside the door with the following sign mounted on a 2x4 . . . "This shop sells stolen goods."
> 
> A few hours a day, every weekend, for a few weekends; I guarantee that they will regret having dealt in stolen property. Just stand off to the side. Say nothing to anyone who goes in. Don't block access to the store. If anyone asks you about your sign, just tell them the truth without insulting the store itself. It's not slander or libel if it's true. Report them to the Better Business Bureau. Leave a review on yelp. Let them know that dealing in stolen goods is going to cost them a lot more than running an honest business.


----------



## mjm800

This why selling watches stress me out so much! I've heard so many horror stories and I've actually canceled a few deals (that were probably good deals) on the slightest sign of a red flag. I wish you all the best and hope you can recover your items or at least catch the guy and file charges.


----------



## Monocrom

mjm800 said:


> This why selling watches stress me out so much! I've heard so many horror stories and I've actually canceled a few deals (that were probably good deals) on the slightest sign of a red flag. I wish you all the best and hope you can recover your items or at least catch the guy and file charges.


So many scams going on in the world of watches.... You did the right thing. Anything remotely stinks, forget about the deal.


----------



## Watchnut12

This is exactly why I won't deal with anyone on this forum that isn't senior in membership and has more than 3 feedback with transactions equalling or surprising the deal we're about to conduct.


----------



## suparobg

I noticed you Planet Ocean has a 330xxxxxx serial number that is incorrect there isn't that many made yet so not sure what is going on.


AlleywayLullaby said:


> I responded to a trade ad here regarding a trade for a rolex submariner posted by member wnave. We agreed that I would trade two of my omegas for his submariner. I shipped him my omegas overnight and he also overnighted me a package.. to my surprise it was not a rolex but instead a magazine. I got totalled ripped off. I am going to file a police report, but could use your help.
> 
> My watches were:
> 
> 1.) Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean SN: 330615600
> 
> 2.) Omega Seamaster Americas Cup Limited edition # 4758/9999
> 
> Here is his Infomation:
> 
> member name: wnave
> 
> William Nave
> 7347 Parks Trail
> Fairburn,GA,30213
> 678-489-4315
> 
> I have all emails from his and the receipt for one of my watches still. At this point he has deleted his email address and I cant reach anyone at the phone # he provided. Can anyone help me?


----------



## fatalelement

Cymruambyth said:


> I second this motion. Any shop knowingly handling stolen goods is not only morally wrong but also illegal.
> 
> Very sorry you have had no luck getting your watches back. Just remember they're only material things which can be replaced, although i would imagine the principle hurts more than the loss.
> 
> All the best.


In fact, the law has provisions so that selling anything that even seems shady can be illegal. For example, if you buy a phone from a guy in an alleyway in cash, and it turns out to be stolen, you can be prosecuted even if you didn't know because you have a responsibility to perform due diligence on what you are purchasing when it seems really unlikely to be legal (there's case law on this literal exact situation). I've sold some decently expensive things to stores in other hobby universes and most people want to see some sort of documentation and will do extensive searching on unique items to make sure they aren't going to be on the legal hook later.

Dunno how it is with watches, but when I worked for an IT consulting business that also would do some sales, it was pretty easy to tell who did and did not own an item. Once you've been doing sales for long enough and are observant, you can very quickly notice that the shifty 50 year old guy in torn clothes who brought in his five "work" MacBooks with floral cases and university stickers and "forgot the passwords" probably jacked them from the library. All we'd do was lie and say we required their personal details and a copy of their license for us to accept them and they'd often literally bolt off saying "they'd be back later".

Lots of these people are stupid. If you know where you truly shipped them, call local dealers and tell them what the situation is. Even if they might not believe you 100%, there's no chance they'll touch them when they come through the door. Smart businesspeople know not to get mixed up in stuff like this.

Check craigslist and ebay and you can always send the police after anything you see. My friend got his stolen laptop back when the idiot put it on craigslist, cops had him less than 24 hours later. A guy took my bike and rode it around the _exact same small college town_ and upon seeing him, I just called the cops and they rolled right up and I showed them my proof of ownership. That was that. While they might be good at scamming, many of these people aren't exactly brain trusts when it comes to follow through. Stay vigilant!

Good luck.


----------



## WatchesinIL

What's the name of the store? We could all write 1 star reviews on Yelp :-!


----------



## cf-ken

OMG !!!


----------

