Stolen CJ Classic 120SE Serial #5761052

[Big Dog RJ]

That's terrible news. Absolute shocking!

Unfortunately we now live in a world of hardly any morals, human nature has gone to the bins, we destroy what we create, people are struggling every day just to get by, big bully nations just go in and attack whoever they want...
Scammers, thieves, fraudsters, and there will be more scammers to come. It's a way of life for them since they've got nothing else to do with their time and their pathetic lives. Basically speaking, they don't know any better.

How do we go cautiously, how do we avoid such scammers, how do we keep our finances safe... I really don't know.
Trust only a few I guess and hope for the best.

Even during my dealer years, I had enough trouble as it was dealing with grey market imports and counterfeit items but that was about it. Quite manageable then but now, crime is on a whole new level. Thanks to the digital age / domain anything is possible!

Keep safe all, and look out for one another.
Best, RJ

[whnay1]

The real problem is that Quickbooks doesn't disclose the seller info except what they enter into the Merchant Services page.

I have been selling for years and do not advertise that on this forum. This forum is great especially for us CJ users to collaborate and help each other.

I will be dropping QuickBooks and use just PayPal. I don't take cash over $1000 due to IRS Regs (They say $10k but cash transactions are frowned on) checks are never taken unless I know the client.

I thank all of you for you thoughts and great advice.

Bill

[admin]

A theft is also typically tax deductible so it would be good to have a police report to substantiate the deduction and mitigate the loss.

[whnay1]

The real problem is that Quickbooks doesn't disclose the seller info except what they enter into the Merchant Services page.

I have been selling for years and do not advertise that on this forum. This forum is great especially for us CJ users to collaborate and help each other.

I will be dropping QuickBooks and use just PayPal. I don't take cash over $1000 due to IRS Regs (They say $10k but cash transactions are frowned on) checks are never taken unless I know the client.

I thank all of you for you thoughts and great advice.

Bill

[roberto]

Hola Bill,
What a terrible thing happened to you. I have a different dealer export and US retail price list for the Classic One Twenty SE and it is $ 12500.00.

Sorry for your fraud. We are living bad times and thieves are doing much better with the technology on their filthier behaviour.

We are with you. Having the serial No. is a good thing.

[Big Dog RJ]

We'll keep an eye out on that serial number. I'm thinking though if this item was stolen on US soil, it would ever hardly make it to Aus... since our AC line voltage is very different. Then again, you never know.

There was a real doggy fella over here who used to go over to HK, bring back broken parts of amplifiers and give these parts in a big box to one of our techies, asking him to put it together, and once done, he would pay the techie only for Labor (no parts charges...) and charge the customer nearly full price, with just a small discount saying the items are carefully used... two years after his operation was shut down. But it took two years to catch him.

Will keep an eye out Bill.
Best, RJ

[AnotherJohnson]

Sounds like an audio chop shop.

There’s a Chinese guy in Canada who pretends to be in the US and he sells Limm as a substitute for Linn, unless he’s been shut down.

Absolute junk most of the time. Improper top plates, plinths, atm boards, etc.

He would make trips to the UK and return advertising “used Linn parts” that were boxless, and often missing a piece that might have stayed with the original box, as if the unit were stolen, and the box and accessories weren’t handy to the thieves.

He was running an audio chop shop.

[AnotherJohnson]

The most dangerous sites for audio buying are the assorted Audiomarts. They’re pretty freewheeling, but I like them all the same. Selling on eBay, Audiogon, Reverb, etc, there’s so much regulation and buyer protection that it’s hard on an honest seller. Of course they’re better for an honest buyer.

[whnay1]

I so much appreciate the response from everyone.

It's too bad that fraudsters do this but my vigilance is sky high because of it.

We rely on Merchant Services to protect us against fraud by vetting each customer but we still pick up the tab when they screw up.

I love Conrad Johnson and am always here to help anyone with questions and answers.

[SolderSlinger]

Have to worry about cash transactions too.

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/roches ... feit-bills

Buying and selling audio gear is really getting challenging. Bad actors, high shipping cost, shipping damage concern, PayPal issuing 1099, PayPal lack of seller protection, eBay collecting tax, etc., take the fun out of buying equipment. Anxiety level peaks with every part of the process.

[whnay1]

It is. This guy is trying to resell that amp to get his cash. I have the local Police, the Virginia State Police, and the FBI involved with this. If anyone tries to register it at CJ I will be notified....

[admin]

It is. This guy is trying to resell that amp to get his cash. I have the local Police, the Virginia State Police, and the FBI involved with this. If anyone tries to register it at CJ I will be notified....

Has the unit popped up on any sites yet? I wonder how long they plan to hold it?

[AnotherJohnson]

It was probably in China two weeks after the deal.

[AnotherJohnson]

In the UK, when luxury items like motorcycles, high end cars, or high end audio are stolen, it used to be that they were already in the export chain … once containerized and loaded, they were pretty safe from discovery. To get them back, they had to be intercepted within 24 hours of the theft. That’s where the idea of “hot” comes from.

[whnay1]

It is difficult to pin down and I am very careful these days.

[Big Dog RJ]

Damn scammers! I truly hope they all rot in hell.

Nothing here as yet Bill N... our border force and customs are very very vigilant. That's the very reason why I'm not even buying anything from CJ direct. Having the local Aus importer already well established for several decades, these guys keep a real close eye on things. If you do bring in anything as grey imports or other labelled itemised luxury products, they will slam a HUGE duty on it.

The only two transactions we had in grey importers of CJ gear ended up quite badly and the owners have been exposed, so everyone's quite aware now...

However, there's stuff still coming in from HK... can't stop it.
And real highend gear, valued at over 100grand if bought here but sold at only 1/4 the price! Wonder if it's that same chap running that notorious chop shop that AJ and I were referring to... you never know.

Anyway, will keep a close eye on things over here.
Cheers, stay safe! RJ

[AnotherJohnson]

However, there's stuff still coming in from HK... can't stop it.
And real highend gear, valued at over 100grand if bought here but sold at only 1/4 the price! Wonder if it's that same chap running that notorious chop shop that AJ and I were referring to... you never know.

Two likely scenarios if from HK.

1. Chinese built but legitimate because the dumb a$$ western “high end” company chose to build in China. In this case, it’s probably been diverted from “the loading dock” at the time of shipping.

2. Chinese built counterfeit because the concept of intellectual property is not in their moral code.

Seven or eight years ago I talked with some high muckity mucks at Krell because Krell badged products were in the market without Krell’s serial numbers. They were unconcerned because they were sure that their designs were too advanced for counterfeiters to copy. I think this was naïve. They have better capabilities than we have.

[Big Dog RJ]

That's for sure, without a doubt! Heck! Forget about highend audio... one chap imported a Ferrari many years ago, wanting to avoid the Aus importers margins...
When the car arrived, it was nice and brilliant red! Started it up- push button everything, something was very off with the rev... it certainly didn't sound like a V12 engine. Popped the hood and there it was low & behold, a Toyota engine!

The chap's pants dropped... including his undergarments... that was one very sad ending. Man, I'll say though that Ferrari looked awesome, until...
Every item on board was just like the original, seating, dash, clocks etc , but the materials used were bloody plastic! Goes to show that these chaps can copy anything, and when I say anything, really anything! Even the NASA space shuttle.

Lucky enough, we go through the right channels and our hard earned money is fully invested. That's the only way.
Woof! RJ

[admin]

That's for sure, without a doubt! Heck! Forget about highend audio... one chap imported a Ferrari many years ago, wanting to avoid the Aus importers margins...
When the car arrived, it was nice and brilliant red! Started it up- push button everything, something was very off with the rev... it certainly didn't sound like a V12 engine. Popped the hood and there it was low & behold, a Toyota engine!

The chap's pants dropped... including his undergarments... that was one very sad ending. Man, I'll say though that Ferrari looked awesome, until...
Every item on board was just like the original, seating, dash, clocks etc , but the materials used were bloody plastic! Goes to show that these chaps can copy anything, and when I say anything, really anything! Even the NASA space shuttle.

Lucky enough, we go through the right channels and our hard earned money is fully invested. That's the only way.
Woof! RJ

At least it looked impressive parked on his driveway!