Rip Off in Everett WA

Please be on the look out for a couple of Mainland Ukuleles in the area of Everett WA. We have been the victim of credit card fraud by an individual named Bao Tran (Vietnamese name).
The 2 ukes are: 1) a Mainland mahogany baritone matte finish with a Mi-Si pick-up, inside label dated April 2013
2) Mainland mahogany tenor cut-away with a Mi-Si pick-up gloss finish inside label dated April 2013

Please help me catch this thief!

that stinks! I"m moving to WA, and I'll keep a lookout.

That sucks. It would be nice if they turned up in the marketplace here... :horns:

I will give the two ukuleles to the person who helps me put this jerk in jail if they are recovered.

Wish that I could help.

I live in WA. Unfortunately, Tran is a very common name. It's likely they will be selling them. If I do see Mainland Ukes at a uke jam I'll try to investigate further.

Hi there, hoosierhiver! I am so sorry and upset to learn this news!!! What is wrong with people???? I, too, live in WA -- actually, only about 10 minutes from Everett -- so I will keep an eye and ear open too -- I think a good place to check to see if they try to sell is Craigslist -- you can even search just by Everett (but I am sure they'll post to all of the Seattle area) -- I will do that and let you know if I find anything! Again, I am so sorry this has happened to you! Best wishes in a speedy rectification of this awful situation!

another place to look

Hi again, hoosierhiver -- there is a guitar shop in the heart of Everett that also does a lot of uke sales. They buy used, trade, etc. too -- maybe it might not hurt to get in touch with them to see if your ukes are brought in for cash or trade? Here's the link:

http://www.tommysguitarshop.com/index.php

And I have been to this shop several times, for uke stuff and my hubby for his bass guitar stuff. They are always very nice and helpful!

People who rip off musicians are scum.

Thanks so much guys, I spoke to the police dept in Everett and they were very helpful, locally however the cop I spoke with was too lazy to file a report and said it "was a civil matter between me and the credit card company", so I've got to go talk to his boss tomorrow to get a police report filed, then they should forward it to WA and then if I'm lucky they will send someone to check the address at least, maybe I'm dreaming.

Sorry to hear this Mike, I hope you are able to recover the instruments or at least find this clown.

I'm sorry to hear it, Mike. People can be rubbish. I peruse the Markets often, and will keep an eye out. What did he do, give you a stolen card number?

I can empathize with you. I had my credit card number stolen this past May. The thief purchased lunch with it and also tried to purchase something at Best Buy (at a cost of $1200). Luckily the purchases were made in Pittsburgh, PA and I live in North Carolina, so the bank rejected the charge at Best Buy and their fraud department contacted me the next day while I was at work. I wasn't liable for any of the charges, but that doesn't stop you from feeling cheated and violated. Sorry this had to happen to you, and I hope you catch the little SOB !!!

I hope they catch this guy. I was gonna try to be smart and post a link but it was the wrong place and wrong person.

The link says he lives in MA unless he moved recently to WA.

You're right. I better remove. Bad info.

Jeeeze, what a POS..hope the catch him..

Not many things make me as angry as theft, disgusting ripping off nice people who actually work for what they have. Best of luck to you!!!

Please do not post details of individuals on the open board. If you think you have information that may be of use, either contact Mike by PM or contact the police to offer the details.

If information may be of general use to members in avoiding scammers then please do post, but avoid making public accusations here about specific named individuals or companies without consulting moderators first.

Let's not get ourselves sued here.

Thanks.

PS: Mike, sorry to hear about the rip-off.

This crappy situation has got me to wondering whether any of the protections that credit card companies build in for the buyer are also available for the vendors who get ripped off.

As for the relative effectiveness of the various steps available to try to bring this scum to some kind of justice, they are all part of a convoluted path that sometimes actually works. I had a CC number used for $1,200 worth of plus sized sports apparel at JC Penny. The local police took a report, but they told me that my best shot was with the CC fraud folks.

About 8 months after the incident, the CC fraud people contacted me and told me that, since the card had been used at relatively few places, their investigator visited one of the stores and found a rather large woman working there who was wearing a fancy jogging suit. Further investigation revealed that she had been harvesting CC info for several months. A couple of months later, there was a knock on the door and the police officer who had taken my report stopped by to tell me there had been an arrest.

What I took away from this experience was the reality that local police do not have access to the electronic records that are necessary in order to trace down these crooks. But, credit card companies are increasingly directing resources toward finding these guys and referring cases to DAs. One might think that ripping off a manufacturer for two ukuleles is not a big enough deal to raise to the attention of a large CC conpany, but they know that this particular transaction can easily be the tip of the iceberg.

I wish you luck in getting this jerk referred to law enforcement.