White Van speaker scam, I fell for it. Please help with small claims possibility?

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? KY

Some of you all may have heard of these guys, apparently they have scammed people all over the country, and have what sounds like quite a few people working for them.
I was approached in a parking lot by a couple guys in a white 99-04 chevy tahoe, and the passenger asked if i would be interested in a home theater system that retails for $2995. i didnt believe it at first, and wasnt interested at all, but he was pretty persistent, and i figured i'd just take a look out of curiosity. Well, he had about 30 boxes of speakers in the back of his truck, and told me how excited they were that they ended with one extra set of speakers, and wanted to get rid of them quick to make a buck, instead of taking it back to his boss because his boss would keep them. I offered him $200 for the system, and he somehow convinced me that $400 was a better idea. I drove to the ATM, gave them the cash, and thought I was getting a great deal, and how i couldnt wait to see what they were going for on ebay.

well I got home, and found nothing but scam alerts on this b/s from all over the country. after doing some research i found this article:

Rip Off Report: By Consumers, For Consumers Michael J. Amoroso - Dynalab - JAM - Garrett Distributing - Millenium Speakers White Van Speaker Scam - Took almost $500 bydeceptive business practices Yorba Linda Chino Hills California

basically, the article states hoe someone had investigated this big scam operation, and found all the known business names and phone numbers, as well as the private address of the peice of crap responsible for all these people getting scammed.

what I'm getting at, is that this guy that wrote the article makes it sound all too easy to file a small claim with the guy that lives at that address, and win it in court. is this at all possible? thank you.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

um, how do you know the guy they were talking about is the same guy that screwed you?

and I'm betting that to get the info on the net, you have to give that guy some money too. Am I right?

I mean, there is more than 1 white can in the country, I think.


btw: the guy that wrote that article is an idiot and what little I read, is wrong about everything.

I'm sure its not the same guy that sold me the speakers...but im sure it is the same guy that employs all these dudes running the scams...is that not good enough? i'm really not familiar with small claims at all.

just saw the 2nd part of your post, no i didnt not have to give any money to see that article or that address lol.

justalayman said:

I mean, there is more than 1 white can in the country, I think.

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yes there is, but i've read NUMEROUS warnings over the last few hours, of people with the same exact stories. same even down to the stuff that the guy said to me.

You saw nothing wrong with getting a $3,000 stereo system for $400? It was OK when he was ripping off his boss; but, not OK he was doing the same thing to you?

Did it ever cross your mind they might be stolen? You never thought about getting his tag number and calling the police?

This may be a quote you want to remember for future transactions:

Debt Guy said:

You cannot cheat an honest man.

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they had a catalog (fake of course) showing the system at that msrp, invoices showing that it was the shipper giving them one more set accidentally, and that they just didnt want there boss to keep it (they said he had done it in the past, and the stereos were no more property of the boss than theres) these things DO NOT justify me buying them at a deal, but they didnt look stolen since they had invoices...and thats what sold me.

Dude, you've been had by a MLM scheme. Enjoy the $50 speakers you paid $400 for. And remember the next time you're presented with a deal that's too good to be true: it is.

TheGeekess said:

Dude, you've been had by a MLM scheme. Enjoy the $50 speakers you paid $400 for. And remember the next time you're presented with a deal that's too good to be true: it is.

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Chino Hills and Yorba Linda is an awful long commute to Kentucky.

Oh yea...why not google "clean hands doctrine". I can see the mud all over your hands from here

Wirelessany1 said:

Chino Hills and Yorba Linda is an awful long commute to Kentucky.

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well i forgot to mention, in the article there is a list of known cities that this guy has used as business addresses, nashville tn being one of them...which is 45 minutes south of me.

drakagem4a1 said:

well i forgot to mention, in the article there is a list of known cities that this guy has used as business addresses, nashville tn being one of them...which is 45 minutes south of me.

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How do you plan to prove this guy is behind the speakers you bought? The article you quoted is pure hearsay and would never be accepted by a court as evidence.

Let's back up a second.

You are trying to sue someone because the stolen goods you thought you were buying weren't up to your expectations.

Because you were too stupid to realize that the two guys in the van might be thieves AND liars?

Really?

You tried to steal and got stolen from instead. You never said what was in the boxes you bought... but I hope it was rocks.

cyjeff said:

Let's back up a second.

You are trying to sue someone because the stolen goods you thought you were buying weren't up to your expectations.

Because you were too stupid to realize that the two guys in the van might be thieves AND liars?

Really?

You tried to steal and got stolen from instead. You never said what was in the boxes you bought... but I hope it was rocks.

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That is exactly what I was eluding to. Every now and then I try to be a little subtle instead of taking the in-your-face tactic you so tactfully employed.

Wirelessany1 said:

That is exactly what I was eluding to. Every now and then I try to be a little subtle instead of taking the in-your-face tactic you so tactfully employed.

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That WAS my subtle voice.

drakagem4a1 said:

well i forgot to mention, in the article there is a list of known cities that this guy has used as business addresses, nashville tn being one of them...which is 45 minutes south of me.

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Ya, and I know a guy that sold drugs in California out of a white van. I was also told he was selling in Kentucky out of a white van so that means that everybody that buys drugs in Kentucky from a guy in a white van is getting them from him, right?

geesh, are you even reading what you are writing?

Some clown posting some BS story on the internet does not make a legally reliable connection between the guy he names and some guy in a white van in Kentucky.


Here is what will happen if you sue the guy.


oh, btw; you have to sue the guy in the county HE lives in, not a court close to you.

and another bunch of crap is this:

Your damages, the amount of your lawsuit, should be equal to the value his salesperson told you the speakers were worth when you bought them and handed over the cash ($2495 to $4995)

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.

Your damages are what you got screwed out of. Actually, if the speakers were worth $50 and you paid $500 for them, your damages would be $450 but most people seek a rescission of the sale.

BUT before you get to that point, you have to realize that a court is not going to rescind a sale that you made out of stupidity. If I have a $50 car and you agree to buy it for $5000, that is not illegal. It just means you are stupid and the courts don't care about stupid as long as it is legal.

So, once you get to court in California, here is a quick summary of what will happen:

judge: you claim the defendant cheated you out of a bunch of money because you paid a lot more for something than it was worth.

you: duh, yup.

judge: sorry, you lose. It may have been dumb but it wasn't illegal. Have a nice flight back to Kentucky

you: duh, yup.

Now, let's pretend you could sue because you were dumb enough to fall for the scam.


judge: you claim the defendant sold you crap for a lot of money:

you: duh, yup

judge to defendant: did you do this?

defendant: no

judge to you: what proof do you have it was the defendant


you: some guy on the internet said it was the same guy

judge, to you: and, you have this guy here, or at least a sworn affidavit stating this:

you: duh, nope

judge, to you: so, have you ever seen the defendant before today?

you: duh, nope

judge: have you ever spoken to this guy before

you: duh, nope

judge: so, what proof do you have that this guy cheated you

you; the guy on the internet said everybody that sells crap speakers out of a white van are employed by this guy


judge: Oh, so you didn't buy the speakers from this guy

(bet ya can't guess what's next:

you: duh, nope

judge: bye

lets pretend some more (cuz I like hearing you go "duh, yup")


judge to you: do you have the name or the address or any information concerning the guy that you bought the speakers from:

you: (here we go again) duh, nope

judge: so, what proof do you have that the guy that sold you the speakers, in Kentucky, has ever met or ever seen the defendent. Ever spoken to him. Ever had any sort of dealings about anything with the defendant?

you: (I bet you can guess what's next) duh, the guy (that isn't here nor have an affidavit from) on the internet said they know each other and the guy in Kentucky works for this guy and that if I sued this guy, I would get my money back plus lots more.

judge: (under his breath) ("why do I get the morons?") and that is the only "proof" the defendant is the person that cheated you?

you: duh, yup

judge to defendant: sir, obviously I cannot find you guilty of anything here today. In fact, although the plaintiff is from Kentucky and the rest of the country should have pity on them simply because they are from Kentucky (after all, have you seen them hats the women wear at the Kentucky Derby).

I suggest you sue this guy for filing a frivolous lawsuit that obviously has absolutely no merit.


judge, to you: do you understand what happened here today?

you: duh, nope

judge: I didn't think you would now go back to Kentucky before I go Derby on your ass.