Scammers nearly tricked him out of $1100—here’s how he avoided it, and how you can too!
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Some deals sound too good to pass up—but what if chasing one leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere?
A young man’s five-hour round trip to collect a bargain online turned out to be part of an elaborate ruse involving an unsuspecting homeowner and a still-active scam.
Here's how it unfolded—and how you can spot the warning signs before it’s too late.
When Tejas Manoj spotted a listing for DJ decks priced at just $1100 on a popular online marketplace, he felt a mix of excitement and suspicion.
The equipment typically sold for between $2500 and $3000.
Still, the 20-year-old retail worker decided to message the seller.
The ad listed the seller’s location as being in Perth’s CBD, but when Tejas asked for pick-up details, the story quickly changed.
He was told the equipment was actually at a property in Kellerberrin—a remote Wheatbelt town more than 200 kilometres from Perth.
‘They told me to come the next day in the morning... they were in Kellerberrin, which was a two and a half hour drive away from me,’ Tejas said.
He was also told that if he wanted to transfer the money rather than bring cash, he’d need to do it before arriving.
Despite his gut instinct telling him the deal seemed ‘too good to be true’, Tejas committed to the trip.
He left his house at 5:30 am and arrived at the property just before 8:00 am.
But when he messaged the seller upon arrival, there was no reply.
As he walked up to the door, he noticed a letter taped to it.
‘There’s no marketplace item here, our address has been used as part of a scam,’ the note read.
The people living at the property had nothing to do with the listing.
Their home had been hijacked by scammers who had used their address as bait in an online trap.
Tejas drove the two and a half hours back home—disappointed but relieved that he hadn’t sent any money ahead of time.
He admitted it was a ‘very depressing’ trip home, but he was thankful his $1100 was still in his bank account.
‘My (friend) thought that I was going to get jumped by a bunch of guys outside the address and they’re just going to take my money,’ he said.
He was lucky—others haven’t been.
IDCARE outreach and engagement manager Kathy Sundstrom explained that innocent homeowners are often unwittingly dragged into these schemes.
‘When someone asks where they live, the scammer may provide a real address. When the buyer turns up, the poor homeowner is bewildered—they’re also a victim in the scam,’ Ms Sundstrom said.
She warned that buyers should watch out for a few clear red flags.
‘The most obvious one is the one we like to ignore—when the price is really good, if it’s too good to be true, it usually is,’ she said.
Requests for unusual payment methods—like holding deposits or gift cards—are also telltale signs.
And if someone asks for sensitive identification documents, such as your driver licence or passport, you should delete the conversation immediately.
Even if they send you theirs first, she warned, those documents are likely stolen from a previous victim.
IDCARE advises never to send a holding deposit, always meet sellers in person, and be especially cautious with high-value listings like electronics.
Despite the scam being reported, the fraudulent listing for the DJ decks remained live on the platform.
In fact, the scammer had multiple listings up, using photos copied from other websites.
Here’s another timely story that underscores how scammers are evolving their tactics—even targeting innocent sellers with deceptive payment tricks:
This scam involved unsuspecting people being sent fake Australia Post QR codes after listing items online, tricking them into sharing sensitive banking information before they even realised what was happening.
Read more: Are you unknowingly helping cyber criminals? This scam is fooling many
Have you or someone you know ever come close to falling for an online deal that turned out to be a scam? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
A young man’s five-hour round trip to collect a bargain online turned out to be part of an elaborate ruse involving an unsuspecting homeowner and a still-active scam.
Here's how it unfolded—and how you can spot the warning signs before it’s too late.
When Tejas Manoj spotted a listing for DJ decks priced at just $1100 on a popular online marketplace, he felt a mix of excitement and suspicion.
The equipment typically sold for between $2500 and $3000.
Still, the 20-year-old retail worker decided to message the seller.
DJ gear listed for $1100 sparks suspicion. Image source: Facebook
The ad listed the seller’s location as being in Perth’s CBD, but when Tejas asked for pick-up details, the story quickly changed.
He was told the equipment was actually at a property in Kellerberrin—a remote Wheatbelt town more than 200 kilometres from Perth.
‘They told me to come the next day in the morning... they were in Kellerberrin, which was a two and a half hour drive away from me,’ Tejas said.
He was also told that if he wanted to transfer the money rather than bring cash, he’d need to do it before arriving.
Despite his gut instinct telling him the deal seemed ‘too good to be true’, Tejas committed to the trip.
He left his house at 5:30 am and arrived at the property just before 8:00 am.
But when he messaged the seller upon arrival, there was no reply.
As he walked up to the door, he noticed a letter taped to it.
‘There’s no marketplace item here, our address has been used as part of a scam,’ the note read.
The people living at the property had nothing to do with the listing.
Their home had been hijacked by scammers who had used their address as bait in an online trap.
Tejas drove the two and a half hours back home—disappointed but relieved that he hadn’t sent any money ahead of time.
He admitted it was a ‘very depressing’ trip home, but he was thankful his $1100 was still in his bank account.
‘My (friend) thought that I was going to get jumped by a bunch of guys outside the address and they’re just going to take my money,’ he said.
He was lucky—others haven’t been.
IDCARE outreach and engagement manager Kathy Sundstrom explained that innocent homeowners are often unwittingly dragged into these schemes.
‘When someone asks where they live, the scammer may provide a real address. When the buyer turns up, the poor homeowner is bewildered—they’re also a victim in the scam,’ Ms Sundstrom said.
She warned that buyers should watch out for a few clear red flags.
‘The most obvious one is the one we like to ignore—when the price is really good, if it’s too good to be true, it usually is,’ she said.
Requests for unusual payment methods—like holding deposits or gift cards—are also telltale signs.
And if someone asks for sensitive identification documents, such as your driver licence or passport, you should delete the conversation immediately.
Even if they send you theirs first, she warned, those documents are likely stolen from a previous victim.
IDCARE advises never to send a holding deposit, always meet sellers in person, and be especially cautious with high-value listings like electronics.
Despite the scam being reported, the fraudulent listing for the DJ decks remained live on the platform.
In fact, the scammer had multiple listings up, using photos copied from other websites.
Here’s another timely story that underscores how scammers are evolving their tactics—even targeting innocent sellers with deceptive payment tricks:
This scam involved unsuspecting people being sent fake Australia Post QR codes after listing items online, tricking them into sharing sensitive banking information before they even realised what was happening.
Read more: Are you unknowingly helping cyber criminals? This scam is fooling many
Have you or someone you know ever come close to falling for an online deal that turned out to be a scam? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
