Stolen goods in B&S

[Permagrin]

I know there is a "buyer beware" policy in B&S. But if one of the members has proof that another member is selling his stolen goods, why is there no venue to allow that person to say so?

I only ask because if they were my stolen goods and I had proof, I'd want to think the forum policy was for the benefit of the members and not reverse. The person who buys stolen goods will be hurt, the person who lost them is obviously hurt and the person selling them is a criminal.

I'm not trying to start a war. This is an honest question. I realize that the mods can't police the B&S but there's got to be a way for honest people to get a fair representation in a case like this.

[gnrlmike]

One way is to start another forum: fraud-at-potn.

[Permagrin]

my goal is not to make POTN look bad. I'm just looking to find out if there is a possible resolution. Another forum titled that would most certainly not reflect well on POTN

[Pekka]

All the stickies in http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=14 say the same thing: we do not handle disputes. We do not verify seller's integrity or any other parts of sale. You post an ad here. Forum's part in your business ends there.

The usual phrase is "innocent until proven guilty". When buying from net it is you who need to prove seller innocent, EVERY TIME, else you can get burned.

If we get info that there is a crime involved we provide police every info they need. That info will not ever be given to members for privacy reasons. If we get proof that there is a fraudster we will remove posts. I have in earlier cases also notified and warned those who have contacted a verified fraudster, but that is not guaranteed service every time.

Mods have had discussions with person you referred (who's post was removed) and he agreed it is better to handle this in private. Fraudsters gain valuable info from public scrutiny!

Public tagging and lynching is not allowed here.

[Permagrin]

....
If we get info that there is a crime involved we provide police every info they need. That info will not ever be given to members for privacy reasons. If we get proof that there is a fraudster we will remove posts. I have in earlier cases also notified and warned those who have contacted a verified fraudster, but that is not guaranteed service every time.

Mods have had discussions with person you referred (who's post was removed) and he agreed it is better to handle this in private. Fraudsters gain valuable info from public scrutiny!

Public tagging and lynching is not allowed here.

This is good to know.

I understand too about the public tagging/lynching thing...because often it's a misunderstanding that can lead to more harm than good. I just wondered if there was any action the forum was willing to take. Thank you for the clarification.

[Permagrin]

OOC, is there a place in the forum for a "reward for return of stolen goods" thread?

[CyberDyneSystems]

Just to add to this, I will repeat here what I have been saying via PM for the last 24 hours, as we seem doomed to repeat it.

If at any time you actually feel that there is a case of stolen gear or ANY issue of some sensitivity on the forum, how does it help to make public announcements and accusations that will immediately tip off the offender that people are on to him?

while the Authorities and Mods may be working to try and come to a solution, all this public posting that can be, and should be handled quietly via PM or using the tried and true "report bad post" button, only serves to make the jobs harder on the authorities.
Why is this so hard to grasp?
What is gained by waving a billboard around for all to see in a case like this?

to get support as always,
USE PM or Report Bad Post.