DECEPTIVE PRACTICE TARGETING UofDE STUDENTS

Known as “speakermen”, these folks operate out of a white van and approach you with an offer too good to refuse, taking advantage of your willingness to purchase a $3000 set of high-end speakers for a couple of hundred dollars. Their claim is that since their van was "accidently" double packed they have an opportunity to convert their employer's misfortune into cash for themselves and you can get some fantastic speakers on the cheap. They show you an article from HDTV Magazine to confirm the value of the speakers, you close the deal, get the speakers and go home happy. Only later do you discover that the speakers are inferior, search the web, and discover you are among many who actually paid several hundred dollars for speakers worth less than $50.

I know these folks are operating in Newark because my son was approached by them last Friday. He recognized the situation, called 911 with the van's license number, the dispatcher told him that the police were very interested, and shortly after saw the van pulled over with officers interviewing the occupants. Others in Newark have been taken by this scheme and you can learn more about the perpetrators and recovery should you be approached. (The above two links may be slow to load but they are worth reading.)

These folks are operating all across the country according to Scam Shield .

By the way, I hesitate to call this a “scam” so much as a “deceptive practice” because the actual transaction is not illegal in most states and the only deception is the HDTV magazine article that plays to greed. You believe you are getting a $3000 speaker for perhaps $150; they are actually selling you a $50 speaker for $150. One the one hand you believe you and they are “scamming” their employer, when in fact you are a victim of “deception". Let the buyer be aware - and be informed.