‘White Van Scam’ hits Summit

Scammers are selling low-quality speaker systems for a higher price and claiming it’s a bargain

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BY ASHLEY DICKSON
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado
March 27, 2008

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SUMMIT COUNTY — A new scam had crept its way into Summit County and some local residents have lost money after believing a very convincing sales pitch.

Most popularly known as the “White Van Scam, the fraud usually consists of several men selling speaker systems out of the back of an SUV. The men usually claim that they are audio system installers and that, through an inventory error, they obtained extra equipment that they are willing to sell at a mark-down price.

The reality is that most of time the speakers are not worth a fraction of what the seller claims they are worth, and the sound quality is far below what one would expect when paying so much.

According to one resident who was approached in a local parking lot, two men were selling Da Vinci Sound and Base speakers out of a black SUV claiming the retail sticker price was $2,300 but that they would be willing to sell them for $600.

The resident was able to talk them down to $380 and noted that the sellers even went to far as to follow him to the bank when he went to get the money out.

According to the online grass-roots volunteer organization Scam Shield, it is common for crooks to follow potential buyers to the bank to secure the payment. Scammers prefer to operate only in cash and by following the buyer to the ATM they have the opportunity to ask for more money, asking for a little extra since they allegedly cut the buyer such a great deal.

The “White Van Scam” has been spotted in over 20 major cities around the world and scammers will show delivery invoices and business cards to try to make the deal look legitimate.

“Guys involved with the scam are running around the front range and will occasionally come up here to try and rip people off,” said Sergeant Mark Heminghous with the Frisco Police Department. “What their doing is illegal because they are selling without a license but people still seem to fall for it.”

Testimonies from people who have fallen victim to the “White Van Scam” are all over the Internet, and Scam Shield even has a special section dedicated to testimonies from people in Colorado.

According to the resident, the box the speakers came in was sealed and the whole deal seemed legitimate until further investigation online revealed the whole thing was part of a scam.

The local scam victim added that he felt grateful he did not pay the initial price the men were asking, and cites there were probably others who did.

“The best thing to do when approached by people trying to sell you something in a parking lot is to roll up your window and all the police,” said Sgt. Heminghous.

Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.