Probable scam?

[philipus]

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I am not one to shout scam easily, but this is likely one so I felt I should mention it.

 

Several days ago I noticed an ad on the Dutch site fotoapparatuur.nl for an M240 and a 50 Summilux v2. The seller, who is based on The Netherlands, also had an ad for an S2 and with lens.

 

The price of the M and the Summilux was rather low but not suspiciously so and, out of curiosity, I contacted the seller mainly because of the lens which I am intrigued by (then again do I really need a third 50mm Summilux?).

 

In the reply, and in our continued email correspondence over a few days, I received photos of the camera and lens because the seller had removed the ad on fotoapparatuur.nl. The seller was forthcoming with information, stating that the camera was bought new this year and had not been used and that there was warranty until 2016. The lens, likewise, was in pristine condition. Seeing the photos of the lens, I noticed that it was, in fact, a Summilux-M Asph LHSA, which is rather rare. This made the asking price seem very low.

 

In searching around, I discovered that the photos that I had been sent were included among those posted in this eBay ad. Studying that ad closer I saw that the serial number of the lens is not the same as the one on the certificate shown.

 

I have not found that the images of the M would have been similarly taken from an eBay ad. I should also say that the willingness of the seller to engage in apparently honest conversation about these items and the fact that he uses a completely normal Gmail address initially did not sound the scam alarm. It could be, for instance, that he wasn't aware of what kind of lens he had. If he believed it was an ordinary v2 Summilux then it would have been a normal asking price with a new-in-box M240.

 

But, seeing the ad which has photos identical to what I was sent, I am quite sure this is not a legitimate offer. I have emailed the seller and asked why he would be selling the lens to me for so much less than what he is offering on eBay (I am assuming he is the eBay seller because it says the lens is located in The Netherlands). I have also asked why all the 10 offers on eBay have been "declined". However I have not yet received a reply and I am pretty sure I won't.

 

This may have been reported before in which case I'm sorry about the duplicate. And of course, if I do receive information that this is not a scam I will update this thread.

 

Best

Philip