Blatant FRAUD

[JimDon]

So I am still down in Florida making a weekend of it after the Antiques Roadshow. I decided to head over to the East Coast to try my hand at metal detecting at treasure beach. Midway through the state I saw a sign for an Estate Sale so I thought I’d swing by. It is a company that does estate sales in the central Florida region. They had a bunch of service pins for a dollar each which I went through And picked up nine and one small one for $.75 that I thought might be gold. The husband and wife team that runs the sales were there and she was inside while the elderly husband was outside acting as cashier. I take my items which are $9.75 and he proceeds to write down the sale on the ledger for $4.75. I pointed out and tell him it’s $9.75 and he just looks up disgustingly and gives me change for my $20 which is $10.25. Even after I pointed out his “mistake“ he never fixed it. This is the most blatant example of estate sale fraud I had ever seen. I’m not sure if the wife knows what is going on but I’m debating whether to report them to the Florida Attorney General or call her and tell her what I witnessed and how unhappy I am with this skimming behavior. What do you all think?

 

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[DeepseekerADS]

Wow, that's pretty heavy.

I'd be stuck in your same predicament - I'm NOT a thief, but I'm also not an informer. It would be something that bothered me forever - but I wouldn't "tell".

 

[Phishfarmer]

The recipients of estate sale funds often sorely need the money too.

 

[releventchair]

No state sales tax? Sweet.

 

[JimDon]

No state sales tax? Sweet.

I think you missed the point! Lol

 

[smokeythecat]

I doubt you would be able to prove it, however I'll call the state in on them. I just got my income taxes filed. My accountant made a huge error. HUGE. Instead of getting some back I gave them enough to almost buy a new helicopter for the military. There was no way I was not going to do the right thing, Now I'm not perfect, but what goes around, comes around, hard. (My retirement account hurts right now.)

 

[Keppy]

For get it me i would careless . Like Deepseeker said i also am not a informer. Report it to the Florida Attorney General.. You really got carried away there . Things like that do not bother me at all. How many flea markets have you sold in or any one that sells in a flea market turns there sales in to the government not me or any one i know. And to cause trouble for someone over such a small thing as that why would you even think of it.

 

[releventchair]

I think you missed the point! Lol

No ,I just did not ask why you didn't ask who's estate was being handled and tell the guy he was scamming.
Walking away with multiple times the value of goods is your game. His game is not much different ,except he turned pro.....And nether of you will tell who ever receives the sales profit they are getting ganked. Twice.

(I don't look at ledgers. Pays my monies and goes.)

 

[Terry Soloman]

So I am still down in Florida making a weekend of it after the Antiques Roadshow. I decided to head over to the East Coast to try my hand at metal detecting at treasure beach. Midway through the state I saw a sign for an Estate Sale so I thought I’d swing by. It is a company that does estate sales in the central Florida region. They had a bunch of service pins for a dollar each which I went through And picked up nine and one small one for $.75 that I thought might be gold. The husband and wife team that runs the sales were there and she was inside while the elderly husband was outside acting as cashier. I take my items which are $9.75 and he proceeds to write down the sale on the ledger for $4.75. I pointed out and tell him it’s $9.75 and he just looks up disgustingly and gives me change for my $20 which is $10.25. Even after I pointed out his “mistake“ he never fixed it. This is the most blatant example of estate sale fraud I had ever seen. I’m not sure if the wife knows what is going on but I’m debating whether to report them to the Florida Attorney General or call her and tell her what I witnessed and how unhappy I am with this skimming behavior. What do you all think?

I'm going out to shoot some drug dealers later, want to join me?

 

[flinthunter]

If you want to cheat the government, that's your business. If you are scamming some poor individual or family, then you deserve to rot behind bars. Turn that low life in!

 

[JimDon]

No ,I just did not ask why you didn't ask who's estate was being handled and tell the guy he was scamming.
Walking away with multiple times the value of goods is your game. His game is not much different ,except he turned pro.....And nether of you will tell who ever receives the sales profit they are getting ganked. Twice.

(I don't look at ledgers. Pays my monies and goes.)

Agreed but I think there is a difference between pricing something to the best of your ability and outright skimming On the prices received for the items. The latter is a complete failure of their fiduciary responsibility. The legal test is if they unfairly benefit at the expense of the client due to the alleged fraud. In the case of them not pricing things accurately and me buying them for profit does not benefit them so it’s just bad business on their side. Skimming money and pocketing it is fraud. I recall reading somewhere recently where another company got busted and sentenced to prison because there’s were so huge. It honestly just pissed me off because it was so obvious what he was doing.

 

[Kray Gelder]

I agree. They are stealing from the estate, and they should be staked to a fire ant mound. If you turn them into the "authorities" though, these "authorities" would have to interrupt their stealing from the taxpayers, in order to stop a different category of thieves. No help there.

 

[ARC]

Jim... I understand your fervor on this matter... and I am glad to know that you are a person who would not do the same.

I see things like this happen all the time.. and this is rampant in this world.

But I feel that "reporting" such a trivial thing would only clog up an already strained system filled with these sort of reports that rarely get "sorted" out.

Overall you can rest easy though... and know in your heart that "Karma" has a way of making them "pay".

Do your thing... And "let God sort em out".

IF you feel adamant about it... then report to family who hired them and let them handle it... they can be found simply by a tax record search... OR by returning and speaking with a few neighbors.

By YOU being a person who would not do such a thing and you can also rest easy that overall...

You ARE part of THE solution... By not being that type of person that is part of the problem.

 

[JimDon]

Jim... I understand your fervor on this matter... and I am glad to know that you are a person who would not do the same.

I see things like this happen all the time.. and this is rampant in this world.

But I feel that "reporting" such a trivial thing would only clog up an already strained system filled with these sort of reports that rarely get "sorted" out.

Overall you can rest easy though... and know in your heart that "Karma" has a way of making them "pay".

Do your thing... And "let God sort em out".

IF you feel adamant about it... then report to family who hired them and let them handle it... they can be found simply by a tax record search... OR by returning and speaking with a few neighbors.

By YOU being a person who would not do such a thing and you can also rest easy that overall...

You ARE part of THE solution... By not being that type of person that is part of the problem.

Thank you all for your input. I guess I was just venting. I have no intentions of reporting them. If they are in fact doing I hope they get their judgment on the other side!

 

[Rookster]

I agree. They are stealing from the estate, and they should be staked to a fire ant mound. If you turn them into the "authorities" though, these "authorities" would have to interrupt their stealing from the taxpayers, in order to stop a different category of thieves. No help there.

I can help with the fire ants.

 

[randazzo1]

He’s a dirtbag. What’s the point of doing that - if he gets caught his whole business is cooked. And for what? Maybe he makes 20% more on the sale? Gross. The most common thing I see out by me is an arrangement where the estate sale company agrees to buy whatever doesn’t sell - at a fixed price. The best items are over priced and don’t sell. And then next week you see them in the company’s ebay store at a reasonable price. There’s an unavoidable conflict of interest there. Also, I don’t know what its like by you guys, but here a lot of the estate sale companies don’t do clean outs anymore - that’s an extra charge with a different outfit after the sale is over - they’re happy to arrange it, but not included in the sale.

 

[Kray Gelder]

I can help with the fire ants.

Got plenty here.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Thank you all for your input. I guess I was just venting. I have no intentions of reporting them. If they are in fact doing I hope they get their judgment on the other side!

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."...Edmund Burke 1730-1797. A wise Irish man. The cops don't want to hear this and it would go nowhere. However, I agree with AARC, in that you should make an effort to contact the estate. It's an option.

 

[villagenut]

Sometimes my 9 looks like a 4......it happens even more with folks as they get older.Perhaps he did write 9.75 and wondered what the heck you were rambling on about..JMO

 

[releventchair]

Agreed but I think there is a difference between pricing something to the best of your ability and outright skimming On the prices received for the items. The latter is a complete failure of their fiduciary responsibility. The legal test is if they unfairly benefit at the expense of the client due to the alleged fraud. In the case of them not pricing things accurately and me buying them for profit does not benefit them so it’s just bad business on their side. Sk
imming money and pocketing it is fraud. I recall reading somewhere recently where another company got busted and sentenced to prison because there’s were so huge. It honestly just pissed me off because it was so obvious what he was doing.

From your accounting it does suggest skimming . Without knowing how he does it ,and confirming his penmanship I really can't say.
If it bothered me enough then finding out who hired him would be next. That would lead to wanting to know what he cherry picked before the sale and lead to a downward spiral beyond my interests.


It is a precautionary tale ,for those who employ others to handle their affairs.