New Farish Colas Class 70s for £70, is this a scam

geoffc · September 25, 2021, 03:19:36 PM

Searching the internet for a Farish Colas Class 70 I came across several websites offering Colas Class 70's for around £70 including postage, has anybody have any experience of these companies.

The following results came up but on opening the link a different name appeared:

https:// creativemeka.ee
opened as homwosho.com
but the page title was hmwosh.

https://www. front-of-house.ni became https://.Vhibabi.top but the page title was Vhibab.

Both have the same contact email, has anybody had any success ordering from them?

Others offering the Class 70 at about the same price are:

Mohnis aka mohnishi.com, site now unobtainable.

dvovan.top aka dvovan

cmynaija.top aka cmynai.

castagep.com aka castage

Geoff

RailGooner · September 25, 2021, 03:51:21 PM

I wouldn't risk it. I searched https://.Vhibabi.top for "colas" and the following three came up, all for £76.22 each:

Graham Farish 371-641 Class 70 805 Colas Rail
Bachmann OO 32-389 Class 37/4 37421 Colas Rail
Bachmann OO 32-394DS Class 37 521 Colas Rail Freight (DCC-Sound)

ntpntpntp · September 25, 2021, 04:16:42 PM

None of those dodgy sounding sites come up on my google search - at least not in the first few pages and I didn't bother going further.

Wouldn't touch 'em with a barge pole.

njee20 · September 25, 2021, 05:22:46 PM

Dodgy as hell, just no.

railsquid · September 25, 2021, 05:24:04 PM

These sites pop up from time to time, usually they scrape product descriptions from Ebay etc. and appear to offer an unlikely variety of products at a price designed to trigger the "well it might be worth a punt" reaction.

If you can't see any plausible business details (business name, address, registration details etc.) in the "about" section etc., it's a scam. All the more so if it redirects you between random-sounding domain names.

Looking at the link for the one you describe, it's just like the other ones I've seen and is about as genuine as a seven pound note.

Ben A · September 26, 2021, 12:53:39 AM

Hi there,

I guess ask yourself "If this website was advertising at the same price as most other retailers, would I still buy here?"

If the answer is no, you have your answer.

Cheers

Ben A.

Newportnobby · September 26, 2021, 09:43:24 AM

Quote from: railsquid on September 25, 2021, 05:24:04 PM
Looking at the link for the one you describe, it's just like the other ones I've seen and is about as genuine as a seven pound note.

@railsquid I have a suitcase full of seven pound notes. Are you saying they're not genuine currency?

I'm also now starting to doubt the veracity of my four pound notes, too

Papyrus · September 26, 2021, 10:02:49 AM

I nearly fell for something similar a couple of years back. I can't remember what I was after now, but the prices offered seemed like bargains, but were near enough to 'real' prices to make you think they were genuine. I waited a couple of weeks - sure enough, by then, the website had disappeared.

It can't be said too often - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Cheers,

Chris

railsquid · September 26, 2021, 12:19:55 PM

Quote from: Newportnobby on September 26, 2021, 09:43:24 AM
Quote from: railsquid on September 25, 2021, 05:24:04 PM
Looking at the link for the one you describe, it's just like the other ones I've seen and is about as genuine as a seven pound note.

@railsquid I have a suitcase full of seven pound notes. Are you saying they're not genuine currency? I'm also now starting to doubt the veracity of my four pound notes, too

It's pretty easy to tell - the notes with the portrait of King Charles III will be the genuine ones (you can check by holding it up to the light - the watermark should show him addressing the Parliament of Plants).

joe cassidy · September 26, 2021, 05:26:44 PM

Bank of England notes are plastic now

No watermarks.

Bealman · September 26, 2021, 11:31:51 PM

How long have they been plastic? Can't have been long. (Serious question)

njee20 · September 26, 2021, 11:34:33 PM

2016 for the £5 note, 2017 for the £10, 2020 for the £20 and the £50 was this year.

Bealman · September 26, 2021, 11:38:41 PM

That explains it, then. My last trip was 2014, which doesn't seem that long ago, but I guess it is.

Plastic notes have been around for ages here, in all sorts of pretty colours.

Graham · September 26, 2021, 11:53:51 PM

Quote from: njee20 on September 26, 2021, 11:34:33 PM
2016 for the £5 note, 2017 for the £10, 2020 for the £20 and the £50 was this year.

how long till the old notes cease to be legal tender, as i still have a few after my last trip in 2018, as I was expecting to be back in blighty in 2020 and then in 2021 and maybe in 2022, or 2023

railsquid · September 27, 2021, 12:37:06 AM

Quote from: Graham on September 26, 2021, 11:53:51 PM
Quote from: njee20 on September 26, 2021, 11:34:33 PM
2016 for the £5 note, 2017 for the £10, 2020 for the £20 and the £50 was this year.

how long till the old notes cease to be legal tender, as i still have a few after my last trip in 2018, as I was expecting to be back in blighty in 2020 and then in 2021 and maybe in 2022, or 2023

The new £50 enters circulation, and the paper £20 and £50 will be withdrawn in 2022

"30 September 2022 will be the last day you can use Bank of England paper £20 and £50 notes.".

I think I gave any tenners I had to my parents last time they were here, was assuming the £20s would still be valid on my next trip which never happened...

I see there is no mention of the £4 and £7 notes so @Newportnobby should be safe.