scam by WB4ROD

[NormB]

a SK who passed away in Feb 2012, yet somehow has offered two radios for sale on QRZ this past week.
Saw a deal for a FLEX 6300, emailed, said I was very interested, could have money out same day but got a strange answer to the email, a phone number that didn't add up, SK's wife in Virginia, but found online obituary showing wife's name was different. Ad was pulled as soon as I emailed.

I called, couldn't get through. Looked number up online and it was to a VOIP service out of Kentucky. That kind of made sense. Finally DID get through , a LOT of static and background noises, language? Couldn't hear or understand "Mary" at the other end. Sounded west african. (I'm a doctor near DC, I hear a LOT of accents). Email answers started reading oddly, stilted, like a non-native speaker was writing them.

Wrote that she was staying with her daughter in VA, but why didn't daughter - a nurse - have a cell phone?

Weirder and weirder, then the ONE question I had for his "wife" was, How did he buy a radio new in Nov 2014 when he passed nearly 2 years earlier.

No answer to THAT email.

I've notified QRZ, posted under scams there, also reported to the FCC with link to online obituary.

Even stranger, "wife" - original one - edited her QRZ page to reflect that they had divorced and she had nothing to do with this deal. Same kind of oddly stilted grammar and verbiage. Non-native speaker. WA4ROA

Just didn't pass the smell test, and I'm not going to send two grand without talking with the person.

FYI.

Norm
K3NB