[Hallicrafters] ANOTHER SUCKER IS BORN

[carolew]

I've been an assistant county prosecutor in New Jersey for 22 years. Here are
some tips if you want the criminal-justice system to help you:

1.  Save everything. You should save the ad you responded to, any pictures of
the equipment that the seller sent to you,  and any e-mail correspondence
between you and the seller.

2. Photograph the equipment as it arrived and before you attempt any repairs.

2. Contact both the police in your jurisdiction and the police in the seller's
home town. This doubles the chances that you will find a detective who will
pursue the matter. If the item was shipped through the mail, contact the postal
authorities, too. Don't be afraid to follow up with the police if you don't hear
back from them. If the police do not seem willing to help, call the local DA's
office. Most DA's offices have specialized computer-crimes units.

3. Dishonest sellers like to travel under the radar screen. They don't like to
be visited by the police, especially their home-town police. They don't want the
authorities, especially the IRS, scrutinizing their activities. Therefore, a
visit from the police will often persuade the seller to do the right thing. The
seller wants to make the police go away. He doesn't want his local police
targeting him as a sleazeball.

4. Be prepared to show a detective, who probably knows nothing about radios, how
you were ripped off. This includes giving the detective a reliable estimate of
the difference in value between the item as delivered versus as advertised.
Don't come across like a shrill crazy person. Don't demand the death penalty for
a guy who ripped you off for $100. The police tend to ignore those they see as
nutcases. Try to show the police that you are simply an honest hobbyist who was
ripped off and wants justice.

5. If a detective helps you get your money back, thank him/her. A nice letter of
commendation to his/her chief is always in good taste. This will encourage that
detective to help the next guy, too.

Joe Connor