alright, here's it
need to raise awareness

I was conned 2 days back

yep. while on my way back home with my loy kee chicken rice in my hands,
this van popped over by the side of the road and this ah beng asked in chinese "eh, want to buy hifi anot? i got extra from warehouse and I don't want to bring it back to my boss."

Oh well, curiosity killed the cat

I entertained that fella and his friend
they showed me the back of the van with loads of boxes of speakers
showed me invoices and brochures that those speakers cost 1,999
and that the loading guys loaded extra stock into their van, which if they bring back, the boss will swallow the goods, so they rather sell it cheap for some kopi money
so he asked me to just give an open offer, I shot $300
after negotiation, went to $350 and before I knew it, I was following this guy to the atm and withdrawing the cash to him

at the back of my head, I was suspicious, but I guess part of me also was thinking, eh this is quite a steal

you know, we've been educated much through news and warnings from friends and family, but somehow I realised through this personal encounter that it's really a different story when u come face to face with these fellas

these guys are pro
they are a registered company, with warranty and all, business reg. no.
they even setup a website to showcase their products, except that no specs, no prices, just nice pictures, very professionally done
http://www.cleoacoustics-uk.com/
at first glance, this look like a company based in uk, but as I scrolled to contact us and saw the singapore address, it became really clear

good thing though, I mentioned I was a student
after reaching home, I hit google and realised that I've become one of the many conned. hardwarezone returned a 39 pages long thread of people screaming their grievances
some even paid $800 to 1k for a set of speakers that are worth less than $100

I tested the speakers, yes, working, but the quality is nothing to rave about
just eye candy...

actually, a big part of me was considering that this is a good investment for my new house. the guy also mentioned I can get laptops and HDTV at good price from him too, and I still do have his number and did try to call him and he entertained me, even proposed that I get a $200 amplifier for the speakers

they are not exactly doing an illegal business in the eyes of the law
afterall, an official invoice has been issued and the dealer can sell his product at any price he wants

I'm really surprised that even I, who consider myself to be rather street smart, can be conned.
These guys are really good, convincing
as for the speakers, I asked my dad see if anyone wants them to give away
don't think I can tahan looking at it at my new place even though it's working

oh well, a lesson learnt that I thought it would be good to share with my friends who
reads my blog
be weary of such "too good to be true" deals,
don't even entertain these guys,
just give a flat "no"

a little upset abt the whole thing
but well, it helps when I shared this with Ivy and my parents
an expensive lesson nonetheless
always be mindful, and not to take things with an attitude that "hey, this won't happen to me. I'm too smart for that"

humbling experience I would say
In any ways, I still thank God for this lesson! =)

anyway, here's the detailed thread for you guys to take a look
Scam alert