Law For Buying At Auction

[damian_steele]

...put it online only to be contacted by someone purporting to be the original owner who claims that the medal was stolen from him a few years ago.

Just out of interest, aren't there (often) hundreds of these things made at a time? How can this person claim that the exact medal you have is the one he lost? Is there some sort of personalisation?

[sherlock07]

I don't know if they still do it, but as well as the recipients name on the edge of the medal they put the army number. The genuine owner if still alive would know this number. I have been out of the forces over 40 years and I still know mine.

[damian_steele]

I don't know if they still do it, but as well as the recipients name on the edge of the medal they put the army number.

That would certainly makes things a lot easier.

OP? Can the guy quote the correct details?

[kazeran]

That would certainly makes things a lot easier.

OP? Can the guy quote the correct details?

Yes, I had provided photos on the listing and, the naming details so it would be easy to say that you are the person in question.
I have been thinking about it and he seems to be playing his cards close to his chest.
I have received little information from him regarding the theft apart from learning that he also lost his Afghanistan medal at the same time, but strangely he has not asked me if I have that?

[damian_steele]

Yes, I had provided photos on the listing and, the naming details so it would be easy to say that you are the person in question.
I have been thinking about it and he seems to be playing his cards close to his chest.
I have received little information from him regarding the theft apart from learning that he also lost his Afghanistan medal at the same time, but strangely he has not asked me if I have that?

Sounding stranger by the minute.
However, if he is genuine then surely one of the military police could get in touch to provide info on his theft report. If you could then verify that the MP was genuine, all the rest would also have to be, wouldn't it?

But thinking about it you'll also have to get the regular police involved to allow you to return to the auction house and claim against them.

[HerMajesty]

If you have the name, I don't know for recent medals, but I know for older ones, you can go on to certain sites and look up info on the person via his name and/or his number. If you don't have one, you can get the other......we do a lot of military research for our upcoming book on local people who served in the military....

[darklisruthven]

Could be a scam. I once listed an old digital camera, quite a common make, though a colour exclusive to Jessops, where I had got it from, on the Bay. Within a couple of days I had a very nasty PM from a woman who said she had lost the camera in Spain stolen out of her beach bag, and why was I selling her property on ebay back in the UK. *(threat threat threat - unless I sent her the camera free, at once, with 8 memory cardsm, and compensation for her "distress")... I explained I was very sorry to hear about her loss, but this is not her camera - I have never been to Spain in my life, I had bought the camera from Jessops where I worked at the time so my purchase of said camera could be proven on thier computer system, my sale was simply to upgrade, and as she could see in the listing I was selling it with all its leads, discs, charger, spare battery and original box (which wouldnt be included if a stolen-from-a-beach-bag camera!!!!) . I never heard from her again. It was an obvious attempt, IMHO, to try and nab herself a free camera.

As for your medal chappie, why would he have only told the military Police? The lack of a crime reference number seems fishy to me too. Does he have details of an insurance claim? Does he have record of informing the military police with a reference number of some kind? Is there any identifying scratch or mark or something that you could ask him to describe to identify if he is genuine or not?

[kazeran]

I have his name and details associated with the medal and I am toying with giving the MP's a ring to see if there is any reported theft on their records, but something is telling me that he never reported it (I could be wrong of course).
I have just got off the phone to the auction house who were very helpful. They are going to try and contact the vendor to see where it came from and give me a call back tomorrow.
They agree with everyone here in the fact that he has to prove the item was stolen.
More updates to follow, and thank you everyone for your help and advice

[darklisruthven]

Hope you get it sorted with a minumum of distress.

[kazeran]

Could be a scam. I once listed an old digital camera, quite a common make, though a colour exclusive to Jessops, where I had got it from, on the Bay. Within a couple of days I had a very nasty PM from a woman who said she had lost the camera in Spain stolen out of her beach bag, and why was I selling her property on ebay back in the UK. *(threat threat threat - unless I sent her the camera free, at once, with 8 memory cardsm, and compensation for her "distress")... I explained I was very sorry to hear about her loss, but this is not her camera - I have never been to Spain in my life, I had bought the camera from Jessops where I worked at the time so my purchase of said camera could be proven on thier computer system, my sale was simply to upgrade, and as she could see in the listing I was selling it with all its leads, discs, charger, spare battery and original box (which wouldnt be included if a stolen-from-a-beach-bag camera!!!!) . I never heard from her again. It was an obvious attempt, IMHO, to try and nab herself a free camera.

As for your medal chappie, why would he have only told the military Police? The lack of a crime reference number seems fishy to me too. Does he have details of an insurance claim? Does he have record of informing the military police with a reference number of some kind? Is there any identifying scratch or mark or something that you could ask him to describe to identify if he is genuine or not?

Hi darklisruthven. The medal itself is actually named and bears a serial number so if the person who emailed me is the person in question there can be no doubt that the item is or was once his, sadly. The real point is whether he sold it and told his friends that it was stolen or it was in fact stolen?
All rather confusing really?
I am also rather stunned how some people presume an item to be theirs simply because they had one that was stolen?
"Nowt as strange as folk."