Had chat GPT help me make this to help summarize it because it was incredibly long

Posting this to warn others in the community about a sophisticated scam attempt involving physical Monero coins, an in-person meeting, and a fake escrow agent.

⸻

🔹 The Setup

I was contacted by someone on these forums interested in purchasing my physical Monero coins. They seemed normal at first. We talked on the phone for a long while getting to know each other and suggested we meet in person for inspection, followed by a payment in Bitcoin on the spot.

⸻

🔹 The In-Person Red Flags

We met in a public restaurant. He said he was buying a boat next door and would meet me at the restaurant During the meeting:

   •   The buyer kept insisting on viewing all three coins at once right in front of him.
   •   He wanted an extended amount of time holding and inspecting them, much longer than necessary and taking photos.
   •   His behavior was strange and uncomfortable — he was overly focused on the coins and how we weren't letting him hold them long enough. He kept saying the wifi wasn't good and it would be hard to send the coins and that he needed to go to the car to get his ledger.

We eventually pulled the coins back and he said the deal is off unless he can inspect them more. Since we didn't have a COA, we offered instead to get them professionally graded, but he said he was in a hurry to get them and gave random excuses. We went our separate ways.

⸻

🔹 The Bizarre Excuse

Afterward, the buyer called me and claimed that the person I met wasn’t him, but his “younger brother.” He blamed the brother’s lack of knowledge for the failed meetup and said that’s why more inspection was needed.

I later FaceTimed him, and sure enough — it was not the same person I met. This added another layer of deception and confusion. This guy was a SMOOTH talker and we talked for another hour while he tried to make me feel comfortable. Eventually we agreed to use an escrow.

⸻

🔹 Fake Escrow Scam Confirmed

The buyer provided the name of a well-known, trusted escrow agent on the forum for the transaction. After everything was set and agreed upon, I reached out to that agent directly through the forum — and they confirmed they had never spoken to me. The person I had been talking to was an impersonator.

Had I sent the coins, they would have been gone.

⸻

🚨 What to Watch For
   •   Buyer asks to inspect coins in person, especially for a long time
   •   Excuses involving other people (e.g., “my brother met you”)
   •   Suggesting escrow but refusing to verify agent identity through forum contact
   •   General weird behavior or overly smooth talk

⸻

✅ Final Advice

Always verify escrow agents directly via the forum.
Never send anything unless you’re 100% sure who you’re dealing with.
If something feels off, trust your gut — that’s what saved me from getting scammed.

At this point I am overly paranoid and made sure to take all my valuables and put them in a bank deposit box just in case these guys are more serious and may try to find and rob me. You can never be too carful!