Mclaren Technologies MT-7 Scam

This part of my life is called being stupid.

I'm attempting to use social media to spread the word and make people aware that this is a new method of scamming people, and that it barely started less than a year ago.

It was a great day. I just got my paycheck after work, and then stopped by the bank on my way home to deposit it. As I was about to exit the bank parking lot, a gold SUV with two Caucasian males tried to get my attention.

The driver asked me if I was interested in a Home Theater System and then told me to park my car. I was a little skeptical but also curious at the same time so I decided to check it out. First of all, I was all by myself against these two other dudes. That was enough to make me suspicious.

The driver steps out and tells me about this "MT-7 HD Sound System" and that they were just coming from an installation and that they had extra products. He said that they had seven boxes when they were only supposed to "install" five. He also said that they were going to return it to their boss if they return to the warehouse. I immediately thought that they had a surplus situation on their hands, and that they were trying to make a profit out of it.

He showed me an invoice which I analyzed for about five minutes. He pointed out that each box was worth $1,999. He even showed me a DMV ID, which I thought was really shiny (Later on I realized that the new DMV licenses are vertical, and that other licenses are not really supposed to be glossy). 

He told me that he could give it to me for $500, "A quarter of the price," he says. I told him that I didn't have enough even in my bank. Then his partner steps out of the car and aggressively tells me that they're desperate. He tells me, "You know what? How much can you afford? Come on man!" I tell them that I'm an innocent broke college student who has tuition due in two weeks.

He gets his box and forcefully puts it in my car and tells me that he'll just ask for about $160. He also adds that they don't want to return it to his boss (who he claims is an asshole).

He also explains how they tried to sell it to another guy, but he tried to pay with a check. That was a red flag to me, but I just thought that they didn't want their boss to find out. I agreed to get it from them thinking that I could sell it for profit. I asked for a business card, but he said he didn't have any. I also noticed that they weren't wearing any uniforms either, except for casual beach clothes. Another red flag. But why was I stupid enough to still go on with it? I'm guessing it was peer pressure.

So I just decided to walk up to the ATM, and withdraw the cash. Handed it to him, and then he started walking quickly back to his SUV. I managed to grab the driver's number to tell him that I might have another friend who might want one.

After arriving home, I inspect the box. The first thing I notice is the image of the items in the box. They don't appear to cost $2000. I remember buying a 5-speaker set that was worth $50. Then I checked the quality of printing on the box. It appeared like it was designed in MS Paint (the image becomes distorted and pixelated after saving). The image resolution of the print was low and there were a lot of.

Here's a photo of the box, in case you run into these guys.

Print is blurry, has low resolution, and unprofessional.

How can it be made in both China and USA?

This is the sub-woofer, I opened it just to find an ordinary speaker. Very poor quality for a $1,999 set of speakers.

These wall speakers must be top-quality...not.

Upon having a closer look, one of the speakers had damage. That's something you shouldn't see on an expensive speaker set from China.

If you notice the orange item on the right, you'll know it's been badly photo shopped. Oh and that's a really great font choice for a luxurious sub-woofer.

Let's see what's inside these really expensive speakers.

Aha! A precious bag of sand from the Arabian Peninsula? Do they make them sound in High-Definition quality?

 
I really think they overdid the packaging here. So much High-Definition!

Their website is totally unreliable. Very unprofessional-looking.

I do Web and Graphic Design on the side, and I know that their website is so amateur that at first glance, you can tell it's a scam. I should have known better.

It's been two hours since this happened to me, and I'm already thinking of ways to bring some justice to everybody who got scammed.

I've searched all over the internet and stumbled into YouTube videos and numerous stories.

This type of scam has been going on for less than 6 months, which means it's still fresh and there's a chance we can prevent these parasites from turning other innocent people into victims.

Here's what I have so far:

• The driver's phone number (714) 258-6295. 

(This telephone number can be traced online through a reverse phone look up website, but it costs a couple of dollars and I don't feel like spending anymore after being victimized.)

• Their fake website: Mclarentechnologies.com

 As a Web Designer, I used WhoIs to look up the domain registration. Looks like it's privately registered, so we can't get an address. The hosting provider (GoDaddy) will not disclose any information due to privacy policies.

• The possibly fake address: 10073 Valley View St. Suite #260, Cypress, CA 90630.

This address leads to Genesis Media Labs. Many people have complained about being scammed by them before.

• They found me in a Chase Bank in Huntington Beach, the one by Edinger and Beach Blvd.

Thankfully I lost only $160 compared to those who gave up $300 or more. I'm just trying to get over my anger and I'm also doing my best to earn that $160 back through hard work.