FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: The best way to identify a scam is to request proof of ownership… I saw an 2004 R1, emailed the guy to see if it had a 50 state title, (bike was in Texas) he of course replied “yes it does”, I said I’ll give him a deposit but he needed to FAX me a proof of ownership. Never heard from him again. That little FAX would save a lot of people some serious headaches… Dan Napier Mission Viejo, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Re: second chance on e-bay I had bid on a bicycle the other day and also received a second chance offer, what was odd is that I received about 8 second chances all for the same bike but from different people. Many of these scams seem to be on “awesome deals,” this wasn’t the case here. It was just a good deal on a used bike, maybe these scam guys have caught on a little, and have found that people are on to the “once in a lifetime deal.” I have bought with second chance before but always contacted the person and spoke to them directly before confirming any payment. Once again just be careful Richard Fults Crystal River, Florida FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Hi, I was also scammed-when selling a bike. My lesson learned was that even a national bank check can be fake. I cashed mine. And a week later my bank notified me that it was fake. Needless to say, my bike was gone–and I was out $7500. The point where I went wrong was when I did not bring the purchaser with me to the bank and ask the bank to verify the account # on the check. So make sure to follow this step no matter what. I didn’t and it cost me $7500, not a lesson I wanted to learn. But now a year without a bike I just bought an ’03 RC51 it amazes me how much a bike can mean to me! I couldn’t live without one. Thanks for your time. Warren Young Green Bay, Wisconsin