Bryan Yaung thought he was making a good deal when he bought an inexpensive surround sound system from a truck in Hedrick Court.
But the first-year chemistry student and his roommates later discovered it was a scam ““ the speakers were filled with bags of sand.
Reports of unlicensed vendors attempting to sell faulty electronics to students have risen in October and November, university police said.
About five calls have been made to the police this school year about people selling electronics, such as surround sound systems, out of vans near UCLA, including in the North Village, said UCPD crime prevention officer James Echols.
Though such incidents have happened in the past, the UCPD released an alert last week to warn students of the recent occurrences, Echols said.
Yaung said he was walking back from classes Nov. 2 when two men in a white pickup truck approached him and tried to sell him an inexpensive surround sound system.
The men offered him the system for $200 to $300, down from what they said originally cost $2,000, but Yaung said he laughed and refused. They persisted, explaining they had extra sound systems and just wanted to make a personal profit, he said.
Despite his repeated refusal, the vendors continued to push him. They opened the box to show him the product, gave a website for their product and offered to walk him to an ATM machine, Yaung said.
While he was suspicious, Yaung said the friendly tenacity of the men and the appeal of an expensive surround sound system convinced him to pay them $150 for the system.
“When something sounds too good to be true, it’s faulty,” Yaung said.
For opportunistic vendors, students provide an ideal target, Echols said. Vendors often think they can take advantage of students, perceiving them as eager and naïve, he said.
Corey Soto, a recently graduated biochemistry student, said he was walking down Ophir Drive to his apartment when a white van approached him.
Familiar with parents stopping him on the street to ask for directions, Soto said he was not initially wary.
But the two middle-aged men within the van didn’t strike Soto as “parental” and he became suspicious, Soto said.
Similar to Yaung’s experience, the two men offered to sell Soto stereo equipment. Although he thought it could be a good offer, Soto was apprehensive, and also did not need to buy the equipment.
He waved them off and then called police to report what happened, Soto said.
Despite reports by students and community members, no arrests have been made in any of the cases, Echols said. Unless it can be proven that the vendors’ items were stolen, there is technically no crime, he said.
University police recommend students only purchase items from reputable vendors, avoid impulse purchasing, safeguard personal information and report any suspicious behavior to the UCPD.
The best way to avoid these incidents is to always be cautious with who you are dealing with, Echols added.