Scam from craigslist?

[asian5625]

So I've gotten my fair share of scam emails from craiglsist, everything from Nigerian missionary to a worker on an oil rig asking me to send the item to two different adresses. So when I see "paypal" in an email I usually just skip it, but in this case the buyer is emailing me personally and I'm debating whether this is legit or not and I'm leaning towards not but I have used paypal to make a sale no problem so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Here's his email :

"Alright,I am buying this for my Fiance,I would have love to come over to your place and see it myself but my running of day to day business activities will not give me chance to do that and i will love to see pics, I will offer you $750 for including shipping and i will be paying you through PayPal so kindly get back to me with your PayPal email or send me money request so that i can make the payment as soon as possible to your PayPal account and you need to get back to me as soon as possible and i want the item to be shipped out as soon as possible because it is very urgent.

Awaiting your prompt response."

I exchanged a few emails with him telling him I want cash only, and instead of the usual automated message saying something that has nothing to do with my response, he personally emails me answering my question. 

But let's say this is a scam, would it be possible for me to give him my paypal info, have him send me the money, then transfer the money to my bank and withdraw the cash, THEN send it? 

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi asian5625, and welcome to the forums!

So far, your instincts have been right on the money. You've been leery about trusting in these non-standard circumstances, and that's really great. If this most recent situation makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, I'd recommend that you trust that feeling, and proceed cautiously.

Let's look at the worst case scenario in this situation. If this buyer did turn out to be a fraudster, a trick they might try would be to send you a fake email that makes it look like they paid you, and hope you ship the item without checking your PayPal account.

However, they could also potentially try to pay you with fraudulent funds. The vast majority of this kind of fraudulent use is detected and prevented right off the bat, but there are sometimes situations where the fraud can't be detected until the identity theft victim reports it later, after seeing the fraud on their statements. Withdrawing the funds will not prevent loss in such a situation, because the fraudster will probably ask you to ship to a different address than the one in the transaction details, which would make you ineligible for Seller Protection.

As a seller, there is quite a lot you can do to mitigate your risk. Checking your PayPal account instead of relying solely on email notifications, shipping items instead of hand-delivering them, shipping only to the address in the transaction details, using delivery confirmation that can be tracked online, and getting signature confirmation for high value items... these are all steps you can take to make the situation safer. Not only will following this list help ensure that you meet the requirements for Seller Protection, it is also likely to stop the fraud before it even starts. A fraudster will move on and try to find easier prey once they realize that you're wise enough to stick to the plan.

I hope this helps. Keep being cautious - you're asking all the right questions! 🙂

Olivia

[ib6kolorswaqqin]

Oh yeah this is an absolute spoof. I sold an ipod and I have been through the same thing which made me not want to use Paypal. I wound up having to call Paypal about it and they told me it was a spoof email. If the supposed buyer comes back at you have your evidence ready. Usually it doesn't go that far.

[xandrew245x]

I posted a car up on craiglist yesterday, I got some a few hours later wanting to buy it, insisting to use paypal, and needing my email address, phone number and name to send me payment, and they would arrange pick up. I told them no, the only way I would do it is if I sent them an invoice, and then they payed me and the money cleared. They agreed and told me to send the invoice. They did wan't pictures of the car, but they don't want to come see it. At first this seemed like 100% scam to me, but now its starting to sound more like an actual deal, what do you think?

[AZBikr]

I have virtually the same situation. A guy supposedly wanting to buy my van for his cousin. He hasn't wanted to see pictures or anything. He asked for my pay-pal email and says he is sending payment. He supposedly is going to send someone else to pick up the van. I am real suspicious here, but really need to sell the van. If he puts money in my Pay Pal account, how long would it take before somebody figures out the funds are fraudulent? How long should I wait before I release the van? I know there are probably more questions I should ask, but I don't have enough experience here to know what they are.

AQny advice is appreciated.

John

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi everyone,

There is additional risk in any situation where the eligibility requirements for Seller Protection are not met, such as automobile sales and buyer pick-up sales. Many sellers do have some tips and hints for how best to mitigate much of the risk in these types of transactions.

For instance, one suggestion is to avoid dealing in situations where your buyer will have someone else pick up the item, rather than him or herself. Satisfying yourself that the buyer's identity matches the information visible in the payment is one way to reduce the risk of these situations.

I'd definitely be interested to hear more suggestions. If there are any sellers who frequently have in-person pickup of their items, please feel free to share your best practices here!

Olivia

[AZBikr]

Thanks for the reply, Olivia. Is there any way at all to verify that his payment is genuine, if indeed he does actually send one through pay pal?  Is there any set time I must wait before I can assume the funds are mine to Keep? I would like to go into this as informed as possible. Thanks for your help.

John

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi AZBikr,

Thanks for coming back! You're asking great questions. 🙂

There isn't a hard-and-fast expiration date for a victim's rights to seek recovery of their stolen funds. PayPal offers Seller Protection to protect sellers from loss in fraudulent transactions. When the eligibility requirements can be met, PayPal will take the loss, and pay the seller. In your situation, because it's an automobile, Seller Protection would not apply. In such a transaction, it is important to weigh the risk and determine your comfort level before proceeding.

I know that working without a net can be scary. Keep being careful and asking the tough questions. If you find that you simply don't feel comfortable with the situation, I'd suggest that you look for another buyer.

I wish you the best of luck! 🙂

Olivia

[Will67]

Someone responding to an add , to purchsae a motercycle,  Claims is working for the US Navy, is on a ship, would arrange payment to paypal and have a pick up service.  Is there pick up services that will take the liabilty of the pick up.  Perhaps bonded or can be researched.   And can someone scam me after they pay paypal?

[deanna3179]

I have never sold anything on eBay or Craig's list before, but I don't get a good feeling about this. Can any one tell me if this is how you get your money from Papal? I had put a mountain bike on Craig's list and with in 30 minutes I had a woman wanting to know if it was still available. I told her yes and she said that she would wire me the money, I told her that I would send her an invoice from my Papal account and she was OK with that. But yesterday I received this email from "papal", and when I emailed the woman asking why she paid $2000 for a $1500 invoice she replied with this email:

---

Hello, I beleive you should understand why I added the the $650,

where I am I cant get the money accross to the agent and I beleive

there will be westernunion walmart nearer to you, and as soon as you

get the money wire to the agent address your account will be credited

within 12hrs,if you need further explaination you can contact papal

through the confirmation email they send to you. pls let get this done

fast I want the money to be release to your account so that I can

pickup the bike.

This is the "papal" email

Hello (had me name and email here)


This is to inform to you that we have received your payment of $2,000.00USDfrom Laurapatty and the $2,000.00USDwill only reflect in your account after all due measures have taken place. We need the MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number), sender's name and address mtcnverifiereddept used to make the transfer of the $650 Kindly provide the MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number) so all procedures in checking the correctness of funds into your account can be completed. We are working together with Western Union on this transaction.

The money has now been deducted from the buyer account and is ready to be deposited into your PayPal® account. The MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number) is to be sent to us at this is due to new policies at PayPal® to protect both the buyer and the seller in the face of the growing number of fraudulent activities perpetrated via the internet. Your payment is intact. You are Advised to complete this transaction.

Your query will be answered promptly.

Here at PayPal® you can be assured that your security and safety is our topmost concern.

We hope to read from you soon.

Thank you for using PayPal® !
The PayPal® Team


PayPal® Email ID: PP1307