Examples of Suspected Fraud or Fake Emails

[PayPal_Andy]

Hey Everybody!

In an effort to make things easier to find and research, I'm going to consolidate as many threads as possible where we have examples of people trying to defraud hard working sellers (Craigslist emails, 'PayPal' emails asking you to send money outside of PayPal, etc).  This will also be used as a master thread for future posts regarding this same situation.

When you post your examples here, please remember to not include last names or contact information of whoever is sending these emails.  There's no way to confirm if that person has been defrauded as well and the name is being used fraudulently.

Thanks for your cooperation and remember, keep the conversation productive, on task, and above all, keep it clean. I know these things can be difficult and frustrating, but bleep filled posts or posts that look like government redacted files will never benefit anyone. 😄

Andy

[sammansur]

I just got the same tipe of story . The man is an egeneer and is of in the middle of the ocean in sarawak . He wanted me to send 600 euros trough western union to an adress that he sent me . I would like to report on him and since he still thinks that i am going to fall for his scam I want to know if i could contact the police and give them the address he sent me or contact paypal to nail this **bleep** .

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi everyone,

A suggestion made previously in this thread was to send any phishing or scam emails to spoof@paypal.com. Please do so! In addition, here are a few more links to help you out:

• PayPal Security Center - http://www.paypal.com/securitycenter
• Internet Crime Complaint Center - http://www.ic3.gov
• National Fraud Information Center - http://www.fraud.org
• Department of Justice - http://www.onguardonline.gov

Thanks for keeping vigilant and being interested in protecting yourself against scams!

Olivia

[vbrush]

Here is mine AFTER I called them on it...still trying

Hi, 

     I ordered paypal not to release fund until confirmation code or tracking number is received and confirmed because i've been **bleep**ed once and i dont want that to happen to me again. So proceed with the shipment and get back to me with the tracking number or send it to paypal customer care service via this email address (left blank for posting purposes) Looking forward in reading from you soon.

Thanks.

[isabellagracee]

i got an email that is similiar to yours, but i really can't tell if its a scam.

email 1-

Thanks for the quick reply and will like to purchase it.
What is your firm price? i will be paying you with my PayPal because
it's attached to my bank account.
I am a petroleum engineer on a rig offshore and do not have much time on
me.
Make sure you get back to me so that i can arrange for pick up as i
will like the item to be picked,so no shipping included.
I await your reply.ok,

email 2

-i agree to pay you $7,500 into your paypal account,get back to me
with your paypal email ID so i can send the payment,then i will
arrange for pick up after the payment has been transferred into your
paypal account.

email3-

yes the payment will clear before picking it up. my agent will make
arrangement for the registration and plate numbers.

i think i should just say no. i told him to call me, but i don't think he will.

[isabellagracee]

yes, i guess i was being scammed. i just looked on google and a dozen people got the same email. i am so happy i just prevented that. 😃

[janinatie]

I listed a truck for sale on Craig's list and a lady emiled me saying that she was a sailor currently at sea, but wanted to buy the truck and insisted that she pay through PayPal.  Now she wants me to send 900.00 to her agent via western union.  I refused to do so and she claims that the money cannot be returned to her account.  I told her the deal was off.  Any thoughts?

[moonsea]

Thoughts are you were being scammed and you were right to call it off.

[1asturias]

 I've used PayPal to pay, never to sell. Buyer wants to purchase item on Craig's List using PayPal and offers to pay shipment using her own account in FEDEX so I don't have to pay shipment charges. What should I be careful about?

[PayPal_Olivia]

Welcome to the forums, 1asturias!

Excellent question! If you use the buyer's shipping account, they're completely in control of the shipment. They can potentially redirect the shipment and then it would not be delivered to the address in the transaction details, which is a requirement for seller protection. By no means am I suggesting that this is your buyer's intent, but it is a possibility that should be considered when weighing your risks.

I hope this helps!

Olivia

[izador]

I tentatively sold a ring and received confirmation that the buyer had deposited funds, but when i checked my account balance it was still $000.00.. If they made a deposit, why is my balance still zero?