Examples of Suspected Fraud or Fake Emails

PayPal_Andy
Moderator
Moderator

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

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2,000 REPLIES 2,000

dezeldog
Contributor
Contributor

Beware!  was selling an item on craig' list ...got a text from Nigeria, they wanted the item. Requested I send my email for Pay Pal pay't.  They wanted me to ship immediately. When I refused because my account had showed NO Payment...they said I needed to "ship the order, then contact Pay Pal with the tracking number and the funds would be released". When I imformed this Dupwa@2 that I would send it only once I received payment...have not had contact since..

 

The address to send the item was:  Wale *removed*

                                                         *removed*

                                                         Ibadan, Oyo State

                                                         Nigeria  23402

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bevyk
Contributor
Contributor

OMG, I  just got the EXACT email from a "Charles" in answer to my ad on Craigs List to sell our boat.

 

I answered with the information questioned, but was not comfortable giving the information regarding my PayPal account.  It seemed a little nebulous. He responded, "{please send paypal account information so I can pay you.) boat unseen. 

 

Thank God I did my due dilligence on PayPal.  This must be some sort of scam.  He pays me for the boat through PayPal, then picks up our boat/motor/trailor and themn says there is something wrong with it.   My items are gone, PayPal gets a dispute, gives him the money back.  We have no boat, and PayPal gives a refund.  How wonderful that this.

 

PLEASE BEWARE OF THIS.  BECAUSE IT IS THE EXACT EMAIL (wording) THAT I RECEIVED. IF  IT HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF SCAM, BUT I DONT KNOW HOW IT WORKS. :{   I'm just a person that thinks "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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N4T1V3_B34R
Contributor
Contributor

OK so I got this email just recently and im wondering if this is a part of paypal updating everyones account or if it is a scam/virus going around to people's emails. This is what it says:

 

Hello Customer,

Your account has been tempoary limited

We attached to this email a confirmation form to update your details .

Please download and extract it .

Submitting this form you will unlimit and restore your PayPal account .

If you are using Internet Explorer please allow ActiveX for scripts to perform all data transfers securely.

Thank You

 

This also gives the paypal trade mark and a downloadable zip file. Can anyone shed some light on this about weahter its real or fake please??

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YES THATS A SCAM. PAYPAL WONT EMAIL U FOR UPDATES

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amull21
New Community Member

I just had this happen to me today. I was trying to sell my dads trailor and posted it on craigslist and had a guy send me  a message saying to send a 450.00 to his pick up agent and the 1,200 would be released. I thought it seemed really odd so I didnt continue you any further with this  I looked up info and found out stuff so just wanted to let everyone know  Richard ***  is what the person name that he is going by now  so be on the look out

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madwife455
Member
Member
Alright i understand,but i just want to let you know that i can't bring cash to you cos am currently on the sea due to the nature of my job,and am only paying through PayPal cos they are very fast and secure and it's one of the best means of transacting online, even in a situation like this where the seller is in some distance away from the buyer they will make every thing work fine and fast. it will be also use full for you in some other activities,so send me your PayPal email address for instant payment....

This is the response my husband got from someone right after my husband listed soemthing for sale on Craig's List. Yeah, right.
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smashy
Member
Member

I have been leading this scammer on, who has the same story, for two weeks to give me time to alert every agency possible.  There are volumes on this site about the 'oceanographer', 'Navy guy' 'oil rig worker' buying a high ticket item for a family member, fiancee, etc., then ultimately requesting, then demanding that you pay the shipper/agent costs thru Western Union even though the transaction is supposedly going thru PayPal (which is a fake address).  Since the PayPal forum will not post any addresses, don't bother.  This perp has English as a 4th language and no clue how PayPal really works.  Unfortunately, many others don't either.   While dragging this out with him/her/they, trying to sound even more stupid, I have bought the time to report the entities to IC3, Craigslist, PayPal, Western Union, gmail, local police, and the police in the shipper/agent location.  With the exception of one, which I'll get to, the response has been 'thanks but we don't actually do anything'.  Even though their names are being used fraudulently.  My local police had the audacity to tell me to let them know how this works out for me in the end of my own investigation. It took them five days to answer my call and I live in a very small, wealthy community.

 The ONE entity that did respond to me VERY quickly was a Financial Crimes Detective that I left a voicemail for in the city of the shipper/agent where the Western Union transfer was to go.  I found  the detective's  listing on the internet for the Police Department at that location.  I forwarded him a few of the e-mail exchanges that I had with the 'buyer' and the fake Paypal rep., as well as what I investigated myself.  Within eight hours he wrote me back that he had run the info I gave him and that the shipper/agent is a suspect in a similar case already and the officer forwarded my info to the detective who is investigating.   

What I have learned and suggest:

Don't be embarrassed to report this if you have lost money. (I didn't loose anything because I saw it for what it was.)  Focus on getting even and protecting others.

Don't think that you are really smart by telling the perp off that you are on to the scam.  Drag it out and make them spend a bunch of time thinking that you are 'hooked'.   They'll just move on if you tell them you know what they are up to. They don't know English well so ask equally dumb questions and sympathize with their plight.  These scammers probably send out 100 of these potential purchase e-mails a day.  If two hit - they've made $1500-2000 that day.

Contact EVERY entity you can with the info you have.  As I found out, persistence finally worked.  And a lot was frustrating.

Look in the 'Details' section of the header of your e-mail.  In the case of the fake PayPal account that is where I found the real e-mail that was linked to the fake.   

Then, just for fun, I take the info from one scammer and fill it into another's request. 

I have searched hard to find a site to be able to post all fraudulent e-mail and physical addresses involved and have not found one.  Fraudwatchers/Scamwatchers says you can, but the quagmire of menus and paid solicitations led me nowhere.  Having spoken directly to the security/fraud depts. of a number of the aforementioned entities that I contacted thru their spoof/abuse sites I understand why they will not publish this information:  Many innocent people have had their e-mails hijacked in the scams or have taken internet jobs to transmit funds and goods - not knowing they are an intermittent step in the scam. 

Craigslist, PayPal, and Western Union do have very explicit warnings and guidelines about purchases  and transferring money.  They may not be read or users may not be well-versed in the sites or the internet in general. Unfortunately when a seller wants to unload an item they may go with a sale that seems to be to good to pass by.

In the defense of the three aforementioned:

Craigslist cautions that you keep the deal local and about wire transfers, shipping costs, etc.

Western Union cautions that you wire only to family and friends.

PayPal has a 'signature' on its e-mails - kind of like a watermark.  This perp thought that if he had the PayPal logo in the body of the e-mail that would work.  The warning not to contact customer service because 'they very busy with customers and won't know about transaction.  Only contact this e-mail address'.  Red Flag.   

 

That's the wealth of my knowledge thus far on this topic. Take care of eachother.  Scum like this deserves a concerted effort.

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jdowns8
New Community Member

q

I will like to inform you that I have sent the payment and I
expect PayPal to have contacted you by now on the email you use for
PayPal., I have sent $2,850.33 and PayPal said the fund will be held
and it will not be credited into your account until you have sent the
money meant for shipper and i believe you must have received a
notification in regards to this. Send the shipper fee to the agent's
Headquarter in California United State via western union money transfer
in any Post office closer to you or any Walmart shop they always get
western union there so that PayPal can credit all the money into your
account as soon as you have sent the western union details to them.
I added extra $70 to cover western union and the PayPal charges


Name : Ahmire ******
Address : **************
City : *********,
State : California,
Zip code  : 92308,
Country : United States.
Amount: $700.00.USD

You can check your paypal email folder either paypal has notify you

 Forward the necessary detail to paypal which you will be given
at the western union office after you have sent the shipper up fee, the
name of the sender, address and the question and answer you used in
sending the money so that a convenient pick up time can be booked

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sdm53
Member
Member

Me too!!! I have my RV on CL, this guy  says he will pay my asking price, buying it for his brother, he is off shore, blah, blah, blah.   I am leading him on, but have no intention of giving him any info!!!

Thanks

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jdowns8
New Community Member

that is really a good one I think I may be chatting now to the same dud. He left me a physical address too.in mountain veiw, ca

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