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

[kernowlass]

@J-g89

Let paypal / your card issuer / your bank etc etc all know what has happened so they can keep an eye on your accounts.

Do you have something like action fraud in your country? Only if you have given your SSN you may also be at risk of identity fraud.

[J-g89]

No I don’t recently have something like action fraud. I’m worried so much that i’ve given my SSN when i was forced to put my informations for viewing my PayPal account. I’m not really sure what would be happening to my identity fraud when they got my SSN. What should i do next? What is your advice? I can’t believe it’s happened to me with my PayPal account. I’m so dumb that I didn’t know it’s email from scammers pretend to be PayPal. I thought there was some hacker used my PayPal account to purchase stuff. So I clicked that button “view transaction” from that email quickly without hesitation.

[kernowlass]

@J-g89

I am not a lawyer, you would need to seek legal advice from somewhere regarding your SSN, I just help with paypal issues on a voluntary basis.

Found this on google for you  >>

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/what-to-do-ssn-stolen,news-18742.html

[jafo8]

I had and item listed on Ebay classifieds.  I thought I had an interested party. This is part of the email I received last night:

This PayPal® payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited to your account until the shipment reference/tracking number is sent to us for shipment verification so as to secure both the buyer and the seller.Below is the necessary information requested before your account will be credited. Send tracking number to us through this mail  *fake email here I had to remove for posting* It was pay pal servicesserve at  consultant dot com

 **PLEASE NOTE**
Once shipment has been verified  and the tracking number sent to us,
You will receive a "CONFIRMATION EMAIL"  from PayPal® informing you that the Money has been credited.

Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team.

Questions? Contact PayPal Customer Service Center at:   *fake email here I had to remove for posting* It was pay pal servicesserve at  consultant dot com

I have never seen anything like this before.  I have been with Ebay & Paypal for at least 10 years.  I forwarded this to spoof@paypal.com and did not send the item.  Is this a new scam?

[Strat47]

Yes, it is fake.  I just sent a very valuable item overseas that I will not get paid for.  I suppose I was a bit naive, but in the phishers' defense, they were somewhat convincing; with links to the paypal site and all.  I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else. Please don't believe this email.

[jafo8]

Thank you for telling me that. The email looks very convincing, but had a couple of typos. What saved me really is that I received a real payment email for a different item shortly after the fake one. Now the scammer has emailed me twice asking that I mail item immediately because he says he has paid me. I told him his paypal email looked suspicious and I have sent it to Paypal security for authentication. Haven't heard from him since.

[Strat47]

No problem. I would hate for anyone else to fall victim the way I have to this scam.  I have filled out forms and am trying to recall my package before it leaves the country, but this is highly unlikely to happen.  The scammers even had the nerve, after I replied to tell them that I knew they were illegitimate, to send me an email stating that in order to transfer the money into my paypal account I would need to send a $200 transfer fee via Western Union. I did not, of course. However, I am glad to help others out before they are conned as I have been.

[rbenscoter]

Okay, I don't know if this is the same thing or not. I posted an ad on Craigslist to sell a high dollar item.  THey want it shipped to Malaysia.  I have no intention of shipping until i have the money IN HAND.  THey have asked me to send them a request for money through Paypal.  My Questions:  

Can they access my paypal account or bank accounts if I do this?  

Have any of you who have experienced the problem described in this thread, sent such a request for payment to the scammers before getting the response that tipped you off?

All my emails with the "buyer" have seemed genuine and on the up-and-up so far.

Thanks

[marcel1001]

I have the same situation, I'm waiting for someone to answer

[WinWinInvesting]

Wow! Amazing that these scammers use such convincing tools, but not convincing enough. I was contacted by someone with the email address. DO NOT send thenything! Yes, there were typos and he said he'd buy a diamond ring I have posted on Craigs List for my sister who is getting divorced. Thank God I didn't fall for it as she really needs to legitimately sell it!  Be careful!!!