**Beware**Gumtree**Scam**

[Temp20221108A]

I posted several items on gumtree for sale and received a text from a woman called **** ***** asking if I still had an item (the most expensive one on the list) and to email her.

Eager to sell the item, I obliged and emailed her. She replied with the following:

Great! please consider both sold as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap,

i have read through the advert and i'm totally satisfied with it,

sadly i would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and I'm just recovering from heart surgery so I'm home-bound.

I have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and i'll pay you via PayPal once you are ready.

Kindly get back to me with your location so that i can inform the courier agent about it now?

I replied asking if she was local to me and if a bank transfer or cash on collection would be possible. She ignored the 1st question and said she has no access to bank because she is house bound. Then gave me a link to PayPal.

After repeatedly asking where she was from and only getting her email address as a reply, I googled her name and came across a thread detailing the email I received but using a different name. So be careful. **** ***** (******** at ****.***) 

[Lynnesears]

Having scrolled through comment after comment I am unable to find anyone who says what the scam actually is.

[NotRenton]

@Lynnesears 

[edit] see @kernowlass's reply. 

[kernowlass]

@NotRenton 

Thats not the scam on this thread.........

@Lynnesears 

You have already posted on this thread in 2018 and appeared to know about it then but i will post again if you want to warn others........

SCAM.

They encourage you to accept a 'direct' Paypal payment and may ask you to send the item internationally.
No funds or activity of the transaction shows in your Paypal account and any emails 'may' go into your junk/spam folders.

They don't quibble on cost and may also say they can't view the item as they are disabled or working abroad etc etc but they will arrange a shipping agent to collect it.

You will get/got a "fake" email that looks as though it is from paypal.....it isn't because they don't actually have a Paypal account and have no intention of paying you.
It will say the buyer has paid ...you won't have been paid.
They will tell you that the payment is released when you provide paypal with a tracking/shipping number......this won't happen.

OR

The 'fake' paypal email will tell you that the buyer has paid for the item + shipping costs but you must send those shipping costs to the courier/ shipping agent via anther payment processor than Paypal OR via providing some vouchers or tokens before the funds are released to you.
They are not interested in the item, they just want that couriers/shipping funds and you will never see money in your paypal balance.

They also 'sometimes' threaten legal action...have a laugh at that one and ignore it as its rubbish.

Paypal NEVER tell you to send an item before the payment is showing in your paypal account.
Paypal do not tell you to send trackable, they advise it for selling protection but it is not compulsory.
Paypal NEVER expect you to use a rival money transfer service eg Moneygram or Western Union etc.
Also their is no seller protection on paypal for any type of motor vehicle or item that is collected by the buyer.

Delete any emails and ignore the scammers.

[JohnnyBoy22]

Had exactly the same scam today enquiring about an item I listed on Gumtree : Awesome... please delete the ad and consider it sold as i am paying your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap, i have done thorough check on the advert and i'm fine with it,sadly i would not be able to come personally to view or collect it due to house bound i went through throat cancer surgery and couldn't talk more but will be okay soon but i have an agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and i'll pay you via PayPal today and pick up arrangement will commence after you have cashed your money...if that is ok with you.... I need you to provide me with the details below so i can proceed with the payment Your Full name: PayPal email: Amount: Phone number: Pickup address Item name: I am waiting for your fast response on this.... Thanks   

[Al_C1]

Yip, still going strong. I received this: Thank you for your quick response! i will want you to consider it sold kindly remove the ad as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap, i have read through the advert and i'm totally satisfied with it,sadly i would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and I'm just recovering from heart surgery so I'm home-bound.I have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and i'll pay you via PayPal. Where is the pick up location so that i can inform the courier agent about it? Thought it was suspicious so responded with: Unfortunately this response seemed a little suspicious to me. So I have googled it and have found out that this scam has been going on for some years. I’m afraid, I will have to respectfully decline your offer. Thanks for your interest. Take care

[Joesmum]

Hi, I have recently been contacted by <removed> about something I am selling on gumtree. She started off really nicely then because I have now realised she is a scammer I have obviously decided not to pay her. I now have a collection of twenty emails, two phone calls and two text messages. She is very persistent as is her son Moses.....I have enjoyed leading her on a bit and am happy in the knowledge that at this moment she is arguing with the ‘courier’ about the money I have paid into his nominated bank account..NOT lol. 

So be be aware of <removed>, Moses and a phone number which is on a scammers website.  Watch this space. 

[kernowlass]

@Joesmum 

Don't wind them up, they have been known to add your email address to some very nasty websites.

Best to just ignore then they go off to find another potential victim.

[NotRenton]

Just thought I'd add to the above replies with another incident (in case anyone else searches for the same scam):

Scam message from <removed>:

Thank you for getting back to me. Can you assure me that i will not be disappointed with it. I'm ready to pay your asking price,i'm buying this for my son.but i just want you to assure me very well on this and the issue is that I'm very busy for now and am not around but i have a pick up agent coming for the pick up after the payment has been made to you and he will be present for all necessary thing that is needed. Due to my job, there is strictly no call that is why i ask my daughter to send you an email our satellite server has been down due to work. But I'm able to access my mail anytime as i will make use of wireless laptop.i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it

My Mode of payment is via PayPal as i don't have access to my bank account online, but i have it attached to my PayPal account and this is why i insisted on using PayPal to pay. I will be responsible for all the PayPal fee/charges on this transaction , if you don't have an account with PayPal, its pretty easy, safe and secured to open one.Just log on to ,<removed>so i hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible.I have a mover that will be coming for the pick up once payment clears and they will be handling the title for me. So I look forward to hearing from you soon. Kindly get back to me with your

Full Name:
PayPal E-Mail Address:
Firm price:
Phone Number

They had originally contacted me through GumTree with the following message:

  Hi good morning,Please you will have to email my mum (<removed>) as she is ready to purchase your AD ,She is very interested..Let her know it’s still available and the present condition with the asking price. She will response back to you immediately you emailed her ,Thanks Tracey

[Shininglight4]

I am super glad this thread exists and came up on Google search. I've got a guitar for sale, which i put on gumtree this morning and got the same text then email with the spiel. Think ill ignore / report now! Thanks again!

[chorisia]

I too had an email, from a woman asking me to email her friend who wished to buy a clock I was selling on Gumtree, same sort of thing would pay Paypal and include £50 to pay by amazon gift card. Evidently they are after the gift card to sell on, the Paypal payment receipt details would be fake and the £50 would be lost and they would have all the details of me they had managed to extract . I advised for 'her' to pay courier by bank transfer never heard any more. 'amazon gift cards can only be used on amazon can never be used as legitimate payments to businesses and individuals'