Being paid via PayPal - can this be a scam?

MickM
Contributor
Contributor

I'm selling a previous generation brand new 32GB iPod for $250 on the Boston Craigs List. A new current generation one from Apple costs $300. So I get an email from a guy in Africa claiming he'd pay me $250 plus an extra $100 shipping and that he'd pay me via PayPal (provided I forward him the PayPal email address).

 

This has scam written all over it (and I'm certainly not proceeding with the transaction), but if he's paying in advance via PayPal then I'm scratching my head as to how this guy can scam me. Any ideas?

 

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63 REPLIES 63

hola a toda la comunidad y usuarios de PAY PAL.

El  diciembre del 2010, entre a la pagina ALIBABA.COM, con el proposito de comprar un telefono celular inteligente, le pregunte al vendedor y el amablemente me envio el INVOICE a mi correo, me intereso su oferta, y le pregunte por la forma de pago, el me respondio que solo podia hacerlo por medio de WESTERN UNION o MONEY GRAM, yo entonces, le hice el envio del dinero el dia 14 de diciembre , por un total de 300 dolares, el costo del envio fueron 30 dolares, para un total de 330. Inicialmente era la compra de 1 telefono, una vez recibio el dinero me respondio que no podia vender uno solo que minimo eran 5 unidades, yo le respondi ...imposible no tengo mas dinero, en fin seguimos discutiendo , hasta que el dijo que podrian ser entonces 3, y que le enviara los 600 dolares restantes , nuevamente por WESTERN O POR MONEY  (UNICAMENTE).  Segui con mi postura que no le enviaria mas dinero , entonces me reembolsara el mismo, me respondio que no podia. paso el tiempo y segui insistiendo en que efectuara el reembolso, via PAY PAL, , Y ENVIANDO CORREOS, ETC. El dia 7 de enero para mi sorpresa recibi un correo diciendome que me habia enviado la suma de $1000 dolares via PAY-PAL, pero con otro nombre de usuario (no el mismo al que yo le habia enviado el dinero), argumentando que habia cometido un error y se excedio en el reembolso, entonces que le retornara el mismo osea 660 dolares pero unicamente por WESTERN UNION y con la nota de URGENTE, URGENTE, URGENTE, tambien pero con  datos tambien distintos de nombre, direccion y usuario. Siguio insistiendo, y hasta me envio una cuarta cuenta en PAY PAL, tambien de otra cuenta distinta , e insistiendo que hiciera la devolucion inmediata.

Yo le respondi que se la haria unicamente via PAY PAL, pero a su cuenta original, y el insistia que no, que fuera a la  otra que me habia enviado ( una nueva de otro usuario) o a la otra persona por WESTERN UNION. al yo ser categorico y negarme en reembolsarle su excedente por medio de WESTERN UNION o su cuenta nueva y diferente de PAY-PAL,  solicito una disputa. OBVIAMENTE, SU PROPOSITO ERA QUE LE PAGARA POR WESTERN UNION E IGUALMENTE RECLAMAR EN PAY PAL, ARGUMENTANDO QUE YO LE HABIA VENDIDO UN ARTICULO, que yo nunca le vendi, para estafarme denuevo.

NUNCA COMPREN SI LA UNICA FORMA DE PAGO ES POR WESTERN UNION!!!! PUEDEN SER ESTAFADOS COMO LO HICIERON CONMIGO.

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Digital26
Member
Member

 

Here is another e-mail version that they sent you if you selling items via CraigList. I am selling the car now on GraigList in Monroe, LA  and this is the e-mail that I've got:

 

" I would have come to pick it up but am not in the state Right Now am
in adelaide in australia you know the Kind far away and due to my work
so that is why i suggest we should go through paypal cos it very
secure and fast for online transaction to avoid Fraud so whatever you
think you can get back to me with your paypal email id so i can make
the payment asap

 

Thanks and hope to read back from you soon

 

--
do you still have it for sell?" The name on e-mail was  Thelma Gracia
and that was gmail account

 

Unfortunately, I deleted the first e-mail, but she started as she want to buy a car for her brother who is in US right now to surprise him, but she is overseas working as marine engineer... bla... bla ... bla... ending her letter with "can you give me your paypal email or ID" ..... I posted right here her second letter to me after I asked her why she want to buy a car not even try it or look at it first.... It did make no sense to me... besides car purchase is not that simple, title transfer, financing, I was asking 11,000 ... I don't think that anybody would just go and spend that kind of money in cash to surprise their brother with the car they have even seen yet.... Nonsense... However, Thelma Garcia in her e-mails to me never mention Nigeria or Africa.... I guess the scammers changing their tactics a bit....

 

 

 

 

 

 

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surplusdealdude
Advisor
Advisor

 


@Digital26 wrote:

 

Here is another e-mail version that they sent you if you selling items via CraigList. I am selling the car now on GraigList in Monroe, LA  and this is the e-mail that I've got:

 

" I would have come to pick it up but am not in the state Right Now am
in adelaide in australia you know the Kind far away and due to my work
so that is why i suggest we should go through paypal cos it very
secure and fast for online transaction to avoid Fraud so whatever you
think you can get back to me with your paypal email id so i can make
the payment asap

 

Thanks and hope to read back from you soon

 

--
do you still have it for sell?" The name on e-mail was  Thelma Gracia
and that was gmail account

 

Unfortunately, I deleted the first e-mail, but she started as she want to buy a car for her brother who is in US right now to surprise him, but she is overseas working as marine engineer... bla... bla ... bla... ending her letter with "can you give me your paypal email or ID" ..... I posted right here her second letter to me after I asked her why she want to buy a car not even try it or look at it first.... It did make no sense to me... besides car purchase is not that simple, title transfer, financing, I was asking 11,000 ... I don't think that anybody would just go and spend that kind of money in cash to surprise their brother with the car they have even seen yet.... Nonsense... However, Thelma Garcia in her e-mails to me never mention Nigeria or Africa.... I guess the scammers changing their tactics a bit....

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

It's a different type of scam - the "marine worker" scam.

 

But it does sound like a scam.

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mathanvn
Contributor
Contributor

I have the same email from this guy to buy me  acar on craiglist . Should i sell it to that guy and give her ID Paypal for him.

Please let me know because i and she are talking via email now. Thanks

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mathanvn
Contributor
Contributor

I sell the car on Craglist in Orange County LA.  This guy send me this email.

 

Thanks for your response, I am quite okay with your price, I need you to understand that i am willing and ready to purchase it right away, put it off the AD site, consider me as your favorite buyer,i am at sea at the moment as i am a marine engineer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it. I really want it to be a surprise for my brother in-law so i wont let him know anything about it until it gets delivered to him, i am sure he will be more than happy with it. i do not have access to my bank account online,but i have it attached to my pay pal account, and this is why i insisted on using pay pal to pay, i will need you to give me your paypal email address and the price so i can make the payments asap for it and pls if you don't have paypal account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to www.paypal.com and get it set up, after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with paypal so as to put the money through. I have a pick up agent that will come and pick it up after i have made the payments and make sure u send me more pics and your contact okay

 

He also send me this picture of his agent. do i believe to give him my ID paypay ? Please respond me ASAP because i am talking to him via email

Thanks

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forrealtho
Contributor
Contributor

Ok, so tell me if I have a problem. I submitted a payment request to someone who I realized later was obviously a scammer. I canceled the request for funds. Should I still be worried? What could happen? I've learned my lesson, and I can't believe I initially fell for this. I just hope that no damage can be done since I canceled it.

 

The person who e-mailed me was someone from Australia who was supposedly buying a vehicle for his son (and later his cousin) who just moved to the US.

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surplusdealdude
Advisor
Advisor

It's unlikely that you are at any significant risk.

 

The scammer will use your paypal adress to construct a fake but realistic-looking payment email from Paypal, telling you that the funds are on deposit, but you must input a tracking number for them to be released.

 

There are no funds, of course and DO NOT USE THE EMAIL LINK for any reason - it can download a keylogger onto your computer.

 

When you don't fall for that, the scammer will start threatening you with loss of your paypal account, threaten to call the FBI, yada, yada, yada.  It's all BS.

 

Ignore him and he'll go away.

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forrealtho
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for the advice!

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forrealtho
Contributor
Contributor

O.K., here's another one that seems too good to be true for a truck that is worth much more than $2700 and is from California. It was listed on craigslist for SC and then ended up being in CA. I doubt this is legit. What is the Ebay security program? I am pretty sure this is a scam, too.

 

VIN: 2GCEK19T221226244
5.3 L

I decided to complete the transaction through Ebay security Program because I want to
take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% LEGIT but you must know that in
this way eBay will require you to send a ($ 2.700) prior shipping  and they will have to
verify me and the truck  and you as well before we can close this deal through their service.
Your money will be keep by eBay agent until you will receive the truck and send them the
confirmation that you are satisfied with the product received. In case you don't want to
keep the truck all you will have to do is to ask them for a refund and you will be totally
refunded in 2 day .REMEMBER: I will take care of the shipping !
P.S. You must know that if you decide to buy the truck I will need your full name and shipping
address as soon as possible in order to send your details to the shipping company and to ebay
agent to make the arrangements for shipping.
Thanks !
Annette

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surplusdealdude
Advisor
Advisor

Well, there's no such thing as the "Paypal security program", so that's a problem right off the bat.

 

It's a scam, of course.

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