Need advice soon! Craigslist and PayPal

[Throckmork]

I'm looking to sell my 96 mustang with a tranny slip problem. I said that if you were wanting it, a trailer is needed cuz it only goes in reverse right now. This guy messaged me a couple times. HELP. Is this safe? He asked if I still had it and I said yes but he'd need a trailer and I told him what was wrong. Here's what he said,

Buyer: Dear Seller,

      Thanks for the mail, I'm seriously interested in buying this
for my first Son and am okay with your selling price, I'm an (Crude
Engineering) and currently offshore i really want this as a surprise
gift for my Son so i won't let him know anything about this until it
get delivered to him and I will like to know why you are selling this
item and i will like to know the condition of the item. You can mail
me back with your PayPal email address so i can make the payment to
you right now and if you don't have an account with PayPal you can set
up an account today as it's secured and reliable visit their website
on www.paypal.com... i will be responsible for the payment
fees/charges on this transaction. Do not worry about shipping or
picking up as my pick up agent will come and pick it up from you once
have made the payment to you and i will also need your full
Name,address and phone number looking forward to here back from you.

Regards Surest..

Then I said I would prefer cash. He said,

Buyer: I wish i could  come to view it but there is no way i could do that
cos, am currently offshore and as you
should know that due to the nature of my work phone calls are not
allowed offshore but i just try to squeezed out a time to view the
advert while it's really lovely and that' s why i will like to
purchase it for my son before his birthday so kindly get back to me
along with ya PayPal email so i can make the payment then the pick up
agent can come to view it for me before picking it up to get it
delivered to my son.
I will be looking forward to read back from you sooner.

[dscline]

Wow, interestingly enough, I just got another offer (separate from the suspicious offer I mentioned earlier), that is almost just an edit of what someone already posted earlier in the thread:

"Hello, ím seriously interested in your listed item, i have no problem with your asking price, but i hope it's in a good condition? i'm wanting to purchase it for my brother who is studying overseas. i'm a Petroleum Engineer, i'll not be able to meet up to pay in cash as i'm always busy at work but i have my bank account linked with my paypal account so i'll be paying the money upfront into your paypal account through my paypal account since its a safe way to exchange funds over the internet and will be adding an extra of $80 which i'm sure it'll cover shipping expenses via U.S. Postal Service Express Mail International 3-5 days (EMS). If you have an account with paypal just get back to me with your paypal email, and i can make your payment ASAP but if you don't have one you can log on to paypal website at www.paypal.com and easily set up your own personal account since it's free. I want your honesty in return to my faithfulness to you during this transaction. Your immediate response is really appreciated."

This was after an initial email asking a couple of simple questions about what I had listed, making it sound legitimate.

[DocLoch]

I've done a little research, and have found that apparently they will send a false e-mail supposedly from PayPal and looking like PayPal saying that the funds have been recieved and the "agent" will come to pick up the item or it should be shipped.  Of course no payment has actually been made.  If you send or reliquish the item you are out the item and have no money.  The problem I see (the stupidity of this scam) is that my item weighs 2000lbs.  They aren't leaving with it until the cash is in my hands.  Now, maybe PayPal can somehow try to get it back from me, but that would not be happening until someone brought my item back, so to me this is all just a harrassment rather than a scam.  I just hope they aren't using my e-mail and full name to somehow hack my account.  Maybe I'll just cancel my PayPal to be sure.  Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

[lengyang20]

you're right! maybe i do need to cancel my account too.

[Crafty_1-Two]

About three years ago someone tried to scam me but I don't scam very well but they keep trying you need to not give them any information about yourself period! Why do they need this information? Ask yourself each time this happens. I would say in the last four months someone has tried to scam me total so far 11 times all for items listed on Craigslist except two one was suppose to have come from Wells Fargo I don't have a Wells Fargo account they wanted to update my account information the other one came from someone I had dealt with in another county her email had been hacked into it and they didn't put my name and anyone who has lost or had their passport or purse stolen in another country they don't send emails out like that.  The other one came from someone who had hacked into her email and stated she had lost her purse passport everything and if you wanted to help her please call and send money of course its overseas in India.  The best way to catch a scammer, look for bad grammar and spelling, too much information about why they can't pick it up themselves, paying you more money then you want and asking you to cash the check and you keep what you want and send the rest to them, also you can check the properties of the email and compare them to other emails to see if it is the same person, also since I have had to deal with scams a lot I have learned what to look for.  Anyone can open a zillion emails with fake names and the other thing is if you think it is a scam compare it to the emails from other emails if you think they are scam email they all sound alike in my case they have been copied and pasted so they don't have to type it in each time some even forget what alias they are using.  You have to go to the FBI website and fill out the form IC3 and also The Federal Trade Commission.  Anyone that sends you an email and tells you they will give you more money then you are asking, sending you emails telling you their life story and why they can't come themselves, sends you a check to cash or a money order or cashiers check that once cashed and sent to them will bounce and the bank will take it back minus the money for the check that was cashed by you.  Good Luck

[Crafty_1-Two]

About three years ago someone tried to scam me but I don't scam very well but they keep trying you need to not give them any information about yourself period! Why do they need this information? Ask yourself each time this happens. I would say in the last four months someone has tried to scam me total so far 11 times all for items listed on Craigslist except two one was suppose to have come from Wells Fargo I don't have a Wells Fargo account they wanted to update my account information the other one came from someone I had dealt with in another county her email had been hacked into it and they didn't put my name and anyone who has lost or had their passport or purse stolen in another country they don't send emails out like that.  The other one came from someone who had hacked into her email and stated she had lost her purse passport everything and if you wanted to help her please call and send money of course its overseas in India.  The best way to catch a scammer, look for bad grammar and spelling, too much information about why they can't pick it up themselves, paying you more money then you want and asking you to cash the check and you keep what you want and send the rest to them, also you can check the properties of the email and compare them to other emails to see if it is the same person, also since I have had to deal with scams a lot I have learned what to look for.  Anyone can open a zillion emails with fake names and the other thing is if you think it is a scam compare it to the emails from other emails if you think they are scam email they all sound alike in my case they have been copied and pasted so they don't have to type it in each time some even forget what alias they are using.  You have to go to the FBI website and fill out the form IC3 and also The Federal Trade Commission.  Anyone that sends you an email and tells you they will give you more money then you are asking, sending you emails telling you their life story and why they can't come themselves, sends you a check to cash or a money order or cashiers check that once cashed and sent to them will bounce and the bank will take it back minus the money for the check that was cashed by you.  Good Luck

[kgipson2006]

I have had 2 different emails with the exact same meanings....I would like to buy this for my father, someone will pick it up and so on. One is Matthew Deyoung and the other was from Luke Greg. I don't how they work but they are scammers and I hope no one falls for it!!

[lengyang20]

hey i just got one too and sounds so good to be true because i do want the money too. my asking price is $3700 and he offer me $3800. Heres the letter.

Thank for your mail. I'm satisfied with the condition of it as
advertised in the listing,i will like to add $100 to your final price
for you to keep off from all offer,and consider it sold to me alone as
i am serious with this.I will like you to know that i am really
interested in buying this for my father,payment will be through PayPal
and the pick up will be arranged by me as i will have my agent come
down to pick it up...i will be waiting to hear from you,and i will
like you to send me the name and email address on the PayPal account
to send the payment and send me more pics of this item if available
since it will not be seen in person so i can pay it right away I am a
busy at work and do not have much time around me.Make sure you get
back to me so that we can arrange for pick up as i will like the item
to be picked at your residence,so no shipping

Thanks and reply asap.

Regards

Sounds so much alike like others i read here. Oh yea btw, the dude name is **removed** . I search him up on google and led me to here.

[JB-002]

I got the same exact message   I guess if it sounds too good to be true.....

[whoo_ps]

Hey everyone, I got the same sort of deal going on. Except I am playing along. AS soon as I told them paypal would fine I got a email from a spoof paypal telling me That extra money was sent to my account and direction to send the extra money to a shipper in another state via western union. Then I am suppose to send them the control number so the funds can be release to my account. What a scam, now of course I haven't sent any money and now I getting a nasty email for this fake paypal telling me they are contacting the FBI and if the money is not sent in 24hrs the FBI will arrest me and in pound all my property. What a joke. I think paypal is safe but I do wish they would assist us in these matters, I have sent them copies of the fake emails and have heard nothing from paypal.  Maybe what I have been getting is official and I'm going to jail over a bicycles  

[dscline]

Yes, I continue to get these, and I have also thought about playing along.  A great example and entertaining read is at http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/index.html.  I think if more people started wasting the scammers time (and in this example, costing them money), they would stop doing this.

[DocLoch]

This is an excellent idea.  Scamming the scammers and wasting their time will at least push them to be more creative, and maybe make the business unprofitable for them time-wise.  Also getting the word out on this.  Tell your friends and warn everyone! I never heard from mine again when I told them that I would be verifying all the funds and would ship as soon as the actual cash was in my hands.  That turned off all the communication, and they couldn't even threaten me.  Good luck to all and may good and decency win!