Scam?

[frodriguez8705]

I Just received this e-mail today and I wasnt sure if it was a scam or not. The first sign that this looked fishy was that it sent the e-mail to my secondary email account and i haven't received anything in my primary (which is where I ALWAYS get paypal emails)  This is what it said:

Dear Member,

As part of our efforts to provide a safe and secure environment for the
online community, we regularly screen account activity.
Our review of your account has identified an issue regarding its safe use.
We have placed a restriction on your account as a precaution.

To lift the restriction we will require some further information from you.

We have sent you an attachment which contains all the necessary steps in order to restore your account access.
Download and open it in your browser.
After we have gathered the necessary information, you will regain full access to your account.

We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

PayPal Review Department

[gardenguru]

Good Advise..Thanks.

[qhryder]

Thank you so very much for posting. Susan ***** is also trying to purchase a piece of antique furniture from me using Paypal. I'm online checking things out because I suspected a scam. I also posted an email to her supposed employer, a respected religious community in England , inquiring if she exists. Will be interesting.  It's very sad you have to be so suspicious of everything on the internet.

[surplusdealdude]

Yeh, they always seem to stress that they're Christian missionaries, don't they?

Don't be surprised if the order writes back that there is such a person there - they may have lifted the person's name.

If you copy and paste the email that you got, I can tell you if it's a scam - just remove names and email addresses.

[qhryder]

That's OK, I know it was a scam. I suspected it from the beginning, that's why I was investigating. The post I was referring to listed the person that contacted me by name. Thanks for being ever vigilant.

[Temp20220131o]

I read these postings with interest, having (almost) been the victim of a very similar scam in the last couple of days.

It was the first time I had used EBay and I was selling a pair of earrings worth several thousand dollars.

You can imagine my delight when a "buyer" responded to say she would pay my asking price + $800 in postage to have them sent to her in South Africa.

I then received two emails that appeared to be from PayPal that said the funds of $6,800 had been paid into my account by the buyer but were on hold until i shipped the earrings and sent the buyer a shipping number. It really did look legitmate...except that some of the language in the emails from PayPal was a bit off (ie a couple of grammatical errors) It was enough for me to look more closely (thank god). I first tried replying to the emails from PayPal and the reply email address was suspense @ cash4u.com!!! I've now sent the emails to both PayPal and EBay who are investigating.

Anyway, i realise i sound naive but as mentioned it was the first time i had used EBay and it was sophisticated enough to look fairly legitimate. I was very close to popping down to the local post office and sending a pair of diamond earrings to someone who i didn't know in South Africa without having seen any proof of payment!!!

[surplusdealdude]

The scammers pretty much live on the newbies - that's why they're so quick to suggest Paypal and even give you paypal's address to sign up with.

They want people who aren't aware of the system to get fooled - luckily, more nd more people are hearing about the scams.

[gardenguru]

Thank goodness you have common sense and did not send the earings.  Kudos to you and for sharing your story in this forum.  We can squash these guys by word of mouth and they'll have to go back to picking pockets on the street.  Welcome to marketing!

[MoonDog-1961]

Samething going on with me on the same day!

[nowafox]

I just received the following e-mail from Susan ***** after she inquired if my Antique Dining Room listed on Craig's List was still for sale.  I suspected fraud. That is why I am checking it out.   I am so glad I found this PayPal forum. 

Hello.
 Thanks for your response,I am willing to pay your asking price,but I will be paying you through my online paypal account,as that's the only way i receive and make payment for my purchases online,due to that i am from Norwich East of England and i'm on a missionary course attached to Norwich Cathedral,and a very busy woman,that's why i can't use any other form of payment than paypal,its easy for me.  So if you are ok with paypal,get back to me with the email linked to your paypal account if you have one and if you are new to the paypal,you can easily set up your own paypal account at www.paypal.com its easy,fast,safe and secured,all i need is the email address you use in your registration with paypal,that will enable me to make the payment,and with your address for pick up,as I will arrange a shipping agent my self.
I will email my Shipping Agent with your address so he can estimate the shipping cost for me,so don't forget to include your address and phone number when you reply with your email linked to paypal for payment,as i will need your address before payment.
 Note:PayPal do charge little fee out of each transaction,i take care of that on my side and the shipping agent will come for the pick up after payment,so please email me with the information as soon as possible.
 I look forward to hearing from you soon .
Very best wishes,
Susan

[qhryder]

Your email is almost word for word what was sent to me about my antique buffet that I advertised on Craig's List.  I even went so far as to email this Norwich Cathedral, I've not heard back from them. Good luck and trust your instincts.