Need help with a craigslist sale

[tdg]

This person wants to purchase my items on craigslist with paypal, does anyone know if paypal payment protection will cover me ($2100.00) or do you think this is some kind of scam? Here is what she sent:

Hello,

Thanks for the swift response, just to let you know that I'm okay with
the condition of the item, I'm ready to sealed the deal with you ,I
will be paying you $2,100 for the Item and I will be responsible for
all the shipping expenses, I want to buy it for my dad in UK,my method
of payment is through PayPal cos its very secure, fast and reliable,
kindly get back to me with your PayPal account email or send me an
invoice through PayPal if you are a registered user of PayPal,i will
advice you that PayPal is the best way to transfer and receive money
online if you are not PayPal user, you can get an account with them at
www.paypal.com but you don't have to do this if you already have an
account, Just get back to me with your PayPal account email or invoice
from PayPal so i can proceed with the payment as soon as possible .
I'll be responsible for the pick-up and the pick up money will be
included in your payment to avoid delay and to enable shipping agent
to schedule an appropriate and convenient time for the pick-up at your
location

I would have really love to come for the viewing but due to my work
frame that might not be possible, I'm a Marine Officer, I'm on the
ship now,but might want to have a good look,if you have the pics.
Please do get back to me with your paypal email account or send me an
invoice so i can make out payment.

Regards..

-- 
Good Day,

      I want to buy your item is still for sale?

[robertswww]

Hello,

This is a scam... similar to the Nigeria Scams, but using UK instead.

Read all about these types of scams here:

https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Online-safety/Nigeria-Scams/td-p/8384
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Online-safety/RE-NIGERIAN-SCAMS/m-p/23343

For your protection, it is best not to reply to the sender of the scam email.

[tdg]

Thanks, I wasn't feeling this deal at all. it seemed odd.

[robertswww]

No problem, it is usually best to trust your gut, and your feeling it was odd was right on target.  Lots of red flags in his email... improper spelling, shipping overseas, needs it soon as possible, wants to handle shipping and even have an agent pick-up product (without a tracking number and without shipping to a confirmed address, you would not be covered by PayPal's Seller Protection Policy).

He says that he is on a ship and a Marine Officer.  Then his email would have to end in .mil for military email (otherwise he is just pretending/lying).

Also, never sell an expensive item to someone who is not PayPal verified.  You can check his email, by substituting it at the end of the following URL:

https://www.paypal.com/us/verified/pal=EmailAddressHere

[sorennelson]

---

@robertswww wrote:

No problem, it is usually best to trust your gut, and your feeling it was odd was right on target.  Lots of red flags in his email... improper spelling, shipping overseas, needs it soon as possible, wants to handle shipping and even have an agent pick-up product (without a tracking number and without shipping to a confirmed address, you would not be covered by PayPal's Seller Protection Policy).

He says that he is on a ship and a Marine Officer.  Then his email would have to end in .mil for military email (otherwise he is just pretending/lying).

Also, never sell an expensive item to someone who is not PayPal verified.  You can check his email, by substituting it at the end of the following URL:

https://www.paypal.com/us/verified/pal=EmailAddressHere

---

Sorry to not agree, but I am military myself, and we are not allowed to use our .mil email for personal use, ever. the statement about him just pretending/lying is really not based on anything. It is not possible to check and see if he really is military using the e-mail address he provided. I would not make my decision do business with someone based on the assumption that when they say they work for someone that they will use their work e-mail address to complete personal transactions. Although if their account is not verified, and every other aspect of the transaction seems fishy(gut feeling) I agree with robertswww.

[robertswww]

Sorry, but on a U.S. Naval ship, you are only allowed to use the ship's computers and can only access your .mil email account. No personal email domains (yahoo, gmail, hotmail, etc.) are allowed.  My cousin routinely sends us personal email from her .mil account while onboard a U.S. naval ship. Please note that all messages sent onboard, even private messages, are screened and monitored.

You are allowed to bring a personal notebook onboard, but not connect it to the ship's secure network. You can however use your personal laptop for creating documents, play music, watching DVDs, etc.  They do not allow personal laptops access past the secure firewall due to the possibility of viruses, trojan horses, etc. that may exist on the personal laptop.

Other military email use can vary depending on your branch of service.  But the email in question above is from someone claiming to be on the ship at the time of sending the scam email.

[surplusdealdude]

It is a scam, a very common one.

We've had reports of 3 more exactly like this in the past 2 days.

[surplusdealdude]

All the buyer has to do is to change the delivery address and then submit a claim for non-receipt.  He'd win every time.

[urban]

I received the SAME email over a camera. And I had to mail it overseas. Everything about it was fishy. There were paypay invoices, etc, but I am pretty sure it was a scam!! I am out a camera and no payment. Now they are telling me they can't release the money to me without my wire transferring money to the buyer (because they overpaid in paypal). Of course I see NO transactions in my account. I have no money, but I paid $50.00 to send a camera to Nigeria. Don't do it!!!

[robertswww]

Hello Urban,

Sorry to hear about your camera loss. As you learned, many phishing scams originate from Nigeria.  See the posts below for further details.

Nigeria Scams:
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Online-safety/Nigeria-Scams/td-p/8384
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Online-safety/RE-NIGERIAN-SCAMS/m-p/23343