eBay Nigeria scam

Rmil6617
Contributor
Contributor

Hi all 

 

I have sold my iPad on eBay the buyer has not paid for it. This has been going on for a couple of days they are sending me email saying they are going to make payment. The eBay account has an address in London and zero feedback. The first email I got said they are away on business and will make payment today. So I get an email today saying they have made payment via PayPal . It had a PayPal email receipt attached to it that looks very genuine they have included an extra  hundred pounds and want me to send it to Nigeria also a note on the email that states the transaction will show as pending on PayPal until I send about tracking number. 

I believe this is a scam has anyone else experienced the same thing ?. 

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179 REPLIES 179

arthemesus
Contributor
Contributor

I understand your situation. It just happen last few days and now I call the police. Unfortunately, they cannot help me too much because they has no authority which covers in Nigeria. I try to post in ebay community to warn every users to raise the awareness of contact someone that seem suspicious. However, ebay said my post is violence due to the policy. Yes, I post the name, address and scam emails to let everyone knows. I feel ver disappoint that why ebay does not warn the user about the scams through inbox chanel. 


@arcadya666 wrote:

I`ve just been scammed for about £500 today on this way and unfortunatelly i`ve found this post too late. Someone from UK bought my laptop for the price that i was asking for ... had  some discussion with her by email, told me that now she`s in Spain and bought the laptop for her son that he lives in Nigeria and is his birthday and bla bla and she paid already by paypall £470 for laptop + delivery. I got a bit suspicious because i keept asking her about the payment and always said that did it already and try to check even my spam maybe the confirmation got there somehow and she got a bit concerned because of this and gona report me to ebay. Second day i`ve started to receive emails from ebay like that user reported me that i didnt dispatched an item that was paid for and my account its gona get suspended if i`m not going to deliver the item in next 24 hours and got from paypal as well like this one: email from service@uknowwho but if u try to reply u`ll find out that the real email is something else (unfortunatelly i`ve noticed that too late, my packet was already picked up from the post office by a Parcel Force Agent)...

Dear X,
 
   From PayPal confirmation department, we inform you again that the payment sent from Abigail John's account has not yet reflected in your account due to our terms and policy to confirm shipping from you before your account can be credited. This condition is only in use for eBay International purchase, if you receive this email on direct payment option please do contact our management.
 
------------------------------ -----------
Details of  Transaction
------------------------------ -----------
Transaction ID: C826-L003-Q999-T5365
Case #: PP-091-962-521
 ----------------------------- ------
What to Do Next
------------------------------ -----
You are to send the shipping tracking number to us for verification, so as to secure Buyers purchase as well as you. The funds has been deducted from Abigail John account and shall be credited into your PayPal account immediately after the shipment is confirmed by our management as eBay/PayPal terms to verify International shipping before account crediting due to fraudulent sellers who do not post out item after their accounts have been credited.

======================================================

 

It was too much pressure on me and its the first time when i`m selling something on ebay and i did this mistake without realizing what am i doing. I`ve tried to cancel this delivery calling back to Parcel Force, forgetting about  geting refunded back, just to stop this but they said to me that cant do anything about because if they cancel it its criminal offence, i`m gonna lose my money on delivery service because they`ll deliver it anyway and i should do a complaint to my local police office, maybe they will start to investigate and try to catch up the one who did this fraud. I thank them for helping me with nothing, for paid them £100 for that delivery and all they can say is "I am sorry but we cant help you" so now i just hope that Ebay or Paypal might help me to cancel Parcel Force delivery providing the evidence that i got.

 

Anyway, if i will not solve this, i hope the others will see this post before doing what i`ve did and dont gave up no matter how much pressure is on you.



@arcadya666 wrote:

I`ve just been scammed for about £500 today on this way and unfortunatelly i`ve found this post too late. Someone from UK bought my laptop for the price that i was asking for ... had  some discussion with her by email, told me that now she`s in Spain and bought the laptop for her son that he lives in Nigeria and is his birthday and bla bla and she paid already by paypall £470 for laptop + delivery. I got a bit suspicious because i keept asking her about the payment and always said that did it already and try to check even my spam maybe the confirmation got there somehow and she got a bit concerned because of this and gona report me to ebay. Second day i`ve started to receive emails from ebay like that user reported me that i didnt dispatched an item that was paid for and my account its gona get suspended if i`m not going to deliver the item in next 24 hours and got from paypal as well like this one: email from service@uknowwho but if u try to reply u`ll find out that the real email is something else (unfortunatelly i`ve noticed that too late, my packet was already picked up from the post office by a Parcel Force Agent)...

Dear X,
 
   From PayPal confirmation department, we inform you again that the payment sent from Abigail John's account has not yet reflected in your account due to our terms and policy to confirm shipping from you before your account can be credited. This condition is only in use for eBay International purchase, if you receive this email on direct payment option please do contact our management.
 
------------------------------ -----------
Details of  Transaction
------------------------------ -----------
Transaction ID: C826-L003-Q999-T5365
Case #: PP-091-962-521
 ----------------------------- ------
What to Do Next
------------------------------ -----
You are to send the shipping tracking number to us for verification, so as to secure Buyers purchase as well as you. The funds has been deducted from Abigail John account and shall be credited into your PayPal account immediately after the shipment is confirmed by our management as eBay/PayPal terms to verify International shipping before account crediting due to fraudulent sellers who do not post out item after their accounts have been credited.

======================================================

 

It was too much pressure on me and its the first time when i`m selling something on ebay and i did this mistake without realizing what am i doing. I`ve tried to cancel this delivery calling back to Parcel Force, forgetting about  geting refunded back, just to stop this but they said to me that cant do anything about because if they cancel it its criminal offence, i`m gonna lose my money on delivery service because they`ll deliver it anyway and i should do a complaint to my local police office, maybe they will start to investigate and try to catch up the one who did this fraud. I thank them for helping me with nothing, for paid them £100 for that delivery and all they can say is "I am sorry but we cant help you" so now i just hope that Ebay or Paypal might help me to cancel Parcel Force delivery providing the evidence that i got.

 

Anyway, if i will not solve this, i hope the others will see this post before doing what i`ve did and dont gave up no matter how much pressure is on you.




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liudizzle
Member
Member

Thank god I did a quick google search and learned this is a common scam.  I attempted my first sell yesterday - a PS3 - for $225 and got an immediate response within an hour for $345!  Guy was named Norman William from "Oklahoma" and wanted it shipped to an American Embassy in Nigeria for his sons birthday present.  Also received several emails and texts in broken English stating that PayPal payment would not be made until a tracking number was provided - huge red flag there.  I then told him I would not be going through with the transaction to which he threatened legal action which we all know is bullsh*t.  

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MWEnetworks
New Community Member

Ha ha nice try.  These guys are smart, but not smart enough. 

 

They tried this scam on me and had a special email to send me a PayPal Verification Email that looks legit if you are not paying attention. 

 

Read the fine print in the legal part of the email.  If it is specific towards you and has your name in it then it is not a legal statement from PayPal. 

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cavewoman
Member
Member

I wish I would google and investigate like I usually do. But this first time I didn't... I sold a watch for a very first time on ebay and unfortnately I didn't listen to my feeling and sent it to Nigeria. Like all the other people I didn't receive any payment, the ebay buyer's account is closed and ebay can't do anything. I hope this people will get what they deserve, filthy dogs! It's a shame that people like that still are able to do things like that on ebay. My only hope is, that AUstralia Post can stop the parcel at the airport for me before it goes on board. Ah yeah, they tried to get money out of me, telling me I have to pay a fee to the Nigeria customs, which they of course transfer to my paypal account. All **bleep** of course, this is where I realised this is a scam. Well too late. Hope other people read before they do same mistake I did.

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TonySUN
New Community Member

Hi All

Looks like we all have similar problem. Item dispatched and do not have money. eBay suggest me go to local police office, and open up an case for unpaid item in ebay(In user agreement says if an dispute in sellers favour, they may compensate us first but sounds not likely). But my account is suspended (which might reported by same guy) I can not open case in Resolution centre now. I would like to do the same in paypal but. I don't know how to open an case in paypal. Other than these I have no ideal what to do now. Good luck for everyone.

 

 

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sonflower66
New Community Member
Hiya,I just had to warn other ebay users about the Nigeria scam, At first you may get a message from the scammer which has a London or other postal address in the U.K so you dont realize that it has anything to do with Nigeria. They may ask you to invoice them, and then they will tell you they have sent payment to your paypal account via your e-mail account. often this will be for more than you sold yourp item, (im my case it was an Ipad sold for £350.00) they said they put £450.00 into my paypal which would show after I shipped the item to Nigeria and send a tracking number to paypal first then the money would be in my account. Its scam the please trust your gut reaction and never send stuff if payments not in your account first.
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chuk
Contributor
Contributor

Oh my, as i am typing this, the scam is on going and i done everything possible to stop the delivery. Obviously, its against the law to intercept and the stupid parcel force cant do anything about it. My only hope is for someone i know at the location point to pick up the package before the fraudsters pick it up first because they have the tracking number. If only Nigerians can use their share of smart ideas to develop their country they keep bringing down the country's reputation limiting their development. Its just sad, i hope i get the parcel back. i dont know what the police can do about this. do not reply to messages from ebay saying you should send emails outside ebay about your transaction. its fraud. pure fraud.

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Parshall87
New Community Member
So glad I have read this and did not post my item. Sold my camera then was asked to send a money request via pay pal. Then had a email back telling me to check my spam emails. But first I checked pay pal no funds. Checked emails and was asking me to post to Nigeria and wanted a tracking number before funds where released. Thought it looked dodgy. And come across this post. Be carful of this ebayer gbek-blak joined in June 2014 sold nothing but scammed loads London addres.
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Lisa16
Contributor
Contributor
This is currently happening to me right now...I felt funny about it though do luckily have not sent. The woman bought my item for the 'Buy it Now' price and appeared to live in London. She then sent me an email asking for an invoice. Once I had sent this I later received what looked like a formal page from eBay saying the payment had been sent and would clear momentarily! Surprise surprise I am still waiting. I received an email from the lady stating she had paid over the odds as she wished for it to be sent to her son in Nigeria and could I please wrap it nicely as it was a birthday present!! I decided to start researching what I could do about this scam and found you guys!! I have now emailed her and threatened to inform eBay just so I don't get a load of rubbish emails attempting to pressurise me!!! Sorry to those of you who did not get off so lightly!! Such a shame to ruin a service like this! This is my first time selling...I probably won't bother again since it would seem it is so terribly regulated!!!
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chuk
Contributor
Contributor

you are lucky. am sure its the same fool that the sons birthday is everyday. 

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