Fake buyer

kioanna
New Community Member

Hello,

 

I received an email in Greek from someone claiming that they are interested in a piece of furniture I am selling. I understood that they are using Google Translate and I replied in english so I can be more helpful.

They came back with this answer:

 

I'm comfortable with the condition and price, i will be paying you through Bank transfer or PayPal, kindly get back to me with either of those information so that i could be able to proceed with the payment of the money to you and also send me the address where the item will be picked up so that i forward it to the shipping company which will be coming for the pick up at your place immediately after the payment as been completed.
 
Get back to me with your bank details such as
 
Bank Name
Account Name
Iban
Swift Code
 
Or your PayPal email to make the payment, if you do't have a PayPal yet, is very easy to get, just log on to www.paypal.com and register with them, once you complete the registration, just get back to me with the email which you use to register so that i could be able to pay you asap..
 
I did sent my paypal email and address and requested a phone number to call and discuss it and then I got this reply:
 
Thanks for the mail..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, here is my Number <removed> but i can't receive call for now, i have send all your details to the shipping company, i'm yet to receive an email back from them, i will let you know once they get back to me
 
And after reading all these threads here, I panicked, because not only I gave the paypal email but my house address as well..
 
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1 REPLY 1

PayPal_Michael
Moderator
Moderator

Hello, kioanna. Thanks for taking the time to post your concern here on the PayPal Community Forum. PayPal works very hard to make sure all transactions are as safe and secure as possible, but it's essential that customers take steps to protect themselves as well.

 

Based on the information you provided, there appear to be some red flags that suggest you should proceed with caution (such as the buyer providing you with a phone number but saying it's not possible to take calls, for example). In-person pickup is something you have to decide that you're going to allow.

 

However, it's important for sellers to understand that transactions where an item is picked up (even if it's picked up by a buyer's shipping company) are not eligible for coverage under PayPal's Seller Protection Policy. If a complaint or chargeback is submitted later, it won't be possible for PayPal to close a claim in your favor or reimburse you if you don't have a tracking number showing what you sold was delivered to the buyer. If you're going to ship something, you should arrange for and use your own shipper.

 

Please check out https://www.paypal.com/smarthelp/article/what-are-common-scams-and-how-do-i-spot-them-faq3176 for more information on common scams and how to spot them. You can find tips and suggestions on how to avoid fraud at https://www.paypal.com/smarthelp/article/how-can-i-prevent-fraud-when-shipping-an-order-faq3074. It may also be helpful to check out https://www.paypal.com/smarthelp/article/how-to-spot-fake%2C-spoof%2C-or-phishing-emails-faq2340 which has information on how to spot fake, spoof or phishing emails.

 

I hope this information is helpful. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Thanks for being a part of the PayPal Community!

 

Sincerely,

 

Michael

PayPal_Michael

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