Newcastle

HFErry
New Community Member

A recent transaction from a purchaser on eBay has been held until a shipping payment of £400 is transferred to a money gram account. Is this normal and how do I know it is not a scam.

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2 REPLIES 2

kayochin
Contributor
Contributor
That is definitely a scam. PayPal will never ask you to send money via another payment processor. You can also check if there is a pending transaction on your account itself. It should appear on your activity even if it's pending. Just be careful and check if it's not a request.
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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@HFErry

 

This is a typical scam ..................

They may buy on Ebay but they use an anonymous or hijacked Ebay account and DO NOT have a Paypal account so they can't use Ebay checkout. They encourage you to accept a 'direct' Paypal payment and may ask you to send the item internationally.
No funds or activity of the transaction shows in your Paypal account and any emails 'may' go into your junk or spam folders.

They don't quibble on cost and may also say they can't view the item as they are disabled or working abroad etc etc but they will arrange a shipping agent to collect it.

You will get/got a "fake" email that looks as though it is from paypal.....it isn't because they don't actually have a Paypal account and have no intention of paying you.
It will say the buyer has paid ...you won't have been paid.
They will tell you that the payment is released when you provide paypal with a tracking/shipping number......this won't happen.

OR
The 'fake' paypal email will tell you that the buyer has paid for the item + shipping costs but you must send those shipping costs to the courier/ shipping agent via western union, moneygram or walmart etc BEFORE the funds are released to you.
They are not interested in the item, they just want the western union etc funds and you will never see money in your paypal balance.

Paypal NEVER tell you to send an item before the payment is showing in your paypal account.
Paypal do not tell you to send trackable, they advise it for selling protection but it is not compulsory.
Paypal NEVER expect you to use a rival money transfer service eg Moneygram or Western Union etc.

Delete any emails and ignore the scammers.


Advice is voluntary.
Kudos / Solution appreciated.
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