URGENT HELP NEEDED PLEASE

[Polbas]

Hi all.....I need some help please...I think someone is trying to scam me...I had been selling an item on Gumtree and a woman has been emailing about purchase...I just received email saying that she had made payment and that I would receive email from PayPal.com.au saying they were withholding payment to my account until I had completed the transaction....Alarm Bells went off immediately....the email states that she has deposited money into my account ....she supposedly has deposited $3200..for my $2100 item....and this includes money for courier ....HA HA....and I am to transfer the courier money into the courier account....the PayPal email looks so convincing...my question is how do I catch her...or him....do I alert her that I am onto her....do I contact police....of course it goes without saying that I have not transferred any money to her....I just want to catch the S.O.B....fed up with people scamming innocent victims....many thanks for any help

[kernowlass]

@Polbas 

Yes its a scam, been ongoing for at least 10 years and i post the below information about 6 times a day.

Nothing you can do but ignore them and delete the emails as they use hijacked/anonymous email addresses and work out of an internet cafe probably in Africa somewhere.

SCAM.

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/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.

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 anther payment processor than Paypal OR via providing some vouchers or tokens before the funds are released to you.
They are not interested in the item, they just want that couriers/shipping 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 NEVER expect you to use a rival money transfer service eg Moneygram or Western Union etc.
Also their is no seller protection on paypal for any type of item that is collected by the buyer.

Delete any emails and ignore the scammers.