Skittish

[erinp]

I received a message from paypal that a payment was verified, however my account still says pending.  I do not want to ship without knowing for sure if this is correct.  How can I find out?  The message about the payment  went to my spam, whereas other paypal emails did not.  I tried to paste it into the body of this message but kept getting errors.  

[surplusdealdude]

Take out the email addresses and you should be able to post it.

It maybe a scam - don't ship anything until you know it's clear.

[erinp]

I keept getting this message over and over, even removing the email addresses.

Your post has been changed because invalid HTML was found in the message body. The invalid HTML has been removed. Please review the message and submit the message when you are satisfied.

[surplusdealdude]

Oh, that.

Just hit "Submit" the second time.

The message means that the system has cleaned up the HTML for you.

[erinp]

Transaction Date:   Aug 04,2010
Transaction ID:     5Y758892CS5722206 
Transaction Amount: $2,100.00 USD

You have an Instant Payment from for your Craigslist Item(S)engagement ring & diamond bracelet and necklace.

                    Status: Confirmed         

Note: This PayPal Payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited to your account until the shipment is verified,this innovation is to ensure a secure transaction for the interest of both the buyer and the seller.  

Therefore we urge you to get the merchandise shipped to the buyer's address and verify it by sending the shipment tracking details to us at:  

 This transaction is not fraudulent and you are assured of quality service.We encourage you to ship the item immediately (due to PayPal's policy) as your payment has been confirmed by us. Security is of critical importance at PayPal.
 
Please reply to this email with any questions you may have concerning this hold.

[erinp]

Security Advisory: When you log in to your PayPal account, be sure to open up a new web browser ( e.g . Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the PayPal URL to make sure you are on the real PayPal website. For more information on protecting yourself from fraud, please review the Security Tips in our Security Center.

PROTECT YOUR PASSWORD
NEVER give your password to anyone, including PayPal employees. Protect yourself against fraudulent websites by opening a new web browser ( e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) and typing in the PayPal URL every time you log in to your account.
Please do reply to this email. This mailbox is being monitored and you will receive a response from our customer care.
PayPal Email ID:

[surplusdealdude · Accepted solution]

That's a scam.

Specifically, it's called the Nigerian Scam.  See the Fraud section on these boards for more examples.

Don't ship anything - the money is not there.

You'll get emails from the fake "buyer" in a day or so, threatening to have your paypal account suspended and to report you to the FBI - just ignore them.

[erinp]

Oh wow...thank you so much.