**Beware**Gumtree**Scam**

[Temp20221108A]

I posted several items on gumtree for sale and received a text from a woman called **** ***** asking if I still had an item (the most expensive one on the list) and to email her.

Eager to sell the item, I obliged and emailed her. She replied with the following:

Great! please consider both sold as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap,

i have read through the advert and i'm totally satisfied with it,

sadly i would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and I'm just recovering from heart surgery so I'm home-bound.

I have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and i'll pay you via PayPal once you are ready.

Kindly get back to me with your location so that i can inform the courier agent about it now?

I replied asking if she was local to me and if a bank transfer or cash on collection would be possible. She ignored the 1st question and said she has no access to bank because she is house bound. Then gave me a link to PayPal.

After repeatedly asking where she was from and only getting her email address as a reply, I googled her name and came across a thread detailing the email I received but using a different name. So be careful. **** ***** (******** at ****.***) 

[Robinhood1]

Yup same!! Great! please consider it sold as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap, i have read through the advert and I'm totally satisfied with it,sadly i would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and me being on a wheelchair. i have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and I'll pay you via PayPal today. Where is the pick up location so that i can inform the courier agent about it now? Just ignored it

[Hayley91]

Hi all I’ve had the same today but the new name is rose <removed> as soon as I asked for a name and address for DVLA had no response I’ll attached what they sent below. Luckily I googled and didn’t get caught out, the email address was also from a gmail account. “Thanks for your respond I want you to consider this a deal as i am willing to pay your full asking price! i actually want to buy it for a family member who is urgently in need of it, i have checked through your posting and i'm fully satisfied with it. Unfortunately, i would not be able to come personally to view/collect, i work offshore as an instructor on a oil rig so i don't have time at all, but like i said i am 100% OK with the advert. I will pay you via PayPal once you are ready and send my courier agent to collect after you have fully received your money as that is the only means of payment available to me at the moment. If that's Ok with you please get back to me with a suitable collection time......X“ Stay aware people

[lyricmanlondon]

I have the very same 'Rose <removed>' offering to purchase all my items for the full asking price. Payment via paypal. I'm gonna string them along and waste their time sending a courier to pick up my stuff. Thanks for the warning and now i'm gonna enjoy scamming the scammer lol.

[MNMorrow]

I received this exact email from a Rose <removed> today, thanks for posting it to assure me my hunch was correct!

[BjörnBorg]

For everyone reading, they use a gmail account [removed] Had the same today, first a “friend” with a brand new account sends you this: Hi, my friiend wants to purchase it. What is the E; m ai IA’ddress for her to; contact;you about it Huge red flag, wrong spelling for E; m ai lA’dress and received ad 1:19 am It took me no time to understand it was a scam but I was curious and give him my email Second red flag, message written in perfect English without any personal touch, so I decided to push them a bit, I told em that since I work for a contractor for the army and I’d rather give to her than to someone else, and asked her for a facetime call to check conditions, promptly denied since the nature of their job in the army Third red flag, not even blinked when I mentioned the contractors (they are in every base) and asked for my paypal and address for pick up straight away Than asked my details to send a pickup agent (a what sorry?) on Sat and there’s no way you can book a courier to pick up on Sat with such a short notice Be aware people, it’s well orchestrated

[Carrolljohn]

I had this exact scenario today with the introduction email, badly spelt and word for word follow up from the RAAF buyer. My question is how do they make money out of this? I didn’t give my PayPal account details but what will have happened if I did? Thanks for the info, saved me some hassle I presume.

[markramsey69]

this one is still trying it on 

they must think we are dumb **bleep** 

and to use disability to scam is low 

as I work for a disability charity it hurts just that bit more 

[chippydave48]

Just to say this scam is still current as he contacted me Easter Sunday ( 4/4/21), except name changed to advocdodave (signed Wolfe) and now he's not on an oil rig, but 'in a wheelchair' so can't view the car which 'he' wants for daughter Jennifer! What a tosser!!

[Leahisabella2]

This scammer is clearly still active, I have been contacted about a standing desk on gum tree, user says they want to get my email address to give to a friend who is interested in the item - ‘Katherine [Removed]’ is the scammer name, [Removed]. They want to pay via PayPal but asking for my address before paying to organise a courier: as she is saying she is based in SA at the RAAF. “Thanks for this email. I'm interested, hope is in good shape and what's your best price? I will not be able to come in person to check it out as I am currently stationed at Hampstead Barracks, Adelaide, South Australia. Would love to buy it in my new home in Victoria because I will be moving to RAAF Williams [Removed] Base in a few weeks and will be happy to have it before I move in. My best arrangement for taking it is to pay you through a paypal account and to contact a local pickup agent who will take care of the pickup and delivery once payment is made and confirmed. Hope it works well?” They are getting so elaborate these scammers! Def scam as other people on this thread have been approached in the same way then messed around. Posting here in case it helps someone else Googling the scam details. I would have been fooled but I googled the name and found this thread.

[justJoellyn]

Exact same name and scenario was given to me in December. I string then along for a few weeks. Changed their name, changed the item to a faulty hot air balloon and a bunch of other stuff. They messed up so many times in their communication between themself, the 'courier' and 'paypal'. When they asked for pictures of steam gift cards I sent them links saved on an unused Google drive. The first one was a generic gift card image off Google, the second one was redirected to a YouTube video of agadoo. Because Rick Astley is too good for them.