Examples of Suspected Fraud/Fake Emails

[PayPal_Adrian]

Hello everyone!

One of the greatest strengths consumers possess against fraud and phishing is education and collaboration.  To help support your safety online, I'm going to open this special thread up for you.  Here, you can post examples of what you believe to be attempts by individuals to defraud you or others of their hard earned valuables and money. 

Before we begin, a few housekeeping points:

• We will be using this as a "master thread," so if we find an example in other areas of the boards, we may merge the post into this one.

• For everyone's safety, please remove any last names or contact information (including email addresses) from your examples.  In many instances, the names provided by fraudsters are fake or may actually be the name of someone they already defrauded. 

• On that same note, please don't ever attempt to confront a fraudster or attempt to track them down.  Instead, turn the information you do have over to your local authorities. 

• Please also remove any links from your posts, as these could potentially go to spoofed or phishing websites.

Other than that, we only ask that you keep it productive and stay within the Forum Decorum and posting guidelines.  I'll be stopping in on a regular basis to clean house and comment on posts, so don't be surprised if you see my mug - or another moderator - stopping in to say hello! 

With that said, I'm going to start moving posts in, so you might see some older examples mixed in with the new posts.  I hope this thread becomes a great resource for everyone!

Stay safe,

Adrian

[chgraham_1]

I am selling an item on Kijiji and I have a buyer wanted to send me money via Paypal and to have me mail this item to Bejing?  Not having a good feeling about this.

I was almost scammed before and don't want that to happen again.

Any thoughts?

[kbtrenwith]

I have got a similar request and I'm not sure how I feel about it...  I have removed his email but his name is Edward.

Can this be trusted?  I won't ship until I have literally accepted and transfered the funds into my bank account and they appear on my statement... so how could I get scammed?

thanks

kyle

Cool, I am interested and I am a serious buyer....I would like to buy it as a  gift for someone very special to me. The person I want to buy this item for is presently in Beijing. you will help to ship it out after payment has been made and funds appear in your paypal. I will include $100 in the payment which is meant for Post Office Express mail (EMS) shipping cost to Beijing,CN. I would prefer to pay you with paypal as it is more convenient for me and it is the only option of payment available to me at the moment.  Pls  get back to me with  your paypal email address and your name on it or send me a payment  invoice to XXX. If you do not have paypal, you can visit www.paypal.com to set up a paypal account, it is simple to set it up. Thanks

[chgraham_1]

What you just posted is the exact same email I received from Edward.

[MarcT]

I just fended off a similar attempt.

When he offered more than I was asking and said he'd send his own shipper, it was fairly evident that it was a scam.

The funny part is that the following three emails (with the Western Union part) ignored my message to quit and assumed I was going along. It's clear that it's running some kind of automation untouched by human brains.

I sent the raw email files to spoof@paypal.com.

[Singent]

Hi,

I did the same thing, sent all this person's emails to Paypal spoof.

You have to be so careful. It's great that there is this forum so if there is

doubt, people can look for similiar scams.

Take care.

[laino]

---

@MarcT wrote:

I just fended off a similar attempt.

When he offered more than I was asking and said he'd send his own shipper, it was fairly evident that it was a scam.

The funny part is that the following three emails (with the Western Union part) ignored my message to quit and assumed I was going along. It's clear that it's running some kind of automation untouched by human brains.

I sent the raw email files to spoof@paypal.com.

---

What do you mean by raw email files?  saving it as a file and then sending that?  or do you just mean forwarding it? 

Thanks

Nevermind, again is the case I found a spot that said just to forward them, so I did that.  I couldn't find an option to delete my reply, so just editing it.

[odis]

Someone from outside the province wants to buy a car from us and says he is out of town for awhile and the only way he can pay is through paypal.....and that he would have the car picked up....so I set up an account and gave him my merchant munber.....I'm new at this......he wants my registered e-mail account!!! Do I give him my e-mail so that he can pay us or does he use my merchant number? I'm just a little scepticle.....not that he can steel any money from my account but should I trust him? I was under the impression that he would deposite the money in my merchant account! If anybody can help me that would be great! Thanks

!

[Sundreblondie]

Today I received an email saying it was from PayPal to complete a survey for a chance to win $1000,  All I had to do was click on the link.

Does PayPal really send out these kind of emails?

Thanks

 

[VGstoof]

I recieved an e-mail from a guy wanting to buy an item from me and asked if he could send me the shipping fee and if I can mail it to him, I agreed.Later I recieved an e-mail saying this

NOTE: This is to inform you that you are required to send a sum of $340.00 CAD to the address below via western union money transfer and e-mail the relevant information which you will be provided with after the money has been sent. You are requested to email to us, the Mtcn (Money Transfer Control Number) and the sender's name and address used to make the transfer, after which we will then credit a sum of $550.00 CAD into your PayPal account. Below is the address where the money is to be sent using western union money transfer.

The e-mail wasn't directly from paypal either.

 

[greentree]

I was trying to sell something on kijiji and it is amazing the number of emails I received all asking to sign up to

paypal, then give them the paypal email and then they would put extra money in so I could send the "fee" back

to them via wester union, three had address in the UK, then when they got my money they would have "their" their

pick up agent get my address and come and pick up the goods.What do I do with these type of emails, obviously

scams. Hopefully they can't get any of my information from paypal. I would hate to have to change my bank account

because I just wanted to sell something honestly.