Selling your used stuff online has become commonplace. So have scams taking advantage of the good names of reputable online companies. At the FTC, we’ve heard from people stung by scammers spoofing PayPal. The scam generally goes like this: You post a high-value item, like a used car, for sale online. In no time at all, you get an email from a buyer willing to pay full price — or more! But he sets conditions; he is only willing to pay by PayPal or insists the sale must happen right away. What’s really going on? A ruse to steal your personal information, money or merchandise.
Here are some suspicious situations to look for and steps to safe selling online:
Scenario One: The buyer claims he can only pay via PayPal. Don’t have a PayPal account? No problem, he says. He’ll send you an email with a link so you can set one up.
What should you do? Don’t take the bait. The link will send you to a website masquerading as PayPal. Any information you enter will be collected by the bogus buyer, and may be used to commit fraud. If you need to set up an account, go directly to PayPal.com.
Scenario Two: “Check your email!” The buyer claims he has sent payment to your PayPal account with additional funds so you can ship the merchandise ASAP, but oops, he sent too much money. He asks you to return the extra money via a money wiring service. It’s all a lie, including the extra money the buyer says he included.
What should you do? Log into your PayPal account. Make sure you’ve been paid before you ship. Never follow links in emails from people you don’t know. The safest approach is to open a browser window, navigate to PayPal.com, and log in yourself. Also, if the buyer claims to have sent extra money, and asks for some back, that’s a big red flag.
Scenario Three: The buyer sends you real money through a real PayPal account, and you ship him the car. Problem is, the PayPal account belongs to someone else! You might need to return the money even though the scammer has your wheels.
What now? Contact PayPal and ask them to open an investigation. The company offers seller protections so you aren’t liable for unauthorized transactions. Also file a complaint with the FTC and your local police department.
Learn how to recognize and avoid common online scams. And contact PayPal at spoof@paypal.com if you’ve been stung by a PayPal spoof. The company wants to hear from you.
Just had the exact same thing happen with a David Walker - buying a car for his brother... He’s no longer military now - now he’s a wildlife underwater photographer and thus can’t call. Scum
Just had a scammer try this out on me i have a vehicle posted on Craigslist.
Scammer 99 cavalier - $1600 ...Hello! Do you Still have it for sale? I'm Ashley Me Yes it is still available Scammer Ok How long have you been using it, Any damages and are you the first owner ? Me I am not the first owner and there is some body damage the interior is not the best but it is a solid car it runs and drives great it is my husbands daily driver he has had it for a little over a year but he needs a bigger vehicle for work. Scammer Ok Do you have a pay-pal account to receive payment for it? Me My husband has a pay pal account set up i can get his info for you in the morning before he leaves for work. Scammer Okay i will be looking forward for that, do you have any other recent pics to send also? Me I do not but i can take some in the morning. Where are you located i noticed you don't have a local number. Scammer Okay thanks and i will be looking forward..Good night i just moved to Dallas Tx,hope that is not a problem? i have not find time to change to the new area phone code Me No not a problem just didn't recognize the area code dallas is quite a drive from corpus are you in town to purchase? Scammer I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up once the payment clears...so no shipping included and With the issue of my details,transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the courier services company agent, and they will be handling the title for me She says her name is Ashley and the phone number she used is 973-814-7910 watch out people.
In reply to This is what the scammer sent by 650-300-7348
This is my message from today. 5/26/18
The price and condition are okay. I'm ready to pay the price, I want to buy this for my Dad as his birthday gift.I'm just asking about it to make sure it’s in good condition. I'm presently deployed out of town because I work with the Military and have been in camp for some time and due to my deployment i will not be able to come for inspection, I have a mover coming for it on my behalf. So i am requesting this transaction should be done via PayPal so the PayPal charges are on me and PayPal is very safe and I have access to my funds there that's the only reason why PayPal is the only payment option. I am straight up with you and I want you to be honest with me as well. Hoping for an eloquent business with you. Details needed are Your Paypal email address: Firm price: Full Name: Cell phone number
In reply to Another scammer at (510) 254 by Robert
-------scam-----------
Thanks for getting back to me i have check the listing and am okay with the vehicle, also satisfied with your asking price.I really want this to be a surprise for my friend so i won't let him know anything about it until it gets delivered to him as i have a shipping agent that do pick up for me, i will take care of the shipment myself. I will be paying you through PayPal which is a fast, safe and reliable method of payment. kindly log in to your PayPal account and select the request money button located at the top of your PayPal account homepage and send the billing request directly to my PayPal account id which is martaflorecka007 @ gmail.com so i can submit payment to you via PayPal right now. Regards.
In reply to -------scam----------- by larzxxx
In reply to Watch out for a guy trying to by Leslie
In reply to Paypal scam - URGENT by Nays
This sounds like a scam. This person is trying to take your money and your personal information.
The email you received could be from a fake PayPal account. The scammer might use an email address that is similar to a PayPal address.
You may contact PayPal directly and ask them to open an investigation. The company offers seller protections so you are not liable for an unauthorized transaction.
Phone number: (708) 792-0027
First contact via text message from an add on Craig’s List: Hello kindly get back to me on my mail SgtDonardwilliams@ gmail.com with the Firm price and the condition of the Bike Thanks.
Note the eMail ID that contains the person’s name: Sgt. Donald Williams. This will change in subsequent text. Funny stuff. I didn’t reply to that email ID on purpose.
Second Text message after 8 days: i am very interested in it and i am okay with the price , i wont be able to come for the pick up ,because i am currently deployed , but i will hire a shipper who will come for the pick up ,and also do the necessary paperwork on my behalf as soon as we are done with the payment part of the transaction. I am comfortable making the payment via PayPal to complete this transaction because of their security when it comes to online transactions. Let me have your PayPal details ( Account name,PayPal Email and the Pick up Address so that I can initiate the payment.
At this point I asked for his name. Here is what I got: Sgt Robert Anthony Note a different name than 8 days earlier. ALARM!!! Followed by the urgency to get my contact information:
Do get back to me with your Paypal email address to make the payment
In reply to Same scam from 3 different by VirtualEinstein
In reply to What is the Scammer's aim by orithia
If the message is from a scammer, he might:
Before you send anyone merchandise, log into your PayPal account yourself. Make sure you were paid. Never follow links in emails from a person you don't know.
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