Wow, I almost got scammed

[GenesisV8man]

So I was selling my hp dv 9000 notebook on craiglist for $600 then this lady replies . She kept asking to do paypal method. Heres this conversation :

Her : I WANT TO KNOW IF THIS ITEM IS STILL AVAILABLE

Me : Yes it is. Do you have a contact number?

Her : Ok i will like to you through paypal i will like you to send me your paypal email address i can send the money asap plus international shipping ok i will pay you $750 for the item and for the shipping cost if you like to call this number try to call me +447024078244 thanks

Me : Do you have someone locally in georgia I can give the machine too? Or can I verify the payment first since this is paypal and long distance?

Her : ok let me have your paypal account so that i will do yr payment thanks

Should I even call that number? How do I know if paypal is ok?

[bloodrain]

definatly a common scam, run, dont walk away. You know what, take the money, and dont send the item, even better. Send them a UPS letter with a box that says "pwned", so it takes them months to recover the money.

[4CxbqFxVnstmA Veteran]

If you have a Paypal account you just need to give her the email address you use with it so she can pay you that way.

That is a UK mobile phone number, probably expensive to call from America.

I'd just wait till you've got the money safe in your Paypal, and then send the thing to her recorded delivery or something, so you've got proof she got it.

If you don't want to do Paypal, get her to send you an international money order for the $750. She can post that to you, and you can put it in your American bank.

Just don't send anything till you are sure the money is in your hands, that is my advice :D

[xinary]

definatly a common scam, run, dont walk away. You know what, take the money, and dont send the item, even better. Send them a UPS letter with a box that says "pwned", so it takes them months to recover the money.

Don't listen to this idiot, don't accept the money at all, as soon as you take it she will file a dispute and paypal will refund the money to her, even if you try to take it out PayPal will come after you for the money.

Take it from someone who has been scammed the same way.

Don't take the money.

And to the person I quoted, how about not giving ****ty advice that could ruin someones life.

[curme]

What's wrong with giving her your PayPal account address? Isn't that how PayPal works if you want to get paid?

[theyarecomingforyou]

Can someone please explain the scam? I've heard of it before, because it's to do with the buyer overpaying for the item, but I can't remember the details.

[xinary]

Can someone please explain the scam? I've heard of it before, because it's to do with the buyer overpaying for the item, but I can't remember the details.

Basically because the buyer is international and not verified by PayPal therefore they can recall the money at any time claiming they did not receive the item. It's a little more complicated than that but yea..

[GenesisV8man]

Ok I will call off this deal . How can I block this person from sending me email again?

[Garry]

CAREFUL! A previous poster said that was a UK mobile number. It isn't. It's a misconception that all UK numbers beginning "07" are mobile phones. They're not. 070 numbers are 'non geographic' numbers that can be attached to any other number. Anybody using an 070 number for a purpose such as this is up to no good!

However, get a shipping address from her and let's see if we can weed her out ... P-P-P-Powerbook style.

[GenesisV8man]

She stopped responding..

[_neutrino Veteran]

i had the same thing they kept telling me that i should ship it to her daughter in some other country for school and they would pay me with paypall and throughout the whole thing they only ever called it the criags list item never the notebook or what not.

[SakuraKira]

You know what, take the money, and dont send the item, even better. Send them a UPS letter with a box that says "pwned", so it takes them months to recover the money.

OP, please don't take this advice.

If you want to get rid of the person, just say you found another (local maybe) buyer and never contact her again. Also, don't sell to people who type like that and can't answer simple questions.

[Geranium_Z__NL]

my brother had this... he never got the money.. and never got the item back either..

he had so send his Laptop to London (dunno exactly where)

[GenesisV8man]

Guess selling it locally is better. I dont trust paypal that often since the buyer can ask for refund and paypal will usually refund the person.

[Digitalx]

give them a reply back with a nice "f*** off, kthx" :)

[+InsaneNutter MVC]

Don't listen to this idiot, don't accept the money at all, as soon as you take it she will file a dispute and paypal will refund the money to her, even if you try to take it out PayPal will come after you for the money.

Take it from someone who has been scammed the same way.

If PayPal do that it?s kind of stupid isn?t it? What?s the point in sellers using PayPal then if anyone not verified can scam them?

I?ve always sold stuff on Ebay and accepted PayPal payments with no problems, Is there any way to protect yourself from scams like this if accepting PayPal as a payment method?

[REM2000]

CAREFUL! A previous poster said that was a UK mobile number. It isn't. It's a misconception that all UK numbers beginning "07" are mobile phones. They're not. 070 numbers are 'non geographic' numbers that can be attached to any other number. Anybody using an 070 number for a purpose such as this is up to no good!

However, get a shipping address from her and let's see if we can weed her out ... P-P-P-Powerbook style.

It's not the 070 that made the person suggest it's a UK number, but the +44 at the beginning.

[dougggg]

oh this sounds really legit

craigslist even puts that big notice in color on the emails for newbies

[ninjamunky]

A guy tried something like this with me once. He told me he put funds in my paypal account and even generated fake emails from paypal saying the same, but nothing actually happened on paypal. He claimed that they'd forward once I provided shipping information, but I knew better.

[peacemf]

soooooo hang on.....there is a way to get free stuff????

[Eric Veteran]

Guess selling it locally is better. I dont trust paypal that often since the buyer can ask for refund and paypal will usually refund the person.

Now you know why CraigsList specifically says "Local face-to-face" and "No PayPal" all over the site. ;)

If PayPal do that it?s kind of stupid isn?t it? What?s the point in sellers using PayPal then if anyone not verified can scam them?

I?ve always sold stuff on Ebay and accepted PayPal payments with no problems, Is there any way to protect yourself from scams like this if accepting PayPal as a payment method?

PayPal is owned by eBay. They only offer buyer protection for payments from eBay. Don't use PayPal unless you know the other party or you're buying something fro;)eBay. ;)

[Denis W. Veteran]

A guy tried something like this with me once. He told me he put funds in my paypal account and even generated fake emails from paypal saying the same, but nothing actually happened on paypal. He claimed that they'd forward once I provided shipping information, but I knew better.

Something similar happened to a friend. The email reproduced below (any personal information belonging to the scammer is probably fake to begin with):

 Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 14:30:58 -0700
 From: [email protected]
 Subject: Congratulations - eBay Transaction Started
 To: (email)

 Congratulations - eBay Transaction Started

 eBay Item: 2 Xbox 360 NTSC

 Dear (name), the seller started the transaction over the eBay protection program.
 eBay requires the payment for this item to be done through Western Union money transfer service to
 a verified eBay agent.

 If you are not familiarized with the Western Union money transfer services please visit: www.westernunion.com.
 If you want to locate the nearest Western Union Office in your area please click here.
 You have to pay with cash at any Western Union Office.

 Note: The funds will not be released under any circumstances. We will hold the payment until you will
 send us your confirmation that you have received, inspected and you agree to keep the item.
 When we will have your confirmation we will transfer the funds to the seller.


 eBay Agent Payment Details

 Sale price(amount to be sent)
  CAD $534.77
 First Name:
  Marco
 Last Name:
  Costa
 Address:
  Via Palmireri #5
 City:
  Milano
 Postal Code:
  20137
 Country:
  Italy

 How to make payment?
  1. Locate the nearest Western Union Office.
  2. Make the payment with cash using the above agent details.
  3. E-mail us the following details from the payment receipt:
  - MTCN - 10 digits number from the payment receipt
  - Sender Name and Address
  - Receiver Name
  - Amount
  4. Fax the payment receipt to the following fax number:
   +1( 321 ) 821 1916

 Contact the seller if you have a question about the sale at :[email protected]


 Delivery informations :

 ...

  Marketplace Safety Tips
  Pay with Western Union - Western Union is the fast, easy and secure way to pay on eBay.
  Protect yourself from spoof (fake) email and websites. Take the Spoof Tutorial to learn about ways to protect your account including eBay Toolbar wit Account Guard.
  Buyers and Sellers Know What to Expect: The Buyer and Seller view and agree to terms before the transaction begins.
  Payments are Guaranteed: Instead of sending payment directly to the Seller, the Buyer sends payment to eBay where it is held in a trust account.
  Shipments are Safe: The Seller may feel safe when shipping the merchandise to the Buyer, knowing that the Buyer's payment has been verified and is safely held by eBay.
  Inspect Before You Pay: If the Buyer and Seller agree to an inspection period, the Buyer may examine the merchandise before payment is released to the Seller.

 -----------------------------------------------
  Copyright ? 2006 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.
  eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay Inc

Making payments to some unknown person through Western Union? No thanks.:hmmm::

[ninjamunky]

I kept checking my Paypal... you never know, maybe they'll send you something. But when nothing came, I called him on it and he kept trying to get me to believe him. He eventually stopped trying.

[_bobcat_ Veteran]

I wouldn't try to sell to anyone outside of your country, and the fact that she is offering more than the asking price is very suspicious to me.

I wouldn't worry about "getting rid" of people like this, just ignore and/or block them.