SCAMMER WARNING: Due to a spate of recent scam attempts (some successful) recently, if you're doing a deal in the classifieds, ONLY USE PAYPAL GOODS AND SERVICES UNLESS YOU KNOW THAT INDIVIDUAL PERSONALLY. It's really not worth saving a few quid.
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I was recently contacted by someone requesting to buy my little 1W amplifier. Now that happened to be on Facebook marketplace; however, the scam is applicable to anywhere you may advertise your stuff for sale.
The buyer asked me for my PayPal details and shortly thereafter replied:
Hello the mail I received from PayPal says the confirmation of the payment has been sent to you via email check your email box if you did receive any confirmation from them?
By which point, I had received the email below: (please note that it’s a scam, and it’s not from PayPal).
I replied: I haven’t received any PayPal payment from you, just a scam email
The “buyer” immediately left the group.
I’m sure many of you know this already, but for those that don’t, look carefully at the email address from where the email supposedly from Paypal has been sent. There lies the simple clue that it’s a scam.
Comments
I usually reply joking them around or tell them to stop being a loser and get a life
Good luck out there, it is sad what human nature has become
For awareness...To add a 'different' paypal scam, I was nearly scammed last night. Actually I would have been, if the payment went through.
Firstly he asks to move the conversation to email, for a 'quicker response'. (I've done this at least once before with no issues, this time must be fine right).
I was paying by Friends and Family (as I've done in the past, but have to reconsider going forward), but he gives me a different email address to pay to.
Then paypal said I had to pay £2.99 to send the payment. Never happened before. A quick Google shows this may happen if the paypal account is international. On telling the seller, he then offers to pay the fee (how generous, but does not offer explanations).
DESPITE alarms going off in my head, as I was on a mobile I said I would wait until I was home to try on my computer. I then get a different paypal message (seems they may have been made aware?). I message the seller about this, he says try his wife's paypal email account. I was curious, so I tried and got same message.
I offer to pay by bank transfer and I raised some concerns with him...of which the response to me is 'Why the lack of trust in society', and he offers to ship me first. Again, does not address my concerns. Shipping first would be great, but that means I have to provide:
-my full name
-my full address
-my mobile number
Everything a scammer could use to impersonate or research me elsewhere etc.
The moral of the story, it is better to lose out on 'buying' that guitar than possibly lose your money.
If that initial paypal transaction went through, I would have been affected. But the fact at least one other forum person said they also tried to send money, means its not just me who was gullible and this seller would have gotten us all to pay.
We were too caught up in the frenzy of getting that guitar, and did not think straight and too trusting of people on the forum when there were clear signs to be wary. We also did not raise concerns immediately to moderators or other users. A long time forum account can be compromised.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
And also, there are a few great deals 'sometimes' (to me atleast). I missed out on one last year, it came back around this year, albeit a bit higher price but I was made fully aware of what the situation was. And the seller did everything above board.
But I agree, if its a 'new' user, then it could be too good to be true unless you are doing that deal in person in a safe way.