Craigslist PayPal Scam
Hi,
I’m replying to your post on craigslist for your listed item,is it still up for sale?
Let me know.
Thanks
This legitimate-looking email came from Sara Jason <skittysara2 [at] gmail [dot] com>. Generic enough — nothing to be concerned about. I replied: “Yes.”
Her response:
Good day ,
I’m much interested in buying it, I want it for my cousin.. So am willing to offer you $420 plus shipping via USPS (EMS) express mail to him, he schools in a missionary in Nigeria and I’m presently out of town a the moment so you’ll arrange for the shipping handling..Get back to me as soon as you can so I can arrange to send the money through my paypal account,so send me your paypal account address so i can send you the money there… I’ll wait your reply.
Thanks Sara
I just came across the site FakeChecks.org.
They have videos where a guy tries to pull Internet scams in real life. They’re ridiculous, and he does it in such a way that it’s obviously fake.
The goal of the site is to prevent these scams from tricking people. But I think these videos are actually a disservice, because of the exaggerated way they are done. People fall for these scams because they seem reasonable. The scammers often won’t contact you not unsolicited, but rather in response to something you have for sale, on Craigslist for example. In the videos, the guy posing as a scammer approaches people out of nowhere, a complete stranger, and makes very little attempt to establish a connection beforehand. And the offer itself is just ridiculous. $70,000 when people are buying fruits at a grocery stand? For a car, maybe. Or a house. But not in that context.
Sure, the videos are meant to be ridiculous. They’re meant to showcase the absurdity of it. But based on these videos, people will think that the scams are easy to identify. It’s easy to think that you need only be careful of obviously fake checks of ridiculous amounts.
The scammers will choose smaller amounts. It is still easily worth it to them.
In these countries, people earn less than $200 a month at a full-time job. Spending lots of time on an elaborate scam is easily within reason for them.
And, of course, these things don’t happen in real life. They happen online. So when this guy tries using Internet scams in real life, it’s obvious they won’t work (although they do work in just 1 rare instance). There are real-life scammers, too. But they adapt to the situation.
People are spending more and more time online. And people are being born every day, unaware of the risks and the scams. They don’t teach this in school. Common sense is not common.
The online scams are far trickier than the real-life ones.
If you post an ad on Craigslist, there are lots of legitimate people who may contact you.
But there are also lots of scammers, too.
Use Craigslist for any significant period of time, and you will definitely get an email from a scammer. Guaranteed. No question about it. Scammers blanket email everyone who lists something of any significant value (more than $100) on Craigslist.
I got a fake money order from someone on Craigslist, who asked me to wire some portion of the money back to him. I didn’t even bother depositing the money order (or cashier’s check), because I knew it had to be fake.
But you cannot tell by its appearance.
It exactly duplicates a legitimate cashier’s check.
Physically, there is no difference whatsoever.
The bank can’t even tell. In fact, the check will “clear”. But that does not mean it was good.
Weeks or months later, the bank will discover it was a bad check, and take the money back.
In the case of “Sara”, above, it’s a PayPal scam.
If you accept, you’ll receive a legitimate-looking email from “PayPal” saying that the funds have been received and secured, and they are waiting for you in escrow. You just need to verify your account info (or some personal info) to receive them. A bit of a twist, and no fake check involved this time. But still a scam, this time of a type that would be classified as a phishing scam.
There are some good parts to the FakeChecks.org site, like the Victim Interviews. Some of them are actually quite interesting. If you don’t already consider yourself an expert on Internet scams, they’re definitely worth a watch.
[…] Original post: Craigslist PayPal Scam | Elliot Lee […]
Best to avoid Craigslist altogether and instead post on Ouchpost. http://www.ouchpost.com
There, they have built in tools to prevent scams and your posts move higher in the default view over time instead of lower like on Craigslist.
Great info. I had no idea about the twist on recieving money through paypal, I always thought it was the securest way to send money, now I know. Will still use paypal for sure but not through an escrow account :)
EXACT SAME THING happened to me! I also go to USC. I am a junior majoring in Environmental Studies.
Here is a link to my blog where I write about my scam:
http://quincydein.blogspot.com/2009/11/beware-scamers.html
I almost got scammed this same way!! and i cannot believe i actually almost gave that guy my Paypal info! i’m so glad i read this BEFORE i made any “transaction”.. here is the emails..
From: james john [mailto:[email protected]]
To: Aguirre, Myra
Subject: Laptop for sale HP dv6000 – $350 (Fullerton/Whittier)
>>Hi Seller?
is above this item still up for sale? kindly get back to me with the condition thanks?
Me:
Yes it is still for sale. I have a few people interested but someone has yet to decide on it. it is in great condition not scratches or signs of use.
From: james john [mailto:[email protected]]
To: Aguirre, Myra
Subject: Laptop for sale HP dv6000 – $350 (Fullerton/Whittier)
Thanks for getting back to me so soon. i do really need this item urgently for my son schooling in oversea for his final year graduation i would have love to make this transaction face to face but ma out of the state for a business job that is why i brought up this idea am really interested in this laptop if you can sell this laptop to me i will add an extra $170 as a shipping cost and i will made the payment cos i do really need this item that is why. please send me your pay pal email address i will made the payment asap thanks?
me:
i will not accept a payment through pay pal. sorry.
From: james john [mailto:[email protected]]
To: Aguirre, Myra
Subject: Laptop for sale HP dv6000 – $350 (Fullerton/Whittier
Sorry Myra am not comfortable sending check that is why i brought up this idea via paypal is very easy and fast way to pay doing online business transaction. am happy to do business if you don’t have a pay pal account is very easy and fast kindly log to http://www.paypal.com to your private email and do register there do get back to me asap so that i can arrange for the payment presently thanks?
Me:
Where are you located first of all?
From: james john [mailto:[email protected]]
To: Aguirre, Myra
Subject: Laptop for sale HP dv6000 – $350 (Fullerton/Whittier)
I live Atlanta but am out of the state for a business job just help me to ship this item for son schooling in oversea do get back to me asap thanks?
Me:
no thank you. i do not do business with people that cannot meet with me in person and paycash.
Hint: If they have a reason for needing to use paypal like being out of state, blah blah blah, instant fake. :)
If you want a great list of scams and other problems with Craigslist visit http://www.howtobeatcraigslist.uni.cc and get an eyeful.
same scam, different twist:
Scammer:
Hello.
Is this item still available for sale..if yes .hoping to hear from you back soonest..
Me:
Yes it is. Where are you located? Please call me 940-xxx-xxxx to set up a viewing.
Scammer:
Hello,
Thanks for the swift response, just to let you know that I’m okay with the condition of the item, I’m ready to sealed the deal with you ,I will be paying you $5500 for the item and I will be responsible for all the shipping expenses, I want to buy it for my dad in United Kingdom ,my method of payment is through PayPal cos its very secure,fast and reliable, kindly get back to me with your PayPal account email or send me an invoice through PayPal if you are a registered user of PayPal,i will advice you that PayPal is the best way transfer and receive money online if you are not PayPal user,you can get an account with them at http://www.paypal.com but you don’t have to do this if you already have an account,Just get back to me with your PayPal account email or invoice from PayPal so i can proceed with the payment as soon as possible.I’ll be responsible for the pick-up and the pick up money will be included in your payment to avoid delay and to enable shipping agent and the shipping agent will come from United Kingdom to schedule an appropriate and convenient time for the pick-up at your location I would have really love to come for the viewing but due to my work frame that might not be possible, I’m a Marine Officer, I’m on the ship now,but might want to have a good look,if you have the pics.Please do get back to me with your paypal email account or send me an invoice so i can make out payment.
Regards
No name left. Indicators: overseas, poor english, return offer at full asking price.
BTW – anyone want to buy a sweet sport bike? It’s on craigslist!
Thanks for this info. It felt like a scam, but I would have trusted paypal.
I got 2x this paypal scam for an iPad I posted:
#1: watt stone to me (note the inspirational quote at the bottom — it’s backwards!:)
Thanks for your mail,consider me as your favorite buyer and remove
the posting from craigslist cause this item is the exact unit i want for
my representative situated in oversea as convocation gift.So my mode of
payment is going to be PayPal and i will be offering you $700 for the item and will
include $150 for the shipping…So all you have to do now is to get back to me with
your PayPal email address so i can pay you up for the item.
Note:The journey is not what brings the happiness but the destination.
Looking forward to read back from you asap.
—
Can i still buy this from you and why are you selling it?
È ancora possibile acquistare questo ti da, e perché lo stai vendendo?
And #2: Amada Mogaji to me (note name change from Amanda to Amada:)
Thanks for you reply,i am located in Remsenburg city in NY,i really
need to buy this and send to my son schooling outside the state as a
Birthday Gift, have been trying to buy this on eBay
but is very stressful buying on eBay and i will not want to miss out
on this opportunity so am making you an offer of $730 to rap the sale
off.I will be paying through PAYPAL because i have a verified account
with paypal.So kindly get back with your paypal email address so i can
make payment into your paypal account.Once payment clears,shipment
will be handled by me through my personal FedEx account,so you don’t
have to pay for shipment.Get back to me if my approval is granted.I
would like to see the pictures please.
Thanks
– Hide quoted text –
On 1/31/11, Jennah Kriebel wrote:
> Hi Amanda,
>
> It is 700$ for the set of items.
>
> Let me know if you are interested in buying it, I have had some other
> interest.
>
> Jennah
>
>
>
> On Jan 30, 2011, at 6:42 AM, Amanda Mogaji wrote:
>
>> ** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY — AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
>> ** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
>> ** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
>> ** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> —
>> Does this item available and how much is it$$
>>
>> this message was remailed to you via: [email protected]
>
—
Hi,is this item still available for sale,how much ?
This exact same thing happened to me except the English is more proper and the guy tries to come of like red blooded American saying he works on an oil rig and wants to surprise his female friend.
Thanks for your reply and am glad to know that it is still available for sale.However i have a few questions about the product you are selling.
1,I would like to know the reason why you are selling it?
2,What is your set price though am okay with the listing price ?
3,Do you have the original box and the receipt ?
4,Do you think its a perfect gift for a good friend?
5,Do you mind if i pay you through paypal though i would be willing to add extra 100 dollars to cover the shipping because am not local at the moment i am out of town on a rig offshore and i would like to purchase this item as a gift for my good friend and i really don’t want her to know about this i want it to be a big surprise to her as she has been dreaming of having this for so long. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can do so by going to http://www.PayPal.com and set up your account it is free,easy and guarantees transaction safety.Once you send me your paypal email account, I will send you the payment for your item as well as US $100Â to cover shipping via USPS EXPRESS MAIL,I would be glad if my request is favorably considered.
His name is Marc Anthony
[Well, I entertained the guy… I was selling a gaming laptop. His/her name is “Steve Bruce” but notice that I addressed him/her by different names. I wonder whether he/she noticed. This occurred over the course of 48 hours. I assumed it was a scam since his/her first response to my post. This “hello seller” tone is full of red flags from my experience with Craigslist.]
[How I would use the SCAM: If I were the scammer, I would make the payment to the seller via Paypal with stolen or not stolen credit card information, receive the package in Nigeria or wherever, then finally call the Credit Card company to revoke the payment using an excuse like… “I never made that payment or I just realized my credit card was missing.” Transaction will be revoked and Paypal would not be able to do much for you at that point. You receive money, lose your item, then finally have your money taken back from you.]
Steve: Hello seller, does this item still up for sale and how much are you willing to sell this for me??
Me: Hi Steve. The item is still available for sale. The price is $499 CND in cash only. It will be for local meetup only. Are you still interested?
Steve: Hello how are you doing and thanks for the reply…i am interested but i wasnt arround but i can pay via paypal if you have one and i will mke the payment online ASAP…let me know.
Me: Hey Stephan. That sounds okay, but I have never used paypal. Can you teach me how to make it work?
Steve: Well,open http://www.paypal.com and open an account,verry easy,relaible and faster…when you get that done..you will sed me the paypal email,then i will make the payment,and i will make the payment ..when i do,you will be notify once and you will send the items as soon as you see the confimation..try it and read about it.. let me know
Me: Okay David, please wait for my reply when I am done.
Steve: Ok..i am waiting on you and hoping you get it done..have you read about them and are you getting it the way i explained to you??? hope to read from you and please i would love the pic again thanks
Me: Okay Peter, I have finished creating the account. How do we make the transfer? And what is the address must I send the package to?
Steve: Hello and bravo to you :D lol.. you will have to send me your paypal email and i will make the payment ASAP online,when i make the payment you will be notify instantly that i paid you and you will see th mney i piad into your account…when you see the confirmation from paypal, that means i have paid…here is my son address where you will ship to…you will have to find nearest EMS to your place and i am giving $20 extra for this like i said earlier,when you get it done then send me the tracking number so i can give my son to track it.if he get it,i will email you and hope we do more business in the future ..
thanks.
NAME:::: MOGAJI T
ADDRESS:::: 25 OBASANJO CLOSE
CITY:::::: ABEOKUTA
STATE:::: OGUN STATE
ZIPCODE:::: 23439
COUNTRY::: NIGERIA
these are he information you will use and i am waiting for your go to make the payment…pls send me your paypal mail here and the total ammount i am to pay you..
Me: Hey Sarah, do you want me to send the e-mail from Paypal or to send you my e-mail address through here? Is it that request payment option through the PayPal site? I am kind of confused… Anyway, I have prepared the shipment and ready to send as soon as I get my money.
And another example: Thanks for your help in identifying these frauds!
Hi thanks for mailing, i am a marine engineer, i am at sea right now
am buying this for my son so am willing to offer you the amount you
required. I can only pay through PayPal at the moment as i don’t have
access to my bank account online(i don’t have internet banking with
it), but i have it attached to my PayPal account, and this is why
insisted on using PayPal to pay,all i will need is your PayPal email
address to make the payment, and if you don’t have a PayPal account
yet, you can set one up at http://www.paypal.com it cant take you less
than3mins to do that, i will be expecting your PayPal email so l can
pay and also get back to me with your best price on this. I have a
pick up agent that will come for the pick up after payment has been
sorted. l will be waiting for your reply asap
Here’s still another example that sounds all to familiar.
Thanks for the prompt response.. I am really interested in buying your item but i am not in town at the moment as i am a marine engineer manager and due to the nature of my work, It’s hard to make a phone calls and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it. I really want it to be a surprise for my dad so i wont let him know anything about it until it gets delivered to him, i am sure he will be more than happy with it. will be making the payment via paypal because i don’t have access to my bank account online as i don’t have internet banking, but i can pay from my paypal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it, i will need you to give me your paypal email address and the price so i can make the payments asap for it and please if you don’t have paypal account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to http://www.paypal.com and get it set up, after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with paypal so as to put the money through. I have a pick up agent that will come and pick it after i have made the payments…
Thanks.
I just got the same response, verbatim, to my ad on craigslist.
me too
Thanks so much! my experience lol:
“alvarez kelvin”: hello, i want to know maybe item is still available?
me: yes it is! are you interested?
him: i am really interested in buying it
I am Mr Alvarez Kelvin…i am from north carolina… I actually want to buy
> this item for my cousin in Malaysia…..i should have come for local pickup
> but i am very busy due to my working hours so my mode of payment will be
> through PayPal…i will be offering $100 for the item and $50 for the
> shipping charges and insurance..this is my number #305-320-7052
me: I will contact you tomorrow about the information. Thanks.
him(right after I told him I’d contact him the next day): give me your paypal email account so i can make the payment
me: sorry i only accept cash. have a blessed night!
I just got the same scam from the same person, they are using [email protected]. They said they were on a cruise and need to send the money using paypal. Please be careful.
I received a very, very similar response to an ad for a car on Craigslist. Within a few hours after posting the ad, I received two emails, one that I am copying here:
Hello,
I really appreciate your response to my mail,i am satisfied with the price and would like to buy this car from you and i want you to withdraw the advert from the site. I’m using this opportunity also to inform you that i won’t be able to come and inspect it or pay by cash because i am an offshore oil worker with Exxon and i am at work on sea at the moment PayPal is the only option open to me as i don’t have online banking attached to my bank account. I would appreciate it if i could pay via PayPal. Meanwhile pick up will be organized by me after payment has been made. However if you don’t have a PayPal account you can just log on to PayPal.com and set up an account it is easy and secure to pay and receive money through paypal. Please get back to me asap
Kim.
The similarities…yeah, even almost the exact wording…with examples on this thread are striking.
Yeah, I got one too, from a clown calling himself “kelvin brown” at [email protected] from Remsenburg NY … same word-for-word message type. He even offered $50 more than the asking price of item I was selling, but the fact that I’m in Oklahoma was enough for me. I knew it was a ruse to get my personal information, but this is why I don’t do Paypal, or any other financial transaction online. When I have something to sell, or payments to make, I deal locally and in CASH and USPS money-orders, and I suggest you do the same.
Thanks for your swift response and i have few questions i will like to ask about the item
1,I would like to know the reason you are selling it?
2,What is the condition of the item?
3,Do you have the original box and the receipt for it?
4,I am set to pay with paypal and do you have paypal account?
I am really interested in buying this item and am ready to pay for it.. I am in the position to get this for my cousin in oversea.. I am set-up with PayPal now due to the nature of my work,so, kindly get back to me with your PayPal email address and the name on the account in order to pay for the item.. I will be responsible for the shipping fee ($50) and $5 extra in order to keep the sale to myself.. I prefer shipment via USPS(Registered Mail International Parcel).. I will wait to read from you in order to complete this transaction
Regards.
then you receive a bunch of emails saying they are from paypal … comes over as this:
This transaction is not fraudulent and you are assured of quality service. We encourage you to ship the item immediately as your payment has been confirmed by us. Security is of critical important at PayPal. As soon as we receive the valid reference number address which was on the receipt and confirm the shipping tracking number. You account would be credited immediately. We need the valid Shipment/Reference Tracking Number from you to our customer care ([email protected]) to complete this transaction.
The money has now been deducted from the buyer’s account () and is ready to be deposited into your account. It will be credited into your PayPal account ( as soon as we receive the Shipment/Reference Tracking Number from you.
This is due to new policies at PayPal to protect the both buyer and seller in the face of the growing number of fraudulent activities perpetrated via the internet. You are encouraged to complete this transaction and reflex to this action would enable us to credit your account with immediate effect.
Here at PayPal you can be assured that your security and safety is our topmost concern.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks you for using PayPal
the PayPal Team
The Shipping information is as below :
Name:OLANIYI EMMANUEL
Address:37,ASERO ROAD
City:ABEOKUTA
State:OGUN
Country:NIGERIA
Postal code: 23439
We have confirmed and verified this shipping address,therefore we urge to ship the merchandise to the above address and verify it by sending the shipment tracking details to us.
*SHIPMENT VERIFICATION*
You can have the shipment confirmed/verified in any of the following ways:
(1).Contact us stating the tracking number of the shipment at:”[email protected]”.
(2).You can give the buyer of your auction item the tracking number of the shipment and once he/she verifies the shipment,he/she will notify us immediately.
Thank you for using PayPal!!!.
We Look Forward Serving Your Online Payment Needs In The Future.
paypal emails come from [email protected]
I got an e-mail with wording very similar to all the others. (I knew it was a scam because NO one offers to buy a car they haven’t seen, without negotiating, or seeing more pictures. They didn’t even ask if it was running. Idiots.)
“Elizabeth Ashley”‘s message:Hi,
Thanks for mailing back, I don’t have the chance to come and view it cos of the nature of my job, i am a chef,am at the sea,i am buying this for for my sister, i am at sea right now , and I am okay with your price.Right now the only way i can make the payment is via paypal as i don’t have access to my bank account online and theres no way i can issue out a check or something here, but i have my bank account attached to my paypal account,and this is why am using paypal to pay you, all i will need is your paypal email address to make the payment,and if you dont have a paypal account,its pretty easy to set up and it very secured,log on to http://www.paypal.com its also the same as me paying you directly. i hope you consider this cos i really don’t want to miss this deal.I have a pick up agent who will come for the pick up after payment have been made.Thanks for understanding.many thanks
My response: Sorry, cash only, in person.
So, we can obviously tell these are scammers, but is there any way to report them? Or turn them in or something? It seems wrong that they just get to keep trying to scam people.
I advertised my Harley through Craigslist at $12000
1st email received:
Is it still available for sale?
1st response:
Yes it is for now, have a couple of others that seem serious, one has looked at it but I think is struggling with coming up with the money, the other has emailed me several times with questions and wants to come look at it this weekend. Please feel free to give me a call, haven’t committed to either one, won’t commit to anyone….cash and carry kind of deal.
Eric
my phone number was here
2nd email recieved:
Can i trust you?i’m a sailor and my offer is $12,050 could you please provide me with recent pictures including this item so i can see the condition before we proceed and Also,i’ll be paying you from my paypal account, so if you are still okay in selling it off to me,kindly get back to me with your full paypal email id so i can send the money as soon as i have your paypal info. and i will need you to give me your paypal email address so i can make the payment asap for the item and if you don’t have paypal account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to http://www.paypal.com and get it set up.. looking forward to your response.
Many Thanks
Mattew
2nd reply from me:
Mattew,
Thanks for the reply, you can totally trust me. If I weren’t in such horrible financial distress I would never even consider selling her. The ONLY thing wrong with her is the gas gauge has never worked, it shows full all the time. Harley said 04 and 05 models have this problem regularly but it was not warranteable, so I never had it fixed. I just know to start checking the tank level by eye after about 250 miles. I will take some shots of her tomorrow. I tried in the garage tonight but they didn’t turn out. I am very familiar with paypal and I will send the payment request to your email through my paypal account after I send the pics and if we decide to go through with it. Where are you from? In other words, how do you plan on picking her up? I’m a little leary of dealing completely through the internet…too many scammers out there. I did get a call from the guy that has been emailing me and he wants to come and look at her tomorrow.
Thanks,
Eric
His 3rd email to me:
My paypal email address is [email protected] and don’t worry about the pick up,my shipping agent will be coming to pick it up as soon the money had been credited into your account . I’ll like you to send me your address so that my shipping agent can figure it out and come for the pick up and other necessary things….more so,send me your PayPal details(PayPal email) so i can pay in.
Await your response.
My next response:
Mattew,
There are a new pics up on craigslist of the bike taken yesterday. I will send the request for payment as soon as I here back that you are still good with the deal.
Thanks,
Eric
His next email to me:
i saw the pics so nice and get back to me with your paypal email address so that i can transfer the funds into your account asap
My next email to him (only gave him my email address which he already had and hometown which is listed in posting on craigslist):
my paypal email address is **************@yahoo.com the bike is at a residential address in Thorntown Indiana for your shipper. I will send complete address as well as pickup times as soon as payment is recieved.
Thanks
Eric
His response to this:
I just want to know more about it to make sure its in good condition so can you assure me i will not be disappointed???And also ,I need to inform you about this,just received an email from my pick agent…am most sure i did not include that in my previous email,They said they won’t come for the pick up unless i pay him the agent commission fee first in order to be able to schedule a pick up time,since the transaction was withing the country USA.And the only form of payment they accept is Western Union Money Transfer.I have tried to pay online but i will need a credit card which i didn’t bring here,and there is no post office(there is usually a Western Union section in most post offices) or any Western Union agent on the ship as am actually away on the sea right now cos am a sailor on ship,that’s why i am making use of a shipping company to have this picked up from you.Further arrangements will be made with you in regards to the pick up once i have paid you! so i have to ask you if you could be trusted ????? As i will send you $14,300 and you will deduct $12,100 for the Heritage Softail Classic and send $2,000 to my agent and the rest $200 for the Western Union charges,they will take it to my Dad(1st class treatment),the Western Union Money Transfer can be made at a post office near to you,there is always a Western Union agent in most post offices,or you locate any Western Union office near you .I will hold on till you get back to me before i make the payment,So get back to me asap
I was leary the entire time of this guy but this last email is what really did it for me. I did my research and found this website….thank you…..this was definitely a scam. I sent him one last email and haven’t heard back yet. Here is the last email:
Mattew,
Im sorry I have decided not to sell the bike in this fashion, I will only deal face to face. I have just read on four different websites attempts to buy vehicles off craigslist that were all scams. The only difference from these scams and your emails are your name. If you would like to continue with the purchase of this bike, it will have to wait until you are back from your “tour of duty” or to deal face to face with your dad or some similar CASH transaction for the bike. I just have too much invested in this to take any chances.
Thanks
Eric
I received 5 emails this week with the same complications for the post of an iPhone. I am more interested in taking action and bringing one of these worthless individuals to justice. Does anyone have an effective tactic to bringing at least one of them down.
I was selling a laptop, asking $375, and had this email conversation:
SCAMMER:
Hey….Do you still have this item for sale?
Thanks
Janet
ME:
Yes.
SCAMMER:
Hope it is still in good working condition?I am buying this item for
my Cousin as Christmas Gift i would have love to come over to your
place and see it myself but my job will not give me the chance to do
that,i will love to see pics,I will offer you $550 including shipping
so get back to me with your Paypal email address so that i can make
the payment as soon as possible to your Paypal account.I need you to
get back to me as soon as possible and i want the item to be shipped
out Today it is very urgent.
Awaiting your quick response.
ME:
Cash only. Sorry.
SCAMMER:
Alright,It will be shipped out to my Cousin in Louisiana and PayPal is 100% safe and secure for both the seller and the buyer… You can easily set up a PayPal account at (www.PayPal.com) get back to me with your paypal email address so that i can make the payment once you are through with the setting up.
ME:
Great! Send money to your cousin via Paypal. I will be in Louisiana tomorrow and your cousin can pay me cash.
You know what would be really good, to scam the scammer. i have received the same reponse on a car i have posted. I was thinking of asking the person for like $2000 more than i have asked. then find a way to hold them liable, to have them verify that they are the person making the buy, by providing their personal info. would something like that work?
I just got an email from someone wanting to buy a tractor we are selling. It immediately sent up red flags. The sad thing is, we called paypal, and they said go ahead with transaction, he can’t do anything to our account. While the scammer may not be able to do anything with my account, there are other ways to scam, otherwise this would not be attempted as often as it is. Here is our email conversation:
Them: Thanks for mailing back,i am a marine engineer and i am buying this
for Dad as a birthday gift, i am at sea right now, I can only pay
through PayPal at the moment as i don’t have access to my bank account
online,but i have it attached to my PayPal account, and this is why i
insisted on using PayPal to pay,If my mode of payment is accepted
kindly email me with the information below to proceed with the
payment.
1) The pictures
2) What is the condition?
3) Are you the First Owner?
4) Your PayPal Email Address
5) Your Picked Up Location Address
if you don’t have a paypal account yet,its pretty easy to set one up
at http://www.paypal.com.,i will be expecting your email.I have a pick up
agent that will come for the pick up after payments.I will to have
communicate and discuss this via Phone but due to the nature of my
work, phone calls making is restricted so that was why i have prefer
to communicate more through Mail …
So kindly get back to asap..
Stay Blessed.
— I will like to know if this item is still, for sale..? Thanks..
ME: Carl,
I will need more information from you. Where is the tractor going to go? Who is the agent that would pick it up? You would need to send me a cashier’s check, as this sounds too fishy.
If this is legit, I am sure you will have no problem supplying more info about yourself.
Thanks,
THEM: My Father is from Kansas and i have a pick up agent that will come for
the shipping of the item.I want to buy this for my dad as a birthday
gift and i want to make it as a surprise for him cos i don’t want him
to be disappointed .So consider your item sold to me and get back to
me with your PayPal email address or an invoice from PayPal so that i
can transfer the funds immediately.
Waiting for your reply soon.
— I will like to know if this item is still, for sale..? Thanks..
ME: Send me your paypal email address and I will send you an invoice for payment.
That was the last I heard from them. We weren’t going to send our information, we wanted to see how far they will go. One thing I will note however, they never sent an email asking if it was still available, and we never replied that it was. Beware on paypal to.
Just had an identical reply to an add I have on Craigslist same story about the gift and being a Marine Engineer and all. I asked for more info and all haven’t heard a reply yet. Seems like they would at least change it up a little lol
i just had the same email come through from the Marine Engineer out to sea wanting to buy my dining room set for her Dad as a birthday gift…Please I told her where to go.
I had the same exact reply for my car i have on craigslist as well.
Told them it sounded too fishy and i would not be able to do business with them.
A week ago I was selling my BMW Motorcycle and the same Marine engineer emailed me almost word for word you received. I told him “ok” on the sale, but here’s how we do it. I told him to put the $11,000 in his “agents’ PayPal account and have his “agent” bring me $11,000 cash. Never heard for him again. By the way, the bike is still for sale. Any takers? My Email: [email protected].
Today, I just got a very similar paypal scam reply to a camper I have for sale, except this guy is a craigslist paypal scam oceanographer
————————————————————————
THEM: Email came from ridgewam
Hello, do you still have this ad?
David.
————————————————————————
ME: I responded yes it still for sale.
————————————————————————
THEM: Their second email came from ‘David Lucas’
Hello,
Thank you for getting back to me. Ok Can you assure me that it’s
in good state and that i will not be disappointed with it.I’m ready to
pay your asking price and to be honest, i wanted to buy this for my
Son, but the issue is i am an oceanographer and i do have a contract
to go for which starts tomorrow and am leaving any moment from now.The contract is strictly no call due to the lack of reception on the sea
area. But I’m able to access email anytime as we will make use of
laptop so my only quickest payment option is PayPal as i can send
money via PayPal anytime.Since I’m requesting this transaction to be
done via PayPal, i will be responsible for all the paypal fee/charges
on this transaction and if you don’t have an account with paypal, its
pretty easy, safe and secured to open one.Just log on to
http://www.paypal.com. I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible? I
have a mover that will come for it once payment clears and they will
take care of very necessary paper for me. So i look forward to hear
from you soon. will like to see more pics. I need the address where
the agent will meet you and your PayPal email address so i can send
the money now. Many thanks
David.
—
Hello do you still have this item available for sale ? and since when
have you been using it,i will really appreciate your response if you
can tell me the reason why you’re selling it too,if you don’t mind me
asking…huh. Thanks
————————————————————————
ME: At this point, and thanks to this website, I knew it was a SCAM…