A Scam in the offing?

MarkB4 on 16/07/2012 - 19:21
Last edited 16/07/2012 - 19:24

I am selling my van, posted on ebay and Gumtree, and withing an hour of posting I got a txt from someone who very quickly decided to buy. No test or inspection and willing to pay asking price - out on an oil rig and coming for holidays and wants to pay via PayPal. Txt came from a message centre in the Phillipines.

The latest is 'they' want to pay via Paypal and are willing to pay the fees - 3% - and want my account email. If it's too good to be true … You know.

What possible value could there be to a scammer in knowing my PP email? Can it be used to my detriment?

Would appreciate some insight here from the experienced OB buyers.

Cheers guys. M

EDIT : I now have two such 'buyers' eager to do it through PP. There must be some way they can scam me here … :)

General Discussion

Comments

  • sparkles on 16/07/2012 - 19:24
    +1

    Dude, do you really need us to tell you this is a scam. I think you already know the answer.

    They are probably going to try to clean out your bank account using PayPal. Amazingly enough, I have actually seen it done to a family member. I spent hour upon hour requesting cancellation of literally hundreds of PayPal transactions for them. Scammers go to town on peoples money, not even subtle sneaky small amounts you might miss but spend thousands in only hours.

    Give them some totally fake email address for them to waste their time on trying to hack into.

  • m0nkeycheese on 16/07/2012 - 19:24

    Old scam is old

    Your pretty much guaranteed to get one of those emails these days

  • Davo1111 on 16/07/2012 - 19:44
    +7

    I know a few people who are oceanographers/work on oil rigs etc. Take it from me, they will never ever buy a car via paypal.

  • MarkB4 on 16/07/2012 - 20:05

    I don't doubt it's a scam but I don't see how anybody could do anything but pay into my PP acc with my email and without my PW.

    There are easier ways to get peoples PP emails where there is bound to be money to take, like from a business.

    So how could anyone clean me out with just me PP email?

    • Davo1111 on 16/07/2012 - 22:03

      once you agree they ask you to wire money to pay for someone to pick it up on their behalf. They will reimburse you buy paying you more via paypal.

      They never look at your car, nobody will come and pick it up.

    • ESEMCE on 17/07/2012 - 08:31

      Chargeback on your Paypal Account.
      You have no evidence that they received the goods, so you have no recourse…
      This is why you should always send goods by Registered Post. Then you DO have evidence that they received the goods.

      • twinbag on 20/07/2012 - 15:10
        +1

        I think a van's too big to send via registered post.

  • 7Alice7 on 16/07/2012 - 20:46
    +3

    You will get fake paypal emails. The next step is that they will give you more money than you have asked for. You will be told to send this "extra amount of money" to their agent/collection agent/courier/whatever via Western Union. Of course their payment never happens but they will try and get you to send them your own money.

    This scam happens all the time on internet adverts. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1400409

    Watch out for the 'chargebacks' with paypal also.

    Here is another link from carsales.com.au

    http://helpcentre.carsales.com.au/scam-defence/buyer-article…

  • maldrat on 16/07/2012 - 21:32

    Scam the scammer.

    • MarkB4 on 16/07/2012 - 21:35

      I did think of that … :)

      If anyone would like their email addy's?

  • MarkB4 on 16/07/2012 - 21:36

    Thanks all, appreciated.

  • berger on 16/07/2012 - 21:43

    After all that, we still don't know if the van sold!?

    I received those adds selling my beloved SVX on gumtree. So annoying. The first time I got one I had to read twice!

  • imaximax1 on 16/07/2012 - 22:47
    +2

    Oil rig ay? my last car attracted a surprising amount of marine biologists.

  • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2012 - 09:39

    You can use any search engine with any set of key words from any deal being offered.

    Eg I used

    oil rig car purchase

    And Bingo!!! scam deal warnings abound…..

    and an interesting site for other scams

    http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/

  • huntress_love on 17/07/2012 - 10:47

    i can't believe it would work if you have to send your money first.

    I've had something like it on ebay years ago. But i wasn't sending anything until I received the money. Which they send an fake email which look like they did. Who does that fool….!
    as still no money in the account.

    if you want to play along and maybe you'll get a idoit scammer. you can give them a fake paypal email account.

    • MarkB4 on 17/07/2012 - 13:52

      It could only work if you didn't realise the PP emails were fake. I get one of those every day and they are automatically spammed.

      The key is never click a link in an email unless you know the sender, and even then it could still be malicious …

  • altomic on 17/07/2012 - 13:05
    +2

    why would anyone want a car on an oil rig?

    there a no roads on it!!!

    but seriously. ignore them.

    • alebox on 17/07/2012 - 16:24
      +3

      cos there is an abundance of fuel!

      • m0nkeycheese on 17/07/2012 - 21:07
        +1

        Hoist it up, put your foot flat, laugh at the land lubbers

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join