Scam in the making

sbblackangel on 29/06/2016 - 17:30
Last edited 29/06/2016 - 18:37 by 1 other user

Hi all,

First time poster, put my car on a popular site to sell my car. Don't do it often. Got what seemed a geniune query and I responded. Then I go this response, my alarm bells are ringing.

What do you think?

Thanks for the response,I would have loved to call you directly but due to the nature of my work we do not have access to phone at the moment,which is why I contacted you with internet messaging facility.

I am buying this for my first son who just graduated on top of his class at Charles Darwin University in NT ,He studied Building Design & Architecture. I want it to be the perfect graduation gift for him and am making it a surprise package ,Does it have any history I should be aware of? and why are you selling if you don't mind my asking. I don't mind adding an extra $300.00 for you just to take down the posting..I am already in talks with freighters that will handle the pickup and delivery .I will really appreciate if you can email more info

Due to the nature of my work i am a very busy man working all day,am a sailor am presently on-board, i don't have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here but i have my ANZ bank account link up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through PayPal to your nominated bank account or better still is if you have a PayPal account ,please get back to me with your BSB and account details or PayPal account so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in NT for my son .Await your reply .

General Discussion

Comments

      • poppit88 on 05/07/2016 - 00:08
        +1

        They went away when I eventually asked them how they were able to furiously email me on their 'ship' at work, but couldn't arrange their payment when they were clearly away on their 'ship' and at work. The email needed internet access……. and they'd need access to logon to pay-pal.

        More people that think we're a world of non thinking drones.

    • DarwinBoy on 30/06/2016 - 01:37

      I think the extra $2000 spent shipping the car up could be spent on a vehicle bought in Darwin, there really are quite a few but then this is such a scam it puts our used car sale yards to shame.

    • Cluster on 30/06/2016 - 01:45

      The guy must have a lot of first sons, as I got the exact same message about buying a present. Or maybe his son keens crashing the cars, at the rate of one every few minutes and his daddy needs to constantly buy more. He must belong to a rich line of seamen to afford all that.

  • 2ndeffort on 30/06/2016 - 00:25
    +19

    You guys need to spend some time Scambaiting. I am reading this thinking of all the ways you could mess with this criminal for shits and giggles! Of course this is a scam. I am pretty sure that Paypal has a limitation on the length of time for a claimback. You could let them know that you would only do the deal if they would wait this period. Realistically though, they will just drop you at this point and where's the fun in that! Honestly though, this is all hypothetical and you shouldnt scambait anyone using your real email address or contact details. Maybe share this loser's email address and someone on here could respond to them under a non-traceable alias.

    My approach would be to respond with increasingly hilarious obstacles that always leave the car just out of reach. Most requiring the idiot on the other end to do something for me! I would be interested i9n selling to him but not until I saw his Sailors ID card. I would then explain that the car has been used to transport diseased livestock and that I would need to see a copy of a certificate of clearance for powered vehicles previously used for the transport of diseased meat!'. When the idiot on the other end…after much whinging and bitching and threats to call the deal off actually sends you a pathetic fake ID I would slap them and tell him the deal is off unless he sends a real ID. When they then put some effort in to make a hilarious but obvious fake…after wetting myself laughing I would spend some time talking about transferring the money then ask them for the diseased meat transfer certificate. If they are all in at this stage they will use photoshop to make you up a fake certificate…hilarious! Rinse, cycle repeat. The governemnt has changed the rules, or you were cleaning out the car for the courier and found a severed hoof under the seat so you will need another certificate. You are still not sure about this guy so you need a photo of him holding up a sign that says 'Hello to all the the Ozb's'

    • McFly on 01/07/2016 - 10:57

      How about giving a (made up) Paypal account and giving the local police station as the pickup address.

  • Cluster on 30/06/2016 - 01:34
    +9

    I got the exact same message last month when selling my car. Son graduating from Charles Darwin university and all that. I replied with mock eagerness to receive his funds and satisfy his son's needs, and mentioned I don't have a bank account but could use a (fake supplied) PayPal address. The scammer never responded.

    Carsales, Carsguide, and Gumtree are loaded with seamen and oil rig workers desperate to buy your car. It's just advance fee fraud. If you're feeling keen and after a bit of entertainment, try stringing the scammer along for a few days. Eventually I replied to one scammer that gosh, I appreciated his offer to buy my car sight unseen for more than the asking price, but I had already sold it to a Nigerian prince for $10 million as he was so keen on the model and colour.

    Always ignore eager seamen.

  • samojed on 30/06/2016 - 06:47
    +2

    I played along and got to the point where he 'paid' my advertised price + about a $1,500… I received a fake PayPal confirmation email saying they are holding the funds until I pay a $1,000 or so to the shipping company in the UK via Western Union… I reckon it's a pretty lame scam and I'm amazed they're still around…

    • jlogic on 30/06/2016 - 21:01
      +1

      Should say you did it and provide a fake details for the Western Union.

      • samojed on 30/06/2016 - 23:25

        I was tempted… already had it photoshopped but then never sent it…

  • Strikingviking on 30/06/2016 - 07:48

    This happened to a newly landed colleague of mine with when he was trying to relinquish the lease on an apartment he had decided not to go ahead with and was looking for a replacement tenant. Got screwed off $1000.

    Sadly, there was no authority he found he could go for resolution. Would love to know how one could get these scamsters to justice

    • samojed on 30/06/2016 - 08:31
      +1
      1. Create a simple webpage which records visitor IP addresses
      2. Send an email to the scammer and get them to click on a link to the above webpage
      3. Now that you've obtained their IP address, use your connections in the Chinese Communist Party to get the scammer's physical address
      4. Travel to China
      5. Knock on the scammer's door and go Steven Seagal on him (and his family if required)
    • OzzyOzbourne on 30/06/2016 - 10:51
      +2

      Well, as long as the scammer doesn't drive over the speed limit in Australia, there's little chance of any police action.

    • 2ndeffort on 05/07/2016 - 12:12
      +2

      Without going into any details……i might have formerly been part of a community online that shared for free specific tools etc. One of these free tools allowed you to use the scammers email address to workout where int he world (on google maps) that the email originated form. They always say they are at sea etc but when you run the tool it is normally an internet cafe in Nigeria.

      There are all sorts of ways to trick these criminal morons, you just have to be creative. The more time you spend stuffing them around the funnier for you and the more annoying for them. Turn their annoying crime into a source of endless fun, just make sure you are totally anonymous online (something I am not doing here). Never send them any money, not one cent.

      Let me explain 'Advanced Fee Fraud'. Essentially they offer you a deal that is better than anywhere else, not too over the top to be suspicious but better than you are getting from elsewhere. They have some kind of odd reason for offering this, soldier at war overseas, sailor at sea, working FIFO in the mines etc etc. It all sounds potentially plausible, the actual money transfer has some kind of catch however. Somebody has to pay a courier/government official/bank etc. They will be happy to refund this payment but need you to pay it upfront in order to avoid delaying the deal. If you negotiate they threaten to pull out. It all sounds OK, they maybe even offer to add a little bit extra in to compensate you for your trouble, you just need to pay the fee and it will all go like clockwork……WRONG!

      This processing fee is the crime, this is the real money (your money) that they will steal. They will ask for it to be transferred in some way that is either non-traceable or unable to be reclaimed. Western Union used to be the favourite but as people have slowly wised up to WU they have gone looking for other options like Paypal. That transfer/courier/processing fee is what they are stealing, once you pay it and they get the $$ at the other end you will never hear from them again, they will cancel their accounts/email addresses/bank accounts whatever. They will be off spending your money and laughing at the stupid gullible westerners. If there is any combination of an advance payment and an odd payment mechanism walk away, stop answering their emails. If you find yourself trying to work out if this is a scam or not and trying to convince yourself it could be above board, walk away it is a scam.

  • StuffnStuff on 30/06/2016 - 08:45

    Seen this many times, its a SCAM so avoid. If you have already engaged in a conversation with them, just say its a cash only deal and you will never hear from them again.

  • lint on 30/06/2016 - 09:35

    Tell them cash in hand on pickup or GTFO.

    • Euphemistic on 30/06/2016 - 13:00
      +1

      I've always wanted a GTFO, just like the one in Fast and Furious. Are you selling?

  • Hirolol on 30/06/2016 - 09:38

    yep, 100% a scam.
    report it to carsales the popular site you used.

    good on you for picking up on it.
    its good to get people more aware about these things.

  • jellykingdom on 30/06/2016 - 09:41
    +1

    So glad that he graduated "top of his class at Charles Darwin University in NT" where "He studied Building Design & Architecture"

    Lies with too much detail

    • goodcopbadcop on 30/06/2016 - 11:17

      Charles Darwin University in the NT does exist - but they do not offer any course titled Building Design and Architecture. The only course offered is called "Bachelor of Design". If you are going to give lots of detail - then it has to be right. Incorrect detail is more evidence that this is a total scam.
      Just can't believe that you thought in any way, shape or form that this "seemed a geniune query" (sic).
      Please report it to Gumtree so that they can block any IP address for these scammers.

  • zoombie on 30/06/2016 - 09:52
    +1

    Hey OP,
    I'm really keen on this and would like to meet up. It might be difficult due to my occupation as an international pilot. I've been looking around for a car like this for ages, so happy to have found you. Let me know when you're free and I'll see if we can meet up. Whatever you do, don't sell the car to anyone else but me. Heck I'm so desperate that I might be willing to buy it without checking it out. I might even pay you extra to close the ad early, lol.
    Let me know.

    • jenkemjunkie on 30/06/2016 - 10:43

      yo zoombie I'm really impressed with your occupation and Imma let you finish… But the oil rig workers had the greatest scam of all time. OF ALL TIME!

    • 2ndeffort on 05/07/2016 - 12:27

      Hey Zoombie, I have a car like that and if the OP isnt interested I definitely am. I am happy to pay your 'processing fee' and I am just here filling in the online banking transfer in another open window. Before I hit send, my mechanic that is preparing the car for your courier tells me that the local government laws for transporitng cars interstate is called the Oz car transport brokers (ozb for short). He is required to have a photo of the person coming to pickup the car so he knows who to hand the keys to. He will need the person in the photo holding a sign with a code on it to help with the local legal requirements. Essentially the sign will need to mention ozb, then mention the International movement of automobiles (IMA) New offer Broker (Nob). If you could send me a photo by email of the person coming to pickup the car and in the photo have them holding a sign (bit of cardboard with writing on it is OK) that says: 'hi to all the guys at Ozb, IMA NOB'. If you can do this I can send this payment straight through to you this afternoon.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 30/06/2016 - 10:44
    +2

    I'm a Nigerian prince and will give you $1 million usd in gold bars for your car once you ship it to Siberia. My daughter is the queen of kings landing and will see you right mate. If you care about the world, pass this on to 1000 people to win a special free prize.
    Note this genuine offer.

  • blitz on 30/06/2016 - 10:49

    Request photos of the kid.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 30/06/2016 - 17:15

      And get caught up in the next pedo bust? Bad idea!

  • zeomega on 30/06/2016 - 10:52
    +1

    I played along with the scam before a few years ago. What i received was a spoofed paypal email stating the money is in escrow and will only be released when the item has been picked up.

    The main part of the scam is here:- From the fake paypal email is a link telling you to verify the money currently in escrow. I didn't click it nor investigate further, but more than likely a spoofed website that collects your paypal login details.

    Nekminit, thousands out of your paypal account.

  • Lancerx on 30/06/2016 - 10:54

    typical gumtree car SCAM ..got it before too..

  • alabatusa on 30/06/2016 - 11:12
    +1

    ask him to send $100 to your paypal account as a deposit to take down the ad.

    Keep the money :)

    its a scam

  • braskic on 30/06/2016 - 11:14

    Take the $300 to take down the listing and take another 10% of the price as a deposit. I ganise a time to arrange viewing of the car, If he's a serious buyer he will cooperate, if not you're up $300 and you have his deposit.

    • SnoozeAndLose on 30/06/2016 - 11:16

      Problem is they will claim that the transaction is unauthorizes and you still got northing

    • Cluster on 30/06/2016 - 11:27

      The $300 up front to take down the ad is a ruse to show how extremely keen he is. Of course, the money never arrives.

  • itstuan on 30/06/2016 - 11:31

    No one buys a car without inspection. That along already answers your question.
    Organise third party to pick the car up? Then what, you might have to pay for that pick up cos he will pay you all back in paypal, yeah sure!

    • Euphemistic on 30/06/2016 - 13:08
      +1

      Some people do.

      Years ago, before internets was big I listed a car in Just Cars magazine as it was a bit rare. Bloke rang me from 2hr drive away, keen as, asked a few questions etc. Wanted bank details to deposit the money. I wasn't keen on handing out bank account details to a stranger, but suggested he could drop off a deposit to my brother in law who lived nearer him. Next morning the bloke turned up on the doorstep with $8k cash and handed it to my bro-in-law. A few days later (on the weekend) the guy arrives by taxi with his family, after declining me pick him up at the train station. Hopped in and drove away a happy buyer.

      He'd seen one photograph, spoken to me for a few minutes on a mobile phone, decided it was the car for him and paid cash sight unseen.

      Granted not many people will buy a a Camry, stock commodore or common car sight unseen, but they'll do it for something unusual.

      • itstuan on 30/06/2016 - 13:47

        But he did pay in cash, and turned up to pick up the car. I'm guessing he didn't care about its condition. Did you provide the RWC or he didnt care about it either?
        No one with common sense these days would buy a car without checking.
        It's like, no one with common sense would open an attachment from email claiming they've won $$$ or inherit gold from Nigerian prince. But some still does.

        • Euphemistic on 30/06/2016 - 15:48
          +1

          It was in NSW, the car was registered, there was no current pink slip IIRC. He had a quick look over and drove away. When he got home he rang me as the cooling fan was still running after he turned it off which was normal for the way it was set up.

          Some people do buy cars that way, but they'll be rare/unusual cars and bought by enthusiasts who know what they are looking for and know what can go wrong. They ar ethe sort of car that the enthusiast knows will take a long time to track down the next one so you need to take a risk, which is what the buyer did in my case.

        • itstuan on 30/06/2016 - 16:15

          @Euphemistic: Yes it will be rare. And the guy who is buying OP car isn't an enthusiast to begin with. Giving the circumstance of OP's case. I say it's 99% scam as it rings all the bells. What would you do? Go ahead with the sale?

        • Euphemistic on 30/06/2016 - 20:13

          @mcp2kpro: never said it wasn't a scam, it 100% is, but was countering your assertion that no one buys a car without inspecting.

        • itstuan on 01/07/2016 - 21:04

          @Euphemistic: I said that in a generic statement when it comes to identify most scams. It's like statement "Nobody is stupid enough to open virus email that says they've won something". But some people still does. If you feel the need to countering anything people say on the internet, you have indeed plenty of free time.

        • Euphemistic on 02/07/2016 - 07:51
          +1

          @mcp2kpro: meh.

  • sysplex on 30/06/2016 - 11:46

    Keep clear.

  • altomic on 30/06/2016 - 11:47

    Little black book of scams

  • kumars47 on 30/06/2016 - 11:53

    Hi, This seems to be a scam, what people do is use stolen credit cards to pay you the $300, and then ask you to pay via direct deposit or by a Credit Card to a freighting company, which is a bogus company where this person has access to withdraw the money.

    The person whose card has been stolen will then go to there bank and say the $300 transaction was not them and then the bank will chase PayPal for the money, which PayPal will be required to give back,PayPal will take it out of your PayPal account, you will now have no money in your PayPal account and be down $300 you have paid to the freighting company. Which it will be very hard to get the money back from as it is a bogus company, so you most likely wont get your money back.

    Thanks

  • gimme on 30/06/2016 - 12:09
    +2

    Didn't read the other posts - THIS IS A REALLY OLD SCAM.

  • longislandicetea on 30/06/2016 - 14:04

    Congrats to the guy his son graduated top of his class

  • Donaldhump on 30/06/2016 - 15:45
    +1

    so much BS, do you even need to ask?

  • almondtamari on 30/06/2016 - 17:42

    Poor English and commas in the wrong place are normally a good indication of a scammer ,If the content wasn't enough already.

  • Mysterious Laptop on 30/06/2016 - 18:00

    You must be an absolute numpty to even consider that for one second and post it to a forum. You should always know that only accept buyers who see it in person and cash in hand at change over. You can accept cheque, but just wait till it clears before handing over the car.

  • nickster9999 on 30/06/2016 - 18:44
    +1

    Poor punctuation gives it away.

    Over the top exaggeration too.

    You know the way this response is written is very deliberate? This isn't the best example, but you would have seen other scam emails, full of spelling errors, typos etc?

    It's deliberate.

    It maximises the return on investment by the scammer. The scammer's investment is sending and replying to emails, with the hope of closing off the scam.

    If the email is poorly written and looks blatantly like a scam to 99% of people, the scammer knows that only the most stupid, dopey and gullible people are going to reply, and so there will be a close to 100% success rate when people reply.

    If the email and deal sounds too "normal" then a large percentage of people who reply will drop off after a while, thus wasting the scammers time.

    So the scammer, from the outset, only wants morons to reply, so the scammer makes the email sound so ridiculous that she/he knows that if anyone replies, they are idiots and thus will be able to be scammed with the minimum effort.

  • mrluke on 30/06/2016 - 21:24

    Reads like an email from a Nigerian prince…

  • mrluke on 30/06/2016 - 21:26

    What I would do is string him along with emails until he gets pissed off, then give him a false address to pick the car up from. Scam him back.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 30/06/2016 - 22:08

    Just so ppl know they run similar scams selling cars too.

    They use pics of pristine cars, priced 25% cheaper than normal, and ask for "holding deposit as they've had so many enquiries" and either send you a fake PayPal email to steal your login or ask for wire transfer.

  • John on 30/06/2016 - 22:28

    Wow.. That email is pretty much saying "Hi, this is a scam"

  • w3b3d1g1 on 30/06/2016 - 22:37

    Had the same message likely from the same person. NT, freight, sailor. Hilarious. You would almost like to tempt fate and play the game and see if you can beat the scammer.

  • bargainhunter777 on 01/07/2016 - 00:25

    Do not provide any details re: ur bank and email. I recently got scammed via paypal, luckly i noticed it was fishy and act upon it right away. If you provide what they are asking, you will just end up with a masive head ache! Ignore it and dont bother, good luck with the sale.

  • jaylee88 on 01/07/2016 - 02:29
    +1

    The only legit thing you are always going to get on gumtree is "I will buy it for half the price" anything else is a scam. =)

  • tomleonhart on 01/07/2016 - 06:18

    This is how I buy a car on gumtree.

    • "Is car still available ?

    • Would you take price/2 for it?"

    No back story needed

  • BargainCowboy on 01/07/2016 - 08:24

    But his first son just graduated on top of his class at Charles Darwin University in NT, I would trust him!

    • Euphemistic on 01/07/2016 - 09:02
      +1

      Survival of the fittest at that uni, anyone less than a 50% mark dies out anyway.

  • plmko on 01/07/2016 - 09:32

    A lot of people are pointing out and laughing at the insanely detailed but far-fetched story given by the scammer. This is actually a filter system, they don't want to deal with 'smart' people only the people gullible enough to still believe the scammer despite the bad grammar, hilarious story and weird steps to get paid.

    That is the reason why after decades of scamming they never fix their stories nor fix their grammar.

  • snajper on 01/07/2016 - 11:02

    Haahaa… I had one of those every single time I sell my car…

  • shaiguy on 01/07/2016 - 12:05

    Sounds like this one from https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Access-and-security/SELL…

    "WATCH OUT FOR THIS SCAM. PAUL HOLMES SENT ME A TEXT MESSAGE AND ASKED ME TO EMAIL creatlux at gmail.com. THIS IS THE SCAM I GOT SENT. Thanks for getting back to me, i just want to make sure nothing has been left out and just so you know i am buying it as a gift. I will be buying this for the price you have listed it for. Payment will be sent using PayPal and i will handle the PayPal surcharge as well. I will arrange with a shipping company to have this picked up at your location once i have paid as i am out of town at the moment. Am a marine engineer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls is restricted and i can ONLY DEAL VIA PAYPAL as i don't have access to my bank here and i don't have online banking, so you can send me your PayPal email address so i can send the money at once and its easy to sign up for one just log on to <a href="http://www.paypal.com" target="_blank">www.paypal.com</a> , Note: i'll also include the Shipping company's fee to the money am sending you and you will pay them on my behalf and they will provide you with details for the logbook and sign it upon collection, so kindly Get back to me with your PayPal email address so i can proceed with the payment thanks "

    If you read the thread (74 pages and counting) there are so many variations on it and seems like they have targeted gumtree globally… not just cars… even a wedding dress!! Different reasons but similar occupations, e.g. maritime engineers etc.

  • kangaroo on 01/07/2016 - 13:39

    The is a age old scamming method that dates back to at least a decade. Majority of people know this scam, but some still fall for it. A lot of online sellers now post a note in their ads which goes something like "No Paypal Transactions, Overseas Deployed Troops and Oil Rig workers!"

  • rektify on 01/07/2016 - 15:48
    +2

    I got the exact same email when selling my car and realised it was an obvious scam. Played along for a while for the lols and then asked to call him to try and troll him a little more. He said he had no reception at sea but then I asked how he had internet connection to email me back then. He stopped responding after that…

    • Serapis on 01/07/2016 - 18:31

      Lol rekt

  • dinkyfish on 01/07/2016 - 16:26

    Got same mail a few weeks ago…. played along a bit, but I think he caught on and just stopped replying….

  • TheOneWhoKnocks on 01/07/2016 - 16:29
    -1

    Hello,

    I am interested in your car. I a very busy NAVY seal officer who works in the big ARMY of Australia and my son is graudating at Darwin. My age is 45, I have two children and I like this car for my son who in in darwin. I need gruatae presetn for my son please forgive as i need to order via 4th party freighters. Please give me car and I will give western union paypal transfer with extra 1k as i am bussy on NAVY SEAL AUSTRALIA army vet.

    Thanks

  • Pyrock on 01/07/2016 - 17:04

    Pretty similar to my issue a while back

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/214952

  • ozeebee on 01/07/2016 - 18:13
    +2

    Somewhere in the middle of the ocean, a poor sailor is thinking why no one ever wants to sell him a car when he's willing to pay upfront.

  • Serapis on 01/07/2016 - 18:25
    +3

    9001/10 SCAM

    You have 2 options here:

    1. Ignore him
    2. Take the $300 deposited to a prepaid card. Buy a die cast version of the car, put it in a large box with bricks and tie it with a giant red ribbon. Let him organise freight. Post your story online for us to see (with pictures). Become insta-famous.

    Someone needs to top the old p-p-p-powerbook if anybody remembers.

  • jonathonsunshine on 01/07/2016 - 18:31
    +1

    Ask him how his son is going! http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-phishing-scam-emails-dot-con…

  • spal on 01/07/2016 - 19:19

    Lots of great comments. From what I know happened with a colleague, she received a email purportedly from PayPal saying payments have been received and then they wanted her to send them some money to pay for the courier. She asked me as she couldn't see any payments in her PayPal account.

    I agree it is an attempted scam. Usually gumtree listings are also targeted.

  • Reggie74 on 01/07/2016 - 20:01

    I had some similar contact a few years ago when I sold my car. I avoided it like the plague.

  • [Deactivated] on 01/07/2016 - 22:28

    Slightly OT, but years ago i used to be part of a Scam the Scammer group. Great fun. Are people still doing that?

  • BlackorRed on 02/07/2016 - 07:43
    +2

    I had posted an unit for ren on Gumtree, received a text from a person names Ashley: italic I'm Lyn Gumtree worker, Is your room Ad with us still available for rent? if yes pls. email Ashley at [email protected] she is interested Thanks italic
    Then I emailed that girl who claims: italic Thank you so much for your quick response. I am 27 years old non smoking single lady coming to Australia. I work as chef on cruise ship at the moment and i have limited time to surf the internet and also phone calls is also strictly limited due to nature of my work. I will like you to make the arrangement for the total cost covering my first three months rent together with bond. I would like you to get back to me with your Rent starting date and your address alongside with your post code for me to forward it to my mover to calculate the total cost of moving my stuffs from USA to Australia. I will be waiting to read back from you. Cheers. italic
    She also wanted to pay me upfront via Paypal: italic Many thanks for getting back to me again. Everything is fine with me. I 'm a very social person that respect humanity and this make it so easy for me to get along with whomever that comes my way in life. I will be staying in Australia for 1 year and at the same time working as a chef. I will be arriving on 7th of July from USA. I will like you to remove the room advert from Gumtree because it has been taken by me already. I will be transferring the rent to you through PayPal and if you do not have one, kindly set up an account with them in less than 5 minutes at www.paypal.com.au Alternatively i can as well transfer the funds into your bank account via my PayPal. If that is fine with you, please do get back to me with your name as it is on your account, Bsb and your account number so that i can transfer the funds asap. I will be so happy to secure the room as soon as you get back to me with the PayPal email address or your bank details. I had attached pics of myself for you to know me better. I am paying the rent fee in advance because i will be presenting the proof of my rent payment to my employer and also to the immigration at the port of entry to Australia. Hope to read back from you soon. Cheers. italic
    This is absolutely a scam. It happened yesterday

  • HeartFeltAxe on 02/07/2016 - 08:33

    It's about as dodgy as my little brother, stay away mate

  • qeezy on 08/07/2016 - 14:02

    Had a similar email, saying the guy was a sailor. Cat fished him a bit into believe he had a bite. He even sent fake Paypal transactions to try and fool me.

  • thundergirl on 28/10/2017 - 16:52

    I have received identical correspondence to daywalker282 from Ashley Owen <[email protected]>. Received a text, "Hi please is your room advert listing on gumtree still for rent? Contact me on [email protected]". Emailed them, and received this response:

    Thank you so much for your quick response. I am 27 years old non smoking single lady coming to Australia. I work as chef on cruise ship at the moment and i have limited time to surf the internet and also phone calls is also strictly limited due to nature of my work. I would like you to make the arrangement for the total cost for my first three months rent together with bond. I would also like you to get back to me with your Rent starting date and your address alongside with your post code for me to forward it to my mover to calculate the total cost of moving my stuffs from USA to Australia. I will be waiting to read back from you. Cheers.

    I thought it was fishy because I got an almost identical email in March from "[email protected]" when I listed a room on gumtree. Didn't realise it was a scam then, but after a quick google search this time I found it is definitely a scam.

  • armdrags on 29/10/2017 - 23:21

    Haha I also had the same message when trying to sell my car. Knew it was a scam right away so I asked them to call me directly. Never got a reply after that.

  • Xiaomi on 30/10/2017 - 17:59

    I'm genuinely curious what happens to these vehicles, if the seller was to continue and the car was to be collected. Anyone have any relevant stories/references?

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join