| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
is so delicious
Joined: 28 Apr 2009
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:20 am Post subject: Is this a new kind of scam?? |
 |
|
I have a year old Macbook I decided to sell online, set a high price, and if no one buys it, I'm fine with keeping it, too.
Get an e-mail from this Italian guy (on Seoul craigslist??). Goes on about buying it for his cousin in California, has pretty much no questions about it, doesn't haggle about the price. Says he's desperate for one for his cousin and will pay me on paypal as soon as I send him the invoice. Asks me about shipping and I tell him it will cost a hundred dollars, just because I figured it was so high that if he agreed to it as quickly as everything else, I'd know something was fishy. He's been so agreeable and writes back instantly, doesn't want to see it, test it, has no questions about delivery or proof that I'll sell it, etc. It just seems too easy a sale.
I just got his payment in paypal. I haven't give him any personal information at all... all he knows is my e-mail address and whatever is in my paypal account. Is there any possible way this guy could rip me off, or did I just make the easiest sale of my entire life? As anyone heard of this sort of thing before? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
tatertot
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
| It's definitely a scam, but it's not new. Never ship, only deal in person. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
is so delicious
Joined: 28 Apr 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Yes, but how do they get my money if they pay my paypal account and I transfer it to my bank account? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ghostrider
Joined: 27 Jun 2011
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:13 am Post subject: |
|
|
Some paypal scams:
| Quote: |
they send you money from a hacked Paypal account, you ship the item, then the real account holder discovers the theft, reports it to Paypal and the money is refunded from your account....
they send you money from a real Paypal account, ask you to ship to a certain address, then file a chargeback. If you did not check with Paypal that the address they gave you was the "verified" address and you sent anywhere but the verified address, they claim they never received the item and Paypal refunds them. It doesn't matter if you have proof it was delivered to the other address along with an email from the buyer telling you to ship to that address. If you ship anywhere but the verified Paypal mailing address, you have NO protection and Paypal will always side with the buyer |
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110321151130AAs6gcH |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ibsen
Joined: 09 Dec 2011
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Definitely a scam... A pretty obvious one at that.
Paypal has way more protection for buyers than for sellers. If you ship to an address that is not the Confirmed Address from the Verified Paypal Account in which you received payment, he can file for a Chargeback claiming that the payment was not authorized. When Paypal asks you to provide proof (tracking, confirmation, etc.) you will only have proof that you sent it to California and not to the address listed, which would then result in Paypal refunding him his money and your out whatever you sent. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
If the person sending the money is "Paypal Verified" then you don't have to worry about it. Paypal insures the transaction.
If they are "unverified" then it is a scam. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ibsen
Joined: 09 Dec 2011
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| pkang0202 wrote: |
If the person sending the money is "Paypal Verified" then you don't have to worry about it. Paypal insures the transaction.
If they are "unverified" then it is a scam. |
Not necessarily true. You have to realize that he is sending the item to a Different address that the one listed on the paypal account, regardless if they are verified or not. Even if they are verified, the "buyer" can claim he never received the item, which would be true since the seller never sent the computer to the address listed in the paypal account. The seller will then be asked to provide proof that s/he sent it to the address listed on the account, which of course s/he would not be able to do since the item was not sent to that address. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Ibsen wrote: |
| pkang0202 wrote: |
If the person sending the money is "Paypal Verified" then you don't have to worry about it. Paypal insures the transaction.
If they are "unverified" then it is a scam. |
Not necessarily true. You have to realize that he is sending the item to a Different address that the one listed on the paypal account, regardless if they are verified or not. Even if they are verified, the "buyer" can claim he never received the item, which would be true since the seller never sent the computer to the address listed in the paypal account. The seller will then be asked to provide proof that s/he sent it to the address listed on the account, which of course s/he would not be able to do since the item was not sent to that address. |
My bad, the buyer protection is only for eBay purchases. I only use paypal for eBay so I wasn't sure of the other policy. I looked it up.
OP, tell the guy instead of paypal, you want a cashier's check or Western Union. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tatertot
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
|
| Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
| pkang0202 wrote: |
| Ibsen wrote: |
| pkang0202 wrote: |
If the person sending the money is "Paypal Verified" then you don't have to worry about it. Paypal insures the transaction.
If they are "unverified" then it is a scam. |
Not necessarily true. You have to realize that he is sending the item to a Different address that the one listed on the paypal account, regardless if they are verified or not. Even if they are verified, the "buyer" can claim he never received the item, which would be true since the seller never sent the computer to the address listed in the paypal account. The seller will then be asked to provide proof that s/he sent it to the address listed on the account, which of course s/he would not be able to do since the item was not sent to that address. |
My bad, the buyer protection is only for eBay purchases. I only use paypal for eBay so I wasn't sure of the other policy. I looked it up.
OP, tell the guy instead of paypal, you want a cashier's check or Western Union. |
Just don't deal with the "buyer" at all. No matter how he pays you, you'll end up losing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Floating World
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here
|
| Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 9:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
How it it obvious it's a scam? Maybe he is just desperate for the computer and happy with the price? Just a simple kind of person?
Or does this sort of thing happen a lot? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ibsen
Joined: 09 Dec 2011
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 12:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
| The Floating World wrote: |
How it it obvious it's a scam? Maybe he is just desperate for the computer and happy with the price? Just a simple kind of person?
Or does this sort of thing happen a lot? |
Not sure if this is a joke or not so I'll answer seriously. If it is a joke then disregard my post.
Why is it a scam? And a obvious one at that?:
1. The buyer is from Italy, why would a guy from Italy be browsing the Seoul Craigslist, a site mainly for making purchases in person?
2. The buyer wants the item shipped to a different address than the one listed on his Paypal account (something that Paypal strongly advises against), thus giving him Buyer Protection, but not giving the seller any Seller Protection.
3. The buyer can chargeback his money within a few weeks with virtually no repercussions. He has no incentive to let the seller keep his money since he would already have received the computer.
4. The buyer didn't care to inspect the computer or even inquire about it's condition, etc. before hastily sending the money over.
5. The buyer agreed to overpriced shipping without hesitation, that in itself is fishy.
I might have missed a few points, but that should be enough to show why this situation is just too fishy to be legit. I mean you could argue all day about how this guy MIGHT be legit, but in the end it's just not worth the risk. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Floating World
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Nah, cheers for the info Ibsen. People need to be clued up about things like this! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
koreatimes
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| If he's an Italian, then I am an Irish Chinese Afghan. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
riley
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Location: where creditors can find me
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 5:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I recently got a very similar email, except that the places were changed. The buyer agreed to the price plus offered a large shipping fee. I don't have a paypal account and had no urge to jump through the hoops to do that and get the stuff boxed and shipped during report card time. So, I turned them down. I didn't hear anything afterwards. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Swampfox10mm
Joined: 24 Mar 2011
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I just don't use paypal. Ever. I cannot justify funding a company that allows cheating to the level that it does. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
