lloydkayak Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 I have posted a phone I am selling in the classefieds here as well as junkmail and on gumtree... I received the following response from an "interested buyer", I am pretty sure it seems quite sketchy... But as you will see the want to use paypal to pay... Can one be scammed if paypal is used? I apologise if this is in the wrong topic... "From: <>To: >Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 3:29 PMSubject: Re: Another response to your Junk Mail ad "I bought an Xperia Active" I am interested in buying this stuff for my kid who schools abroad.Regarding payment, i would prefer to pay with PayPal as i feelcomfortable using PayPal for online transaction because of safety. Itwould be very helpful if you could help me ship it over to him. Iwould have make the process by myself but the fact that I am on abusiness trip out of the country presently makes itimpossible for me to do so. I would add R2000 to the money due to thecost of shipping internationally. If this works for you, get back tome with your PayPal email as i can send the funds now"
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 Scam. Adding R 2,000 to the asking price for postage, without even knowing how much postage will be? A son who is "schooling abroad"? Add the horrific grammar to the abovementioned indicators, and I'm amazed that you're even asking this question...
Smolly Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 HAHAHA! Phones abroad are a lot cheaper than here, Now he wants to offer you an extra 2k to post it. People usually bargain down, not up! SCAM!
lloydkayak Posted January 19, 2012 Author Posted January 19, 2012 Now I feel stupid for even posting this.... I cannot believe the amount of scam replies I have received... as in 10 responses, every single one dodgey!Anyway, at least I maybe gave you guys some early thursday entertainment
Caerus Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 After reading the first sentence, alarm bells would have been indicating SCAM
Wrigs Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 I agree with all the sentiments but i am still interested in the answer. If there wasnt any of the obvious warning signs - is Paypal safe. My hunch is yes it is if you allow the funds to clear and be confirmed into your own paypal account. I'll do some research and report back.
lloydkayak Posted January 19, 2012 Author Posted January 19, 2012 That was actually the question... thank you... As far as I knew, once the paypal cleared into your account there is no way they could retract the funds as long as you prove the item was sent. But obviously, in this case a scam
Minion Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 I believe Paypal offers seller protection, but only if you sent it to the verified address that is linked to the Paypal account. Also, you can only pay from Paypal into another Paypal account (in SA, at least). I suspect what will happen is they will pay, you will send, they will institute a claim that the item never arrived, Paypal will reverse the transaction since you didn't send to the verified Paypal address.
ranger Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 Be careful. They send you very convincing "proof of payment" documents as well. It would be interesting to expand this topic as to how not to get caught or ripped off. Just what is a fool proof method of selling something these days. Obviously cash is safest - just watch those R200.00 notes - witnessed a shop refusing any notes signed by Tito. Insisted on notes signed by Gill Marcus.
Christopher Brunsdon Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 Now I feel stupid for even posting this.... I cannot believe the amount of scam replies I have received... as in 10 responses, every single one dodgey!Anyway, at least I maybe gave you guys some early thursday entertainment Nothing stupid about posting here. Its not an attack on you. Rather be safe than sorry, thats what the Hub is for
Excite_Bike Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 I also say this is a scam. For future reference Paypal does provide buyer and seller insurance. So if a transaction goes wrong, Paypal can repay you the money. Its part ofthe service they offer. Same goes for ebay.
kandui Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) PayPal only requires an email address to send money, so you aren't divulging sensitive information. PayPal sends you a notification when funds arrive and sometimes you have to accept the funds. I would log into my PayPal account and double check to see the money is there. i can't see the scam involving the PayPal process, I think the scam bit comes once you take the next step. The extra R2k is the carrot. Edited January 19, 2012 by kandui
lloydkayak Posted January 19, 2012 Author Posted January 19, 2012 Well, the sending address just came through... Lagos Nigeria hehe... It is overwhelming the amount of scam mails I have received
kamikaze Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 seems legit, go for it! seriously? if you have to ask you already know the answer.
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