Devon TRF Group Forum

Gas Gas Guy · Clubman B

scam or not?

Harty · Devon's Best

Even if it isn't, just not worth the risk. Cash on collection only!

doug9270 · Powermonger!!

Sounds odd, if you can pay by paypal then you have cash in the bank !!

delvey91 · Devon's Best

DODGY AS HELL, cash only for anything

TTR · Powermonger!!

What about bank transfers? Its a bit dodgy carrying around large dollops of cash these days it seems cry

RichT4 · Champion

Sounds plausible. Just be sure the cash moves from paypal to your account before you let go of the item.
Paypal can be funded by credit card so maybe the guy doesn't have the cash in his bank.

Cash can be counterfeit, if you are accepting large sums of cash for a vehicle it would be best for both of you to take it to you bank and let them check it while counting it for you.
When I bought my van the seller didn't want to receive £7.5k in notes so I did a bank transfer and collected the vehicle the next day, which involved a small amount of trust on my side but the documents & address all matched so I trusted the guy.

Big T · Expert

Sounds dodgy. If they have hijacked a Paypal account, and they are sending somebody else to collect, then they are effectively anonymous if there is any problem.

More likely, they make the payment, collect the goods, then lodge a complaint with PayPal about the transaction. PayPal can and will retract the payment from your account, and you no longer have the goods. See http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/PAYPAL-AND-DODGY-BUYERS-WILL-STEAL-YOUR-MONEY?ugid=10000000006208488.

Your shout, but I wouldn't touch it.

Gas Gas Guy · Clubman B

Iv done a lil research and some people have had very similar emails, thay start with asking a few questions about your item followed by what's you best price then comes the ok I'm happy with the item I will pay via PayPal and arrange someone to collect as there out of town at the moment, at this stage I emailed bk saying sorry, too many scams about these days cash only I then had a email bk saying "I trust PayPal more,they are the biggest financial institution online, but i am sorry i can only get to pay you with PayPal. It is easy to get an account, just go to www.paypal.com, all they need from you is a valid credit card or bank account" to which I replayed well I trust my instinct and like to deal face to face, give me a bell before we take this any further... And guess what?! No reply no call. If I'd have fell for it (MARY) would have then sent me a very convincing fake email from PayPal saying X amount is in holding until the item reaches them.... And I'd never off seen the cash MARY Christmas to you 2! Id love to put a chip on the bike and follow it and beat and torture these scums who think they don't have to save up to buy there pride and joys!

grouty · Expert

Good move Guy.
In other circumstances it would be nice to play them along. You could set up a scam to catch the scammers !

Gas Gas Guy · Clubman B

Just had this come through:- I insisted on paypal because i don't have access to my bank account online as i don't have internet banking and i can't go to the bank due to the nature of my job, 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 so i can make the payments asap for the merchandise and pls if you don't have paypal account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to 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. Mary.. I'm now going to set up a fake email address and play along with it, Watch this space

Big T · Expert

When selling my Firestorm, I had somebody offer to buy it unseen, and ask if I would help him arrange to ship it over to Europe. I did not have a good feeling about it, but was intrigued to know how it would pan out. After a few emails back and forward, I decided I couldn't be ****ed to pursue it so told him what I thought, and I heard no more. I can't remember the exact details, but I could tell it was a scam in the making. Funny thing is, I managed to identify the road he lived in, in Taunton, simply by googling. This made me even more intrigued, but I didn't follow it up so does anybody know how this was likely to turn out?

RichT4 · Champion

There are a few people who have websites devoted to baiting scammers, which I think is a healthy practise as if a few people can keep them busy for entertainment then fewer innocent people will get scammed.

One note about paypal though Big T - you mentioned that the scammers complain to paypal and they take the money back off you. It doesn't happen like that. Sure, it would if it happened through ebay or if you were a registered trader but for money sent as a gift there is no comeback at all, and paypal state that if you read their T&C's.
So if someone sent you cash through paypal (not linked to a purchase), or they ask you to do the same then it's just as if it was sent via the bank - no way to it reversed.
Also if the money was sent to an account for a purchase (and that account then gets emptied and maybe also closed) Paypal will not return the money to you. Paypal is only really safe for approved accounts through ebay - then I believe you are 100% safe as a buyer.

***Never assume that paying people via paypal automatically gives you protection***

As for receiving money via paypal, that depends very much on how it was sent.

Simmo · Expert

Have you actually got an ad on gumtree?

Their email sounds a bit too precise to me.

Good luck with your scam....

Rob B · Clubman B

I sold my Triumph America on Ebay to a guy in Essex. He bought it unseen, sent me £4000 by bank transfer and a week later sent a van to pick it up.

I think he was absolutly crazy and was lucky not to have been scammed!

Gas Gas Guy · Clubman B

Had a fake email from PayPal to my fake email address and basically it was on hold till the shipping company was payed which I was ment to pay via Weston union, reported it anyway, just be carefull on scumtree hehe...