Help with a possible scam - moneygram and square trade

helen21_2

stavros wrote:

emuluian: thanks...just what i thought...sorry you lost your money!

payless: i've already asked the seller this twice but he hasn't answered me :P

helen: didn't know second chance offers still go through ebay..thanks for the info..not done one before myself..and i don't think this will be my first hopefully i'll have warned the other bidders though

Yes - Second chance offer should come to you through e-bay, and it will be a buy-it-now. Only you can see this page and buy the item. it is still the same as an e-bay normal transaction. If this is not the case - DO NOT BUY

helen21

Curry_Queen

I'm a very paranoid and cynical person by nature, but on reading the emails above I wouldn't touch this with a barge pole :eek:

The wording and spellings are very similar to the usual Nigerian/Western Union etc scams and looks very dodgy to me. Proceed with caution!!!

geo555

Sounds like a definate scam.
This is a regular scam, usally with laptops or plasma tv's. It is not always the original seller, somehow, someone gets your details pretends to be the seller.
Alarm bells should ring with someone who wants paying by Western Union, Moneygram etc.
If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

stavros_2

lol already forgotten about the item guys...just emailed ebay to report it and also other bidders to warn them off!

helen21_2

stavros wrote:

lol already forgotten about the item guys...just emailed ebay to report it and also other bidders to warn them off!

Glad to hear you made your decisions, and glad that maybe we helped just a little. Dont let this put you off e-bay there are hundreds of scammers but are also thousand of genuine sellers. Good luck

Helen21

stavros_2

thanks to all

just to let you know it's been confirmed as a scam by ebay

unfortunately can't email bidders as have run out of my allowance for the day on ebay...d'oh!

brantwood150

I know you've already decided not to proceed but I thought I'd add my piece on the subject.

This is quite clearly a scam. Square Trade do not offer an escrow service. Look around the Square Trade websiteand you will not find any reference to escrow services. It is a common scammers trick to try and add credibility to themselves by referring to well known reputable "partners" in their correspondence.

They will send you emails from a domain name which includes the words "Square Trade" but will be nothing to do with the real Square Trade. The payment methods they specify are the scammers favourites, especially Western Union, because they are like cash but they can pick them up anywhere in the world - they do not need a bank account to have them paid into. When you make the payment to them it does not go into escrow, it can be collected by them straight away.

Don't be fooled. Do your homework if anything out of the ordinary like this comes up. Google some of the phrases used in the email correspondence and see how many other people have had the same thing and what happened to them.

stavros_2

hmm....despite me saying no earlier today i have just received this email...

Hello,
Look how the deal will be: You`ll transfer the money from your name to somebody else name using WesternUnion (your best friends name,boss name) in London,UK.Once i have the payment confirmation i will shipp the package imediately.After you`ll receive the pack you have to change the receiver name into my name so i can pick up the money.Like that you`ll have 100% safety for your money,i will have a warranty that you really have the money and we`ll finish the deal in 2 working days.Let me know your full name and adress so i can make a reservation at the UPS agency if you agree with me.
Thank you!

---The question is: should I string him along or just forget about it? What do you think?

Curry_Queen

I might be tempted to string him along and set a trap

There was a thread about something like this a while back and someone posted a website showing exactly what they did, but I forget where it was now ... would be worth doing a search though

MissG_2

Go on, string him along!!! If i was you i would keep an eye on his auctions and warn people what he is really doing.

If you wish PM me with the details of the username and i will do the same, people like this need to have their fingers removed so they cant do things like this.

We are honest sellers/buyers on Ebay and people like this are giving such a great thing a bad name.

Regards

Kelly