Possible scam but not sure how!

making_endsmeet

Hi,

Just after a quick bit of advice on this.

I run a website selling physical items as opposed to a service. We have had an enquiry from Abu Dhabi for a potential order worth approx £10k. The buyer wants to collect from us in the UK so this isn't an issue.

Once I sent the pro forma the buyer then stated that our items were part of a larger order (from numerous suppliers) and that an overpayment had been made in the region of £70k (his reasoning is that the accounts department thought all the items were coming from one supplier - us - as opposed to a few different suppliers).

I'm suspicious of this but am trying to work out if an over payment has indeed been made, and I just refund the difference then how could this be a scam?

Just to say - it could well be a genuine order and a genuine payment error on their part but part of me is questioning it!

Thanks in advance!


Also - I've googled everything from the company name, contact number, persons name etc and nothing unusual is coming up

Nat1977

How did they pay?

making_endsmeet

They haven't paid yet (well funds aren't showing) but will be by electronic bank transfer.

earthstorm

making_endsmeet wrote: »

They haven't paid yet (well funds aren't showing) but will be by electronic bank transfer.

that large amount by bank transfer and them saying they have overpaid sound like a money laundering scam. i would not accept this order. Maybe worth speaking to your bank manager about this

making_endsmeet

My original thought was money laundering but he has given me an invoice address and has literally just given me a contact number (starting with an Abu Dhabi country code).

I've not had a chance to call it yet but I'm thinking why would they be happy to give out this info if it was a scam/money laundering?

He reckons the money will hit the account tomorrow so I think a call to the bank will be in order before I do anything!

Thanks

skylight

Its a usual scam but on a larger scale than I've seen before.

They claim to have sent more money than necessary, then expect you to refund the difference AND send goods. The money may appear in your account but will un-appear quite quickly as they payments are usually made from another unsuspecting victims account who get their money back when they complain to the bank. Or they pay into your account a fake money order type draft that is not picked up until the bank deals with the admin side of things in a few days.

Anyway, the upshot is, your account will be drained of £70k and you will have lost the value of the goods too. (£0 balance, they pay in £70K, you refund £60k direct to them, leaves you with £10K? Nope, because the bank will bounce the £70k paid in, leaving you with an overdraft now of £70k)

making_endsmeet

So if I wait a week or so (after speaking to the bank) before I do anything any fake money etc will have time to 'un show' and I won't have lost anything as no goods will have been despatched etc.

I will call the bank tomorrow and explain the situation and also make sure that no goods leave us until this is confirmed as a genuine error or turns out to be a 'fake' transfer.

Thanks for your replies.

skylight

The bank should be well aware of this type of scam. Not strictly business, but the eBay board will have plenty of people who can advise about this scam.

The bank also may not be able to tell how the money was paid into your account. If the scammers pay in a money draft over the counter, these tend to come up as "cash". They will also not be able to tell you it the money has come from a phoney account or fraudulently stolen; someone may not notice the money missing for sometime.

No-one, accidentally over pays by £70k. Your "spidey senses" are tingling for a reason, even though a £10k order would be fantastic if it were real.

making_endsmeet

OK thanks for the advice.

I'll call the bank tomorrow and won't be refunding anything or sending any goods until the bank confirm whether the money has fully cleared or if it is indeed fake/scam.

Thanks

martinthebandit

http://www.bfm.org.uk/news/bfm-news/141-june-2012-scam.html

Sorry but without a shadow of a doubt its a scam

paddyrg

Yep - overpayment scam which relies on flashing your account with a hacked bank account/stolen cheque/etc and getting you to send the cash balance via some irreversible wire transfer before the reversal is done!

What are the goods? I've spent about 6 months of the last 2 years in Abu Dhabi and know some things are realistic needs, others are not. May help reassure you!