Is this a scammer ?

CompairHolman

I received this message via gumtree for a £40 item i am selling, I can't see any obvious risk but it reads like a scam to me. The only thing I can imagine is if they pay then somehow cancel the payment after they collect the item ?






"Great! please consider both sold as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap, i have read through the advert and i'm totally satisfied with it,sadly i would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and I'm just recovering from heart surgery so I'm home-bound.

I have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and i'll pay you via PayPal once you are ready.
Kindly get back to me with your location so that i can inform the courier agent about it now?"

•••

soolin

CompairHolman wrote: »

I received this message via gumtree for a £40 item i am selling, I can't see any obvious risk but it reads like a scam to me. The only thing I can imagine is if they pay then somehow cancel the payment after they collect the item ?






"Great! please consider both sold as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap, i have read through the advert and i'm totally satisfied with it,sadly i would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and I'm just recovering from heart surgery so I'm home-bound.

I have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and i'll pay you via PayPal once you are ready.
Kindly get back to me with your location so that i can inform the courier agent about it now?"

•••

Yes of course is it and I am concerned that you need to ask.

Your first check would be to paypal seller protection , when buyer claims their money back due to item not received how are you going to defend that when you have not arranged the courier and don't know where it is going? There is a sticky post on postage here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3146680

I suggest you read it as you are just asking to be scammed .

Always consider what protection you have when you sell, never let anything go until you are happy you know how to stay safe. Then educate others to ensure that these filthy scammers no longer find easy victims.

sadie22

Yes this is scam it goes on every minute of the day, Never accept paypal , let people give you cash on the door, Gumtree is full of scams unfortunately

soolin

For information and for any other newbies reading this, go and have a look at your paypal payment emails. There are variations on them but most will say something like :

You received a payment of £19.25 GBP from xxxxx
Thanks for using PayPal. You can now send any items. To see all the transaction details, log in to your PayPal account.

It may take a few moments for this transaction to appear in your account.
This item is eligible for Seller Protection.
Don't forget to:

Send the item to the delivery address below within 7 days.
Please note: items delivered in person or to a different address are not covered by Seller Protection.
Use a trackable proof of delivery.

Find out more about Seller Protection

Reversals:
Please be aware that your payment can still be reversed, (e.g. if it is subject to a chargeback), even after you have sent the item to your buyer. Complying with PayPal's Seller Protection and following the trading guidelines on our Security page helps to protect you from things like chargebacks.

You must get into the habit of reading things that involve money, otherwise you are an easy target for these rotten scammers.

CompairHolman

Does this reversal scam apply to eBay as well ?

Are bank transfers safer ?

soolin

CompairHolman wrote: »

Does this reversal scam apply to eBay as well ?

Are bank transfers safer ?

The rules for PayPal are the same regardless of where it is used, the thread I referred you to above explains it all.

Bank transfers within the UK are safe for a seller, just ship the day after receiving payment.

bxboards

The language alone screams Nigerian scammer, along with the claimed multiple afflictions to try to get sympathy.

As a reminder - Gumtree is ONLY for face to face sales. This is plastered all over that site, so I've never entirely understood why folks ignore the warnings there and ask over here! Utterly baffling behaviour too be honest.

hollydays

It's always for their cousin or nephew!

soolin

hollydays wrote: »

It's always for their cousin or nephew!

I've noticed that recently they have stopped the 'for my nephew who is a missionary' line, just to add religion in to guilt people.

CompairHolman

I have told them to collect the item from another non existent address across town, might as well waste their time ?