Gumtree Scam - almost got me! Not sure what to do now though

Tunstallstoven

Hi all

I'm usually pretty good at spotting this kind of thing, but almost got caught out just now.

Someone responded to an advert asking me to get in touch with their neighbour (email address given). So I did... We chatted a fair bit. She said she definitely wanted the item (table and chairs, £50). But would have to organise a courier. Wanted to pay by PayPal. She's just sent the payment but for £350. The PP transaction notice then says I need to transfer the £300 to the courier to compete the transaction. Obviously I've not done that!

So what I'm wondering is:

- What should I do? Do I just leave it there? Report it to Gumtree? Anything / anyone else?
- Is there any risk in the them having my email address?
- More importantly, is there any risk in them having my home address? Before I twigged it was dodgy, I have them my address so that they could organise a courier.

Mildly concerned! So any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Dean000000

Can you send back £60 telling them you have found a cheaper courier and will arrange it yourself, whilst passing on the saving to them...(what a good person you are)

Then see where is goes from there?

Browntoa

Tell them the couriers been and collected the item , you paid them in cash

soolin

Seagull27 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm usually pretty good at spotting this kind of thing, but almost got caught out just now.

Someone responded to an advert asking me to get in touch with their neighbour (email address given). So I did... We chatted a fair bit. She said she definitely wanted the item (table and chairs, £50). But would have to organise a courier. Wanted to pay by PayPal. She's just sent the payment but for £350. The PP transaction notice then says I need to transfer the £300 to the courier to compete the transaction. Obviously I've not done that!

So what I'm wondering is:

- What should I do? Do I just leave it there? Report it to Gumtree? Anything / anyone else?
- Is there any risk in the them having my email address?
- More importantly, is there any risk in them having my home address? Before I twigged it was dodgy, I have them my address so that they could organise a courier.

Mildly concerned! So any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers

THERE IS NO PAYMENT

Forget the rest - escrow isn't available like that on PayPal, the email from PayPal is fake.

This is so obvious I even posted about it a week or so ago, no one should be falling for,this at all anymore.

soolin

Dean000000 wrote: »

Can you send back £60 telling them you have found a cheaper courier and will arrange it yourself, whilst passing on the saving to them...(what a good person you are)

Then see where is goes from there?

Please re read the OP, this is such an obvious scam and suggesting someone returns money they haven't even got will just encourage the scumbag scammers to continue scamming.

soolin

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5957431/gumtree-scam-very-active-this-week

Tunstallstoven

Thanks for the replies. Yes, as soon as I realised it was not genuine I could see what they were up to and knew the money wouldn't be there the email from Paypal was fake. It would be a pretty rubbish scam if they actually paid me! Although I wouldn't be complaining as I'd be £350 richer!

The reason I posted was because they have my email and home address. I'm guessing there's every chance they're not even in this country, and that they try tonnes of these scams all the time just hoping that some people bite. So while I feel ok about it on the whole, I just wanted to double check... And also to find out if I just leave it here or if I need to do anything.

Cheers

soolin

Seagull27 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Yes, as soon as I realised it was not genuine I could see what they were up to and knew the money wouldn't be there the email from Paypal was fake. It would be a pretty rubbish scam if they actually paid me! Although I wouldn't be complaining as I'd be £350 richer!

The reason I posted was because they have my email and home address. I'm guessing there's every chance they're not even in this country, and that they try tonnes of these scams all the time just hoping that some people bite. So while I feel ok about it on the whole, I just wanted to double check... And also to find out if I just leave it here or if I need to do anything.

Cheers

I wouldn't worry, these scumbags are looking for a quick victim- I assume some people do still fall for it. They don't have time to go any further once rumbled. As per my own thread my son is still getting a couple of these a week and as soon as you confront them they just disappear.

Do a google search as you will be shocked at how long they have been doing this, even before paypal it used to be done on a similar Western Union basis and yes, people used to fall for it a lot.