Gumtree - PayPal scam - Laura Paige

greg.frances

01 Oct 2019
I just received a reply to my Gumtree ad. I think it's a scam from laurapaige011@gmail.com...

"Great! please consider it sold as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i actually want to buy it for a relative who is in need of it, 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 me being work offshore. 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'l pay you via PayPal today. Where is the pick up location so that i can inform the courier agent about it now?"

Don't know, but sounds like they want an address, email and paypal details to scam you.

jeffuk

https://help.gumtree.com/s/article/PayPal-Scams

worried_jim

Total scam. Easy to spot.

[Deleted User]

Course they do, gumtree is intended for people to sell in person, collection and cash payment.

soolin

worried_jim wrote: »

Total scam. Easy to spot.

I'm always surprised to see scumbag scammers still trying this old scam, I can't imagine many will still fall for it.

For newbies who don't see the obvious scam, read your PayPal transaction page or emails you get when you send something. For seller protection you must have proof of delivery to the address they give you to,post to, collected items, or items sent to another address are not covered.

worried_jim

I know, must still work though.

pinkshoes

Tell them courier collection is fine but you don’t do PayPal for collection so they will have to pay via bank transfer.

soolin

pinkshoes wrote: »

Tell them courier collection is fine but you don’t do PayPal for collection so they will have to pay via bank transfer.

There is absolutely no point in wasting time talking to these scammers, they rarely expect to get any responses, and will have hundreds of other emails out there waiting for a victim to respond.

shaun_from_Africa

greg.frances wrote: »

01 Oct 2019
I just received a reply to my Gumtree ad. I think it's a scam from laurapaige011@gmail.com...
"Great! please consider it sold as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i actually want to buy it for a relative who is in need of it, i have read through the advert and i'm totally satisfied with it"

Many scammers are not exactly original when it comes down to it:
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Payments/Is-this-a-Paypal-Scam-on-Gumtree/td-p/976894

Great! please consider it 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

Or here:
https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2075443/beware-of-scams-when-selling-vehicles

And many many more times:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Great!+please+consider+it+sold+as+i+am+willing+to+pay+your+full+asking+price%22&oq=%22Great!+please+consider+it+sold+as+i+am+willing+to+pay+your+full+asking+price%22&aqs=chrome..69i57.7793j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

PiotrStockport

I got the same text and went down to contact the buyer wanting my fridge for £250 on gumtree. Exchanged couple of emails and finally she told me she's going to pay using PayPal and send courier as she's disabled. Ok I said. Next minute email from PayPal saying that I've got payment of £550 but it's not available until I transfer £300 to a courier. And the disabled lady asked me to do it as she can't pay herself due her disability.
Email from PayPal is fake. It looks as it's send from service@paypal.co.uk but if you click it it shows original email and it was paypalservicesmailcare@gmail.com; but might be whatever but not PayPal.co.uk.

lindens

PiotrStockport wrote: »

I got the same text and went down to contact the buyer wanting my fridge for £250 on gumtree. Exchanged couple of emails and finally she told me she's going to pay using PayPal and send courier as she's disabled. Ok I said. Next minute email from PayPal saying that I've got payment of £550 but it's not available until I transfer £300 to a courier. And the disabled lady asked me to do it as she can't pay herself due her disability.
Email from PayPal is fake. It looks as it's send from service@paypal.co.uk but if you click it it shows original email and it was paypalservicesmailcare@gmail.com; but might be whatever but not PayPal.co.uk.

Someone tried this scam on me about 20 years ago lol. as old as the hills (except it was a cheque not paypal)