The PayPal debacle?!

[das997]

Hi Fellow Airstreamers:

I've got my 25'CCD for sale, and have received a number of "I'll pay you by PayPal" emails. This wouldn't disturb me, except I'm asking $30K - which seems a little high for a PayPal transaction.

In fairness, I did contact PayPal and they said it was a legit transaction, but I'm thinking that there may be a "scam" at work here.

One of the latest emails:

2004 Airstream International 25' CCD

I saw your ad on the posting site and i want to know if your 2004 Airstream International 25' CCD still available for sale,What is the asking price,I will like to pay using PayPal,After payments has been made,I will arrange for the pick-up and will you let my pick-up agent to come to you house for the pick up? Because i don't want you to worry yourself about the shipment.

Regards

No name.

Am I right to just divert these inquiries into my spam folder??

Cheers,
Doug
Curious in Canada

[jm2]

classic scam....

you really wouldn't want to pay the $$$ Paypal fees on that transaction, anyway. ask Paypal how much $$$ it would cost you, and I think that you'll strongly agree....

let the buyer present themselves in person, or even by telephone, and know who you are dealing with!

I'd be happy to be wrong - ask them for a telephone number to call them on - and you're likely to not get one.

many scammers are simply casting about to get 'your' legitimate email and phone number information, which they then sell.

if it walks, swims and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck!

best,

[Lily&Me]

I don't know that this going through PayPal is inherently s bad thing.

I use PayPal all the time. They provide some of the same assurances that a credit card does, in that if the buyer doesn't get their merchandise they take some steps to recover the money. I had to use that once, filed some sort of dispute and they reimbursed my money for something I did not receive. How they dealt with the seller, I don't exactly know.

Might want to talk with Paypal about just how this kind of transaction would work.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by jm2

classic scam....

you really wouldn't want to pay the $$$ Paypal fees on that transaction, anyway. ask Paypal how much $$$ it would cost you, and I think that you'll strongly agree....

let the buyer present themselves in person, or even by telephone, and know who you are dealing with!

I'd be happy to be wrong - ask them for a telephone number to call them on - and you're likely to not get one.

best,

Or,this could be the case.


Maggie

[Janet H]

Doug -

You can also report these inquiries to the site team here. If the inquiry came from an account here (they had to register to respond) we can track the e-mail and close the account.

The message that you posted as an example is a scam message and even designed to be used generically. Notice it says: I saw your ad on the posting site and i w....

Almost any one would actually call out the site by name. example: I saw your ad rv.net and....Scam.

[r carl]

I think if the buyer would complain to paypal after the transaction, paypay could pull the money back out of your account.

[das997]

Originally Posted by Janet

Doug -

You can also report these inquiries to the site team here. If the inquiry came from an account here (they had to register to respond) we can track the e-mail and close the account.

The message that you posted as an example is a scam message and even designed to be used generically. Notice it says: I saw your ad on the posting site and i w....

Almost any one would actually call out the site by name. example: I saw your ad rv.net and....Scam.

I never even caught that one ... " I saw your ad on the posting site and i w...

PayPal said they'd charge 3.9%, which would be another $1.2K on top of the $30K ... who'd ever wanna pay that???

Thanks again everyone!
Doug

[idroba]

As Janet said, this is a scam transaction attempt. No real person responds with language like is being used in the note. They don't ask about the rig, nor seem at all interested in it, they are going to use an "agent" to pick it up (who uses that language but a Nigerian scam artist) and "I don't want to worry yourself about the shipment" is simply not the way we respond to things. The next email will tell you that the buyer is including extra money for you to send to the "agent" to cover his cost of coming to you to pick it up.

Run, Forest, run.

[azflycaster]

Can a buyer scam you when they use paypal?

Here is some good reading on the subject:
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/...ng/td-p/186494

I would bet that some of these stories sound very similar to the email you received.

[Lily&Me]

Hmmmmm.



Maggie

[62-SS]

it is a scam. They will pay using a "donation" or transfer Paypal payment, which can be retracted without any cause or protections. Just like a western union transaction.

Besides, for 30K, I wouldn't even accept cash from someone I didn't know. I would only meet them at my bank, and let them count and verify the bills.

[noreen&sal]

Originally Posted by 62-SS

it is a scam. They will pay using a "donation" or transfer Paypal payment, which can be retracted without any cause or protections. Just like a western union transaction.

Besides, for 30K, I wouldn't even accept cash from someone I didn't know. I would only meet them at my bank, and let them count and verify the bills.

Very very sad. But in the times we are living in very true. Sal

[RoccoJohn]

There's another way to get scammed on an EBay sale.
You may get an email response that says something to the effect that the money has been deposited in your Pay pal account and now it is OK to ship the item. In the case of the Airstream that probably would not work, but if selling an item that can be shipped you might think that it is OK to ship now that the money is deposited. The email however is a fake even though it appears to be a real authentic Pay Pal message. I almost got caught by this ruse one time but luckily I checked my Pay Pal account and found that no money was ever deposited.
My advice - don't ship unless the money shows up in your Pay pal account.

[jump]

The grammar are wrong. We is not speak as like that.

Delete the email & don't even respond. If this guy is serious about doing a deal, he would include more specific info.

I have been selling things on C L & I make it clear that I will not respond to texts or email ... If they want the item, then they have to talk to me.

Good luck with your sale.

[Lily&Me]

We get fake Verizon emails periodically, billing some outrageous amount. And they are only discernible from real Verizon emails because Verizon customer support explains the difference to me.

The things one learns on AirForums.



Maggie

[ventport]

Another thing I do with PayPal, is the minute the money is in my PayPal account after I sell something, is that I move it to my bank account. I then wait for it to transfer before I ship the item. Then there is nothing in my PayPal account to get back, if it is indeed a scam.

[carl2591]

Originally Posted by ventport

Another thing I do with PayPal, is the minute the money is in my PayPal account after I sell something, is that I move it to my bank account. I then wait for it to transfer before I ship the item. Then there is nothing in my PayPal account to get back, if it is indeed a scam.

you might check but i believe paypal have the ability to reach into your bank account and get the money if needed.

plus have to use credit card as back up on most accounts.

the old "use paypal and have a shipping company come get it" is IS A SCAM..
always has been always will be.

[Aage]

Originally Posted by carl2591

you might check but i believe paypal have the ability to reach into your bank account and get the money if needed.

plus have to use credit card as back up on most accounts.

Dat's a fact, Jack. In reality, there is almost no way to assure that you cannot get ripped off selling something, short of having the buyer bring cash to your bank and have the bank verify that it's not counterfeit.

Originally Posted by carl2591

the old "use paypal and have a shipping company come get it" is IS A SCAM..
always has been always will be.

That's another fact. It should be taught in grade school so fewer people get taken!

[polarlyse]

I learned a long time ago, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is ???

[goshawks00]

Originally Posted by Aage

It should be taught in grade school so fewer people get taken!

Dat'sa a fact 2 jack!!