You are not being targeted. Dozens, if not hundreds of people got the same email. Remember what Sigene pointed out: the email referred to “items”, not the specific thing you’re selling. They don’t even know or care what you’re selling, they’re looking for a sucker. Someone is bound to bite, it it only takes one.
The rest of it may sound fishy, but this is the standard language eBay itself generates if he hasn’t created his own profile statement, so isn’t necessarily a red flag.
Didn’t know that, thanks.
For the love of the glorious republic of Kazakhstan, here’s the original trailer.
You should get enough of his voice from this:
He is definitely the guy trying to buy your ejector seat.
I replied. I asked where he is and what is his proposal. He answered:
I’m based out of Central OR (Prineville). I have family in Vancouver WA but they don’t have a truck. I have closer family that do have a truck but they are on a road trip. Should be back in early Nov. Thus I was thinking middle Nov (payment up front). If this does not work for you I can look at other options.
He can’t rent a truck?
Actually, when I got it I took it home in a Chevy Sprint.
I’ve seen a few counterfeit twenties that were successfully passed in bars. In a dark, busy bar they were close enough, but in daylight the paper was obviously way off. I don’t think you’d need a pen, unless counterfeiting has come a long way recently.
Actually, I might have had the Porsche 924 at the time. Either way, it fit in a small hatchback.
A question here. If you deposit a fake cashier’s check now, will the bank discover it’s a fraud by mid-November?
There have been cases of those “bouncing” months later. The checks are often drawn on foreign banks.
To be clear: I will not accept a cashier’s check. I’ll accept PayPal.
Shipping Address
After a purchase is made and the payment has been placed in the seller’s PayPal account, the scammer asks the seller to ship their purchased item to an invalid delivery address.
After several failed delivery attempts, the shipping company flags the item as undeliverable in their system. The scammer then contacts the shipping company and gives them a new, valid shipping address.
When the scammer gets their shipment, they file a complaint with PayPal claiming that the item was never delivered. The seller has no proof of delivery, because their transaction detail shows only the original, invalid address. PayPal’s Seller Protection doesn’t cover shipments made to addresses that aren’t on file, so the seller loses both the item they shipped and the payment funds.
The buyer wants to pick it up or have it picked up. I intend to have him or his relative sign a receipt, perhaps with a photo of a driver’s license.
Overpayment
Sometimes, a scammer may make a payment to a seller’s PayPal account that exceeds the cost of the item they are purchasing.
I thought this was a cashier’s check scam. How would I protect myself against this?
Fake Email
Scammers may send forged emails to sellers that appear to be from PayPal, stating that the scammer paid money into the seller’s account and that PayPal has placed a hold on the funds and will not release them until the seller sends a shipment tracking number.
PayPal does not work this way; they do not hold funds in escrow.
Good to know.
Phishing Email
i think I’m pretty good at smelling out phishing emails. Like, I never click on the link in a suspicious email.
Hacked PayPal
Once a scammer has hacked into somebody else’s PayPal account (as in the case of the phishing email scam), they can make purchases and send payments with the money from the account they have taken over.
A seller might receive notice of a purchase and ship an item, only to later be told by PayPal that the transaction was fraudulent and that the transaction must be reversed. PayPal may reimburse the seller if they are able to confirm that the account that made the payment was hacked.
In this case, the buyer wants to pay upfront and pick up the item later. If the account is hacked, I think the actual owner would be notified before the item is picked up.
- Before accepting a payment, look out for red flags. Requests to rush shipments, accept partial payments, or accept payments split up between multiple PayPal accounts are all strong indicators of fraudulent activity.
- Items that have a high resale value or are in high demand are especially attractive to fraudsters. Before shipping out especially valuable items, double check shipping and billing addresses to make sure they match.
- Even customers with valid credentials may commit “friendly fraud” out of ignorance or impatience. When shipping high-value items, insist on signature confirmation on delivery.
- Sign up for PayPal’s Seller Protection Program, and PayPal will monitor your transactions for signs of fraud.
No request to rush shipment, no indication of partial payment or multiple payments. The seat has a ‘high’ resale value, but is not in high demand. I will require a signed receipt. I’m not sure how to sign up for PayPal’s Seller Protection Program, and I don’t know if it would cover this particular transaction as it would not be shipped.
I just posted the Onebox to point out that even paying through PayPal can’t fully protect you from scams.
The fact is, there’s plenty of indicators this guy is a scammer. I don’t know what form it will take but that’s the end game.
Drop the clown.
yeah, eBay is almost 100% Paypal, so why posters keep going on and on about fake cashiers checks i dont know.
If someone posts here on the SDMB asking about a sale- 90% of the replies will say “scam!”.
If he pays thru paypal, and later picks up, i don’t see how the poster can be scammed.
Yes, some odd things, but as long as the OP doesnt take a check, I dont see a issue.
I reached out to PayPal and got this reply [emphasis mine]:
As long as your buyer will send the payment as for ‘goods’, you will be covered by our seller’s protection program. Please always provide proof of delivery and communicate with us through the resolution center. You can just do the usual process for shipping the item even though the customer ask for a pick up delivery. It is best to keep your protection. Even though for example: the buyer file for a charge back or dispute, we can help you with the investigation based on the proof you provided to us.
I asked if a signed receipt and a photo of his (or his relative’s) driver’s license would be sufficient proof to protect me from a chargeback.
Yeah, but it’s possible perhaps that they may not be paying attention, maybe?
I personally know people who were scammed online, one for tens of thousands of dollars, so I tend to be really cautious.
Could you ask the person why the email doesn’t match the account information? Perhaps get some verification such as ID which matches the account? They could email you photos of their drivers license.
I recently purchased an item on eBay and asked the seller if I could pick it up instead of having it shipped (I was going to be in the area, and the shipping cost was more than half the cost of the item). He had to tweak something on his end so that I wouldn’t get charged for shipping, I paid via PayPal, and eBay sent me a code to give to the seller when I received the item to prove to the system that everything went as planned.