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09/07/2006 06:37:12 PM · #1 |
I put my camera on ebay for sale cause no one here bought it.
Ebay Link
Well the guy that bought it sent this e-mail to me:
Hello,
Season's greetings to you,how is business and all other things hope all are in good condition. well I'm Mr Richard Freeman from CA,but Presently i'm leading a trade fair program in Austrialia.I saw your item(260028933723)and ill like to buy it for my grandson that studying Computer science in University of Nigeria Next week as a gift.Do not worry about the shipping of the item,i have an account with FEDEX and ill be sending you my FEDEX account number for the shipping and if you deceide in sending the itemyou can add the shipping cost on the product you can still do it.Moreover i would have prefer to send you a cheque but simply because i want you to ship the item first thing tomorrow morning,i will be sending you the payment via PAYPAL,and so make sure you get the package ready for tomorrow shipment ok And kindly send me your paypal address,so i can make the payment right away.
Well then I got another e-mail stating that the money was approved but would not be in my account until I provided a tracking number.
Well this got me suspicious. So I called paypal and they said they were investigating this kind of stuff. So be aware people. Now I have to file a Non payment disput and wait until that is over before I can relist.
Just wanted to warn everyone
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09/07/2006 06:43:22 PM · #2 |
Bummer!
I also bid on a camera, lost the bid but then got a second chance notification saying that the seller had re-listed. The email looked convincing - all of the eBay logos and typical wording - but one of the e-mail addresses was to a Yahoo account! Anyhow, checked it all through and then discovered the seller's reputed address and - lo and behold - no one of that name lived there! Bit more checking through other channels revealed this for the scam it was.
This is a timely warning, though, and thanks for sharing such a dreadful experience. |
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09/07/2006 06:46:49 PM · #3 |
| Ahhh you fell prey to the infamous 419 Nigerian Scammers! More info HERE. You could turn it around and have some fun with them if you were so inclined...Best thing though is to report them to Paypal and eBay. |
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09/07/2006 06:47:03 PM · #4 |
Yea, there are some creative scammers out there. What I prefer the simple ebay transaction like it always been.
Shipping is always by you, but paid by the purchaser. YOU ship when you recieve (meaning can obtain and transfer) money for the item and shipping.
Some scams work by compounding things, making them seem all complicated, but acting like they have worked it out and expect you to go along with it. Keep it simple.
When people send crap like that, especially stuff like "I have an account with Fedex. Don't worry about shipping it.. yadayada" be very suspicious.
Bottom line, don't ship until you have control of the full amount of
money.
Edit: and thanks for the warning.
Message edited by author 2006-09-07 18:48:38. |
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09/07/2006 06:47:26 PM · #5 |
yes, my dad has gotten emails like that. basically, never do anything with paypal through email, because it may not be paypal. even if the email gives u a link to a site that looks like paypal, it may not be.
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09/07/2006 06:49:29 PM · #6 |
Well I reported it to ebay and paypal. Paypal said they are investigating. Ebay were assholes saying I have to ait until the 14th before I can do anything. So it sits waiting to be sold. I told them that was wrong. I replied to the guy telling him his scam was up to retract his bid and that I have reported him.
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09/07/2006 07:00:35 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by rex:
Ebay were assholes saying I have to ait until the 14th before I can do anything. |
Typical... Ebay doesn't care as long as they get thier fees. Paypal isn't any better really.
Guys, do be careful when buying/selling big ticket items on E-bay, it is FULL of scammers, both "buyers and sellers".
Rex, maybe you should try listing at Wagglepop instead of holding on to the camera.
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09/07/2006 07:12:31 PM · #8 |
Yes, Rex, eBay can do some pretty stupid things. We bought an item, paid for it thru paypal, only to have eBay cancel the auction.... after it had closed. We were left hanging, unable to contact the seller since the listing was gone.
Fortunately, HE contacted us, and sent the item. (There are some honest people out there).
We contacted eBay about 5 times explainingg the situation to them, and they just kept saying the same thing... we were out of luck. REALLY PISSED ME OFF. And it's seems impossible to talk to a live body.
Anyway, out of all of hundreds of transactions with them, it's been pretty good overall.
Our account has been hacked into a few times, with someone listing really expensive equipment under our name, and leaving us to pay the fees. Both times eBay caught it just about the same time I did, and made it right (that's when I was really active so was watching everything closely).
I'm really glad you didn't get stung for the cash, but sorry you have to wait to relist.
Good luck.
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09/07/2006 07:14:46 PM · #9 |
| Red light went of as soon as I read "for my grandson that studying Computer science in University of Nigeria". |
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09/07/2006 07:20:11 PM · #10 |
| That exact same information was sent to me nearly a year ago when I sold my old Fuji! |
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09/07/2006 07:23:15 PM · #11 |
I stopped using ebay for a while, then one day got an email saying I was saling a motorcycle. I checked it out and found out a lady had posted it on my profile somehow, and it was costing me $40.00 for the ad space on ebay.
Well, I fixed the problem, cancelled ebay, and changed my password EVERYWHERE.
Scary Stuff.
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09/07/2006 07:48:46 PM · #12 |
yes, my dad has gotten emails like that. basically, never do anything with paypal through email, because it may not be paypal. even if the email gives u a link to a site that looks like paypal, it may not be.
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09/07/2006 09:50:16 PM · #13 |
| I put a motion picture camera on ebay for sale and got the exact same thing. If you look at the email from "paypal" you will find the email is a fraud (just look at the bogus email address). Most of the users that try that scam have 0 feedback and created the account the day they attempt the fraud. I finally relisted and had 5 more scam attempts (all different) before I finally gave up trying to sell the camera on ebay. Six months later I finally sold the camera through another channel. I was completely frustrated with ebay's system. They just do not care about legitimate ebay customers. i'll never use ebay again for selling. |
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09/07/2006 10:14:30 PM · #14 |
| I have had tons of no pays on e-bay. It all works out in the end if you follow ebays policies on that. It just takes forever which is a bummer if you are trying to sell your gear quick. |
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09/08/2006 12:23:06 AM · #15 |
1. I NEVER ship until the funds are mine. Be it in my PayPal account or a check that's cleared FIRST.
2. I got a second chance offering once. I emailed the person that had the auction and he said he didn't send it to me.
3. If someone says they have an account with FedEx, UPS, etc (I have one myself) and wants you to charge that account, call that shipping company and see if the account is valid. They may not give you all the info, but you should be able to get enough to verify the buyer is truthful.
4. I will only ship something to the address attached to the PayPal account. If the buyer doesn't want that, he can buy the item somewhere else.
With a little caution and common sense, there's no reason anyone should be able to scam you out of any money. Hacking your account is a different story. A hack is a hack, the best you can do is limit to any amount that can be 'stolen'. |
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09/08/2006 07:25:44 PM · #16 |
There are some phoney Paypal emails doing the rounds - you can recieve an email that looks like Paypal confirmation of payment but is a scam. For this reason I log into my Paypal account and check BEFORE I send the item...
That email had a several warning signs...
(1) Nigeria - home of the scammers
(2) Shipping to be organsied by the buyer - no legitamte reason for that, they buyer agrees to the sellers shipping arrangements by winning the auction
(3) Asking for extra details eg "your paypal address" - he doesn't need it - he should just pay you through the link on your listing...
Basically anything that is trying to circumvent Ebay's normal procedures sets off warnig bells for me...
I'm very glad you spotted it in time. |
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