Fake PayPal payment

[judschul_8]

Hey, I wanted to sell a camera with 5 objects and suddenly I got a buyer who was willed to pay the whole price. I thought it was amazing! So I checked the buyers site and it said that he was a member since 2015 and also had quite good reviews. So he wrote and said that his address is in England even though the eBay page said he was from America. Strange I thought but anyway, I wanted to sell the camera. Suddenly, the Buyer said, that she wants more pictures from the camera and that I have to send it to her mail. I did so and she said that the payed the price via PayPal. I checked but there wasn't a payment done. Suddenly, I received an email  that she payed but due to new arrangements I only receive the money only if my parcel was shipped.  Of course I was curios and asked the buyer if she could send me some evidence that she made the payment. She did send me a picture and so I shipped the camera. Anyway, the next day I still had no money. I checked the PayPal email and found out, that this is some kind of new betrayal via eBay. So if anyone receive the same email that the payment is 90% done and you have to ship the article: DON'T! Then I checked again the reviews and saw, that they were fake too! There was no clear item listed or price which you can see on real reviews. 

Luckily my parcel was still at the post office and I was able to get it back. But I clearly learned from that. Anyway, just wanted to inform you guys and I'm interested if something similar had happened to one of you as well. 

[coffeebean832]

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@judschul_8 wrote:

Luckily my parcel was still at the post office and I was able to get it back. But I clearly learned from that.

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You are very lucky, indeed! Never give your e-mail to a buyer before payment has cleared because it subjects you to scams such as the fake payment one you encountered, and it can also result in eBay charging you for taking a sale off-site.

If a buyer wants more photos send them through the eBay message system. Never ship anything if the funds are not in your account.

[reallynicestamps]

It's nothing new. This is why experience sellers tell newbies to ONLY look at their own PP account for proof of payment.

Send that fake email to spoof@paypal.com.  It helps them police their site.

the buyers site and it said that he was a member since 2015 and also had quite good reviews.

Is there a gap between his last feedback and today?  That indicates a hacked account.

If there is anything about what he was buying and it differs wildly what he "bought" from you that is a possible indication of a hacked account.

she wants more pictures from the camera and that I have to send it to her mail

Requests for more pictures can be handled through eBay Messages. There is no need for private emails. And eBay can and will penalize members who they decide are setting up off-eBay transactions.

payed but due to new arrangements I only receive the money only if my parcel was shipped.

Time to nope right out of there.

Just for fun-- Google Maps the address in the fake email. 

[ittybitnot]

 even though the eBay page said he was from America. Strange I thought but anyway, I wanted to sell the camera.

I would imagine that is why this scam still works after all these years...sellers WANT to Sell and often don't pay attention to what is actually going on.   Be thankful you didn't fall for this. 

[effie*s_trinkets]

when I sell something, I always check paypal to see if the money is there. NEVER ship anything without confirming you have received the payment!! You were lucky you were able to retrieve it from the post office.

[bonjourami]

Ancient scam.

[findingfinds888]

I honestly don't know why anyone would check their email account for a paypal payment. If its paid, it will show as paid in ebay. If you need more verification than that (that the buyer actually marked it as paid but I don't think they can do that anymore) then the ONLY place to check is checking your paypal account.

I never even look at my email addy for anything. All messages go direct to ebay. All contact is through ebay. That email addy is only for PP & ebay and I don't use it for anything else. Don't know if anyone tried this on me as I wouldn't ever look at a "you've got money!" email from PP. If its not paid IN PP and showing that in Ebay, then its not paid.

[luckythewinner]

OP, 

You now understand that the request for more pictures was really just a ruse to obtain your email address, so "she" could send you a phishing email. You should always log into PayPal directly to verify that a transaction exists and that the payment has cleared. 

Common sense should always rule the day ... have you ever bought anything from an ecommerce website where the seller was required to ship the product to you *before* receiving payment from you? 

[kevinryborz]

I'm so thankful that you posted this.

Someone tried the same **bleep** with me today and I was skeptical because of the different names and that nothing about that payment showed up on the official paypal site.

I almost shipped it but thanks to your post I didn't

Thank you for letting us know!!!

[gracieallen01]

@Anonymous 

alan@ebay 

It would seem that this scam is getting more popular - and, perhaps better known and more refined.  Many others and various other forms of scamming aren't 'going away', either.

Shouldn't there be a way for ebay to post this in a 'stand-out' form of an 'Alert' or 'Be Aware' type of section for all sellers and buyers to be able to find, and be able to read up on?  Hasn't ebay had it's head buried in the sand long enough?

Yes, it might give others hints, suggestions or knowledge of how to scam, but, as it stands now, the scams are already in use and people are getting hit for big amounts. The more people that are aware of the scams will help curb their success and use, rather than ignoring them and hoping they will just go away.  The scams aren't going to go away.  It seems that ebay is one of many place that doesn't acknowledge that this type of thing takes place.  Unfortunately, one can find information on 'how to' rip off sellers on most any college campus, many blogs, various hacker site, etc., but nothing 'out there and in sight' on ebay.  Doesn't ebay think that doing something proactive and up front might help their reputation?  Wouldn't ebay like to help it's reputation?  Even a knowledgeable 'one person team' could get something useful up in a fairly short period of time, and maintain it.

Sites that publish fake Lalique or Tiffany marks don't seem to cause more fake items to be made.  Sites that show comparisons of real of real signatures and autographs vs fakes and forgeries don't seem to cause more fakes to be passed along.  They help people to be aware and be more able to protect themselves - even if they do have to take the responsibility of looking things up.

Perhaps bringing it up to some people in a position to do something about it might help get something - more than very little, if anything - done to educate ebay users.  Not everybody uses the forums and a lot of the social media is yet another source for 'how to' information.

[csbbct]

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@gracieallen01 wrote:

@Anonymous 

alan@ebay 

It would seem that this scam is getting more popular - and, perhaps better known and more refined.  Many others and various other forms of scamming aren't 'going away', either.

Shouldn't there be a way for ebay to post this in a 'stand-out' form of an 'Alert' or 'Be Aware' type of section for all sellers and buyers to be able to find, and be able to read up on?  Hasn't ebay had it's head buried in the sand long enough?

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This particular scam seems to be so rampant now for new eBay sellers, warnings for it should be part of a "welcome new seller" letter from eBay.  eBay likes to promote they have seller protection policies so let them start with the the easiest, most protective, and most effective of all of them - warning new sellers about these scams!

[luckythewinner]

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@gracieallen01 wrote:

Perhaps bringing it up to some people in a position to do something about it might help get something - more than very little, if anything - done to educate ebay users.  Not everybody uses the forums and a lot of the social media is yet another source for 'how to' information.

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IMHO, the "how to sell" pages is the place for  this information. It should call out the fact that sellers should verify a payment has been received before shipping. Maybe in a highlight box on the "Getting paid" page for new sellers:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold?id=4135

Oh, wait. It's already there.

[castlemagicmemories]

@luckythewinner 

Yes, it is there but I think it could be clearer.  Stating verifying that a payment has been made and that you have received the funds may be interpreted by  a new seller as well, I got an email that said I was paid so I must be.

Saying specifically, Please check your Paypal account to be sure that the payment has been made and that it is ok to ship, would be clearer.  Never ship before receiving payment.

Having it in multiple locations would not hurt, either.  

[gracieallen01]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@gracieallen01 wrote:

Perhaps bringing it up to some people in a position to do something about it might help get something - more than very little, if anything - done to educate ebay users.  Not everybody uses the forums and a lot of the social media is yet another source for 'how to' information.

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IMHO, the "how to sell" pages is the place for  this information. It should call out the fact that sellers should verify a payment has been received before shipping. Maybe in a highlight box on the "Getting paid" page for new sellers:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold?id=4135

Oh, wait. It's already there.

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How about something titled, in bold, like:

FREQUENT SCAMS ?

[ravenofthehills]

Don't give your email, don't send an email to them. Problem solved