How do I know if person is a scammer

[brennwood_0]

Hi- I posted an item for sale for my son and haven’t ever sold anything on eBay. Seller contacted me via eBay message giving me their Perosnal phone number asking me to text it. I did and they said for me to send them the eBay link of my item and my PayPal info so they didn’t pay the wrong person- I sent it and they said they would be purchasing it. Well, now I haven’t heard back from them- don’t know if it’s a scammer or what but I didn’t think that’s how this usually works. 

[gracieallen01]

It is a scam!

You can expect a fake notice saying that the money is waiting for you to upload tracking to prove shipment.  It is a common scam for new sellers.  NEVER text a buyer off ebay.  There is no reason, other than to scam a seller, that messages would be texted off of ebay messaging.

[inhawaii]

Oh boy.......

[jonathankirkland]

Unfortunately, you are begging to be scammed.

The scammers always look for new sellers with little to no feedback selling a very expensive item.

I'd recommend virtually anywhere else in the world or on the internet to sell your expensive item...

[bargainnation]

Block that account. There is no reason for most if not all sellers/buyers to contact each other outside of the eBay system especially before a sale.

Scammers usually target new and/or inexperienced sellers because they figure (perhaps correctly) that as a group they are easier to scam. You did the right thing by coming here to seek help/advice which is something I recommend for sellers and buyers, even those who are not so new and/or might be experienced.

[luckythewinner]

---

@brennwood_0 wrote:

Hi- I posted an item for sale for my son and haven’t ever sold anything on eBay. Seller contacted me via eBay message giving me their Perosnal phone number asking me to text it. I did and they said for me to send them the eBay link of my item and my PayPal info so they didn’t pay the wrong person- I sent it and they said they would be purchasing it. Well, now I haven’t heard back from them- don’t know if it’s a scammer or what but I didn’t think that’s how this usually works. 

---

Yes, it sounds like you are in the process of being targeted by a scammer. 

Here's how selling works on eBay: 

• You list an item and provide your payment info
• A buyer purchases the item using the payment info provided by eBay
• You ship the item when eBay tells you to using the address provided by eBay

There is no need for the buyer to:

• Contact you to tell you they are buying 
• Contact you to ask you for payment information
• Contact you to provide a shipping address 
• Contact you outside the eBay message system via text or email

The eBay site and your applicable payment process (PayPal or Managed payments, whichever eBay has told you to use) will give you all the information you need. 

Now that you have given this person your text number and your email address outside the eBay system, you need to be extra vigilant and not believe anything you get by phone, text, or email. Always log into eBay and Paypal independently (not via links in emails) and verify the message you have recieved. 

Scammers can be patient. This scammer may have harvested your text number and email address to use further down the road when this incident is well behind you and you are less suspicious. 

[releasethekraken_1]

---

@brennwood_0 wrote:

xxxxxx contacted me via eBay message giving me their Perosnal phone number asking me to text it.

That's a clear sign that it's a scam.

I did and they said for me to send them the eBay link of my item and my PayPal info so they didn’t pay the wrong person

That's a clear sign that it's a scam. 

---

Never give out your PayPal info. You'll get a fake email from "PayPal", telling you that you've been paid, but the money won't be put into your account until you provide a tracking number.

[brennwood_0]

Thank you so much. Do I need to change my PayPal info and email or anything now? I haven’t recieved a notice or anything yet. The last conversation was he was going to buy it and haven’t heard back or seen anything in 2 days. But as someone else said they could be waiting for down the road to do something. I’m such an idiot- I knew it didn’t sound right and should have followed my gut. This person has like 100 positive buyer ratings, so maybe they were hacked? I don’t know. What can I do to protect myself from this person? Obviously I’ll block them on my phone but what about email - PayPal etc do I need to do anything there??! Thank you all. I am so frustrated. 

[gracieallen01]

Glad you came to the forum for help - we try.  Usually, the general MO is to send a fake payment notice and get the newbie seller to send the item off quickly.  If there is any indication that the seller is on to them, they cut their losses and go on to the next 'scamee'.  It never hurts to change password if there is any indication that you sent them too much information or if you know that you have an 'easy' password to that they might easily try to guess.  Keep closer tabs on your account, just in case.  I've never used PayPal so someone may be along to give better advice.

[tuvo-68]

Which information did you give him? You should never give any personal info to strangers. Never do that, okay? Good luck to you.

[brennwood_0]

Thank you I texted them from my phone number but I’ve since blocked them. And I gave them my email address which is my pay PayPal. That’s all. But I’m just surprised the person has incredible buyer reviews so maybe they were hacked? Should I close this PayPal and open a new one? 

[greatstuff80]

You should report it to ebay and block them. It is a policy violation. Scammers pray on new sellers. You can bet at the very least your phone info will be sold/spammed to other scammers. Be sure to check your phone regularly for viruses. Anything you have on your phone could be at risk now. 

Read up on and be aware of all ebay policies. 

[bigyellowdog2012]

I kind of enjoy it when someone tries to scam me.

I like to give them false information if they ask for it....fake SS#, date of birth etc.

[brennwood_0]

Thank you - I’ve looked to try and report it but don’t know where the heck I’m supposed to report it to. I’m not good at this eBay stuff just doing it for my son who wants to sell the item to help towards his first car. This website etc is so all over the place. Thanks for all the help everyone. 

[carloy_75]

FRAUD