eBay

pint.nich · ‎10-25-2019

Buyer offered way higher for the item than it was listed for. I accepted the offer and was asked to text him I did, he asked if I could purchase a $300 steam wallet gift card for him and send it with the item I was selling. Offered to pay everything over PayPal including shipping to an address in a different location than the one his account was listed under, because it was a "gift for his cousin".

He claimed to send the payment but really sent me a fake email confirmation that PayPal received a payment from him, which I found in my spam folder. I contacted PayPal to verify the email and if they had really received this payment. They confirmed my suspicions by stating there were no pending payments made to me and they never sent the email. I was further instructed to forward it to spoof@paypal.com.

The email looks like it would come from PayPal. When I hovered over the links they were legitimate PayPal links. I don't want this to be attempted to someone else and they fall for it. So, I am attaching all evidence and making the eBay community aware.

Stay safe!

fashunu4eeuh · ‎10-25-2019

Hi, thank goodness you did not fall for this old scam. As a new seller with high dollar items, you are a scam magnet for this kind of fraud. Never, ever give out your PayPal email address or your phone number. That is a big red flag, as is someone offering payment in excess of your asking price. All communication needs to take place in your eBay messages. Insist on that. It is also a violation of policy for contact information to be exchanged via eBay, and can get a seller in hot water with eBay. Once the sale is made and confirmed, all the contact info is available then.

Thank you for coming to the board with information on this scam even tho it is an old one. It doesn't hurt for other new sellers who may not be familiar with these scams to read about other's experiences.

fashunu4eeuh · ‎10-25-2019

PS--Board policy prohibits naming of other members, even when it is in the community's best interests to know a fraudster's info. The mods may redact the info or remove the post, FYI for future posts. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your scam experience. It surely saved another eBayer from a nightmare transaction.