Potential fraud with request outside email or call cell

[jehaw_3131]

Accepted bid.  Buyer message thru Ebay asking me to accept and contact by gmail or cell.  Sent reply thru Ebay with no answer.  Sent email requesting payment thru pay pal.  They are saying they want me to send to cousin and for me to add Ebay card inside package ands they will pay for product plus the gift card plus extra for gas and shipping.  This to me is an obvious scam.  How do I handle to shut them down from doing this to someone else?

Also, do I just repost my product or do I have some sort of obligation?

[nobody*s_perfect]

You have no obligation to this "buyer" scammer.

However, you have been charged a final value fee for this transaction.  You can get a credit for the final value fee. Here is the Help page about what to do if a buyer doesn't pay:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/unpaid-items.html

When you file an unpaid item claim, eBay immediately sends the buyer a message that strongly encourages them to pay for their item within 4 days. But that's all eBay does.

If the buyer doesn't pay, then after 4 days you'll get the option to close the case, giving the buyer a strike and getting a credit for your final value fee. Do not expect to hear anything about your case directly from eBay. Either the buyer pays or they don't. If you don't close the case within 36 days after the transaction it will expire, which means no strike for the buyer and no credit for you..

[southern*sweet*tea]

Do not reply. 48 hours after the end of the sale, file an unpaid item dispute (UID). You will NOT get paid, no matter what you do.

READ the following in its entirety:

Anytime a buyer wants you to text or email them, it is a SCAM.
Do not engage with them at all. Give them no information.

Report the "buyer"

Block https://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?bidderblocklogin

Ignore

The whole idea is for the seller to be blinded with greed, or just stupidity, and for the scammer to get the seller's phone number or email address. Once that happens, the seller receives a very real looking, but very fake email stating that they have been paid, and in order to receive their funds they need to ship the item right away. Sometimes these emails will also have a phone number, for the seller to call and "verify" the transaction. That phone number is a direct line to the scammer.

These scammers depend on a seller's greed/naivete/ignorance/stupidity to ship the item without checking to see if they have actually been paid. It works surprisingly well, even with established sellers, because for some strange reason people want to "trust" emails.

There is no reason on this planet for a buyer to need a seller's email address, phone number, or any sort of financial/payment information. Everything a buyer needs is right there when they click the buy now button on a listing.

In addition to the above, anyone asking for a gift card to be included is a SCAMMER. Anyone offering to pay more for an item than the listing price is a SCAMMER. Anyone making an offer higher than the buy it now price is a SCAMMER.

As to reporting the "buyer", do file the report, but know that these scammers just come back again and again with shiny new accounts. Reports need to be sent so Ebay will realize that this is a HUGE problem.

[vintagecraze50]

This is prime time for scammers to be active on here and there have been so many of these people doing this stuff now. Probably Pandemic related trying to scam because they are out of jobs etc etc. Read Southern Sweet Teas post in entirety and do as they say.

[vintagecraze50]

I think Ebay has been letting down the guard on these email offers. Used to be these messages were scanned and warning signs were posted on these messages. I hope they are still doing this.

[simba6]

As a new seller selling high value items you can expect a lot of that. I suggest you start with low say under 25.00 items until you build some feedback. That will slow down but not stop the scammers.

[7606dennis]

At best the buyer is trying to work an off eBay deal.  At worst they are simply running a scam.  File a UID if they fail to pay within the allotted time and report their attempt to eBay.

[kh-vince]

Hi everyone,

If you believe that you or someone you know was scammed into buying eBay Gift Cards, visit our gift card page to contact customer service and find additional information related to gift card scams.

Thank you.