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Fake paypal payment scam

Someone attempted to scam me on a sale today. I received emails from "paypal" that linked back to an aol.com address and the money never showed up in eBay or PayPal.

The emails said I would need to send the item before the funds would be released. SCAM!

The emails was also FULL of typos so that's a dead giveaway. Scammers are smart, but they're still lazy uneducated pieces of garbage and that trips them up every time.
Message 1 of 33
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32 REPLIES 32

Fake paypal payment scam

As an ocassional (inexperienced) seller on this eBay ID, your hi-end items are bound to attract attention from scammers.

 

Thankfully, you were smart enough to check your PayPal account directly to see if the payment had cleared.  However, NEVER rely on any info regarding buyer payments in your eBay account... PP is the *bank* in this transaction, and scammers can easily manipulate the cute little icons in eBay.  Scammers also send fake PP email notifications, so again, going directly to your PP account is a MUST.

 

The emails said I would need to send the item before the funds would be released. SCAM!

 

Because you're not a steady seller, it's highly likely that PayPal will assign you to their 21-Day Hold process.  This does mean that you'll have to ship & prove delivery before your money is released.  However, PP will still show the complete cleared payment transaction details.  Read the link below so you understand what you need to do to protect yourself & get the money released at the earliest possible time:

 

http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/payment_unavailable.html

 

Note:  Items you're selling with a cost + shipping charge in excess of $750 require both online viewable tracking and signature confirmation.  Insurance is at your discretion, but don't be mis-led into thinking that the USPS insurance tracking number is sufficient... it isn't.

 

Good luck!

Graciously grin when you growl...lion.gif

Message 2 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

Seems op knew all that and more.

Way to go 😊 akatkin
age is a measure of time , wisdom is the measure of how we used that time
Message 3 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

same thing happened to me....

Message 4 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

Same thing happened to me a few times. The person even manage to get my phone number from EBay and sent text to me asking for my paypal email address and then sent fake Paypal email to me that looked like they already made the payment and asking to ship the item out right away. When is ebay going to do something about it. 

Message 5 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

I received this very convincing email today: do not clic any links

 

 

Message 6 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

They are getting more and more sophisticated, even when you tell them you know its a scam they still argue with you and then leave negative feedback. I BLAME EBAY !10000%
Message 7 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

Same here. A buyer from ebay said is interested in a listing item of mine and asked my email for paypal account, he/she said would pay shortly and asked me to send the item overnight or next day delivery. Then I received couple emails from "Paypal". In the emails, it said:

"Important Note: User Protection Policy (USPS) is applied, this payment wouldn't clear or appear on your PayPal payment history until we confirm proof of postage.
When sending the tracking number reference to this payment notification by replying to it."

The other two emails are transaction ID and Receipt of the payment.

But I could't find the transaction on Paypal or ebay. So I confirmed it is a scam. I am a new user on EBAY, I think that is why scammer chose me.

Message 8 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

NEVER change the way that you ship at a buyer's request.  NEVER give them the email address. If you are a newbie, you are prime meat for scammers.  You can write in your ads that you will ONLY ship an item after you  have verified the payment in your ebay account.    By newbie , I also means those folks that rarely sell on ebay or you haven't sold in years.  Be careful.  Don't list anything here that you can't afford to lose.   If you haven't sold in years or never sold,  why the heck are you starting by listing an expensive item like a phone?   That is one thing that I do not understand.  Sometimes, "newbies" are looking to get scammed.  Protect yourself.  It's a bad world out there.

Message 9 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

A real simple test: if the PayPal email message did not/does not come from the address service@paypal.com, it is FAKE. The paypal blue logo can be there and all of that, with perfect spelling and everything.  BUT all of their "you got money", "you have a money request" AND the receipts for actual payment come from that address. Additionally, log into your paypal account and if it is legitimate, it will show in your account details! With these steps you can avoid that scam entirely!

Message 10 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

PayPal favors the side of buyer scammers, forcing refunds for items that buyers fraudulently claim as “not recieved” then charges you a service fee without giving you an option to reject.  eBay partners with PayPal and also charges a listing fee.  So, overall, after sending an item, eBay and PayPal will charge you a fee while buyer gets full refund and your item.  You lose money and the item you sold.  There is no such thing as seller protection.

Message 11 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

How much is that fee?

Message 12 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

I also received a scam offer to buy my item. I am a new seller, so I was ripe for the picking, I guess. The buyer also asked me to text them for some additional details, so I did, and they wanted me to buy a $300 EBay gift card to accompany the item I was selling. That’s when I became a bit suspicious. Then they said that they had sent the PayPal payment, but it never showed up in my Paypal account. I was instructed to look in my spam folder for the email from PayPal (my paypal emails never go to spam!) and then I read the “payment” email. It demanded that I send a photo of the gift card and the item being shipped, then the “money will be released”. That’s not how it works, so I began asking more questions of the “buyer” and told them I was suspicious, and suddenly I haven’t heard from them any more. So, for EBay, it’s also seller beware. Thank goodness I haven’t lost my item or anything else-I may get a **bleep** review, but I have also sent off my dispute info, so hopefully all will end well. I have taken photos of the email and of the text exchanges, so I have documentation of all that went on. I always wonder how awesome the world would be if people who put their energy into scams and other crimes, instead put their energy into positive things...

Message 13 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

Me 2 almost 8 offers were same trick with the giftcard, the giftcard it the dead hiveaway, how can we stop this

Message 14 of 33
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Fake paypal payment scam

This just happened to me today said he wanted to buy it and then asked a favor for a 200 dollar steam card to send with it and that I would get the money after I bought it and showed proof I bought it. Keeps texting me that I can do it I’m just having doubts we’ll duhh of course I am . I also got the emails from PayPal in my spam folder asking for proof it was shipped and payed for before I would get the money. My PayPal app never went off so I m ew something was up with this dude , is there anyway to report them?

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