Warning to those selling online

[Pauly]

Hi all
Just a warning for others who may not be as net cautious as you should be.

Im currently selling my boat and its advertised on a few net boat sales places.

I have had several responses all from people wanting me to respond via email. I sussed a scam pretty quick and thought no probs just let them be. Over a few beers with a mate we decided lets just see how this scam works.

Original SMS sample

+6141015*8**: Hi, am making enquiry in regards of ur boat on boatsales.pls get back to me on geoff.young00@gmail.com if stil available as my phone line is presently scrambled.

So I set up a fake email and send ole mate a response

Hi Geoff yes the boat is still available.

geoff.young00@gmail.com
 to me
   
show details 18:39 (1 hour ago)
   
Mate,thanks for the response,i would have loved to call but due to bad
weather our SATphone is currently scrambled .Pleas am buying the boat
for my family expecially my son who just graduated from Curtin
university of technology.my family lives in perth presently so the
boat is going to be shipped to perth am a sailor and am currently
onboard.
i want to be sure if the boat is still in good condition ,
preferably if i can get more close up picture (floor inclusive), i
will not be able to come for inspection now all i really need from you
is the exact details of the boat.Due to the nature of my work i am a
very busy man working all day .i will pay with the fastest and safest
online payment "PayPal" so i will need you to send me your paypal
email address so i can effect the payment,as i have my bank a/c
attached to my paypal account. will be sending my shipping company to
come and pick it up and make a personal delivery for my wife in WA
after have sorted out with the payment.
PS:
In case you don't have a PayPal account,Its reliable fast,secure and
easy to use PayPal,all you need to do is to log on to visit
www.paypal.com and register with them. When you are done with the
registration send me the email used for the registration with PayPal
so i can make the payment.Please get back to me so that we can arrange
for pick up as i will like the boat to be picked by a pickup
agent.Await your response.Cheers

 I returned his email.

bobby Lee
 to geoff.young00@gmail.com
   
Im happy to send you extra photos but no PayPal. If you wish to continue my terms are you organise and pay the shipping company and you send a bank cheque. When your cheque clears we can then proceed.

If not enjoy your sailing.

Cheers

So Im tipping I wont hear back but I may if I do I will post it up.

I havent worked out the scam 100% as yet but theres 3 scenarios I see. 1st is they send me a dodgy PayPal reciept and I send the boat which is higly unlikely as I then proceed with fraud or they some how get me to pay for something probably shipping (to 1 of their accounts) then I lose out or the third they convince me to give them my bank details where they clean me out.

Will wait and see.

[mystq]

You can never be to carefull, i hate thugs

[MarkGU]

Pauly

mate i had nearly word for word email when trying to sell my soft floor c/t. best thing you can do now is delete it from your email not contact this person again.

these maggotts need carsterating  fair dinkum.

[D4D]

They send you a dodgy paypal receipt for the amount for your boat plus the extra for shipping. They hope you don't login and check your paypal to see they didn't trasnfer the funds. You pay the shipping company from your pocket, which is actually them, they pocket them cash and away they go into the night.

[Bird]

this scam is old as the hills these days...

every forum has it posted up once a week

[MarkGU]

try reading this Pauly .

http://knol.google.com/k/how-to-verify-if-an-email-address-exists#

and read the warning bit at the bottom of the page,it might help you with PalPal,cheers.

[davo69 and the Nurse]

I just checked an email address... and guess what... its in Sunnyvale, California in the good 'ol US of A.... and I thought it was suss.... so I wrote Paypal and Western Union not accepted.... I guess we will wait and see what happens now!

I used Emailfinder... and it works!

the Nurse

[cancan]

They send you a dodgy paypal receipt for the amount for your boat plus the extra for shipping. They hope you don't login and check your paypal to see they didn't trasnfer the funds. You pay the shipping company from your pocket, which is actually them, they pocket them cash and away they go into the night.

I had a friend who had the same thing but for a car. The scam was on a current affair style show a while back.

[Pauly]

It didnt take much checking to find the scam, I guess because I expect scammers I got onto it pretty quickly. With the first sms I got I instantly thought bloody brokers then the second I thought scam and now after about the tength 

[spargo]

I just checked an email address... and guess what... its in Sunnyvale, California in the good 'ol US of A.... and I thought it was suss.... so I wrote Paypal and Western Union not accepted.... I guess we will wait and see what happens now!

I used Emailfinder... and it works!

the Nurse

Just be careful with trusting EmailFinder.. It usually just spits out the location of the mail server for the domain of the address - i.e. Google/Gmail is Mountain View, CA, where Google's servers are. Same for other Californian dot.com's.

[Patr80l]

I've only used PayPal a couple of times to buy small items on eBay, but I thought it was meant to be secure.   If they put money into your account, you check it's arrived then release the goods, how do they rip you off?

[D4D]

I've only used PayPal a couple of times to buy small items on eBay, but I thought it was meant to be secure.   If they put money into your account, you check it's arrived then release the goods, how do they rip you off?

They are banking you believing the fake paypal receipt and not checking your account.

[Pauly]

With a bit more research the way it appears that they get you is either they produce a very realistic paypal reciept to show they have paid you hopeing people will believe the reciept.They are in a hurry for the goods so try to get you to act before the funds are cleared in paypal, which they never will be.

They either mistakenly over pay you then ask you to pay the extra back to one of their bank accounts or they include the postage and ask you to deposit that extra into the shipping companies bank account, one of theirs. Your out the extra because you never actually recieve payment into Paypal.

[Black Diamond]

A couple of weeks ago a mate had a hoax email from Paypal asking him to verify his linked account details, saying that is was part of a security procedure of some sort.
Cant believe he actually fell for it and gave his details, and then a couple of days later about a grand went missing from his account 
A few days later the missus had the same email. Funny thing is she doesnt even have a Paypal account. These assholes are fishing around big time at the moment.
Probably the time of year for these low lifes to be targeting as people are saving up for Xmas and holidays and their accounts are fruitfull.

[MarkGU]

A couple of weeks ago a mate had a hoax email from Paypal asking him to verify his linked account details, saying that is was part of a security procedure of some sort.
Cant believe he actually fell for it and gave his details, and then a couple of days later about a grand went missing from his account 
A few days later the missus had the same email. Funny thing is she doesnt even have a Paypal account. These assholes are fishing around big time at the moment.
Probably the time of year for these low lifes to be targeting as people are saving up for Xmas and holidays and their accounts are fruitfull.

give them a contact no.

not your own but the local police no. 

then see if they contact you again   

[JCOJ]

If ever you think you have received something dodgy, copy a sentence, then paste it in to Google - it is amazing what will then pop up.

[Pauly]

Thats what I do when people send me virus warnings. Google is a great bit of gear.