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Old     (buffalow)      Join Date: Apr 2002       04-30-2010, 8:09 AM Reply   
I am helping a buddy sell a boat on Craig's list. This guy responded and haggled over email/text, but this looks extremely suspicious. Do you guys have any input? If I clear my paypal so there is no money in it, is there any way they can get to my bank accounts that I should avoid this?

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: 1997 Centurion Elite Bow Rider - $14599 (Ripon, Ca)
From: alakaka bob
CC:

Thanks for the prompt response.. I am ready to buy it now for my personal
use but am not local and due to the nature of my work, phone calls making
and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this
advert and send you an email regarding it . I insisted on paypal because i
don't have access to my bank account online as i don't have internet
banking, but i can pay from my paypal account, as i have my bank a/c
attached to it, i will need you to give me your paypal email address and the
price so i can make the payments asap for it and pls if you don't have
paypal account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to
http://www.paypal.com/us and get it set up, after you have set it up i will
only need the e-mail address you use for registration with paypal so as to
put the money through. I have a pick up agent that will come and pick it up
after i have made the payments...

Thanks
Old     (Matt)      Join Date: Mar 2010       04-30-2010, 8:12 AM Reply   
Sounds like paypal is getting desperate for advertising Ideas.... I dont see how he can do anything with just your email address... Unless he is gonna sale it to a spam company...
Old     (melvinator)      Join Date: Apr 2001       04-30-2010, 8:25 AM Reply   
The paypal site should read https: for secure site, its a scam.
Old     (willrice)      Join Date: Feb 2010       04-30-2010, 8:28 AM Reply   
His response does sound a little weird, but the process he described for doing a transaction with Paypal is correct. All someone needs is your email address and the price and they can send money to your Paypal account.
Old     (sidekicknicholas)      Join Date: Mar 2007       04-30-2010, 8:36 AM Reply   
Tell him, to tell the buyer -- he'll list it on ebay, and have it set so the sale goes through there.... that is the only way paypal will protect you.

There is a new paypal thing though where if you sell, paypal takes their cut, holds your money until either:
A.) 21 days passes with no complaints
B.) Good feeback is left
C.) You're an ebay power seller

^ This really sucks, I sold my wakeboard and it took 3 weeks to get my $360 (which was spring break trip money) .... needless to say I didn't take my trip because the money didn't come through
Old     (newmy79)      Join Date: Jun 2005       04-30-2010, 8:39 AM Reply   
that's broken english grammar all over and looks fishy..As Matt L stated paypal uses https for security, anyone who uses it would know, or can just copy the link from the browser. Who actually writes out http://........Usually we all just write out www.paypal.com

I don't believe he can get access to your bank account by just having your confirmed email address that paypal uses, but I am not expert in internet fraud.
Old     (jeff_mn)      Join Date: Jul 2009       04-30-2010, 8:43 AM Reply   
scam
Old     (nmcjr)      Join Date: Aug 2009       04-30-2010, 8:50 AM Reply   
Looks like a scam for sure. The http link redirects to the https site, so that's not a problem per se. He can't do anything with the email address, but maybe his scam is that he will pay and then after the boat is delievered will report to PayPal that it was never delivered and somehow get his money back.

If you want to confirm that this is a scam, insist that he talk to you in person on the phone, and you call him so you can verify his location by his phone number. He will most likely refuse, but if he does will likely have a thick Nigerian accent. Best bet is to go with your gut and just walk away from this.
Old     (bmartin)      Join Date: Jan 2007       04-30-2010, 9:01 AM Reply   
99.9% chance it is a scam. I would lower the odds if I had a few conversations over the phone and "alakaka bob" sounded legit but wouldn't put much effort into it either way.

Next up you will probably get some 'marketing agents' to try to help you sell the boat which I would also avoid. Good luck sellling the boat.

Last edited by bmartin; 04-30-2010 at 9:03 AM.
Old     (mike2001)      Join Date: Feb 2008       04-30-2010, 9:17 AM Reply   
Who still doesn't have internet banking?

Broken english seems to be the most consistent characteristic of these scams.
Old     (buffalow)      Join Date: Apr 2002       04-30-2010, 9:22 AM Reply   
Cool. My thoughts exactly. Thanx for the re-assurance guys.
Old     (benbuchholz)      Join Date: Oct 2009       04-30-2010, 9:32 AM Reply   
I'll raise his odds to 100% scam. These people send these emails out in mass amounts to people selling stuff on Craigslist, hoping to dupe just a few people out of the ones they email. I'd just end all contact with this "buyer". Only sell locally on Craigslist or at least make the payment/item transaction in person. Because thee scams will do exactly what was already said; report that the item was never delivered and get their money back. Most people don't realize the papal dispute claim until its too late. But yeah definitely do not give your paypal info to this email. I doubt he could do anything with it anyway but I'd say better safe than sorry.
Old     (v220ls)      Join Date: Aug 2004       04-30-2010, 10:05 AM Reply   
Forward that to security at Paypal and let them check to see if he has an account or maybe there have been other complaints on his IP address?
I had a questionable email from Paypal that turned out to be a scammer, and they where all over it. I wasn't selling something, but they (Paypal) seemed very interested in preventing scammers from damaging there name?

My thoughts good luck
G
Old     (canadian_waterboy)      Join Date: Apr 2008       04-30-2010, 10:44 AM Reply   
NOT A SCAM AT ALL!!! This is how paypal works. You give him your paypal email, and he wires you the money. There is no risk whatsoever. For one, he doesn't have your paypal password, therefore he can't access your personal information. And two, you don't send him the item until you see the funds in your paypal account. It's a no brainer!
Old     (lmtwa)      Join Date: May 2001       04-30-2010, 11:35 AM Reply   
I'm not so sure it's legit. But I would follow the advice of several - ask for a name, address and phone. Call him. - then do an IP check on his email and see if they match. The fact that he has "someone picking it up" to me is a scam waiting to happen. A big ticket item (like a boat) should be an in-person transaction. BTW I do volunteer work at the local police department economic crimes unit (fraud) and we see stuff like this all the time. The buyer wants to believe it's legitimate and as a result, overlooks the obvious.
Old     (wakeboardin)      Join Date: Apr 2001       04-30-2010, 11:44 AM Reply   
Matt I have been scammed out of a few bucks via pay pal. Sold something to a prospective buyer and then he transferred funds and I send the item and tracking info he waited a day and said I didn't send the items he purchased and they revoked his cash via the pay pal dispute. Now I am very careful with paypal and also allot of folks are asking people to send the funds as a gift to waive any fees which would cancel your protection as well.
Old     (schmidt18)      Join Date: Nov 2001       04-30-2010, 11:53 AM Reply   
SCAM... Matthew Melvin is correct, paypal site should read httpS:// without the S, which means secure server, you can easily piggy back a MEM function (simple memory function) on the address to copy your paypal email address AND password. It puts it in a nice little text file and sends it off to the creater/user of the piggy back program. Then they have full access to your account......
Old     (benbuchholz)      Join Date: Oct 2009       04-30-2010, 12:20 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by canadian_waterboy View Post
NOT A SCAM AT ALL!!! This is how paypal works. You give him your paypal email, and he wires you the money. There is no risk whatsoever. For one, he doesn't have your paypal password, therefore he can't access your personal information. And two, you don't send him the item until you see the funds in your paypal account. It's a no brainer!
he gets your home address once be sends you payment, it usually shows up on the transaction. I've gotten a lot of these emails when I sold my car on Craigslist. And also like someone said, its not too hard at all to throw a MEM file on that unsecured webpage. Boom he's got your password. And even just reading the message. He doesn't have enough time to pick up a phone and call you? That right there should give it away. As well as anytime a buyer gives a link for payment, almost always a scam. Because all the seller should ever need to do is give an email address for payment. A link from a buyer should never need to be clicked on. So yeah, paypal is secure, but this is not a legit paypal in this potential buyers message

Last edited by benbuchholz; 04-30-2010 at 12:23 PM.
Old     (hockeysk8er222)      Join Date: Jul 2009       04-30-2010, 8:54 PM Reply   
Ben has a point... He is website restricted and can't pick up a phone, but he can scroll through Craigslist and look at boats? SCAM!

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