PayPal scam

dieselfuel · Jan 23, 2016

I have a loader for sale on Craigs list and had a guy text me from 323 area code says he at Hanscom Air base in Bedford Mass and has mover that can come pick up my loader once his payment clears my PayPal account . I know its a scam but I thought PayPal is a secured acccount. How does this scam work ??

Gambles · Jan 23, 2016

He'll claim that PayPal is down/doesn't work and ask you for your PayPal numbers and then try to get your personal banking info.

tom stalker · Jan 23, 2016

Just add "cash only" to all your ads

chuck2015 · Jan 23, 2016

(quoted from post at 06:20:24 01/23/16) I have a loader for sale on Craigs list and had a guy text me from 323 area code says he at Hanscom Air base in Bedford Mass and has mover that can come pick up my loader once his payment clears my PayPal account . I know its a scam but I thought PayPal is a secured acccount. How does this scam work ??

The common element in these scams is someone who will come to pick up the equipment. Most legit buyers will want to see the item in person to see what is being offered for sale.

chuck2015 · Jan 23, 2016

or you will only meet at the local police station to complete the transaction.

DGinVT · Jan 23, 2016

Only take cash!!! after he comes to your place to look at the equipment. The police station idea sounds good.

OldFarmTractor · Jan 23, 2016

All he needs is the email you use for your paypal account. Any sensible person has different email for any sensitive websites. I use about 7 different emails.

pinball · Jan 23, 2016

Pay pal is a secured account and they will charge you. The bad thing is theres a waiting period before you can use the money. If at any time during that the buyer files a dispute it will freeze your money. Biggest problem I see with what your doing is verifying he received the equipment. If you cant verify he received it even though you shipped it then if he files a complaint he will get all his money back and keep your machine. Personally I would ask for a personal check. The check will clear after two weeks or a lot of banks will run it through when you deposit it. may charge 5 bucks for doing it. That will clear it faster. he can then pick it up and your money will be safe. Under no circumstances should you try to complete this deal without talking to the person on the phone. If you talk to him and he agrees to send a check then I wouldn't be afraid to do it. There are scams out there but theres also good people out there that are honest when buying things. Just have to find them. Just my 3 cents worth.

tomturkey · Jan 23, 2016

IN PERSON and WITH CASH, then you can have my loader. gobble

4020 electrician · Jan 23, 2016

Same guy that wanted to buy my brillion seeder😳. I told him through text Cash...

rockyridgefarm · Jan 23, 2016

I've also heard of a variation that they send you a link that looks like it goes to paypal that doesn't go to paypal. You try to log in to the fake site and they have your info and password. Once they have that, they can log onto the real paypal and transfer your money out.

NEVER click links in emails from people you don't know (and some people that you DO know...)

ALWAYS check the url address to make sure you're at the site you think you're at. It could say pay-pal.com or paypa1.com or kjdnibwifv.com. Many people miss the fake site name and fall for the scam.

Determined · Jan 23, 2016

Text him back and ask him which set of mounts he wants with it as you have two sets available.
The set that fit the Black+Decker tractor or the set that fit the Tonka tractor.
His answer should tell you everything you need to know.

1970-1655 · Jan 23, 2016

Look up the area code. It checks out to be California, not east coast. At least it is not some foreign country. Could be legit, maybe not. Phone conversations or in person may clear up a little of the doubt. Best option is- cash in hand, in person, at the local police station or auto towing company. Towing company would have equipment to reload to his trailer after the sale. And most tow truck operators have "heat."

rockyridgefarm · Jan 23, 2016

(quoted from post at 07:54:47 01/23/16) Text him back and ask him which set of mounts he wants with it as you have two sets available.
The set that fit the Black+Decker tractor or the set that fit the Tonka tractor.
His answer should tell you everything you need to know.

....or don't text him back at all. Better to ignore them. Texting them back just verifies that you're reading and responding. Once they know that, they can put your number on their "live one" list.

jimg.allentown · Jan 23, 2016

No idea how this scam works or even if it is a scam. However, if you do have a PayPal account, I would log in after the person says that payment has been sent to see if it shows up at your REAL PayPal account. I would not release the equipment until the payment has been transferred into your personal bank account. That way there is no turning back for the potential buyer.

Another thought is that it is very suspicious that a buyer would want to purchase your equipment without first examining it. I would be inclined to say "no deal" for that reason alone. Think about it. Would YOU buy a piece of equipment without at least looking it over? A 10 or 20 dollar item, maybe. But a loader? NEVER!!

A note about the other poster's comment about where the area code was from: There are no longer any limitations on area code locations. A cell phone can have ANY area code and be thousands of miles away from the origin of that area code. For the most part, long distance charges are a thing of the past. For that I heartily thank the cell phone providers!!!

Dave H (MI) · Jan 23, 2016

I am not sure why you think it is a scam.

First, the area code is meaningless. It is a southern california area code, L.A. specifically. Since it is likely a cell number and he may actually be from L.A., you cannot attribute this fact to dishonesty. People move all the time, they take their phones with them now.

Second, he is offering to pay you thru Paypal and won't pick up the equipment until the payment clears. If he gave you a check and told you to deposit it into Bank of America and wait until it cleared...would you still be worried or is it just because Paypal is an on-line bank account?

And finally, at this point in time, it is not unsual for someone to buy something without seeing it. Not the smartest thing to do, but it is pretty normal.

I guess I never understand the resistance to Paypal. I run into this all the time. If people would take Paypal I can get them paid instantly. But I keep running into people who act like I am trying to pull something because I am willing to send them funds thru a secure third party, directly into their hands. I often wonder if Western Union ran into this sort of thing back in the day? Right now I owe a guy $10 for postage on some manuals. He wants me to send him a $10 bill, in the mail, thru two different country's postal services. Now I only leave the house this time of year once each week and only have a couple singles and a bunch of twenties in my wallet. So I have to get someone to break a bill for me and then (HE) risk it gets lost in the mail. I don't want this fella, should he read this, to think I am picking on him BUT it would be a lot easier and safer all the way around if I could just send it via Paypal.

rockyridgefarm · Jan 23, 2016

(quoted from post at 08:58:26 01/23/16) I am not sure why you think it is a scam.

I don't know about you, but if I'm looking at purchasing an item worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, I'm gonna have a few questions to ask the seller. I've NEVER offered to buy an item without asking questions about the item, let alone have another person pick it up.

If someone contacts you, barely mentions an item you have for sale, and offers to pay for it without any questions, it's likely a scam. It has very little to do with the paypal aspect of it. Better to potentially lose a sale than get scammed for thousands of dollars.

Regarding the $10, you don't give enough info. Did you buy them or sell them? If you sold them, I don't understand why you'd owe him. Buyer pays postage, typically.

Goose · Jan 23, 2016

Why is this Pay Pal's fault?

Gary Mitchell · Jan 23, 2016

I use PayPal for any on-line purchase that I can, never been a problem. I've been buying and selling on EBay for 15 years. I'm not real comfortable tossing my credit card number out there to numerous servers. gm

Bob · Jan 23, 2016

" I would not release the equipment until the payment has been transferred into your personal bank account. That way there is no turning back for the potential buyer."

WRONG!

Just because PP has transferred the money to your bank account means NOTHING.

They can suck it back just as quickly.

Even if you get the money out of the bank as CASH and PP decides something is wrong, they will demand the money back, and take you to collection if you do not comply.

ALL at their discretion, with you completely helpless in their decision making process.

Care to read of others' experiences, GOOGLE "PayPal Sucks".

ObsoElitist · Jan 23, 2016

That is why as soon as the Paypal money hits my bank account, I move it to another account not linked to Paypal.

On CL I never allow email or texts. Real buyers will call, and my life is to busy to waste time on schemers

farmerjohn · Jan 23, 2016

"...my mover will pick it up..." Some key words to detect a scam.

jimg.allentown · Jan 23, 2016

Bob, with all due respect, there HAS TO BE some point at which the transaction is complete - and your money is no longer available to be seized by PayPal or anybody else. At some point, the financial institution has to take responsibility for approving a transaction and transfer of money.

Oh, and by the way, if they allow the transaction to proceed to the point that one would have transferred funds to their bank account and withdrew the cash, I think there would be some standing to defend in court. If it were that easy to take money from another person, I should think that the government would have taken steps to put a stop to it.

Dr. Walt · Jan 23, 2016

I just checked the Area Code chart in my phone book and 323 is Culver City, California. How can he be at two different places at the same time, - on opposite sides of the country - texting from 323 yet says he's in Mass.

SCAM!

John B. · Jan 23, 2016

If he's using a cell phone he can be any where and area code doesn't mean anything. If his payment comes thru paypal he can still recall his money get it returned even if it's real and not a scam. Tell him you want cash at time of pickup to eliminate any doubt.

John B. · Jan 23, 2016

Even if you move your money from paypal to another account it may still get recalled and can be returned if you have a credit
card linked to your paypal account which most people do.

FBH44 · Jan 24, 2016

Even cash, make sure you get one of those black pens and check each bill. BTDT.

Rex Simpkins · Jan 24, 2016

Had the same thing happen--I text the guy back and told him "Cash on the barrel head" he sent back "what? I have never had anyone refuse paypal" I replied " Gosh after all these years and I still can get me a virgin, I am glad to know I am your first maybe it won't hurt next time"

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