by gyrex
Thu Jun 23, 2016 5:23 pm
Hi,
Long story so I'll try and condense it.
1. I posted a wanted ad for an iPhone on Gumtree
2. Received an SMS response from a potential seller
3. Ended up sending money via paypal to a corporate email address (McDonalds)
4. Never received item and tried to contact the seller but the lines went dead
5. Contacted the Police 12 months ago and filed a fraud case
6. Filed a dispute with Paypal but they refused the dispute claiming they didn't support Gumtree transactions
7. Filed a dispute with my credit card company and they refunded my money
The Police have contacted the person who apparently sold the phone but they've sent the following response:
I was a little suspicious that this kind of scam would happen and I was (am?) dubious so I've tried to map out the logic of this scam and it works on paper as the "unknown" party acting as an intermediary between myself and the seller of the goods. Effectively I'm making a payment on his/her behalf to the seller and all communications are between me and the scammer and the scammer and the seller.
Just a heads up for everyone I guess. Has anyone seen this type of scam before?
Long story so I'll try and condense it.
1. I posted a wanted ad for an iPhone on Gumtree
2. Received an SMS response from a potential seller
3. Ended up sending money via paypal to a corporate email address (McDonalds)
4. Never received item and tried to contact the seller but the lines went dead
5. Contacted the Police 12 months ago and filed a fraud case
6. Filed a dispute with Paypal but they refused the dispute claiming they didn't support Gumtree transactions
7. Filed a dispute with my credit card company and they refunded my money
The Police have contacted the person who apparently sold the phone but they've sent the following response:
As it is Victoria Police I can not see what that are doing or progress with a case on a daily basis. I have provided all the relevant information for Victoria police to contact you with updates and the progression of the case. I can inform you the information you provided about the female was accurate, however she is not our suspect, in fact she was a victim. There was a third party individual who acted out/ impersonated the two of you. This individual has obtained the relevant bank details from you and the female, once confirmed that the money had gone through from you're account to hers, simply had to attend her house and acquire the phone. Everything and more was completed to a satisfactory standard on our end before transferring the case to VIC POL. So in terms of police making 'inroads' to file charges and chasing down a suspect, its not that simple.
I was a little suspicious that this kind of scam would happen and I was (am?) dubious so I've tried to map out the logic of this scam and it works on paper as the "unknown" party acting as an intermediary between myself and the seller of the goods. Effectively I'm making a payment on his/her behalf to the seller and all communications are between me and the scammer and the scammer and the seller.
Just a heads up for everyone I guess. Has anyone seen this type of scam before?