buying a car with pay pal scam

This email was sent to me by a person, Luke Brown, allegedly interested in purchasing my car which was advertised online. There a a few ways the scam works, if you receive a similar response to an advertisement you placed suggest u approach with caution. If u want to see how the scam works you can google it there a few blogs setting out the scam in detail. As usual it is possible it is a genuine purchaser.....but unlikely.
Was kind of interesting that he could send me lots of emails from his 'oil rig' but was unable to call me.....perhaps his satellite server allows the sending of text messages but doesn't allow telephone calls who knows !.


from:
[email protected]

Hi thanks for mailing back,am ok with the price and the condition,am
buying it for my holiday,because i'll be coming soon from our rig as
am a petroleum project engineer on a rig offshore,i won't be able to come for
the inspection due to the nature of my work,i would have love to call
in person but we have call restriction due to bad weather condition our satellite server has been down.
i will be paying you through PayPal,pls get back to me with your
PayPal details so i can proceed with the payment and contact the
courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in my place.
Await your reply.
Luke Brown

The exact same thing happen to me. My car was for sale online. A guy that use the name LUCAS WATER. He said he was a MARINE ENGINEER. Here some of email he send me

CAR FOR SALE
AUGUST 31, 2011
Thanks for the prompt response.. I am ready to buying it now for
> birthday gift for brother in-law and i am at sea at the moment as i am
> a marine engineer 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 really want
> the car to be a surprise for
> brother in-law so i wont let him know anything about the car until it
> gets delivered to him, i am sure he will be more than happy with the
> car. 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 the
> car and pls if you don't have paypal account yet, it is very easy to
> set up, go to www.paypal.com 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 the car up after i have made the payments.The agent
> will sign all the necessary documents on my behalf..
CAR FOR SALE
AUGUST 31, 2011
I was just about to make the payment when i had this little problem
with the picking up,I got an email from my agent..i taught i included
that in my previous email.he said he won't come and pick up the item
unless i pay him the agent commission fee first in order to be able to
schedule a pick up time ,and my pick up agent head quarters is in the
United Kingdom and all commission payments made for pick up, from
anywhere in the world is sent to their head quarters in the Uk and the
only form of payments they accept is western union money transfer and
i tried to pay online but i will need a credit card which i didn't
bring along, and there is no post office(there is usually a western
union section in most post offices) or any western union agent
offshore! so i have to ask you to help me with the pick up fees, i
will include the $900 they charged to pick it up and take it my
home(1st class treatment), to the payments i will send through paypal
after i have made the payments, i will need you to help me send the
$900 to my pick up agent through western union money transfer, the
western union money transfer can be made at a post office near to
you,there is always a western union agent in most post offices or
online at www.westernunion..com .I will be making the payments shortly
and will email you as soon as it has been done..you can reach the
agent at +447031833520

PAYMENT SUCCESSFULLY SENT
lucas water lucwater711mail.com
Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:58:51 AM

I just want to Inform you that I have successfully made the Payment
and I have been notified for Fund Deduction..... I transferred
$7,200 in all, I have decided to add the amount of $1,000 , So you can
now wire the sum of $900 to my Agent's Headquarters in the United
Kingdom via Western Union where they confirm all Commission Payment
schedule for suitable Pick Up Date and Time immediately. As said
earlier in my previous email,the Western Union Transfer can be done at
any Western Union Office and can also be done via the
Internet(www.westernunion.com)
.I added Extra $100 to cover the Western Union Charges which shouldn't
be more that $50-70 but just to be sure I added $100.

Here is my Transport Agent Headquarter Info needed to get the money
sent through Western Union Money Transfer:

Barry Helm
70-78 Dudley Road,
Manchester,M16 8DE,
Lancashire.United Kingdom.

Note:PayPal won't release the funds until they get the western union
information from you due to the fact that i emailed them about the
excess payment i made.Please kindly email the necessary details to
PayPal :the MTCN# which you will be given at the western union after
the $900
has been sent as well as the sender's name and address used to send
the money through western union so they can take necessary steps.

Seems only people on oils rigs have heard about my car for sale. Here is another email sent to me this morning from a person who is interested in purchasing my car. Both people are responding to the same advertisement. Both people are sending the same email to me- C'mon !!
They have both sent a text to me that I am unable to reply to with a text message or unable to call. The text message has an email address which I am to contact. I am tempted to tell both people that I know they are scammers and that I am posting their replies onto this site, but then they would simply change email addresses and continue with the scam. If the email address of the scammer remains visible on this site for a week or so it might prevent some innocent party being scammed.


Email sent: to me from;


From: debbie Ayo
email address: [email protected]


To:
Thanks for mailing back am very interested in buying the car, would like to know if the it had any Mechanical Faults in the past and am ok with the price. am buying it for my vacation,because i'll be coming soon from our rig as am a petroleum engineer on a rig offshore,i won't be able to come for the inspection due to the nature of my work,i would have love to call in person but our satellite server has been down which restrict our calls....

Regarding payment, i will be paying you through PayPal,pls get back to me with your PayPal details so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in my place.

Await your reply

I have also just got this, after putting my car up on gumtree.

I got an email from this Luke Brown guy, which seemed legit enough. But then he replied via a different email address ( [email protected] ) and his name was now Luke Vrown. Ha!

Either way, I have started asking awkward questions (like what rig he is working on and which company, especially since I'm also in this industry). If he bothers to reply, I'll post up the responses.

Cheers

Welcome jhodgo! I'm glad you found out.

Please don't mess with this criminal, he has got some of your real details, depending on what you posted in your advertisement, and your email address which he could abuse in a lot of ways. When he realises you are playing him he might decide to retaliate and harass you.

I know its sensible to cut off all contact from a scammer. But when i know for sure it is a scammer I like to try and stretch out the encounter for as long as possible and see how many additional items I can sell them. I got Mr Luke Brown (mentioned above)who replied to my car add interested in a motorbike also, he seemed to like the price. I further offered him a piano and he went quiet at this point. In a bid to restore good faith I offered him a sewing machine but I think the domestic nature of my items was a turn off. I will try him again from a different email address. He has only my telephone number so I am not much fussed at any possible retaliation.

I've had this same email from 3 different email accounts, Andrew Smith, Linda Grant and Kate Morgan:

Thanks for the mail, i am buying this for my son as his birthday gift because i would not be around to celebrate with him i am a petroleum engineer currently on a rig offshore in UK 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. In case if you will want to call me to talk to me on phone you can easily call me on this number +447024041070. I really want this item to be a surprise gift for my son so i wont let him know anything about the item until it gets delivered to him , i am sure he will be more than happy with the item.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 so i can make the payment as soon as possible for the item and pls if you don't have PayPal account yet,it is very easy to set up, go on www.paypal.com 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 for the pick up immediately you have receive the payment in full.what is your final price including the paypal charges?.

Welcome to ScamWarners sen7rr. It is great that you recognized you were contacted by scammers. Please post up the email addresses attached to the names you posted. Often people searching search the email address.

Scammers typically use scripts and many different identities. Their goal is always the same.


To: patrickpatrick1
If you want to learn how to safely mess with scammers, go to our sister site www.419eater.com. What you are doing is not safe because it is easy to trace you by your phone number. These scammers are in for the quick score and can tell when a victim will not pay. They just move on.

Well, Lucas Water is really busy on that off shore platform of his, because the same scam just happened to me. His e-mail address is: [email protected]

Here's the scam offer he made me today, after I listed my vehicle on e-Bay:


Thanks for the swift reply and will like to purchase it.Can i pay you
$24,900 for it? i will be paying you with my PayPal because it's
attached to my bank account,If my offer is accepted send me your
paypal email address so i can pay in right away,you can set up an
account at http://www.paypal.com it is very easy and secure.I am a marine
engineer on a rig offshore and do not have much time on me.Make sure
you get back to me so that i can arrange for pick up as i will like
the vehicle to be picked,so no shipping included.I await your reply

On 9/22/11, <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi
>
> Received your message. Attached are some pictures. I'll send some more
> in the next e-mail.
>
> I have just listed the vehicle, but if I am able to do a hassle-free sale
> right now, I'd be willing to sell the car for $24,700 -- which, given its
> condition, I think is a pretty good deal.
>
> Thank you for your interest.
>
> More pictures will follow in the next e-mail.
>

Hi all

yes i just had this pathetic scammer try and pull this trick on me with my car on Gumtree. 'Luke Brown' was apparently his name and he managed to text me first but then said I would need to reply to him by email to: [email protected] - It also stank a bit that no number comes up on phone when he/they text, but only the name lkbrwn as caller ID.

As previously mentioned, it initially seemed ok at first glance but I pretty quickly smelled a rat. I thought that for a 'petroleum project engineer' presumably from Australia he had particularly poor written/grammar skills! Also, as mentioned by another user, it's kind of strange that he could text me but then can't get through due to bad weather/satellite etc, however he still had total access to the internet....I don't think so! These people make me sick - wonder if Nigeria is involved!

Welcome to ScamWerners. It is great that you realized you were in contact with a scammer. Scammers come from all over the world. Without further information, like the headers, it is not possible to tell where he is actually from.

lookout for [email protected] - Trying the same scam

Sorry bloke,

Sounds like a scam to me!

Try someone else

From: Micheal Seay [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, 7 October 2011 11:59 AM
To: Deleted your personal information. ~Bubbles
Subject: Re: 2000 Magna

thanks for mailing back,am ok with the price and the
condition,am buying it for my vacation,because i'll be coming
soon from our rig as an a Mechanical engineer on a rig
offshore,i won't be able to come for the inspection due to the
nature of my work,i would have love to calling person but our
satellite server has been down which restrict our calls.i will be
paying you through PayPal,pls get back to me with your
PayPal details so i can proceed with the payment and contact
the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in
my place.Await your reply

________________________________________

The oil rig workers and hydrographers are after my car too. Thanks to websites like this I didn't fall for it.

from Victor Mendoza [email protected]

hello.....is it still for sale?

------------------------

from linda ronald [email protected]

Hello, I will be happy to buy it but i will not be able to come and
view it in your place because I'm not in town now. Note that you will
not be responsible for shipping and handling and the payment will be
made through PayPal.My shipping company will come to your location for
the pick up. Kindly provide me with the address where it will be
picked up so that i can forward it to the shipping company to
calculate the cost of pick up for me. Do get back to me as soon as
possible so that i can proceed with the payment via PayPal.

Best Regards.

------------------------------------

from Nelson Young [email protected]

Thanks for your response, I am quite okay with your price, I need you
to understand that I am willing and ready to purchase it right away,
put it off the AD site, consider me as your favorite buyer, and Please
note that I have a shipper/mover who handles my shipping arrangement
anywhere in the world,he would be coming for the pickup, after you
have received payment, which would be through paypal, If this is
acceptable, advice soon as I am an hydrographer and I am buying this
for my son,I am at work right now .I can only pay through pay pal at
the moment as I do not have access to my bank account online,but I
have it attached to my pay pal account, and this is why I insisted on
using pay pal to pay,all I will need is your paypal email address to
make the payments,and if you do not have a pay pal account yet,its
pretty easy to set one up at http://www.paypal.com,i will be expecting your
email.I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up after
payments has been sorted. I want you to provide me with the following
information for me to proceed with the Payment...

Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Your Full Contact address:

Note: i'll also include the Shipping company's fee
so kindly Get back to me with your PayPal email account so i can
proceed with the payment asap..
Thanks

Looking forward to read from you.

-----------------------------

from David George [email protected]

Thanks so much for getting back to me, My name is David G Albert,45 years old,i am a petroleum engineer,yes i will like to purchase it.I will offer you $8,000CAD for it? i will be paying you with my PayPal because it's attached to my bank account,If my offer is accepted send me your email link to your PayPal so i can pay you right away.I am a petroleum engineer on a rig offshore and do not have much time on me to come and view it but i believe in honesty and i will make arrange for the pick up after you have received payment. Make sure you get back to me so that i can arrange for pick up as soon as i make the payment and i will appreciate any pictures,I await your reply on my email, Thanks


My contact number +19015506457


My question is Why are you selling it and are you the first owner ?

Mind you i am out of the city for now but that is not a problem before i will make arrangement for the pick up after you have received the payment, Thanks

Kind Regards
David

-----------------------

from Kosile Prince [email protected]

Thank you for your quick response to my request
Purchase, your asking price quite reasonable and
affordable considering others that I've seen recently
have is, I'll have it. I hate the doubt Human integrity because its likely you are a foundation from church, so I think it's so good as you've answered for sales and hoping u grant my request also. I would like to come check it out myself but I am currently in Seer Military Camp as an instructor for new recruits
I'm not in the situation on the ground until December leave. But I squeezed some time to this post to verify, since all personal contact very are limited here,
i'm buying it as a retirement gift for my father,but I do not let him know anything about this until delivered it to him and by the fact that telephone make are limited .... i pay to you with my PayPal account because my bank account and their very safe and secure wato pay connected calls. If my mode of payment accept send me your PayPal email
Address (PayPal ID), I can tell in the right to pay if you do not have a Pay Pal account
You can easily go on and http://WWW.PayPal.com Register, it's very easy. I have a private courier agent, for the Pick-up Deposits have been made after will come, so that does not include shipping costs and I will want to get back to me with your full name
and pick-up point, so I can forward to pick-up agent on Calculate the shipping cost and schedule pick up date and time.


Thanks

Welcome to ScamWarners mooney and lincoln and thank you for posting this information. Yes those are all scammers. The best thing to do is to stop communicating with the scammer completely.

Do not tell they you know they are a scammer, just disappear. If you way anything to them you risk helping them to become better at their craft.

This is the email i got .


Mate,thanks for the response,i would have loved to call but due to bad weather our SATphone is currently scrambled please can i know the full condition of the car as am buying it for my wife who just gave birth to a baby boy in my absentia she lives in perth,am a sailor and am currently onboard.i want to be sure if the car is still in good condition ,i really love the pictures and i will not be able to come for inspection now all i really need from you is the exact details of the car.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 visitwww.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 car to be picked by a pickup agent.Await your response.