Fake Paypal - Cragislist Escrow

Typical format for a Craigslist - Paypal Escrow scam.

Note: The emails did NOT originate from PayPal.

PayPal is an online money transfer service and would never use a competing money transfer service to receive a payment.

PayPal does not have an escrow service and does not hold payments for buyer/seller protection.

From: [email protected]® <[email protected]> (Fake Paypal )

SUBJECT: ***You Are 100% Secured***(Western Union MTCN Needed Urgently)***

Dear (<removed>@gmail.com),


We are assuring you that once you send the $320.00USD Via Western Union Money Transfer to the name and address given to you by PayPal, your account will be credited after verification without any delay.

You are 100% secured with PayPal because we are using this medium to protect both the seller and the buyer from fraudulent acts and as soon as the money is been sent, we want you to get back to us with the WESTERN UNION CONTROL NUMBER so that we can verify it and credit your PayPal account.

The total money that will be credited into your account will be $1,260.00USD.

NOTE: Your buyer had already included $40.00USD to cover running around and WESTERN UNION Charges

Thank you for using PayPal®. We look forward serving your online auction payment better in future.



The PayPal Team.

From: [email protected]® <[email protected]> (Fake Paypal )
SUBJECT: ***Safety Measure to Protect both the Buyer and the Seller***

Dear ([email protected]),

Safety Measures to Protect Both Buyer and Seller.

We have received an order from "Tom Wallace" ([email protected]) regarding the payment made to your PayPal account.We hereby inform you that Western Union MTCN must be received at our verification center in order for us to have your account credited with the $1,260.00USD pending in your account and as soon as final verification is done, your fund will be deposited into your PayPal account immediately.



This PayPal payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited to your account until the agent fee is been sent so as to secure both the buyer's and the seller's. Below are the necessary information requested before your account will be credited. Send all your question regarding this transaction to the PayPal Customer Care at: ([email protected]) as soon as we receive the " MTCN CONTROL NUMBER " from you, you will receive a " CONFIRMATION EMAIL" concerning the accreditation of the funds into your PayPal Account and we shall get the funds credited into your PayPal Account as soon as possible.

** PLEASE NOTE **
Once money you are been asked to send has been verified and the final verification is done, you will receive a "CONFIRMATION EMAIL" you will have to email us the Western Union MTCN to our Customer Protection Department at: ([email protected]) for instant verification.

Note: PayPal will be responsible for any loss this may result to.

Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Shipment monitor Team.

PayPal and Craigslist Company

Copyright © 2001-2012 PayPal. All rights reserved.

PayPal (Worldwide) Ltd is Authorized and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the United States as an electronic money institution.
PayPal FSA Register Number: 226056
PayPal and Craigslist company

From: Tom Wallace <[email protected]> (Scammer)

SUBJECT:Payment Sent

Good Morning,


How are you doing there? I was very busy when I received your
message concerning the paypall e-mail address yesterday and just
transferred the funds. I'm sure you must have received the payment
notification messages from PayPal(You can check your JUNK or other
Folder if you can't get it in your INBOX) because I have made the
payment some minutes ago and PayPal has already deducted the fund from
my account. I asked paypal to send the notification messages to both
your paypal e-mail and your regular e-mail addresses so you can get it
in both ways. I sent you a total sum of $1,260, that is, $900 for the
Pool Table that I'm buying for my cousin as a surprise birthday gift,
$320 for the moving cost(which would be sent to my shipping agent via
Western Union)and the remaining $40 for running around and Western
Union charges. I asked Paypal to send the notification messages to
both your paypal e-mail and your regular e-mail addresses so you can
get it in both ways. I included the shipping agent fee to the fund I
sent you because I'm on sea right now and can't access a Western Union
location at the moment,so I'm very sorry for any inconveniences this
errand might have caused. All you have to do is just to send the $320
to my shipping agent using info and get back to PayPal via E-mail
transfer details issued to you in Western Union Office:

Name:Benjamin H. Ferguson Jr
Address:895, Chapman Circle
City:Stonemountain
State: GA
Zip code:30088


The money will not be credited into your account until Paypal
verifies the Western Union details you are e-mailing them and Paypal
will only release the transfer details to me after they are done with
the verification and your account is credited. This is done in order
to protect both buyer and seller. Reply back to the Payment
Notification e-mail received from PayPal with the MTCN #, sender's
name and address and other transfer details on the Western Union
receipt after sending the $320 via Western Union Money Transfer to my
agent so PayPal can verify it and credit your account immediately with
the $1,260. Thanks so much for the understanding and it is great doing
business with you.


Tom.

I had something very similar to this I was getting emails about a computer I'm trying to sell from a Woman called Maya Job asking for a Western Union transfer Number and then getting so called Paypal emails from [email protected]. so I've been ignoring her 'cause there is no way that's legit, and now she's making threats about going to the police.

Ignore the threats. As always, it is bizarre scammer lies.

What is the scammer going to do--go to the police and file a complaint saying "I tried to steal someone's money, but he wouldn't give it to me so I want you to arrest him" ??

Sometimes the scammer will follow the claim up with a fake letter from the police, FBI, or any other agency they can think of. Of course you should ignore that as well.

I actually wish one of these scammers would be stupid enough to go to the police, as they are unlikely to walk out of the police station without a little side trip to jail.