Hi there - just wanted to thank you for the info in this forum - saved us some pain so I thought I'd let you know about our experience.
We had a bike listed on ebay for sale and we had an enquiry from a buyer based in the UK wanting to buy immediately for a family member. We sussed out the comments for this ebay buyer and all seemed good.
The buyer wanted us to communicate with them through their own email address. They offered us much more than we wanted as a minimum price for the item and they wanted to pay through PayPal. They asked for us to remove the item from ebay and generate an invoice through our PayPal account. We got an email that looked like it was from PayPal saying that there was a "pending" payment of $3100 to be paid into our account once we passed on the extra amount of $2100 for "shipping costs" to be paid through Western Union to the shipping company UAB "Kuršiu Linija" which we had to pay before the transfer of their funds into our PayPal account would be completed. We contacted PayPal to verify this and also sussed out UAB "Kuršiu Linija" on google and came across the scamwarners reference to a scam that in every way mimicked what had happened to us. We got an email back from Ebay saying it was a phishing scam - and we immediately cancelled the PayPal invoice and contacted the buyer saying we were very disappointed and that if they wanted the item they could buy it through ebay as we had re-listed it, they'd wasted our time but thanks for the education.
Discussions with PayPal
customer subject: Would someone normally try to pay more money than a
Paypal invoice asks for?
customer message: Transaction ID: '5X472815E1267414M'
Additional Information: 'Hello
I have just made a sale through PayPal for a motorbike worth $1000 AUD
which I created an invoice for. The buyer has made a transaction of
$#### ($#### of which is supposed to be for shipping) that is "pending".
I have received an email saying that my account will be credited once I
have forwarded payment to the shipping company.
I have sent the same email to the address in the email -
[email protected]I'm confused about this can you explain it to me?'
Dear xxxxxx,
Thank you for contacting PayPal, my name is Yhanie and I am happy to
assist you today.
Mx xxxxxx, please be advised that PayPal will never ask you to send
the tracking number of a posted item before receiving a payment into
your PayPal account. Based on the information you have provided, I can
say that you are being scammed.
I checked your account and I was not able to see any pending payments to
be credited to your account even if you supply us with a tracking
number. All payments are recorded in the History page of your PayPal
account. Having said that, I would suggest that you forward the emails
you received from the person without modifying it to
[email protected]for records purposes.
Please let me know if you need further assistance.
Sincerely,
Yhanie
PayPal Resolution Services
PayPal, an eBay Company
xxxxxx to [email protected]show details Apr 24 (1 day ago)
Hi
I think I've got a scammer here.
cheers
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
[email protected] <
[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 11:24 PM
Subject: Notification of An Instant Merchandise Payment Received from John James (Transaction ID: 5X472815E1267414M)
To: xxxxxx
Dear xxxxxx,
This email confirms that you have received an Instant payment of $3,100.00 AUD from John James (
[email protected]) via PayPal MERCHANDISE Payment Service.
View the "NOTE" of this pending transaction below
Payment Details
Merchandise Amount:
$1,000.00 AUD
Agent Charges:
Taxes and Insurance:
Total:
$2,100.00 AUD
$0.00 AUD
$3,100.00 AUD
Transaction Id:
5X472815E1267414M
Quantity:
1
Merchandise Title:
Honda XR 80R 91 BIKE
Transport Company: UAB"Kuršiu Linija"
Name: Eric Gary,
Add: 189 Mangold Way,Erith
City: Kent,
Post Code: DA18 4DD,
Country: United Kingdom.
Address Status:
Confirmed
NOTE: This is to confirm to you that the said amount has been successfully transferred by John James and has been deducted from his PayPal account,which is ready to be credited into your account,been that this Payment has been subjected to be a Payment for an MERCHANDISE purchased from you, we reserve the right to make sure this transaction is safe and secured also to verify the legitimacy level on this transaction because of the high sum of funds involved.
The above sum includes the charges of the shipping company and taxes.(as per PayPal MERCHANDISE PAYMENT POLICY). You will receive a Message from the PayPal Customer Verification Department Shortly informing you on how to send the shipping charges and taxes to the transport company to the above details as soon as possible.
You may click here to contact the PayPal Customer Verification Department and Quote the Above Transaction ID for quick recognition of this transaction.
Sincerely,
PayPal
from [email protected] <[email protected]>to xxxxxx
date Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 2:43 AM
subject RE: Fwd: Notification of An Instant Merchandise Payment Received from John James (Transaction ID: 5X472815E1267414M) (KMM7162218I15977L0KM)
Hello xxxxxx,
Thanks for forwarding that suspicious-looking email. You're right - it
was a phishing attempt, and we're working on stopping the fraud. By
reporting the problem, you've made a difference!
Identity thieves try to trick you into revealing your password or other
personal information through phishing emails and fake websites. To learn
more about online safety, click "Security Center" on any PayPal webpage.
Every email counts. When you forward suspicious-looking emails to
[email protected], you help keep yourself and others safe from identity
theft.
Your account security is very important to us, so we appreciate your
extra effort.
Thanks,
PayPal
Removed personal details - CF
