trq Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 I'm currently selling my Audi A4 on a used car site here in Aus. I've an asking price of $9800 but am receiving heaps (at least 6 in the last 48 hours) of emails from people offering more money, ($10200 - $10800) to be the car site unseen. They will however only make payment through PayPal. Most of them have been running with the excuse that they work on board ships and are unable to make a money transfer because they don't have internet banking. They want to make the payments into my PayPal account and then organize a third party to pick up the vehicle. Its obviously some sort of scam. I mean, who offers more for a car than the asking price, and who doesn't have internet banking these days. I'm just not sure I can see what there really going to achieve by doing this. Am I missing something? PayPal say the won't guarantee sales on cars. Meaning (I assume) that the buyer will not be able to ask for a refund if the car doesn't turn up or turns up in a lesser condition than advertised. With this being the case, what thew hell are these fraudsters after? Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/199562-paypal-scams/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
oni-kun Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 I've found this artical, Seems to be spot on with the example you've given: http://advertising.suite101.com/article.cfm/car-buying-scam-using-paypal [...]The interested parties wanted to buy the car through PayPal only and they were emailing from a distant location that prevented them from transferring a payment any other way. One person said they were a crew member with Air Canada and another person said they were conveniently "at sea." [...] Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/199562-paypal-scams/#findComment-1047489 Share on other sites More sharing options...
xylex Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 I had an unenlightened friend who went for one of these briefly. After the victim accepts the offer for the car, the scammer sends a forged money order or a Paypal payment for well over their offer, asking you to forward the difference to their shipping company. The scammer asks the victim to use the difference to pay the shipping company with a cashier's check, and the victim will usually happily oblige, assuming that the payment has cleared once the bank released the funds. By the time the chargeback or the forged money order hits, the real cashier's check is already on it's way and you're out those funds. You might still be able to get your car back, since there never is a real company to pick it up, but you're already out a few grand of cold hard cash. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/199562-paypal-scams/#findComment-1047517 Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewooleymammoth Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 just a modified version of the same old cashiers check scam. never accept more money than your asking for and never transfer it to a third party. they can write a second check or whatever to a third party. not your responsibility. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/199562-paypal-scams/#findComment-1047523 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mchl Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 and who doesn't have internet banking these days Our former PM didn't even have a traditional banking account. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/199562-paypal-scams/#findComment-1047524 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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