Ebay scammer????

Landon

Likes Dirt
eBay

These guys are quite funny... They usually ask you to send a few hundred by Western Union to a "shipping agent" in the end. The initial PayPal thing is quite common. If you continue with the "transaction" He'll probably tell you there's been a problem, like he's been marooned on an island and only his computer survived the shipwreck or something stupid like that. He'll ask you to send some cash to the shipping agent which you'll never see again.

See if you can get him to call you. These guys are very funny to talk to. I had a bloke call me from Belize recently with a similar story. He got very angry on the phone when I started asking some tough questions. :) They pretend not to hear you and constantly say “Hello, Hello”.
 

willsy01

Eats Squid
Tell him you work for eBay and can have a look at his account problem.......you'll do him a half price deal as it's usually $X per support call, just because he's such a nice chap.

Either that or in big red letters CASH OR GTFO
 

cjaty

Likes Dirt
If it doesnt feel right dont do it.Sold my vp free a few years back on ebay to an oversea's location[didnt want to send oversea's but it was throughty ebay so I thought it was safe]They wanted to do a moto transaction through my workshop.I rang the bank to check card number and details all checked out ok.This buyers identity theft was so fresh that the identity theft victom wasnt even aware of it until 4 weeks later they made an inquiry to the bank about a 3200 dollar debit on there card.Anyway someone in the states has a sweet vp free for nothing and I was out of pocket.Ebay,Paypal are not as safe as we think.
 

Pebble

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yeah just don't do it, it's not even worth playing with him because if he does pay genuine money it will be someone else's genuine money anyway.
One of the reasons I have canceled my paypal account, this sort of crap just isn't worth it, I was never stung by a scam nor do I want to be. I've come across this one beofre too, but they try to get people who are selling camper trailers and the like as well.

I would tell him that you want the money transferred directly to your account, the excuses would be interesting since if he can use pay pal he should also be able to use his normal bank account, after all if he is in SA or Qld there is no reason why he wouldn't have an Aus bank account, and to work in Aus he'd have to be an Aus Citizen or on some sort of visa and would certainly be getting paid in Aus $$l

So just tell him you're having problems with your paypal you want the money direct into your bank account and that you want him include the freight cost which you would prefer to organize yourself because it's just easier for you. I bet he won't do it.
 

bardles

Likes Dirt
You guys obviously don't know any engineers. They all talk like that.

But in all seriousness, isn't this common enough that ebay/paypal would be interested in tracking the bastards down?

Put a little tracking device in the bike and we will see exactly which house in Nigeria his is, then we can all go visit.
 

frensham

Likes Dirt
You guys obviously don't know any engineers. They all talk like that.

But in all seriousness, isn't this common enough that ebay/paypal would be interested in tracking the bastards down?

Put a little tracking device in the bike and we will see exactly which house in Nigeria his is, then we can all go visit.
I read a while ago about a guy in the UK who followed the 'money' all the way to Nigeria. The scammers were so pissed off at him that they tried to murder him. Stay away from these guys - definitely don't piss them off!
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
I'm pretty sure other people have posted threads after receiving the same (or very similar message), so yeah, I'm guessing it is a scam...
Yeah im pretty sure there was a similar thread recently. I wouldnt even bother with him, delete the email, block it and dont bother any further contact.
As mentioned paypal is good as you can file a refund.
 
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PSYCHO-T

Likes Dirt
Me fail english? thats umpossible.

Just withdraw the item for a while. and contact him/her/it/them
and say you broke it today and its no longer availible
 

Nmag

Likes Dirt
I'm going to marry his sister from Russia as soon as I can save up enough to help pay for her ticker over. She can only fly via private jet (due to a medical condition) so I have to save 40k in bonds. I'll be marrying her in 2045, but it will be worth it. She should hold together ok. She send me a photo and everything!
 

Pebble

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yeah im pretty sure there was a similar thread recently. I wouldnt even bother with him, delete the email, block it and dont bother any further contact.
As mentioned paypal is good as you can file a refund.
My first ever ebay experience was buying sunnies which I thought were genuine but turned out to be blatant fakes, seller still swore black and blue they were the real thing. It was a rigmarole to actually file for a refund and in the end I only got something like 75% of my money back. I wouldn't count on Paypal. Yes I'd used it a few times after that and it didn't stop me from selling and buying more stuff off ebay, just with much more caution.

It's just the fact that I heard scammers like this current guy, they take your stuff, they give you fraudulent money and in the end you're the one without money and stuff, paypal sure aren't going to reimburse you out of their own pocket are they? That would only work if they were dealing with a genuine buyer on the other end.

Your bank account is better because then the fraudster guy can't go to paypal and say that he never received the bike (you didn't pay for the shipping after all, he used trusty Trev or whoever it is) so you don't have any proof of actually sending him the bike either! That is the way these guys apparently work, by using their own courier you have no proof of having sent the item so even if the money was genuine they make a paypal claim and then you're left with no money and no bike!
 

radbiker

Likes Dirt
well i have tried the bank account because my paypal is stuffed excuse, but it didnt work hahaha. I have since sold my bike to a local buyer ;) hopefully he doesn't run off to Nigeria...
 

Pebble

Likes Bikes and Dirt
well i have tried the bank account because my paypal is stuffed excuse, but it didnt work hahaha. I have since sold my bike to a local buyer ;) hopefully he doesn't run off to Nigeria...
Glad it all turned out well, and nothing better than selling locally and not even having to post!
 
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