** BuySell Safety and Tips (Copyright ©)

PB Forum :: Beginners
** BuySell Safety and Tips (Copyright ©)
Author Message
flag juststu
Posted: Mar 22, 2017 at 12:00 Quote
Thanks for the info
flag bjean
Posted: Mar 27, 2017 at 9:45 Quote
Hi,

Pinkbike's Buy/Sell Tips pages advises against sharing phone number. But if your accepting payment via PayPal, you need to provide your phone number so they can locate account. Is there another way to point somebody to your PayPal account?
flag CFWatson
Posted: Mar 27, 2017 at 18:21 Quote
should i have him send the bike first or should i pay him first
flag Nefariousd
Posted: Apr 2, 2017 at 0:04 Quote
Scamming goes both ways. Buyers can also be scammers: The problem is that all a buyer has to say is "not as described " and PayPal will refund their money, they'll have your stuff on the other side of the country, and you'll have no recourse.
It's just easier for them to refund the money than to get involved in the minutiae of " the scratch is 8mm and he described it as 6mm" and all a dishonest buyer has to say is the item didn't meet their expectations and as a seller you lose, I've sold thousands of items on eBay and eventually had to quit because this was becoming rampant particularly after ebay did away with the ability of sellers to leave negative feedback.

So sure you can dissuade people from doing anything other than PayPal but you're not really offering a solution that is equitable in risk or able to assure a seller that they aren't going to be scammed
flag derkenblosh
O+
Posted: Apr 12, 2017 at 8:18 Quote
is there a section to post scammer's phone numbers ?



(226) 240-4927

SENT ME -----

[Quoten]Okay good and my mode of payment is most acceptable,easier, safer and reliable means of payment which is United State Certified check and you wont get to release the goods until you have your cash at hand after cashing the check and my mover will come for the pick up of the item and i will add $50 for you to withdraw the advert from site
[/Quoten]
flag romaldinho96
Posted: Apr 22, 2017 at 17:53 Quote
Who is a current Moderator?
flag BosPete
Posted: May 3, 2017 at 7:40 Quote
Found two posts here that look fake:

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2095009/

Price is way too cheap for new. Also if you look at the posted history for them it was posted in nov 2016 for same price and now its posted again in march?


This poster looks fake. has multiple bikes for sale at the same time and prices are too low. 2250 for a 1 year old 5k bike? Also it says price drop even though it was listed before on march 17th for the same price.

https://www.pinkbike.com/u/benshaw1/
flag JulesVerne
Posted: May 3, 2017 at 10:57 Quote
Just sold my second item here on PinkBike and noticed something weird with my transaction fee. Paypal had charged me 4.4% instead of 2.9%. I looked at the person's address and it says they live in the United States and the address is marked as confirmed. Then next to the person's name it says: "The sender of this payment is Non-U.S. - Verified". So I guess they paid me from a NON-US financial institution.

So I looked up their address and it looks like it is in a business park and it is linked to a company called Aeropost. This looks like a company that gives you a postal box at their address if you live outside of the U.S. and they forward the packages and mail to your actual address outside the country.

Anoyne ever deal with this?
flag fudgedredd
O+
Posted: May 9, 2017 at 7:06 Quote
Received scam buyer attempt from phone number (269) 224-2946. Person contacted me only through text and avoided Pinkbike messaging. Also, phone numbers are required for PayPal, but numbers should be HIDDEN until an agreement for sale has been approved by both parties THROUGH Pinkbike. This would have prevented the type of scam I was getting. Selling through Pinkbike can provide a false sense of security if you're not vigilant with how the person is communicating and what they are asking for.

Telltale signs from my experience (ending today):
- Buyer was interested but didn't bother negotiating price
- Very poor grammar (who uses 4 commas? Answer: no one from North America)
- Texts at odd hours 1:48AM California time (texting from Africa?)
- Didn't give name
- Asked for my account number even though "he" is supposedly trying to pay by check
- Inconsistent responses with large gaps between replies

Do Not Respond to requests from this number. (269) 224-2946
Does anyone know of ways to report attempts from phone numbers? Should have a page or list of attempted fraud and verified fraud users and numbers for reference. I take fraud like this very seriously.
flag lblizzard
Posted: Aug 15, 2017 at 9:39 Quote
if i sent a Paypal invoice and it's Paid...do i wait till the money hits my bank before I ship the item?
flag road-psyclist
Posted: Aug 15, 2017 at 10:32 Quote
lblizzard wrote:
if i sent a Paypal invoice and it's Paid...do i wait till the money hits my bank before I ship the item?

Yes, wait until the money has cleared in your Paypal account.
flag Jacobwalker1995
Posted: Aug 25, 2017 at 0:22 Quote
Could someone please tell me how to post a add for sale? Can I do it via only using my phone?
flag AnthonyH123
Posted: Oct 2, 2017 at 12:06 Quote
kinny-pb wrote:
Header for BuySell Saefty amp Tips


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------------I AM NO LONGER A MODERATOR ON PINKBIKE. ------------

We only ask that you follow the rules for your own safety. It's not a set of rules like a concentration camp, it's a set of rules to protect you from fraud. Please follow them and you shall never have to worry.

If you can't be bothered to read this now, feel free to read the whole thread later, and briefly read points A-I below. But be aware that nobody else is to blame if you decide not to read it and are scammed.

-Pinkbike BuySell is free and the site is not to blame if you are scammed, just use common sense and vigilance and read the following-

*UPDATE*

1 - People are still falling for EMT, Bank Transfers and other non Paypal methods. Scammers know they can steal your money this way, so please pay by Paypal Goods and pay extra to cover the fees!

#- Watch out for the scammers who tell you the Paypal stob stories and say they prefer bank transfer or Paypal gift. I've witnessed this a lot. They'll tell you that they were scammed on Paypal or screwed over by Paypal so prefer another payment method, If you see this story, we can guarentee it's a scammer!

#- When you pay by Paypal Goods and leave a note to the seller, add a good description and paste the ad website URL into it.

Example - "Hi, this is for the Onza Mongo III headset on Pinkbike https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/992368/"


2- People are also accepting Paypal Gift as payment Attention BEWARE Attention - You as the seller can lose your money by accepting gift, as the buyer can scam you by telling Paypal they didn't authorise the payment or they were hacked. Accept Paypal Goods, and you're covered.

3- SEND YOUR ITEMS (big or small) RECORDED/TRACKED - If you don't, the receiver can easily claim they didn't receive the item and make you look like a scammer or claim their money back through Paypal.

# If you send recorded you can go onto the postal service site (with the tracking information on the receipt) which will conform if the item was, or was not delivered, giving you 100% guarantee of not being called a scammer, nor losing your money on a paypal dispute.

4- When buying in person check the item/bike over thoroughly before handing over your money. Check for cracks, dents, and any other defects.

# Do the same with receiving an item through the post. This way, if you find it has defects you can file a dispute.

5- Keep all communication via Pinkbike private messaging I cannot stress this enough. It may be easier to communicate via phone or email, but if any issues arrise whether it be to show to PInkbike moderators or Paypal, you won't have proof (being a seller or buyer) so keep it all via Pinkbike inbox messages. Anyone who asks you to email them 90% of the time are a scammer, but if they ask for more pictures the chance is they're just looking for extra pictures and aren't a scammer.

6- - When selling, meet outside of a police station, or with company in public. Attention DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR HOME ADDRESS OR HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER TO ANYONE Attention It's common for thieves to acquire your home address to 'view' your bike, then they'll rob your home when you're not in. They can also find your home address using your home telephone number via google.

7- - DO NOT accept Paypal e-cheque! It has been known that Paypal e-cheques can bounce, so you send your item to the buyer, it boucnes, and you lose the money. Paypal Goods ONLY.

8- Shipping. When you sell an item/bike to a buyer, ship ONLY to the address on their Paypal and make sure it's a verified address. If they pay with Paypal goods, make sure you send to the address on their Paypal account and make sure it's a verified address. If they ask you to ship to an address different to the address on their Paypal account, then refuse to ship, and offer to ship directly to their Paypal address. Paypal will refund the buyer, even if you have proof you shipped to the address the buyer requested you to ship to, so you can be scammed.

TRADES

Firstly, please note that we don't condone to trades of long distance (i.e sending each other a bike through shipping) you're screwed if the bike ends up being broken with a crack etc.or they don't send you their item/bike. So if you do do this, please do it at your own will. But be aware that you may be scammed.

Paypal Goods each other the value of each others item. Then on the note of the payment, type: "I am doing a trade with Joe Bloggs for my Fox 40 fork. We have agreed to pay each other the value of one another's forks in this trade for insurance that we'll receive each others items."

That will help Paypal see the deal if you are scammed, so you can file a dispute.

Remember to send tracked and provide tracking info to one another.

Salute

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Okay, so looking at the forum, I have noticed a lot of scams are taking place on a daily basis.
This should not be a worry for you if you are buying or selling unless you don't follow the following tips.

Remember these main points before reading;

a) if it's to good to be true, Then It's probably a scam

b) Screenshot (printscreen) the ad and pictures

c) Ask questions i.e, Previous buyers usernames who've brought items from them.

d) ALWAYS pay with paypal GOODS.

e) Ask for recorded delivery with a tracking number.

g) Do not close a case with Paypal before you get a full refund/the item (as it's a struggle to re-open)

h) Keep copies of receipts of postage and archive your messages of sales for future reference.

i) ONLY ship to verified Paypal Addresses. If it's non-verified, be aware that you can be scammed.

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PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

-If you have been scammed, post HERE, with the scammers user name provided.

Also, you can report a user by clicking on 'More+' under their profile and choosing 'Report User' and then in DETAIL state why you are reporting the user. Or go to How to use forum tools - If you're new to Pinkbike.


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-RULE 1 When buying/purchased the product. Screenshot (printscreen) the ad and pictures.

Why?

some scammers delete their ads after selling to get rid of evidence. This way, if someone claims the item is in good condition and it turns out ruined, you have back up.

This thread will show you how to print screen if you don't know how.

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-RULE 2 Ask questions i.e, Previous buyers usernames who've brought items from them.

Why should you ask for seller history?

If you ask the seller of the item, the usernames of the people who bought items from them, you can ask the buyers if they received their item, if it was in good condition etc. But beware; some scammers use their friends as fake pretend customers, hence why you should go back to the rules.HERE

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-RULE 3 ALWAYS pay with paypal GOODS. Attention NEVER Bank Transfer,E-Transfer, Money Order or Paypal Gift etc. Attention


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NOTE: That sometimes you get charged a fee when paying by gift BUT it DOES NOT cover you. The reason is when a personal payment is sent using a credit card there is a fee involved and the seller determines who pays the fee. If a personal payment is sent from a PayPal balance there is no fee involved.


Why should you pay by goods? Well look at it this way;

a) You're covered by Paypal when you are charged a small % for insurance, unlike gift, where you cannot claim your money back, if anything goes wrong.

b) You've just got to think about what you're doing when you pay via paypal gift, you wouldn't meet someone in the street, give him money, and hope he comes back the next day with the parts.
Also. If you pay by gift, you wont see a penny back. because yes what he has done is illegal, as it is theft and fraud, but what you have done is also against paypals policy, and possibly illegal. You have lied when making the payment saying that the funding is for a gift, and they cannot charge you for a gift, they cannot add a fee on if you're sending money as a gift. But as you did it to bypass paying paypal fees you have broken their rules.
You can also check out the thread: Being scammed through paypal this will help you identify a real or fake paypal email.

Note; If the seller doesn't want to pay the percentage (%) of fees, offer to pay the fees on top of it. DO NOT fall for gift!!

CLICK HERE for the Paypal fee % calculator to work out how much you need to pay on top.


“Personal Payment” means amounts sent between two individuals (not to or from a business) without a purchase. Examples of Personal Payments include sending a gift to a friend or paying a friend back for your share of a lunch bill.


“Purchase Payment” means a payment received for any of the following:

-A payment for the sale of goods or services;
-A payment you received after using the “Request Money” tab on the PayPal website;
-A payment you received for a donation; or
- A payment that is sent to, or received by, a business or other commercial or non-profit entity.

Also, read; Fake Paypal and fraudulent website Q&A for all the info you need.

-HOW TO RAISE A DISPUTE-

If you paid by goods and are scammed, follow the below steps and you can raise a dispute to get your money back.

How to dispute a transaction on Paypal for your future reference. Although hopefully you ll never have to.

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-RULE 4 Ask for recorded delivery with a tracking number.

Why should you ask for recorded delivery and tracking number?

With recorded delivery, there's no way that a parcel or package can be 'lost' in the post. Also, if the buyer doesn't receive the goods, the seller can show proof with the receipt that he/she sent it. A tracking number also is useful and is good to prove that the item has been sent.
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-RULE 5 Keep all postage receipts and archive messages of transactions.

Why?

Sometimes scammers can claim (at any time) that they never received the item after the transaction (this could be weeks,months etc.) If you keep copies of messages and receipts, they have nothing to stand on against you.

Remember to write on the postage receipt(s) the username of the person you sold to and keep it somewhere.

Also, when the parcel is conformed as delivered, screendump the page on the tracking status or print it off and keep it, this will show proof that the item was delivered for future insurance.


RULE 6 Never ship to non-verified Paypal Addresses.

Why?

They send you money from a real Paypal account, ask you to ship to a certain address, then file a chargeback. If you did not check with Paypal that the address they gave you was the "verified" address and you sent anywhere but the verified address, they claim they never received the item and Paypal refunds them. It doesn't matter if you have proof it was delivered to the other address along with an email from the buyer telling you to ship to that address. If you ship anywhere but the verified Paypal mailing address, you have NO protection and Paypal will always side with the buyer. Unless you are selling through Ebay, you have no cover.

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-If you pay by gift then you cannot get your money back,so pay by goods then you can raise a dispute.

-Look at the join date and the ad creation date - Scammers are joining up and making fake ads and then automatically marking them sold to make it look like they have a seller history. You can usually tell if they marked the item sold on the same day they joined. Always refer to the rules even if they out smart the common scam they do.

-Do not close a case before you get a full refund/the item (as it's a struggle to re-open)

-If you are buying make sure they have paypal and ask them for their postal code and address, use the post code and check it out on google maps.

-Ask the seller to sell through ebay on 'Buy It Now' plus pay by paypal. This is good if you're selling or trading bikes or large items and are shipping across the country as you're 100% covered if the item you bought is damaged, or if you get scammed.

DO NOT accept:cheques,wire transfer, Paypal ONLY! it is the only way of retrieving your money if you are scammed.

-If you want to make sure the bike isn't stolen ask the seller for the frame number and then contact your local police.

-Send all items you sell via recorded delivery.:The moderators can't do anything if you send via normal post and it "gets lost in the post with no proof".
This also assures you that both parties get what they paid for/sold and if the item does get lost then you have proof that you sent the item.

-Look at their join date (although not always a definite sign) Most scammers are new but as said, not always, so refer to the rules.

Cash On Delivery (C.O.D) is another payment method if you do not have paypal but only use it locally, not for anything else. It's a tracked parcel shipping that requires the person to pay for the item upon delivery of the good for the set amount. Its an excellent way especially for younger riders who may not be able to receive a paypal account. You do have to pay for the shipping cost to send it but you just add it to the cost of the item if they are to pay the cost of shipping in the first place then you are required to sign for the delivery of the money order upon the return of money. And if you are the one who is receiving the product through this method you can inspect the parcel and return it if being scammed and they will not have their shipping cost reimbursed but will be charged double the shipping cost for a returned item. Teaching them the lesson crime does not pay. It is also a lot 70% cheaper than a courier service requires no third party to investigate and no waiting time for them to make a decision based on their policy of return.

Just remember the following before jumping for COD.
Sending anything COD is a bad way to do business in any country.
Once it leaves USA/Canada it is in the legal hand of other countries - customs and mail systems.
It can get lost easily and damaged. If returned you may not see it at all or may take up to 6 months to get it back.
In USA or Canada the USPS/Canada Post will move the COD to delivery places, they have up to 30 days to pay for it
or send it back to you. So u have money out there for up to 60 days. So never ever do COD.


1) Unlike Paypal, it's safe for seller, but unsafe for buyer. You could be paying $100 for a box of old newpapers. There is no chance of a refund.

2) You can pay the postal worker and then ask if they can you hold on, so you can check if everything is correct in front of them, BUT once you have paid, the postal service is released for all liabilities. They also cannot accept an opened package. The buyer, is also NOT allowed to open the box until they've paid.

3) DO NOT EVER DEAL WITH SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE ESTABLISHED FEEDBACK, OR....someone who will pay up front EMT., Direct Deposit., Money Order., Cheque all received and with sufficient time for the funds to be verified received. NEVER.

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Buying 2nd Hand - What You Should Look For thread is also good if you want to make sure you know what to look out for on a bike before buying.

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Selling:

-Be really honest with your advert and include every last paint chip, scratch or cable rub.

-If selling then be really strict with postage, i.e. if you sell something on a Monday, don't put sending it off until the following Saturday morning.

-Get your bike shop to check your bike/parts over or serviced (as witnesses) before shipping the bike, so if someone claims the bike/part is broken you have back up.

-Never ever send money orders or western union. Again NEVER NEVER NEVER send money orders or Western Union.

-Get insurance cover by the courier company for your item just in case it get's damaged.

-Ship via Recorded Delivery, just in case the item gets stolen or lost, you will be covered.

Acquiring a box for delivery

-When you send a bike, you're obviously going to need a box for it to send the bike in.

-You can get a box for free from your LBS (Local Bike Shop) or Halfords as they throw out their boxes after using them. I wouldn't get a box from anywhere else as these boxes are bike specific boxes.

A few tips:

-Make sure you get the correct size box.

-You will have to measure the frame, then measure the box to see if it fits. Usually 2 inches extra space either way is best.

-Brand new frame/new condition? - Get bubble-wrap and parcel tape, then wrap the bike up in it. Couriers partly can't be held responsible for damage caused to the bike or parts, so you won't have an unhappy buyer when they receive it.

-Brace rear end (dropouts) and fork if a road bike.


THIS IS HOW YOU WRAP A FRAME AS AN EXAMPLE - Make sure it is covered in the important areas.

How you wrap up a frame when shipping it to avoid any cosmetic damage.
How you wrap up a frame when shipping it to avoid any cosmetic damage.

-Insure the parcel if you can; this will make sure that you/the buyer get a refund if anything happens.

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Buying:

-Also, if you are the winning bidder and go to pick up the bike in person- dont try haggling on the sellers doorstep as you will both get bad feedback from each other.

-Best place to meet is train stations when there are a lot of people. And try and bring some company whether you're buying or selling.

-Always take a friend/family member with you when meeting.

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Decide what the items you're trading are worth (you should agree on the same price). Then once you get his cleared payment, send the item and visa versa. Using paypal goods will give you an option to get your money back of he fails to deliver or sends you a dud item.

If trading big items like bikes, or things that can be carried by parcel couriers, you and the person arrange pick ups from each other, instead of arranging your own parcel to be delivered to the other person. This way, you can guarantee that you'll both get your items.

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KEY POINTS ON SCAMS
WHEN BUYING OR SELLING

There are a few things to watch for when you are BUYING/SELLING:

1. If the messages says "Dear Seller" it's almost always a scammer.
They send out mass e-mails so it's mainly kept generic.

2. They keep referring to your item for sale as an "item".
Take note of this when they don't say what you're
selling in your post.

3. The item you're selling is always in bold,
brackets( ),CAPITALS or quoted " ". eg. I'm
interested in your (forks), I see that you have a
"bike" for sale.

4. These are keywords to look for in a common scam
email:
SHIPPING COMPANY
WESTERN UNION
MANAGER WILL SEND YOU A CHEQUE
I NEED YOUR NAME,ADDRESS & TELEPHONE NUMBER

5. They offer you more money for what you are asking for.
Wether it be they are offering you £50 on top of the
money you sold the bike for, for selling the bike to them,
or diabolical offers such as £500 when you are only
selling your bike for £200.

6. Try to stay away from cashier's cheques and Western
Union since many of these are fake and used by scammers.

7. DO NOT Accept Cheque Payment by anyone, always cash
in hand or Paypal.

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(Picture below is original source, click on it and you'll see the text better)

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davers wrote:
Just a heads up.

Just before Christmas i had my bikes stolen from my garage after posting one up for sale on here.

A guy phoned up asking all the right questions and wanted to see the bike, i gave him the address and he never turned up.

In the night the garage was broken into and both my bikes were taken. (I've had high end bikes for 10 years, no problems)

I've just been looking through the buy / sell section, as i do to see if i can find them and by the looks of it I'm not the only one to have had this happen.

People have said to me that i should not of given my address over the phone, but how else would a genuine buyer look at the bike, i for one would not buy a expensive bike in a car park or petrol station car park.

Be careful,i think there are professional thieves targeting expensive bikes off the for sale sections of bike forums

Rob


As you can see, there is another way of thieves stealing bikes from your property. This is simply done by pretending to have interest, then going to the property to steal the bikes.

The best way to defeat this (without me giving away anything to these thieves) is by doing the following:

-Do not let someone go to your address to see the bike.

-Do not give out your home phone number only your mobile/cell number.

-Arrange a meeting time somewhere away from your home address (or anyone else's)

-Take someone with you (or a couple of people. The more the safer) and meet in a public place filled with members of the public, i.e town centre.

-Best place to meet if you live in a town or city is outside a police station for obvious reasons. And if you're legit, you have nothing to worry about. Even explain to the police why you are doing it.

-Get a bill of sale made out including serial numbers of the product you are buying. Verify the person's information, name, phone, contact info by checking the persons ID at the signing of the bill of sale.

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There are several different scams to watch out for but all are basically to do with overpayment for your goods. In a classified advertisement scam, a scammer responds to an advertisement for anything: a car, a bike, a computer, furniture ... anything that is being advertised at a reasonably high price.

BUYING & SELLING SCAM 1 - "OVERSEAS BUYERS..."

-The scammer will express an interest in buying the item that is for sale. However, the scammer tells the vendor that he lives abroad, and that he would like to send the vendor a cheque to cover the cost of the item, plus an additional amount to cover the cost of shipping the item overseas.

-If the vendor agrees to this, the scammer sends them a cheque or a banker's draft for the total amount. The vendor pays the cheque or draft into their bank account, and the bank clears it immediately, making the funds available in the vendor's bank account.

-The scammer then asks the vendor to get in touch with the shipping agent immediately in order to arrange the shipment overseas. The vendor does so, and the shipping agent (another scammer) asks for their fee up front. They usually ask for the fee to be sent via Western Union to enable them to collect it immediately. As the scammer's cheque or bank draft has been cleared by the bank as soon as it was paid in, the vendor agrees to this, and sends the shipping agent their money.

-The vendor is usually then contacted by the scammer, who asks the vendor to send the rest of the money back as he no longer wants to purchase the item. There is usually a hard-luck story attached: one common story is that the scammer's son or daughter has been involved in an accident or is seriously ill, and the scammer needs the money to pay for their hospital treatment. If the vendor agrees, they transfer the rest of the money back to the scammer, again probably via Western Union.

-At this point, the vendor is unaware that they have been scammed. They remain unaware of this until the scammer's cheque or bank draft completes the bank clearing process - which can take days or even weeks - and the bank finally finds out that it is a forgery.

SCAM 2 -
"I'VE SENT YOU TOO
MUCH MONEY..."

-Another one works when the person who has agreed to buy your goods says a mistake has been made and instead of (for example) £100 the cheque has been made out for £1000 and would you cash the cheque and send back the difference.

-The cheque will clear into your bank, only to be stopped/refused weeks later. At this point, the Banks/Building Societies will take the full cheque amount back out of your account. Not only will you have lost the goods, you will be out of pocket for the amount of their original cheque (£1000) and the amount you passed on as the difference (£900).

SCAM 3 -
"SOMEONE OWES ME MONEY..."

-This one works when you are contacted by someone offering to pay for your item in full. They will say that they are living in a different country but that someone in England owes them money. They will offer to send you a cheque for far more money than the actual price and then ask you to send the difference with the goods.

-Again, the cheque will clear into your bank, only to be stopped/refused weeks later. At this point, the Banks/Building Societies will take the full cheque amount back out of your account leaving you out of pocket amount of their original cheque, the amount you passed on as the difference and any goods you have shipped.

IN SUMMARY....

-In all of these cases (and there are many more), at this point, the vendor is unaware that they have been scammed. They remain unaware of this until the scammer's cheque or bank draft completes the bank clearing process - which can take days or even weeks - and the bank finally finds out that it is a forgery.

People who want help to protect themselves,come on where is the common sense now days and how many times do people have to repeat themselves before the most basic information sinks in.

If it's to good to be true THEN IT'S A SCAM.

If they insist on paypal gift or bank transfer WALK AWAY.

If in doubt ask them to go through EBAY.

Ask the user seller QUESTIONS and INFO on any of his/her previous buysell HISTORY.

YOU SHOULD, THEREFORE,
BE EXTREMLEY SUSPICIOUS IF:

-Someone responds to a classified advertisement you have placed and wants you to ship the item abroad, without even having seen the item.I recommend caution when dealing with anyone based outside the UK.

-They offer to pay you the amount of the item, plus the shipping costs, and ask you to arrange the shipping and pay the shipping agent yourself.

-DO NOT be reassured if you receive a cheque or a banker's draft and your bank clears it as soon as you pay it into your account; it may still be a forgery, and if so, you will lose out.

-Someone sends you a cheque or bankers draft for your goods, then asks you to return the money to them for whatever reason, via an instant cash transfer service such as Western Union or MoneyGram. Cash transfers made using these services are instant, meaning that the scammer can get his hands on your money well before you find out that the cheque you received is forged

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CREDITS (for some of the information goes to)

marquis (ex-moderator)

curiousdeanne

Nobble

Harry-H

YoungLink

Almostwise

SquareHead94

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Links to other threads I have created which you may be interested in:

BIKE SECURITY - A Guide to Theft Prevention

HOME SECURITY - A Guide to keeping your bike safe Indoors.

RECOVERING STOLEN BIKES FROM EBAY & CLASSIFIED AD SITES
flag Adriantyrrell46
Posted: Dec 21, 2017 at 14:51 Quote
Nefariousd wrote:
Scamming goes both ways. Buyers can also be scammers: The problem is that all a buyer has to say is "not as described " and PayPal will refund their money, they'll have your stuff on the other side of the country, and you'll have no recourse.
It's just easier for them to refund the money than to get involved in the minutiae of " the scratch is 8mm and he described it as 6mm" and all a dishonest buyer has to say is the item didn't meet their expectations and as a seller you lose, I've sold thousands of items on eBay and eventually had to quit because this was becoming rampant particularly after ebay did away with the ability of sellers to leave negative feedback.

So sure you can dissuade people from doing anything other than PayPal but you're not really offering a solution that is equitable in risk or able to assure a seller that they aren't going to be scammed

 


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