Is This a Scam?

[bad company]

I’m selling an item on Facebook Marketplace with a £475 asking price, cash on collection. Is this a scam?

[Beethree]

Yes.
If selling via FB and anything smells of scam, it’s a scam.

[bad company]

Beethree said:

Yes.
If selling via FB and anything smells of scam, it’s a scam.

So what’s the scam? I don’t have a PayPal account and certainly don’t want to give my bank details.

[E63eeeeee...]

Hard to say based on that, but just say no, stick with cash on collection. If the buyer vanishes, then maybe it was a scam.

[Jordie Barretts sock]

bad company said:

Beethree said:

Yes.
If selling via FB and anything smells of scam, it’s a scam.

So what’s the scam? I don’t have a PayPal account and
certainly don’t want to give my bank details.

They have hacked a bank account. They will pay you from that, collect the item and then the money will be reported as a fraudulent transaction and you will lose payment and the item.

[E-bmw]

Beethree said:

Yes.
If selling via FB it’s a scam.

[bad company]

Update. Now I know it’s a scam.

[Sebring440]

bad company said:

Update. Now I know it’s a scam.

But you knew it was a scam before, that's why you posted.

[bad company]

Sebring440 said:

bad company said:

Update. Now I know it’s a scam.

But you knew it was a scam before, that's why you posted.

I certainly suspected, yes. I still don’t know how it’s meant to work though.

[DavePanda]

bad company said:

So what’s the scam? I don’t have a PayPal account and certainly don’t want to give my bank details.

Why? They can't do anything with it.

People seem to forget a few years ago they were happy to hand over cheques for payment that clearly hand the exact same details on


I had someone come collect something 2 days ago, he'd asked if i would take a transfer. He transferred the money there and then and was on his way.

[DavePanda]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

They have hacked a bank account. They will pay you from that, collect the item and then the money will be reported as a fraudulent transaction and you will lose payment and the item.

A faster payment transfer (which transfers of this nature are) cannot be reversed, if scammed the bank may well refund you but they can't reverse the transaction.

[119]

Seems legit to me.

[Purosangue]

yes we were selling a bed same thing £60 cash on collection
still attracted the scammers

i cant come my brother will pick up

can you take paypal , bank transfer
sorry father Christmas cant come can you post it and ill transfer money

my reply sorry we don't export to Nigeria !! , you want it you arrive and pay cash

Edited by Purosangue on Friday 27th October 01:14

[GasEngineer]

From a buyers POV - I've paid for three £200 - £300 FaceBook purchases with bank transfers (not Paypal) and the sellers were happy to give me their bank details.

I don't keep that sort of cash amount and it would involve an extra trip to a bank machine to draw out cash. Bank transfer much easier.

OPs "buyer" does look like a scammer though....

[TheDrownedApe]

GasEngineer said:

From a buyers POV - I've paid for three £200 - £300 FaceBook purchases with bank transfers (not Paypal) and the sellers were happy to give me their bank details.

I don't keep that sort of cash amount and it would involve an extra trip to a bank machine to draw out cash. Bank transfer much easier.

OPs "buyer" does look like a scammer though....

Agree; there is nothing wrong with handing over you bank details if the seller is there infront of you wanting to pay. My dad (80s) is adamant that this is crazy and "you will lose everything" and i guess a lot of people still have that incorrect mentality. However you are not going to change their mind.

If i buy or sell small stuff (under 100) on FB i deal in cash

[Type R Tom]

Have some fun stringing them along, send them to the wrong address, be out etc.

Waste their time so they can't spend it on someone who doesn't know it's a scam

[Chris32345]

TheDrownedApe said:

Agree; there is nothing wrong with handing over you bank details if the seller is there infront of you wanting to pay. My dad (80s) is adamant that this is crazy and "you will lose everything" and i guess a lot of people still have that incorrect mentality. However you are not going to change their mind.

If i buy or sell small stuff (under 100) on FB i deal in cash

They can't do anything with your bank acc number and sort code execpt try to set up a direct debit
Which you should be notified of anyway

[deckster]

The poor English and consistent reference to the item as "it" rather than "the clock", and a lack of any interest in its condition or otherwise, are also big red flags to me.

[Roofless Toothless]

From Sunny Avenue -

"Sharing your bank account and sort code is generally unsafe, except with trusted entities. Giving this information to unknown individuals can jeopardise your finances and lead to unauthorised access, fraud, or identity theft.

Sort codes and account numbers can be used by fraudsters for identity theft, direct debit fraud, phishing scams, and money laundering.

While it's generally safe to share your account number and sort code, the risk increases when combined with other personal information. Scammers can use various methods to steal this information.

Protect your bank details by using secure password managers, monitoring your account for suspicious activity, verifying the source of funds, avoiding public networks for online banking, and being cautious about sharing your details."

[otolith]

DavePanda said:

bad company said:

So what’s the scam? I don’t have a PayPal account and certainly don’t want to give my bank details.

Why? They can't do anything with it.

People seem to forget a few years ago they were happy to hand over cheques for payment that clearly hand the exact same details on


I had someone come collect something 2 days ago, he'd asked if i would take a transfer. He transferred the money there and then and was on his way.

Jeremy Clarkson was famously of the same opinion.

https://www.wired.com/2008/01/bbc-news-entert/