Is this a con, and shall I go along?

[jimxms]

So I'm selling a set of wheels on wheel-wh0res and I get the following email:

scammer said:

Hello,

Merry Xmas to you, What is the present condition of this item and your final asking price?? My mode of payment is via PayPal... I'll like to have the response to these question in your earliest convenience. Hope to hear from you soon.

Sarah.

Although it didn't put me on full alert, the use of the word 'item' instead of 'wheels' combined with 'final asking price' and 'paypal' got my spidey senses tingling ever so slightly. It all sounded a bit too much like a nigerian ebay scam email waiting to turn ripe.

Neverless I replied with:

me said:

The wheels look as good as new and have absolutely no damage to them.

The best price I can do is 950GBP.

To which 'Sarah' promptly replied:

scammer said:

Hello,
Thanks for the prompt response towards this transaction...Your asking price sounds good to me. My name is Sarah Atkins and am currently out of town at the moment due to work.I am buying the item as a New year gift for my Son.Payment will be made via PayPal,and pick up will commence by my private shipping agent once payment confirmation message is receive by you from PayPal.All you need to do is to fill the below data for payment to be sent out asap...

FULL NAME:
PAYPAL EMAIL:
TEL.PHONE NUMBER:
AGREED PRICE:

I will keep you posted once payment is sent out while date and time of pick up will be arrange between you and my shipper once payment is been notify and confirmed by PayPal.Thanks very much...

Regards,
Sarah.

Now I'd say its pretty much 100% confirmed more fishy than Jordans flaps. But how to proceed?

I'm tempted to hand over the address for a paypal account I've got but don't use anymore, just to see if any funds actually get transferred in there? Its highly unlikely, and will probably be just a fake paypal email that arrives saying 'You've got foonds', but then again they might put the money in there with the eye to reverse the transaction later on down the line.

Of course the wheels are never going to leave my side - not unless I have the full amount in my hands, withdrawn from Paypal, with confirmation from the to say that the transaction is 100% OK and cannot be reversed.

What do you think?

[Stu R]

I think you could probably find better ways to waste your time.

[jimxms]

Stu R said:

I think you could probably find better ways to waste your time.

Well the forums are dead, I've visited redtube several times already today, my car is away being repaired....so I'm st outta ideas tbh :/

[ZOLLAR]

jimxms said:

Stu R said:

I think you could probably find better ways to waste your time.

Well the forums are dead, I've visited redtube several times already today, my car is away being repaired....so I'm st outta ideas tbh :/

Crack on an let us know what happens, it's the sts and giggles in life that we remember not the productive stuff

[Dave Hedgehog]

jimxms said:

Well the forums are dead, I've visited redtube several times already today, my car is away being repaired....so I'm st outta ideas tbh :/

mix it up a bit with hardsextube?

[Buff Mchugelarge]

I'd run a mile m8.
scammy scammy scam scam.

[Liquid Tuna]

Can you put the old paypal account to them, see if they deposit something, transfer it and then close the account? Might be worth doing it to scam a scammer?

[jimxms]

Dave Hedgehog said:

mix it up a bit with hardsextube?

I'll keep that in mind for next time. I'm actually feeling rather stty with a case of tonsilitis at the moment, so have to balance energy loss with pleasure gain.

[jimxms]

Liquid Tuna said:

Can you put the old paypal account to them, see if they deposit something, transfer it and then close the account? Might be worth doing it to scam a scammer?

This is what I had in mind to be honest. The PP account has old detais for me on it anyway. So see if funds arrive, if they do xfer them out, then sit and wait to see what happens.

Worst case, the person turns out to be genuine (yeh right) and I apoligise, offer a refund.

Best case, paypal has a fit, closes scammers account, puts mine in negative balance and I tell them to go spin for all the st they've put me through in the past. lol

[CraigyMc]

If there is doubt... there can be no doubt.

Don't paypal pretty much always side with the purchaser (aka scammy McScammer?)

Banks can do lots of fairly unorthodox things where fraud is concerned. They can reverse payments made ages after the money has apparently "cleared".

Play with the scammer if you like, but don't get your fingers burnt.

C

[MrCheese]

well - type in "Sarah Atkins scam" into google and look what appears!

http://www.wheel-wes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=...

I've never heard of the wheel-wes website before but I'm sure it is more reliable than Sarah

[jimxms]

MrCheese said:

well - type in "Sarah Atkins scam" into google and look what appears!

http://www.wheel-wes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=...

I've never heard of the wheel-wes website before but I'm sure it is more reliable than Sarah

Nice find. I tried her email address and a few other things plugged into Google but came back with nothing.

So yes, its 100% a scam...and it sounds like they actually do deposit funds before reversing them. So hmmm....Dr Pepper moment....

[ZOLLAR]

jimxms said:

Nice find. I tried her email address and a few other things plugged into Google but came back with nothing.

So yes, its 100% a scam...and it sounds like they actually do deposit funds before reversing them. So hmmm....Dr Pepper moment....

Do it

[oO Trouble Oo]

No, they'll say thanks, I'll send someone to collect them at so and so time. Then they'll send you a bogus email that says "you have received funds" from a fake paypal domain. If you don't log onto your paypal account you may fall fall it. I'm sure some people do.

A friend of mine had this done to him when he was selling his car.

[Lippy Kid]

CraigyMc said:

If there is doubt... there can be no doubt.


C

Been watching Ronin?

[Superhoop]

They must think people are stupid.... I had pretty much exactly the same email when I was trying to buy a kitten

The funny bit was how they were going to have to use a shipping agent as they had moved to the Isle of Man due to illness

Who on this planet uses a bloody shipping agent to deliver a kitten?

[jimxms]

oO Trouble Oo said:

No, they'll say thanks, I'll send someone to collect them at so and so time. Then they'll send you a bogus email that says "you have received funds" from a fake paypal domain. If you don't log onto your paypal account you may fall fall it. I'm sure some people do.

A friend of mine had this done to him when he was selling his car.

I wonder who they'd send? If collecting a car surely it must be someone 'in' on it?

[CraigyMc]

Lippy Kid said:

CraigyMc said:

If there is doubt... there can be no doubt.


C

Been watching Ronin?

I was hoping someone would spot that

[MrDarkBlack]

ZOLLAR said:

jimxms said:

I've visited redtube several times already today

Crack on an let us know what happens,

PPPPPLLLEEEEEEEEASE DON'T. No need to tell us.