Absolutely devastating. I know of so many people who have been duped , not just hifi and some in excess of 15k. As you say the scams are so elaborate now. Awful.Assume you’ve reported it to action fraud? Is it’s any consolation, I was scammed 3 years ago for £6k by an incredibly elaborate fraud involving fake courier company websites (Pacefast Logistics) and a fake seller by the name of Ephrain Isaac. Videos were sent showing him having lunch with his kids and demonstrating the amp. When I said I wasn’t comfortable sending the whole amount he agreed to 50% up front and 50 on delivery. He then said his wife was very worried about that and he could only do the whole lot up front. Dockets showing the boxes being dropped at the courier and tracking info by text / email until on the day of delivery I get one saying your package is held in customs (in Istanbul) because the vendor hasn’t paid taxes. To release the package you need to arrange for a further 1.5k to be wired to this account. At that moment I knew. It was very slick but absolutely devastating for me. I hope you get your money back.
Never EVER take Paypal on collection. This kind of trick is just one of many tools the scammers have at their disposal.Got caught out selling a camera body on eBay a few years back.
Got paid via Paypal & then the buyer collected. Next day the payment was reversed by Paypal as the account had somehow been hacked. Lesson learned....if receiving Paypal payment only mail to the registered Paypal address.
Hope you get a good outcome.
Thanks we all need reminding of online activityAnyone receiving replies to their Wanted ads, be aware of someone calling themselves Michael Brookes. I’ve just lost £900 after he replied to my Croft 25R wanted ad on Hifiwigwam. Seems this person has a long history of scamming hifi forums. He asked for payment to be sent to the account of a Sarah Brookes, who he claimed is his wife. Just warning people here to not send any funds to this person. He even produced an image of a Croft 25R with the day’s date and Hifiwigwam written on a piece of paper next to the amp, as asked for.
Never EVER take Paypal on collection. This kind of trick is just one of many tools the scammers have at their disposal.
What about a nice sticky at the top of the Classifieds with a list of common fraud methods, and how to be aware of scams.
It happens to us all I’m afraid but we can all learn by sharing experience. When I look back, I’ve taken some awful risks, but so far, I’m not significantly out of pocket. But I deserve to be.
edit: I’ve just noticed there is a sticky. Doh!
Sorry to hear that. So they just claimed too not have revived it at all and you couldn’t prove it? I know they introduced a collection code nowadays on eBay but not sure about PayPal.
Crazy. I’ll check out that panorama if I can find it.
I wonder how it works with eBay now as we have no way to tell how they paid. I would hope the collection code provided by the buyer covers it?
Crazy. I’ll check out that panorama if I can find it.
I wonder how it works with eBay now as we have no way to tell how they paid. I would hope the collection code provided by the buyer covers it?
The bay has added a collection code for buyer pick, but not sure if this protect seller.
It would appear to be there for the benefit of the seller, not the buyer: the collection code is sent to the buyer by ebay, and when the buyer collects, they are supposed to show the code to the seller, who enters it, certifiying that the buyer has collected the item. The buyer can't then claim that they didn't collect it.
However, ebay's website says this: "Items collected in person are still covered by eBay Money Back Guarantee if paid for with PayPal, however eBay Money Back Guarantee does not cover cash on collection transactions, or transactions where the item was not collected by the buyer."
So contrary to what was said further up the thread, PayPal on collection would appear to be safer for the seller, so long as they get the collection code from the buyer.
It's not contrary, it's a different process. This is utilising eBays collection code for purchases on eBay- which can ONLY be used on the eBay App - if you don't use the App, then you can't enter the collection code in on your computer, which is ridiculous really. PayPal is NEVER safer for the seller over cash. Never. Why would you want to put six months warranty on something for free? which is what you do with PayPal and eBay managed payments as of the 180 day chargeback option.
OK, I see what you mean. You're right that the app's a pain, and it can can be awkward getting the buyer to produce the code. The point I was making is that the collection code is a mechanism to allow ebay's seller protection to apply to items collected in person. It's not perfect but it's something. Cash isn't foolproof either.
One possible flaw there is that a patient scammer will do what's necessary to gain a trusted profile and then pull a scam.Having bought a couple of items (and in the process of buying something else) from members, I wonder is there a way of adding a 'green thumb' to a sellers or buyers avatar/photo, indicating they've bought/sold via the boards? I would also be very happy to a vol listing fee or a donation following a sale.
How do scams typically work the other way around?
I’ve had a couple of DMs recently from members who are interested in buying stuff I’ve got for sale and they literally have no posts and joined the very day they messaged me.
Am sure they are legit I just wonder how scams work from a seller perspective and what protection you have?
Possibly a dumb question but I’m really wary at the moment as got caught up in credit card fraud recently and had £4k of dodgy purchases booked on my credit card !!!