Site Flippers : Could This Be A Scam Attempt?

[yommys01]

Hi warriors,
I need your help again. I just sold a site on flippa for $3999 and I want to use Escrow.com to finalize ( finalise) the trasaction.

The buyer has wired the money to escrow.com but I need to transfer the domain name to him. I filled the little form on escrow and wrote to the buyer to comfirm I have filled the form on flippa and that I am not sure if that is the right thing to do as namecheap.com which is my registrar for the the domain name in question is not listed and here is what he wrote back to me :

Thanks,

You should just login to your Namecheap account and push the domain to my account under the username "xxxxx" ( removed cos I don't have the rights to post his username here without his permission) . Escrow.com is just waiting for me to tell them I have received the domain and related files. Then zip a mysql database backup and the theme and send to me.

Do you guys think it is safe to transfer the domain name to him?

Can't he tell escrow.com I have transferred nothing to him? Thought I am suppose to transfer the domain name to escrow.com and then from escrow.com to him. I know I should have emailed escrow.com to ask but I know for sure that it will take days for them to reply but I need the trasaction done on time and I am scared of being scammed.

Also, Can someone teach me how to zip the files and send it to him when necessary?

Thanks in advance.

[yommys01]

Any warrior? I need your advise.

[LMC]

Could be Fishy.

Escrow wouldn't "Wait" for Files, you should be able to see payment within Escrow ready to be released.

[sbucciarel]

If Escrow has the funds, transfer the domain to him. On Sedo, it is the same. Sedo had the money and I transferred the domain to the new owner and then Sedo released the money to me. You can prove that you transferred the domain to him, if necessary. As long as you are certain that the money is there. You should have received communication from Escrow.com as to what to do next. It's worth the wait to get it right and send a support email to escrow.com if you are unsure.

[yommys01]

Yeah I can see the money is available with escrow.com but since this is the first time of using escrow.com, I am not so sure if I should send it directly to him or not.

Is there a way I can prove I have sent the files and the domain to him if necessary?

[Akky]

Do a quick lookup on google about his name, username and stuff. And then, tell him that you would transfer the files only after the payment is released if that is okay with him and then just explain the reason that you need to be safe.

Anyways be safe . And ask namecheap.com live support for protection in case he scams you. Tell them that you are selling the site, and ask whether they could offer you some kind of protectiong since it is a large sum of money.

1)Is he wanting you to send the money quickly?
2) Any anxious kinda behaviour in his talk?

Consider these two factors, if you wanna know it's fishy or not. (I read this in an ebook recently)

And, I'd like to congratulate you

G'day,
Akhil

[gravtex]

Your proof with Escrow will be the domain name showing up as registered in his name and address as provided to Escrow.com. Just follow Escrow.com instructions and if you're unsure, feel free to call them up and ask before you do anything.

But since the buyer has paid, make sure you get the domain transferred or he'll start worry about you being the scammer, not the other way around.

Gary

[Zeus66]

I don't think it sounds fishy, Yommy. It sounds more like an experienced site buyer who is using the jargon of someone who buys a lot of sites. Still, make sure the funds are fully accessible at Escrow. If they tell you it's all good, then what he's asking you to do is correct as far as I can tell. Just get Escrow's ok that all is well on their end, and by all means backup all the files before you send them to him. Just in case, so you can recreate the site should it come to that.

John

[Kay King]

whether they could offer you some kind of protection

Escrow.com IS the protection. If they have reported the money has been fully funded there is no reason not to transfer the site. You don't get the money until the transfer is completed.

Don't forget - a buyer paying $4k to a seller who is hesitating to transfer may think "scam", too.

As for namecheap - I looked at your site ad and you did not state a buyer would need to have a namecheap account to transfer the domain. If you want to collect the money, you have to fulfill your part of the sale.

kay

[sbucciarel]

He has sent you the money. Send him the site. Escrow will know from whois records that he now owns the site. It does not sound fishy to me at all. It sounds like a done deal as soon as you get that site to him.

[fitzwar]

Can you contact Namecheap and ask if they can provide the proof that you have sent the domain name when you do and then pass those details over to escrow

[Gene Pimentel]

This is normal procedure. However, there is a level of risk involved even if escrow has received the money in full. A scammer can simply deny that you have transferred the domain to him, and escrow would not release the money to you (a scammer will leave YOUR information in the whois record temporarily). When dealing with an unknown buyer it's important for you to protect yourself by keeping a detailed record of each step you take, time-line, etc. As others have said, a call to the registrar before you do the transfer can make all the difference.

[yommys01]

Thanks guys, the deal seems to be going fine so far. He has comfirmed to me and to escrow.com that he has recieved the domain name and he also got the eza article user name and password. The only thing left now is the files.

He has vounteered to transfer the files by him and he has allowed the inspect period to start. The inspection period is set to just 1 day on the buyer's request. It is almost at the final stage but I can not be sure until when the deal has been done and dusted.

Thanks warriors.

[George Wright]

Congratulations Yommy on a nice sale.

Let us know how this ends.

George Wright

Originally Posted by yommys01

Thanks guys, the deal seems to be going fine so far. He has comfirmed to me and to escrow.com that he has recieved the domain name and he also got the eza article user name and password. The only thing left now is the files.

He has vounteered to transfer the files by him and he has allowed the inspect period to start. The inspection period is set to just 1 day on the buyer's request. It is almost at the final stage but I can not be sure until when the deal has been done and dusted.

Thanks warriors.

[Gene Pimentel]

Great! Then you're over the main hurdle. Once the buyer acknowledges receipt of the domain, it's past the 'scamming' stage (if it were to have occurred).

[MWick]

Congrats on the sale. You can never be careful at amounts over $xxxx.

[yommys01]

Seems everything is fine now. The inspection period has been ended by the buyer and escrow.com has comfirmed to me they will be releasing the funds to me within 1 business day.

Thanks to everyone for your advise.

[kevin campbelle]

I used Escrow.com a few months ago for selling a domain name for the first time. It was with namecheap and I pushed the domain to the buyer's account. Everything went fine.

When I was about to push the domain name I realized that all I'm seeing is an account name and no details of address or real name etc. One thing that came across my mind was that suppose the buyer was working with another person with a scam, and did his part of submitting the funds to Escrow.com and gave me the account of the other person to push it to.

I then push it to person B and I lose control of my domain name. The whois information is then changed to person B and then the original buyer tells Escrow.com that he did not receive the domain name and Escrow.com check it and see that I pushed it to the wrong account.

What happens here? I lose the domain and the buyer gets back his funds and the other person gets the domain?


Kevin.

[yommys01]

Originally Posted by kevin campbelle

I used Escrow.com a few months ago for selling a domain name for the first time. It was with namecheap and I pushed the domain to the buyer's account. Everything went fine.

When I was about to push the domain name I realized that all I'm seeing is an account name and no details of address or real name etc. One thing that came across my mind was that suppose the buyer was working with another person with a scam, and did his part of submitting the funds to Escrow.com and gave me the account of the other person to push it to.

I then push it to person B and I lose control of my domain name. The whois information is then changed to person B and then the original buyer tells Escrow.com that he did not receive the domain name and Escrow.com check it and see that I pushed it to the wrong account.

What happens here? I lose the domain and the buyer gets back his funds and the other person gets the domain?


Kevin.

You said you used escrow.com a couple of months ago and that everything went fine and you asking questions about losing your domain name?

Can you explain a little further please?

Anyway, warriors, I need help again. The trasaction has now been closed and I have got the final statement from escrow.com but they did not say anything about when they will send my money to be in Benin Republic.

[kevin campbelle]

Originally Posted by yommys01

You said you used escrow.com a couple of months ago and that everything went fine and you asking questions about losing your domain name?

Can you explain a little further please?

Anyway, warriors, I need help again. The trasaction has now been closed and I have got the final statement from escrow.com but they did not say anything about when they will send my money to be in Benin Republic.

Yes the transaction went fine.

I said that something crossed my mind when I was doing the transaction and what I laid out there was a possible scenario.

Kevin.

[yommys01]

Originally Posted by kevin campbelle

Yes the transaction went fine.

I said that something crossed my mind when I was doing the transaction and what I laid out there was a possible scenario.

Kevin.

Oh, sorry, I miss read your first post. Since you have used the service before, can you please tell me how long it took before they sent your money and were you notified when they have sent it?

[kevin campbelle]

Originally Posted by yommys01

Oh, sorry, I miss read your first post. Since you have used the service before, can you please tell me how long it took before they sent your money and were you notified when they have sent it?

I can't remember if I got any notification after the closing statement.
I had chosen an international wire transfer and I think it took 2 days to reach my account. I had someone at the bank checking on it for me so I was not too worried.

Don't worry man, the funds will come.

[Tron2k]

did you get your money yet?

[Gene Pimentel]

This is certainly a concern, but there is always a "paper trail" left behind. You would have a solid case against the buyer, but the problem is you may have to hire a lawyer in a case like this.

This is why if it's a substantial amount of money, you should contact your registrar and let them know your concern, and ask if they will assist you if the account turns out to be a scammer. If the registrar is unresponsive, find another registrar who cares (for future business).

Here's food for thought: If you are uncomfortable taking that risk with Escrow (although the risk is small), you may want to considr using Sedo.com for the transaction. Here's why: When you sell a domain through Sedo, Sedo will have you transfer the domain to SEDO. Then THEY will transfer it to buyer. This means you are fully protected. If the buyer turns out to be a scammer, that's between Sedo and the scammer. Not you.

Originally Posted by kevin campbelle

I used Escrow.com a few months ago for selling a domain name for the first time. It was with namecheap and I pushed the domain to the buyer's account. Everything went fine.

When I was about to push the domain name I realized that all I'm seeing is an account name and no details of address or real name etc. One thing that came across my mind was that suppose the buyer was working with another person with a scam, and did his part of submitting the funds to Escrow.com and gave me the account of the other person to push it to.

I then push it to person B and I lose control of my domain name. The whois information is then changed to person B and then the original buyer tells Escrow.com that he did not receive the domain name and Escrow.com check it and see that I pushed it to the wrong account.

What happens here? I lose the domain and the buyer gets back his funds and the other person gets the domain?


Kevin.

[kevin campbelle]

Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel

This is certainly a concern, but there is always a "paper trail" left behind. You would have a solid case against the buyer, but the problem is you may have to hire a lawyer in a case like this.

This is why if it's a substantial amount of money, you should contact your registrar and let them know your concern, and ask if they will assist you if the account turns out to be a scammer. If the registrar is unresponsive, find another registrar who cares (for future business).

Here's food for thought: If you are uncomfortable taking that risk with Escrow (although the risk is small), you may want to considr using Sedo.com for the transaction. Here's why: When you sell a domain through Sedo, Sedo will have you transfer the domain to SEDO. Then THEY will transfer it to buyer. This means you are fully protected. If the buyer turns out to be a scammer, that's between Sedo and the scammer. Not you.

I hear you. I just read some comments on a site sold on Flippa. The seller said he had two domains stolen while locked in a Escrow.com transaction. The buyer secured funds using a stolen credit card, and then transferred the domain to another registrar (Outside the US) during the inspection period. So recovery would have been a PITA.

I guess that is some food for thought.

Kevin.

[yommys01]

Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel

This is certainly a concern, but there is always a "paper trail" left behind. You would have a solid case against the buyer, but the problem is you may have to hire a lawyer in a case like this.

This is why if it's a substantial amount of money, you should contact your registrar and let them know your concern, and ask if they will assist you if the account turns out to be a scammer. If the registrar is unresponsive, find another registrar who cares (for future business).

Here's food for thought: If you are uncomfortable taking that risk with Escrow (although the risk is small), you may want to considr using Sedo.com for the transaction. Here's why: When you sell a domain through Sedo, Sedo will have you transfer the domain to SEDO. Then THEY will transfer it to buyer. This means you are fully protected. If the buyer turns out to be a scammer, that's between Sedo and the scammer. Not you.

I am scared now, I have sent a message to escrow.com to find out exactly what is going on. I will update this thread as soon as I hear from them and will be using sedo.com from hencefort as it seems secure and they seem to be accepting Nigeria ( which is where I prefer my money to go cos of the dollar exchange rate).

[yommys01]

The money has been sent according to escrow.com in fact I must say I am impressed by the service. I got a world record reply from escrow.com.

I sent them a message earlier in the afternoon and they replied to me in about 1 minute ( honestly I don't think it is up to 1 min) later.

Hostgator replied me within 15 mins about 1 month ago and I thought that was the fastest not knowing someone could beat that.

Thanks to all warriors who have helped me one way or the other. I really appreciate everyone for being so helpful to me when I need help.

[seobro]

Congrats bro on your first site flip. After escrow gets the money you send do the transfer. We all dream our site will one day become a success like plentyoffish.com,

[yommys01]

Originally Posted by seobro

Congrats bro on your first site flip. After escrow gets the money you send do the transfer. We all dream our site will one day become a success like plentyoffish.com,

My first? Not really, I have sold a couple of other sites before this one, this one only happen to be the biggest ( in term of $$).