Am i being 'conned' on Ebay?

by Riz
8 replies
Hi,

I'm wondering if i'm being conned on ebay.

On Wednesday night i put an auction on for an old mobile phone with a Auction start price and a Buy it Now price. I only intended it to be for uk buyers so put on postage charge of £2.50.

On Thursday morning someone from Hong Kong bought it for the Buy it Now Price. Now, this buyer has a 45 feedback all positive but his last purchase was 18 months ago.

Now here's why i'm questioning the legitamcy:

1) His ebay account is registered in America, his address is in Hong Kong and he wants me to deliver the phone to Nigeria.

2) Today i got an email from him telling me has paid, the money has left his account and to send the phone to Nigeria.

3) I also got an email from Paypal saying to provide a shipment reference and the funds will be credited to my account.

4) When i log into my Paypal account (not from the link in the paypal email) there is no reference of any payment pending to me.

Do u think the Paypal email is a phishing email?

Does this sound legitamate?

thanks in advance.
Riz
#conned #ebay
  • Profile picture of the author AndyBlackSEO
    The old Nigeria type scam. Don't send it... it is a con. Also, if you stated UK only, why would they buy it. eBay is full of scams so you need to be careful and have your wits about you.

    Just ignore it and do the auction again. I think there is a way you can get your fee back in these circumstances.

    Andy
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    I also got an email from Paypal saying to provide a shipment reference and the funds will be credited to my account
    When i log into my Paypal account (not from the link in the paypal email) there is no reference of any payment pending to me.
    Don't know how much more evidence of a scam you would need.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Scam.

    Just last year, I had a friend who told me about how he had just sent his laptop that he had sold.

    After asking about a few details, it was easy to see it was a scam.

    It was too late for him to get his laptop back (several $100 gone), but I helped him do the following.

    1. Check PayPal for any odd transactions.

    2. Change the PayPal password from MY computer, just in case the site he went to installed a keylogger.

    3. Did the same with his bank account and e-mail address used in the supposed transaction. (Again, from my computer, just in case).

    4. Updated all virus definitions on his computer.

    5. Perfromed a full system virus scan.

    6. Had him monitor his accounts more closely for the next few days.

    7. Encouraged him to check with me ahead of time in the future.

    Yes, he was out the laptop, but may have prevented a whole host of additional problems.

    Remember, these scammers don't care about you. They don't care if you've worked hard to earn what you have, or even you are selling things to feed your family.

    All the best,
    Michael
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    • Profile picture of the author Jasmine Shaw
      This is a scam don't send the phone. If you have been paid refund the guy and relist.
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  • Profile picture of the author dsmpublishing
    Whatever you do dont send it. The nigerian scam is very well known. go to www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog a british tv show that you may be familiar with and there is a lot of info on there about nigerian scams and will give you advice on how to deal with it. As we all know that eBay very rarely take it seriously.

    If he has paid refund him and re-list the item. Dont communicate with him as he may try and fool you with a sob story if he does just tell him that you only post to europe.
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  • Profile picture of the author Riz
    Thanks all for your input.

    I'm definately not sending the phone. I've confirmed with Paypal that it was a phishing email by sending it to spoof@paypal.com.

    Annoying because now i have to relist and i had it set to finish on a Sunday evening.

    I'm now trying to figure out how to report it to ebay - away to read up.

    Thanks again.

    Riz
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  • Profile picture of the author esr
    It's number 3 in your post that really concerns me. I've sold A LOT of stuff on eBay, and never once have I gotten an email from them asking for a shipping reference and telling me that funds are on their way to my account.

    It sounds like a scam.
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  • Profile picture of the author grumpyb
    Go on to Ebay and log in
    you will find a live help option in the help section
    You will then be able to have an on line conversation with a rep who should refer the matter to trust and safety
    You should also get a credit for the final value fee
    If you clicked on any links in the phishing emails ensure you change your passwords on both EBay and Paypal.
    If there is no message in EBay or paypal then the message is not genuine
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