There are many variations of the Craigslist/Paypal scam:
1 - this article explains the most common version which uses a spoofed email that only looks like it's from Paypal http://consumerist.com/2008/10/30/how-a-...
2 - a version of #1 but the fake Paypal email will be for MORE than you asked for and you will be asked to wire the balance to the "shipper" or some other person through Western Union or Moneygram
3 – you get a spoofed Paypal email asking you to click a link to verify/accept the transaction, and that link leads you to a phishing site that looks exactly like Paypal’s home page but by logging in, you just gave the scammers your account details so they can hack your account and use it to pay for items online
4 - they pay with a hacked Paypal account hoping you ship the item or they or their “mover” or “shipper” pick up the item before the real account holder discovers the theft, reports it to Paypal and Paypal withdraws the money from your account
5- Paypal ONLY protects you if YOU arrange the shipping to the buyer's verified address. Scammers know this but hope you don't. So they pay with their account then either pick up from you, send a "shipper" (scammer using another fake name) to pick up the item or they have you send to a father/son/friend/etc overseas or in another state Then once they have the item or you have sent it, they file a dispute with Paypal claiming their email and Paypal accounts have been hacked and there is an unauthorised transaction. Paypal contacts you asking for proof of delivery to the buyer's verified address. You won't have this as the scammer either picked up from you or shipped to an unverfied address, and Paypal refunds the money and the scammer keeps your item and resells it for cash
6 - With electronic items, scammers who have broken/damaged/stolen items scour the internet for the same make/model in other cities. They buy your item, pay with Paypal, then file a chargeback claiming the item doesn't work. They send you their broken one back and paypal refunds their money. With designer items, they buy your item, claim it’s counterfeit, then send you a fake one back – whether it’s a Rolex watch, Louis Vuitton handbag, Gucci wallet, etc
And once the scammers have your Paypal account details they will use password hacking software to hack your account to “pay” their next victim
Is the item you are selling so rare that the person could not find one closer to home? People look on Craiglist to find local items to pick up in person, not to have items shipped across the country. Only if you had an extremely rare item that could not be found on other Craiglists, Ebay, Amazon, etc would any real buyer take a chance because a buyer could be easily scammed by a seller who sent a box of rocks instead of the item
Dont agree to it. He might send you a fake Paypal page and you click on it and he hacks your account.
Tell him you will sell to him ONLY if he sends you a USPS postal money order. Tell him that the sale is AS IS. He cannot return the item or get a refund. If he offers to send you extra money to accept a check dont do it. It will be a fake check.
You dont know where he really is. Some Nigerian scammers use people inside the U.S. to receive stolen goods.
Yes.
He will send you a fake PayPal email. The email will state that the money is pending and that you have to enter the tracking information from the shipment to release it. However, as the email is fake, there is no money.
With Craigslist, deal only locally and in person.
Yes it could be a scan, there are a number of different shipping scams doing around.
Or he maybe involved in illegal activities and want your name on the shipping information instead of his.
MIKE O is right.
This guy who lives a few states away asked me to ship my item to him. He seems sincere because he mentioned my specific item and there is no back story. Just; "I'm looking for that [item] Would you be willing to ship it if i paid for shipping costs through paypal? I live in the so and so area in the so and so state." He also gave me his name.
But im nervous because i'm not sure if there is some way he can scam me. If i agreed to ship it of course i would make him pay before.
So is there some way he can possibly scam me?
(Its not overseas or anything)
