The Scam ..
The Scam ..
So I have a motorcycle for sale {73 Shovel} on craigslist . I received the following email ..
Buyer Am interested in buying it, but i will not be able to come and view it at your place because I'm not at home right now. I will be responsible for pick up and delivery, the payment will be made through PayPal. My shipping company will come to your location for the pick up. Kindly provide me with the address where it will be picked up to calculate the cost. Do get back to me as soon as possible so that i can proceed with the payment via PayPal.
Me Sorry, this sounds like a scam ..
Buyer Why? I can understand the way you feel but i want to assure you that there won't be any problem. I'm not home presently, the item will not leave your sight not until the payment is clear and deposit into your PayPal account, that's why i want to hand over this transaction to PayPal and my Shipping Company so as soon as the payment has been made then my agent can come to pick up the item so kindly get back to me with all necessary information for the payment.
Buyer Am interested in buying it, but i will not be able to come and view it at your place because I'm not at home right now. I will be responsible for pick up and delivery, the payment will be made through PayPal. My shipping company will come to your location for the pick up. Kindly provide me with the address where it will be picked up to calculate the cost. Do get back to me as soon as possible so that i can proceed with the payment via PayPal.
Me Sorry, this sounds like a scam ..
Buyer Why? I can understand the way you feel but i want to assure you that there won't be any problem. I'm not home presently, the item will not leave your sight not until the payment is clear and deposit into your PayPal account, that's why i want to hand over this transaction to PayPal and my Shipping Company so as soon as the payment has been made then my agent can come to pick up the item so kindly get back to me with all necessary information for the payment.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 2,554
From: UK
Just give them the nearest city as the pickup location. Cost won't vary between that and wherever you are.
And don't accept payment by PayPal either. Cold hard cash or bank transfer. Paypal can get reversed very easily if a buyer complains.
But yeah - it sounds very much like a scam!
And don't accept payment by PayPal either. Cold hard cash or bank transfer. Paypal can get reversed very easily if a buyer complains.
But yeah - it sounds very much like a scam!
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 1,510
Likes: 8,337
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Usually they are not even after the property. It's your log in credentials they want.
General after a "deal" is struck they will send you a "PayPal" link to pay. It looks legit, but is a phishing scam.
Ive encountered dozens of scams Craigslist. Just use your noggin and spider sense. A little common sense goes a long way.
General after a "deal" is struck they will send you a "PayPal" link to pay. It looks legit, but is a phishing scam.
Ive encountered dozens of scams Craigslist. Just use your noggin and spider sense. A little common sense goes a long way.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,971
Likes: 840
From: In front of the computer for now.
Tell him/her that you'll hold the bike after a substantial deposit in the form of a cashier's check so when they do gt back to the area, you'll release the bike after full payment has been made. (in cash).
A friend of mine had a similar interest on Craigslist ad he had a couple of weeks ago. Same ****, he ignored it after the initial contact and the scammer never contacted him again.
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Tourer
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 409
Likes: 753
From: Henderson, NV
Scam
Samo, samo. I had the same thing happen when I sold my Softail last month. I actually got three different cashier's checks - all as bogus as Nacy Pelosi'd honor. DO NOT accept cashiers checks. I sold my bike for cash.
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,049
Likes: 691
From: Headland, AL
I've gotten these scam-bait emails a hundred times before. Most of the time I just send back a message saying something like, "I know this is an attempted scam. Never contact me again or I will forward all messages to Craig's List. Later scammer."
Pretty sure Just Mike hit the nail on the head. They will send you to a phony site that looks just like PayPal's site, but it's really their own site. Once you attempt to login and can't, you have very little time to go change you password and/or user-name, and if you don't do it real soon, the scammer can login with your real user-name and password and clean you out. Probably a little more difficult to get away with it totally if you're using a credit card instead of bank transfer or a running balance with PP. At least with a CC you can dispute the fraudulent withdrawal.
Stay safe. It's a jungle out there.
Blues
Pretty sure Just Mike hit the nail on the head. They will send you to a phony site that looks just like PayPal's site, but it's really their own site. Once you attempt to login and can't, you have very little time to go change you password and/or user-name, and if you don't do it real soon, the scammer can login with your real user-name and password and clean you out. Probably a little more difficult to get away with it totally if you're using a credit card instead of bank transfer or a running balance with PP. At least with a CC you can dispute the fraudulent withdrawal.
Stay safe. It's a jungle out there.
Blues
