Scam Alert!

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by Ice-man, Jul 22, 2018.

  1. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    Well, I could call this the "don't be stupid like me" thread. So I got scammed on HF and wanted to share my experience so that others might avoid the same.

    Here's how it went down. I listed a pair of headphones for $700. They didn't sell right away and then a "new member" says that he'll take them. I tell him that I'm not really interested in selling to a brand new member. He points me to his stellar ebay feedback. I still say no thanks. Then he says no problem that he will gift me the payment friends and family. So I think why not?

    Then it gets really fishy. He makes the payment but splits it in two and they only show pending on my end. He keeps acting like he's not done much with pp and that they are holding the payment because he doesn't use the account much and that they must be trying to protect him because they don't want to be sure that the payments are legit. Then he sends another gifted payment that clears right away.

    Five days later the other two payments clear. And now he's overpaid. I send him a refund for the overpayment and mail the headphones to him. (I know that I am stupid at this point)

    He gets the headphones and everything is great. Until...a month later and...wait for it...POOF, $700 disappears from my pp account. WTF! You can guess the rest. He disputed the transaction and pp returned his money. Now he has the headphones, the $700, AND the $350 I refunded him.

    My whole point for this is...don't assume like I did that paypal gift can not be disputed...it can. Long story short, I was able to recover my money because pp failed to notify me of the dispute. Otherwise, it would have been a very expensive lesson.
     
  2. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    Wow, that's quite a story. Thanks for sharing that.
     
  3. foo_me

    foo_me Friend

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    That is a good thing to know.
    As a standard practice, I always take money out of my PayPal account immediately after a transaction just Incase of situations like this.
     
  4. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    It wouldn't matter. PP will draw the money from your required credit card or bank account if necessary. I do believe.
     
  5. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Glad you were able to get that resolved and I can look out for this new tactic.
     
  6. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    They can't legally do that. If you run a negative balance your account becomes limited and you cannot do anything with it until you get it in the black. If you refuse to pay they disable your account permanently and sell your debt to a collections agency.

    I know you've realized this now but for anyone else reading, there is no such thing as a PayPal transaction that cannot be reversed or disputed in one way or another. There are actually a ton of effective scam methods out there, and if anything I would say what most consider to be 'gift' payments are actually LESS secure as there is no exchange of goods associated with them as far as PayPal is concerned. Be safe and use common sense.
     
  7. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Sorry for your hassle. I think that (or a similar) scammer tried to "buy" gear I was selling on HF a while ago, but I smelled a rat and ignored them.
     
  8. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    Trust your instincts. I tell this to people who get virus problems on their computer on a regular basis. I should take my own advice.
     
  9. drgumbybrain

    drgumbybrain Science Nut

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    What a psychopath. Thanks for sharing.
     
  10. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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  11. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    That sucks. If you transfer a payment from PP to your cc/bank account immediately, can PP still refund the buyer by withdrawing from your cc/bank account without your authorization?
     
  12. BillOhio

    BillOhio Friend

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    I just packed up a pair of Auteurs and mailed them to a 'Rando' on this site who paid via paypal. And no offense to him who seems legit but after reading this post by Ice-man a took a precaution. At the FedEx, I had the Auteurs in the case with the peripherals, the case in the box and the case and box open. I took a video by phone of everything promised being in the case, the case being closed, the girl at the desk closing up the box and taping everything up and applying the mailing sticker, which I got a clear close up of, and taking the box back to their shipment area, all in one continuous shot so that I know if there were any dispute that I have video proof that I handed off to Fed Ex everything that was promised in the PMs here on SBAF.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2018
  13. AllanMarcus

    AllanMarcus Friend

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    This sounds sort of similar to the craigslist scam from years ago, but updated for the PayPal age. The person gives a sob story about being deployed or moving to another state, really wants the item, and will pay for shipping. They send you a check to cover all the expenses, but the check it for too much. He politely asks you to return some of the overage to him with the item, and keep some of the overage. You are happy 'cus you get to keep more money, so you send the item and the refund. The check then turns out to be fake.
     
  14. skem

    skem Friend

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    I have been caught in multiple buyer scams like the one you describe, mostly through eBay. I have learned that PayPal has no interest in protecting sellers whatsoever, which is why I do not sell using PayPal anymore .. or eBay. The two are managed by an incompetent corporation that has no interest in adjudicating claims.
     
  15. Out Of Your Head

    Out Of Your Head Friend

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    I got scammed on EBay a long time ago. The buyer had hijacked a legit EBay account (with GREAT feedback) and the same person's PayPal account. So they bought a $3000 camera from me via PayPal. But I ALWAYS ship to a verified PayPal shipping address, which I did, BUT here's where I was stupid. The buyer asked if I wanted to use their UPS account for shipping to cover the shipping costs. I was charging them shipping, but they said they could use their account to cover the costs instead. I said OK.

    So once the package got closer to the verified shipping address, the buyer redirected the shipment to a different random address. Then it all went downhill from there. The package was received at the other address. Then the real owner of the account disputed the charges of course.

    I appealed to EBay and PayPal and showed them proof of shipping, proof of delivery, etc. but they said I owed them $3000. They shutdown my EBAY and PayPal accounts but they were not able to pull the money out of my bank account or credit card. So I never paid them back and am now banned from EBay and PayPal for life.

    During the dispute, I gave them all the info and the final delivery address and the UPS account number, but that was a dead end. PayPal would not budge and said it was all my fault.

    Live and learn, I guess.
     
  16. Mrip

    Mrip Friend

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    Ebay buyer blatantly scammed me years ago and got away with it despite my mountain of evidence. That was the last item I ever sold there. I'd kind of rather put items out on the sidewalk for free instead of giving Ebay business.
     
  17. meloman

    meloman Acquaintance

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    Maybe, but even if they can't withdraw from your linked cc/bank account, they will make your PayPal account have a negative balance and nag you to cover it. If you wont do it, PayPal will lock your account and send it off to a collection agency. Happened to me a while back with Audiogon sale.
     
  18. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    I've had a couple of high-dollar sales where various someones with no feedback/presence on the site I'm listing the item on has done the "here's my eBay feedback" thing. Invariably, it'll be an account with precisely zero other transactions for audio-related gear (last one was all PC components). And then when you shoot them a message on that account, it goes unanswered.

    Of course, the "name" they're using never marries up from site to site either.

    Notwithstanding that since I'm not listing the item via eBay, any eBay feedback or presence is entirely irrelevant. For larger transactions I want to know that I can trash your reputation, with consequences, on a relevant site, if you're playing silly buggers.

    And I've also run into the "my relative will pick it up locally" ... followed by "oh, they can't, but here ... I'll use my <other relative's> UPS account to send you a shipping label" ... nonsense. A gradual "worsening" of the situation for me. No thanks.

    ...

    Glad it worked out for @Ice-man though!
     
  19. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    I don't mess with people who want all these special accommodations. I'll issue a PP invoice, and you pay it. Simple as that.

    Signature will be required on delivery. Real addresses only. No PO boxes. Shipping insurance for the amount to cover a new replacement + shipping costs. Refunds happen when I get the product back (and check to ensure the serial # matches what I shipped you) and/or after FedEx cuts me the check for the insured value.
     
  20. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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    Long story short... PP sucks. They will side with the buyer in 99% of cases and scammers use this. Also - their currency conversation rates suck.

    Sorry about your money @Ice-man
     

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